Finger Tips: Take a break, get back to work!

Getting back to work after a long break can be exciting or downright difficult. Familial commitments, ill health, or an expired contract, the reason could be anything. Those of you who have taken a sabbatical will know the adjustments and compromises involved, and the simple joys sometimes of `going back.' For the uninitiated, here's a reality check.

Jive to the tune!

Often, getting back into the groove takes a long time. You need often to begin right from scratch. With time, trends in the job market would have also changed, so be prepared for a few rude shocks regarding your skills, attitudes, knowledge and style of functioning. Research the job market well before you take the plunge.

Unearth the `JOB'

If you have a particular area of work in mind and have the necessary qualifications, then you just need to update on your knowledge and soft skills.

But if you want to just start working and don't have the requisite qualifications, you need to summon up all your ingenuity. For instance, if you've been a homemaker for the better part of your life, then you probably would have gained much experience as an organiser and budgeter. Perhaps you're also good at planning, liasing, managing deadlines and PR! So now, you've got a whole lot of avenues open, right from HR and administration to sales and PR. Everything depends on how you present yourself.

Sometimes, circumstances can help create interesting options. If you've developed an interesting hobby, and you're looking for employment, why not make the hobby a career?

Your part of the deal

It's best to decide the nature of the commitment before you meet a prospective employer - whether you're in it for the long haul or a short-term arrangement, and part-time or full time. What can you really offer the employer? Are your references and facts, statistics and practical instances all prepared and ready in the updated resume? Also check trends in resumes, you may have to submit an online resume, which is what most companies now prefer. Or if a `hard-copy' of the resume is requested, draft it in the style most prevalent.

Getting accustomed

Getting back to work could've been easier if it didn't involve adjustments. One of the most important things a `re-worker' has to realise is the subtle fine-tuning to be done. It could be in terms of timings, the long hours, the discipline and the rigours of the job, sustaining the momentum and perhaps travelling too and alternative arrangements for day-care for children (if any). All this involves great time management, an art that the `re- worker' must master to get back into the groove.

The `un-pleasantries'

Once the euphoria of finding employment has died down, you discover that all is still not well. You find that you've got to make more than just a compromise, you've got to ADJUST. Since you may have missed out on some valuable experience during your break, you may be left with a less than good deal, the salary may be low or the office environs may be constricting. On the other hand, you've just begun your professional life all over again. So any little experience in your preferred area will go a long way in re-shaping your career. Just grab the opportunity till a good one comes by!

With all your ideas right, you just need the perseverance and the determination to achieve your goal- reemployment!

SAMYUKTA KODA

samyukta.hyd@cxknetworks.com