Where to begin after a career break

This resource will help you ask the big questions to set out on the right track.

By jitendermittal

Published 10 July, 2025

Where to begin after a career break

This resource will help you ask the big questions to set out on the right track.

By jitendermittal

Published 10 July, 2025

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Like most big life changes, returning to work after a career break can be seriously scary. Studies have shown that around two-thirds of people find the process challenging. Around one-third feel their confidence is seriously knocked.

There is a lot you can do to prepare for the return to work – from updating your resume to upskilling. But first, it can help to take a step back and reflect on what you do (and don’t) want from your next career move.

Career breaks are more common than you might think. A 2019 Australian survey found that 64% of women and 49% of men have taken a career break. For women in particular, this was exacerbated by the pandemic.

People take career breaks for a whole range of reasons – from parenting and caring to travelling, studying and volunteering, as well as physical and mental health breaks.

If you’ve been out of the workforce for a while, it can help to re-familiarise yourself with the latest in your industry. This will give you a clearer sense of what employers are looking for, salary expectations, whether the nature of the work is changing, and any important changes to the policy landscape.

Some starting points to consider:

1

Determine your current skills

Create a master list of your skills, strengths and competencies. You can start by looking at common skills on Google, then getting specific based on the roles you have previously held or projects you have completed. Consider an online strengths test. If you’re struggling to identify your skills, check out our tips here: identifying and articulating your skills.

2

Identify the skills and competencies required for industries of interest

Have a look through job advertisements and the skills they mention in roles or the area you are interested in. You can also look at the skills people list on LinkedIn. Try searching ‘top 10 skills in [insert] industry’. Not sure what industries you want to look into? It may be helpful to take a look at this LinkedIn resource, which allows you to enter any role title and uncover potential career paths and roles that have overlapping skills with your previous experience. This may provide some direction on which industries you should direct your attention towards.

3

Analyse the gap/difference

Compare your master list of skills to those skills that your industry is looking for. Are there any areas you might need to upskill in? Or are they things you can learn on the job?

4

Identify the solutions to bridge the gap.

You may well find that you have more than enough skills to apply for a new role without any further training or study. In this case, the next step is communicating these skills with impact. Refer to our resource on identifying and articulating your skills for further guidance. In other cases, particularly if you’re changing industries, you may need to bridge a skills gap. Consider whether there are short courses or microcredentials that are recognised by your industry. And remember that there are thousands of free resources online (like LinkedIn Learning and Youtube) to teach you the basics of certain skills if you’re not feeling confident. It can also help to reach out to people you know for tips as personal insights can be invaluable.

When reflecting on your skills, don’t forget to include confidence!

In the below clip, psychologist and leadership coach, Rearn Norman, talks about how confidence can impact self-reflection and how to steer away from this.