Returning to work after a career break can seem like an overwhelming and daunting experience to a lot of people. Your confidence might not be what it once was, some aspects of your previous role might have changed or your skills could use an update – but that doesn’t mean that your experience and knowledge isn’t highly valued by employers.

Many people take a break from their roles for a multitude of different reasons, but regardless if you’ve taken a few months out or an entire decade returning to work doesn’t need to be difficult.

Here’s our top tips on returning to work after a career break:

Don’t sell yourself short
Just because you took a career break doesn’t mean that your skills have lost their value. Previous experience counts for an awful lot and employers are more willing than ever to engage with jobseekers who’ve been out of the workforce for a while as they see the value that returnees can have to their business.

Sure, your skills might need an update or you might benefit for a little refresher training, but don’t feel the need to downgrade to a lower level position just because you’ve taken a break.

Consider alternative routes
If you’ve taken an extended period of time out then the thought of going back into an office environment full-time can fill you with dread. If you don’t feel ready to commit to such a dramatic change or want to work on gaining confidence at a steadier pace, then there’s other alternative routes available.

Temporary, part-time or contract work can help ease the transition when you’re considering returning to work after a career break and takes of some of the pressure many people feel when re-joining the workforce.

Be willing to invest in yourself
For some roles, you might find that technology, processes or responsibilities might have changed whilst you’ve been away. The best advice here is to embrace these evolutions and invest in some top-up training as a way of gaining access back into work.

Not only will this boost your confidence, but you’ll also show employers that your committed to continuing with your career after a break.

If you’re thinking of returning to work after a career break, speak to one of our friendly and experienced Recruitment Consultants about the wide range of vacancies, help and support available.