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The five things I want to tell employers about women returning to work The five things I want to tell employers about women returning to work
(35 minutes later)
Over the last few weeks I’ve been contacted for advice by 3 women from Paris, Aberdeen and London. Different cities, different backgrounds, but all reporting a similar experience. Their impressive backgrounds – top engineering/finance/MBA qualifications, 10-20 years of promotion through a business career - have been consistently dismissed by employers with variations on the cursory one-liner, “we have other well-qualified candidates with more recent experience”.Over the last few weeks I’ve been contacted for advice by 3 women from Paris, Aberdeen and London. Different cities, different backgrounds, but all reporting a similar experience. Their impressive backgrounds – top engineering/finance/MBA qualifications, 10-20 years of promotion through a business career - have been consistently dismissed by employers with variations on the cursory one-liner, “we have other well-qualified candidates with more recent experience”.
What these women have in common is that they are trying to return to corporate roles after a long career break focusing on their families. None intended to stop working for good when they decided to step off the career track, but they did not anticipate the difficulties they would face in picking up where they left off.What these women have in common is that they are trying to return to corporate roles after a long career break focusing on their families. None intended to stop working for good when they decided to step off the career track, but they did not anticipate the difficulties they would face in picking up where they left off.
In the past year, there has been some progress in changing UK business attitudes to women returners through the development of ‘returnships’. Pioneered by investment banks, these programmes have demonstrated that talented women are perfectly capable of coming back into senior jobs in the most demanding corporate environments. Over time, broader adoption of returnships could transform employer perceptions, however as yet they are only scratching the surface.In the past year, there has been some progress in changing UK business attitudes to women returners through the development of ‘returnships’. Pioneered by investment banks, these programmes have demonstrated that talented women are perfectly capable of coming back into senior jobs in the most demanding corporate environments. Over time, broader adoption of returnships could transform employer perceptions, however as yet they are only scratching the surface.
Most women returners continue to face the triple whammy of unconscious bias: gender, age and lack of recent experience. They too often are tarred with the ‘homemaker’ stereotype - assumed to be unambitious, low in self-confidence and inflexible. Even enlightened employers ask us whether all returners want to work part-time. As many are over 45 years old, they can also be perceived as technological dinosaurs and slow learners. One ex-finance director was told she would not be able to “jump back onto the corporate fast train”.Most women returners continue to face the triple whammy of unconscious bias: gender, age and lack of recent experience. They too often are tarred with the ‘homemaker’ stereotype - assumed to be unambitious, low in self-confidence and inflexible. Even enlightened employers ask us whether all returners want to work part-time. As many are over 45 years old, they can also be perceived as technological dinosaurs and slow learners. One ex-finance director was told she would not be able to “jump back onto the corporate fast train”.
However, the largest barrier to a successful return may be our ingrained biases against people who have been out of the workforce: a US study on unemployment found that managers prefer to hire a less qualified candidate over one who has been out of work for more than six months. They assume that career gap has deteriorated any skills to the point of non-existence. However, the largest barrier to a successful return may be our ingrained biases against people who have been out of the workforce: a US study on unemployment found that managers prefer to hire a less qualified candidate over one who has been out of work for more than six months. They assume that a career gap has resulted in the deterioration of skills.
What I’d like to tell recruiters about returning professionalsWhat I’d like to tell recruiters about returning professionals
So before you automatically reject the next applicant with a long CV gap, consider the wisdom of turning down a motivated well-qualified candidate who could bring a fresh perspective to your organisation, simply because she chose to take a pause in her career.So before you automatically reject the next applicant with a long CV gap, consider the wisdom of turning down a motivated well-qualified candidate who could bring a fresh perspective to your organisation, simply because she chose to take a pause in her career.