"This goes back to the labor shortage factor in the job market today," said Rosemary Haefner, Vice President of Human Resources at CareerBuilder.com. "Employers are struggling to find skilled labor and are recruiting qualified employees before the competition has a chance to do so. Even in a tighter job market, skilled workers re-entering the workforce after a leave of absence can find good opportunities and competitive compensation packages."
When asked about the primary motivator for taking an extended period of time off from work, workers reported:
When asked to identify the main challenge in finding a job when they returned to the workforce, 37 percent of workers reported having to prove themselves all over again while 24 percent said it was difficult to explain the gap in employment. Twenty percent pointed to a lack of required skills or education as the main obstacle in finding a job while 18 percent cited the competition with younger workers. Nine percent said they perceived a concern amongst employers that they would once again leave the workforce.
Haefner recommends the following tips to help in the transition back into the workforce:
1) Cover your bases. Cover letters not only help to highlight skills and accomplishments and bring more personality to your application, they are also useful for explaining an extended absence.
2) Reach out. Chances are you know someone who knows someone who can get your foot in the door. Talk to family, friends, neighbors, former colleagues, etc and ask them to keep you in mind for potential opportunities.
3) Take a refresher. Sign up for seminars and events and online programs to brush up on new technologies, current trends and developments in your desired field.
4) Stay active. The majority of employers consider volunteer work to qualify as relevant experience. Volunteering in your local community can help to build up your resume, show your continued drive and establish networking contacts.
5) Make no apologies. Keep the conversation positive. Don’t dwell on how long you’ve been out of the workforce. Focus the discussion on your strengths and contributions and enthusiasm for the position at hand.
Survey Methodology
This survey was conducted online within the U.S. by Harris Interactive on behalf of CareerBuilder.com among 6,852 U.S. employees (employed full-time; not self-employed) ages 18 and over between November 13 and December 3, 2007 (percentages for some questions are based on a subset of 314 U.S. employees, based on their responses to certain questions). With a pure probability sample of 6,852, one could say with a 95 percent probability that the overall results have a sampling error of +/- 1.3 percentage points. Sampling error for data from sub-samples is higher and varies. A full methodology is available upon request.
About CareerBuilder.com
CareerBuilder.com is the nation’s largest online job site with more than 23 million unique visitors and over 1.6 million jobs. Owned by Gannett Co., Inc. (NYSE:GCI), Tribune Company, The McClatchy Company (NYSE:MNI) and Microsoft Corp. (Nasdaq: MSFT), the company offers a vast online and print network to help job seekers connect with employers. CareerBuilder.com powers the career centers for more than 1,600 partners, including 140 newspapers and leading portals such as America Online and MSN. More than 300,000 employers take advantage of CareerBuilder.com’s easy job postings, 26 million-plus resumes, Diversity Channel and more. CareerBuilder.com and its subsidiaries operate in the U.S., Europe, Canada and Asia. For more information, visit http://www.careerbuilder.com.
CareerBuilder Media Contact
For all media inquiries and interview requests, contact:
Jennifer Grasz
(P) 773-527-1164
(E) jennifer.grasz@careerbuilder.com