Why career break candidates may be your most overlooked talent pool

Many organisations say they’re struggling to find talent. Yet, a surprising number seem to apply a rigid formula for hiring and part of that includes, insisting that any person they employee is currently in a job. 

As a result, a surprising number of companies automatically overlook candidates returning from a gap in their employment history. But in doing so, they’re often overlooking the most capable and motivated talent they could have working for them. 

As Harvard Business Review has noted, many people take career breaks for reasons entirely unrelated to their work performance. Perhaps they took time away to raise children, maybe they cared for an ageing parent, maybe they were studying and learning new things or maybe they were just stepping away from work for a while to recalibrate and sort out their priorities.

These people remain highly capable professionals, but can find themselves overlooked because their resume no longer follows the traditional pattern employers expect. 

Here’s what your organisation can do to overcome that and get the most out of people returning to the workforce. 

Why employers hesitate to hire people on a career break

Most employers would like to think they assess candidates purely on merit. In practice, however, career gaps can trigger suspicion.

Some managers worry that significant time away from the workforce will render candidates’ skills out of date. They think to themselves (even subconsciously): will they really be able to adapt to new technologies, systems and ways of working or will they need extensive retraining?

There can also be concerns about commitment. If someone’s stepped away from their career once, some employers begin worrying they’ll simply do it again without warning.

While these concerns can sometimes be justified, they shouldn’t be the starting point, or lens through which every career returner is viewed. 

In fact, research suggests the opposite problem may be more common. A PwC study found that three in five professional women returning from a career break are likely to enter lower-skilled roles when they return to work, while two-thirds may ultimately be working below their potential.

After all, experience doesn’t simply disappear just because someone’s taken time off. A marketing manager who took two years off to care for young children doesn’t suddenly forget how to develop a campaign. 

In most cases, the gap won’t be capability but only familiarity with the latest tools, systems or workplace trends. And these things can often be learned much more quickly than the technical expertise, judgement and professional maturity that comes with years of experience.

The more useful question, therefore, isn’t “Why did this person take a career break?” but “How could this person contribute if we gave them the opportunity?”.

What people returning from a career break actually bring

While every candidate is, of course, different, organisations that hire career returners are often surprised by the qualities they tend to bring to the workplace. Here are some of the key ones. 

1. They’re often highly motivated

People returning to work have usually made a conscious decision to do so.

Unlike candidates who are simply moving from one employer to another, many career returners have spent considerable time thinking about what they want from the next stage of their professional lives. They’ve often had the opportunity to reflect on their strengths, priorities and long-term goals.

As a result, they’re frequently more intentional about their career choices and more committed to making their next role a success.

Many are also eager to rebuild momentum in their careers. That doesn’t mean they’ll work unreasonable hours or sacrifice work-life balance. But it often does mean they arrive with energy, focus and a genuine appreciation for the opportunity they’ve been given.

2. They bring experience and perspective

One of the biggest mistakes employers make is assuming that time away from paid employment somehow represents time lost. In reality, many people continue developing valuable skills throughout their career break.

Someone caring for young children may be managing competing priorities, resolving conflicts and making hundreds of decisions every day. Someone supporting an ageing parent is probably navigating complex systems (i.e. the health care system, finances, etc.), advocating for others and dealing with challenging situations under pressure. 

Studying, volunteering and travelling also help develop entirely new skills as well as greater perspective and often a renewed sense of purpose that ultimately makes them stronger employees. 

While these experiences may not appear in a traditional job description, they can build important qualities for the workplace, including resilience, empathy, adaptability and problem-solving.

3. They can be remarkably efficient

If there’s one thing people who’ve spent years balancing family responsibilities, caring duties, study commitments or multiple priorities tend to have in common, it’s efficiency. 

The time management skills of a young parent or carer are often peerless, because they’ve had to learn very  quickly how to identify what matters, what doesn’t and how to get everything done. 

In many cases, these employees have little interest in appearing busy for the sake of it. They’re much more focused on outcomes.

That can translate into strong productivity, excellent organisation and an ability to manage competing demands without becoming overwhelmed.

Of course, not every person returning from a career break fits this description. But many hiring managers who take a chance on career returners discover they bring a level of focus and efficiency that’s difficult to teach.

How to get the most out of someone returning from a career break 

Hiring someone returning from a career break is only the first step. As with any employee, getting them performing at their best and making the biggest contribution to the organisation means also giving them the support and resources they need.

Here’s how to do it.

1. Don’t assume they know what ‘s changed

One of the biggest mistakes employers can make is assuming that someone returning to work will automatically know how workplaces, systems and technology have evolved while they’ve been away.

Some processes, software platforms and industry practices may have changed a lot.

But, rather than viewing this as a weakness, treat it as part of the onboarding process.

Most new tech or other changes aren’t hard to pick up quickly with the right training and instructions. Also make sure they have plenty of opportunity to ask questions so they can regain their confidence and get up to speed as quickly as possible. 

2. Set clear expectations, right from the start

Returning to work can take some adjustment – especially when the way we work has changed so much in the past half-decade or so. Just think if someone left the workforce before 2020, they may have had little experience working from home – so they may not be across the written, and unwritten rules of what’s expected of them.

By communicating clearly upfront about responsibilities, priorities and performance expectations, you can help remove some of the uncertainty and let people focus on delivering results.

Employees can really only be successful when they understand exactly what success looks like. So tell them exactly how their performance will be measured and where they should focus their energy in the early stages of the role.

3. Provide regular feedback and support

Many exceptionally capable people returning to the workforce are still likely to question whether they’re meeting expectations.

Regular check-ins can help allay any fears, but also address any concerns before they become problems.

These conversations don’t need to be formal – in fact, they usually shouldn’t be. Often, a simple discussion about what’s going well, what’s proving challenging and where additional support might help is enough to build their confidence and keep them engaged.

4. Consider flexibility where you cane

For some people, the circumstances that led to their career break may not have disappeared entirely.  They may still have caring responsibilities, study commitments or other personal priorities they need to balance alongside work.

Providing flexibility where it’s practical can make a big difference on this front.

That doesn’t necessarily mean letting all career returners work from home five days a week or abandoning all workplace expectations. But it might mean allowing reasonable flexibility around hours, start and finish times or leave to attend occasional personal commitments.

In many cases, organisations will find this flexibility gets repaid through increased loyalty, engagement and retention.

Why businesses can’t afford to ignore career returners

At a time when many organisations continue to report genuine difficulties in finding good people, overlooking those returning from career breaks is becoming increasingly difficult to justify.

The reality is that most employers are competing for the same relatively small pool of candidates, i.e. those already employed, actively job hunting and able to demonstrate a reasonably linear career history.

At the same time, there are thousands of experienced professionals sitting outside the workforce who have valuable skills, proven experience and a genuine desire to return to meaningful work.

By tapping into this pool and creating the right conditions for them to thrive, you could be giving yourself a genuine competitive advantage.

After all, the organisations that benefit most from career returners are often those that recognise a simple truth: returning employees don’t need special treatment. They simply need the conditions that allow them to  demonstrate what they’re capable of.

When they’re given that opportunity, many employers quickly discover they’ve accessed a talent pool their competitors have been overlooking all along.

Want more?

Need help attracting, assessing and retaining great people? Catalina Consultants works with organisations across Australia to build stronger workplaces, develop effective people strategies and unlock the full potential of their workforce.

Get in touch with our team of HR experts to learn more.