Interview by Elisa Freeling
You’ve taken time off from your career to care for your children, but now they’re older, and you’d like to go back to work. Yet it’s been ages since you’ve been in an office; perhaps you feel unconfident and don’t know where to begin. Women Returners helps professional women who would like to re-enter the workforce but aren’t sure how to go about it. Katerina Gould talked to WLM about the network she co-founded, the obstacles women returners face and top tips for getting back to work. (P.S. You can meet Katerina and cofounder Julianne at WLM’s event tomorrow.)
When and by whom was Women Returners founded?
Women Returners was founded in 2012 by Julianne Miles, a chartered psychologist, and me, an executive coach—both of us are former senior corporate executives. We share a strong desire to support other professional women to return to fulfilling work after a lengthy (longer than maternity leave) career break.
What was the motivation for starting the network?
We knew from our own experience of returning to work after a long career break and from our coaching work that there was a scarcity of support, guidance and inspiration available for former professionals trying to return to work. We wanted to help fill this gap for these women, addressing both the practical and the psychological challenges of returning to work, and to let them know they are not alone. Our motivation has recently extended to working with companies to create routes back to work for this neglected group of talented professionals.
What are the statistics?
We know from recent government data that 2.04 million women, and 229,000 men, are at home with children. The Project 2840 Report from Opportunity Now found that three-quarters of full-time carers want to return to work at some point. We don’t have UK data on professionals on career break, however a 2009 US study found that 37 percent of highly qualified mothers voluntarily left their jobs for extended periods.
There are currently three corporate ‘returnships’ in the UK, all in financial services. Of these, only the Credit Suisse programme has completed with strong evidence of success: 94 percent of the participants have been hired into permanent or contract roles.
What are the obstacles women returning to work face?
We find that inner uncertainties, fears and doubts can stop returners even exploring their options. A career break is often a time of re-evaluation and changing values and many women are unsure what path to take. They worry that they won’t be able find a satisfying role with the work-life balance that they are looking for. With the loss of professional identity, their self-confidence is typically low and they undervalue what they can offer. They often believe that their skills are out of date and even obsolete and expect and fear rejection.
Externally the biggest obstacle in the jobs market is the gap on their CV, which makes them appear to be a risky hire to recruiters. There is no clear route back to work as their CVs don’t fit the standard pattern expected by recruitment agencies and few companies make themselves open to returners. There is also the challenge of finding good-quality and affordable childcare, particularly for school-age children.
Are there any fears or misconceptions on the part of women returners?
Many! Some of the unhelpful beliefs that women hold are that they’re too old to be employable and employers only want young people; that the only flexible work that will fit with their young children is teaching; and that they are ‘unemployable’ in more senior professional roles so will have to take entry-level roles to get back to work.
Are there fears or misconceptions on the part of companies hiring them?
Many hiring managers see a lack of recent experience as a major risk. Some believe that women who have taken a break are not serious about wanting to return to work and that the women will need huge amounts of support and time to get back up to speed.
What kind of support does your organisation provide?
For women, we provide online resources through our website, and regularly updated information on returner programmes and events to our subscribed members. We also offer individual return-to-work, CV and interview coaching. We have a blog with over 50 articles providing advice and information on how to overcome both the practical and the inner challenges to returning.
For companies we provide assistance with supporting returners to create a smoother transition back to the workplace. Our focus is on designing and delivering Return to Work programmes (returnships).
Do you have any success stories you’d like to share?
We have around 20 success stories on our website and are adding to these continually. Women from our network have been successful in gaining places on all three existing returnship programmes and we will be writing about their experiences in the next few months. We know that one of our network has just been appointed to a management role in a small organisation which approached us directly because they wanted to hire a returner.
What advice do you give to women trying to return to the workforce?
Our blog contains many posts giving specific advice, both practical and emotional, about returning to work. Our top tips are:
- It is not easy but it is completely possible to return, no matter how long your break.
- Start with your mindset: be persistent, think creatively and focus on achievable goals.
- Value what you can offer: you are the same professional person as you used to be, just out of practice.
- Get clear on what you want from your working and home life. Don’t be deterred or discouraged by others.
- Don’t over-think about what is the ‘right’ job; actively explore your options.
- Don’t try to do everything yourself: get support in place so that you are not stretched too thinly.
For more advice, information and inspiration, look at our website and sign up to our Women Returners Professional Network.
About the author:
Elisa moved to London seven years ago from San Francisco, where, in pre-children days, she was the managing editor at Sierra magazine. She lived in Brook Green and Notting Hill before settling in Chiswick, where she lives with her book-loving daughter, train-loving son, and thickly moustachioed husband.
