SECOND CHANCE

 

                                     

                                                                 SECOND CHANCE

One job posting and 833 applicants!!!  That’s what I saw when I returned to LinkedIn after a good 9-year break. It wasn’t that I didn’t not see updates but just didn’t bother much for I felt everyone was running at all different pace and I was determined to make four walls of a house as “Home”.

It was sort of a sudden awakening, after the entire hiatus of Pandemic, Home which was not just a home, but it became an full time office for spouse, a school for child , extra curricular Centre a full-time running kitchen and absolutely no breaks.

Perhaps it was one big lash I felt, one big push for me to seriously consider returning to the real world.

And as anyone who feel the best way to connect to the market and happenings, was LinkedIn.

And then, I took a deep breath, held back a little before applying and try to look out for similar profiles.

Then realized, it’s not the completion but the mindset that I will be fighting for in the verge of looking to set my foot back in the industry.

As a Marketing and PR person, I was always in loop, market happenings, never short of ideas shared with friends and family (never bothered to take credit for it), but followed passion, art, diving and anything else that could make me happy other than a regular job.

Travel was on the top most list, and with the pandemic this was the first hit I got. The second made in with unstopping work at home, which at many times made you feel as a woman there is so much more avenue to move ahead. Possibly frustrations creeped in. But took time to decide and layer things out, set priorities and then decided, it is the right time.

TIME, as elusive it is, it is most valued and calculated aspect in life. Time well spent, time emancipated, time cherished, time wasted fall into many pots and categories. While all this happens the most important hang is we don’t even realize how time flies.

It was important for me to understand the trends and if along there are people in the same situation. And the answer was definitely a YES. And all they all wanted is a “SECOND CHANCE”.

The first step as well all usually do is get our CV/ Resumes set. Thoughts roll in really deep how to justify the time taken for family. To justify that it wasn’t “Professional Experience” but more of personal experience in getting things set. As much as words you would want to put in you look if there is someone willing to give that Second Chance.

Then roll it out. When it finally happens, we wonder what actually runs into the recruiter’s mind.

“There are better qualified people looking for this position”, “Should we take a risk”, “Let’s put it at the bottom”. and many more, I guess.

The second part comes when you have Job Portals offering you paid services. As much as revenue generation is on everyone’s mind, it is not guaranteed. Would a person who has so calculatedly taken the time to understand all this, run into it? I don’t think so or perhaps may be if desperation is at the peak.

With personal experience, I had someone call me, a woman, from one of the job portals asking me to take the enhanced services. And the conversation is as follows:

JP: Are you looking for a job?

Me: Yes, I’m

JP: How many years’ experience does you have?

Me: Collectively 12 + years

JP: We have this this and this service, why don’t you take it.

Me: Please take time to review the CV and then revert. There is a gap in my career.

JP: is it because of COVID?

Me: No. It is because I took time off to raise a wonderful family.

JP: How many years?

Me: 9 years

JP: You don’t need that many years of a break to raise a family. (Seriously)

Then I had no choice, but to just sit back and wonder, is there a timeline for a family. Is there a prescribed timeline for you enter and exit the industry you would always want to be in. Is it the timeline influential that you have to take in whatever comes your way and compromise on what work you actually like to do?  Is it timeline or mindset?

A mindset which had created a block. Yes, there are questions like “What did you do to enhance your skills”. I could put in a long list of words, and certifications, but what matters is there an avenue and a platform for me to use them.

Maternity leave of 6 months, is to provide basic necessity It is like Probationary period. What really follows is without a good support system is to support and make your own system so strong that it wouldn’t need a support.

When a child asks questions, of all the W’s and H, its how you rake for answers. And give them the right answers, in right tone and right patience. And that cannot be defined by timelines.

What a timeline cannot define is the little memories you create from making House of four walls to a home. And that cannot be defined by timelines.

On a personal front, I was asked why didn’t you take up blogging or teaching? Well, they are definitely wonderful sources of learning, creating a presence and showing existence. But it is not what I want to do. Compromising for personal gain is inevitable, but compromise on professional front is not advisable.

Then it was clear it is not the timelines, but mindset.

What recruiters from personal experience do not understand is?

1.       Families are not made or raised in a day It is a continuous process.

2.       For many they feel ready soon and take the plunge back out of FEAR. Fear of losing out the race. And in this process, they lose out the balance.

There are however many with proper support system can achieve the best of both worlds. But not always the support system is a gullible option for many and hence the initial compromises are made.

3.       In this process, we do feel many times to get back, make efforts, but we also realize that we should do it when we are completely ready.

Serenading through, when that feelings settles in and you are ready to take on, the recruiters feel and make you feel you can never be ready.  So let me list in the good part about a second chance.

 

A)      The time-consuming responsibilities of a candidate on home front would have subsequently reduced, as many aspects would now be on auto pilot.

B)      The candidate has enough time with the family so the unruly thoughts, trust factor is on the high as you know every move of what is happening at home and can be sure how to handle them, giving you more time to concentrate and give in the best shot to the new role you take in.

C)      Options are open of start-ups, and take the creative fold. But many like to be in company, and also work for to be in the league.

D)      In terms of finances and talent acquisition, the Human resources will be at an advantage, where the candidate is back, with new and old experience, and also that there is a chance for them to meld in better into the system without being stubborn and hard. There is more willingness to learn and adapt and most of all the zeal to make things better.

E)       They come in with more patience and experience as a Human which is most required in current times. To understand the market and see what best could be the product and service line. Do not forget they have been the end users and consumers for the longest time.

F)       There are no invalid reasons coming up. Because as mothers and wives, we know what is a valid and an invalid reason. We have spent time correcting our children and definitely there is more transparency.

 

So, this goes out to those many women, who are looking for that SECOND CHANCE. Do not lose hope or give up. It will happen sometime while the MINDSET will change.

We live in world that changes every day. We live, we adapt, we acquire and we learn to move on and also drag along the little lives associated with us.

 

They say “PATIENCE IS A VIRTUE” and you have oodles of it.