Been Away From Work Awhile?

By Estelle Rodis-Brown

There’s a new way to gain professional experience later in life.

Sometime between college and full-time employment, you probably had an internship to gain work experience. You may have even sampled an externship later in your career, shadowing an industry professional.

But if you’ve stepped away from the workaday world due to illness, caretaking or early retirement, how do you re-enter the workforce with a gaping hole in your résumé? Job seekers with career gaps are 45% less likely to get interviews than those with continuous work experience, studies have shown.

With those odds, it’s prime time for a returnship.

Another name for a returnto-work or workforce re-entry program, a returnship is a paid internship-like program for experienced workers re-entering the workforce after an extended period away, particularly when transitioning into a new line of work. In addition to giving workers a chance to break into high-paying, high-growth fields, returnships benefit companies struggling to find qualified candidates for skilled positions. Those aged 50 and older are an otherwise overlooked talent pool of highly educated, experienced, dependable, motivated workers.

Returnships were originally created because hiring people returning to work after multi-year career breaks were considered risky business, according to career re-entry pioneer iRelaunch. A returnship lets companies evaluate returning workers based on their performance, not just interviews, with the permanent hiring decision being made only after the returnship period is over. The model works; 80% of returning professionals who complete returnship programs get hired.

Whether you are currently unemployed or under-employed, returnships provide a pathway to full re-employment, along with the opportunity to change careers. If you previously held positions in fields that are now in decline, you may use a returnship to transition to another field with a better outlook.

Returnships offer mentorship support along with training and skills development. Returners can be of any age or gender and come from a variety of professional backgrounds, including the military. Some programs require basic skills, but many are open to workers who simply demonstrate a passion for the job. Returnships can last a few months to several years, usually concluding with a full-time job offer.

Corporate partners of returnship talent seeker reacHIRE typically look for candidates with:

• A track record of professional success

• Strong academic credentials

• The motivation to accelerate their career

• Commitment to continuous learning

• A positive attitude

Even if your returnship doesn’t lead to a job, you should be in a much better position than you started, with new skills and valuable work experience. Plus, you’ll have closed that résumé gap.

Returnships also help build a strong professional network in a new field. Teammates, managers and mentors can become sources of support, advice, job referrals, references and recommendations.

Employers in skilled industries such as technology are most likely to offer returnships, including companies like Amazon, Comcast, Eaton, Expedia Group, Goldman Sachs, Meta, Boeing, Dell, Ford, Intel, Oracle, Morgan Stanley, Proctor & Gamble, HarperCollins, Caterpillar and T. Rowe Price.

Many employers with return-towork programs list opportunities on their careers pages. If you have a target employer in mind, start your search on that company’s website. Otherwise, search online returnship-style resources such as iRelaunch, Path Forward, reacHIRE, REACH (a technical apprenticeship program at LinkedIn), and Eaton’s ReSurge program.

Your encore career awaits. Put a returnship to work for you.