Helping Clients Return to Work After Long-Term Leave: A Guide for Career Professionals

-By Lori A. Jazvac and Ksenia Lazoukova –
Re-entering the workforce after a long-term leave can be a daunting task. Whether the break was due to personal health issues, caregiving, or other reasons, returning to work requires a unique set of strategies. As a career professional, you play a crucial role in supporting your clients in navigating this transition using a concrete action plan. Here’s a streamlined guide to helping clients return to work after a prolonged leave.
Key Challenges Faced by Clients Returning to Work
Clients returning after a long break often experience the following:
- Lost confidence: Doubts about abilities and fear of outdated skills are common.
- Career gaps: Gaps due to illness, caregiving, or personal exploration can spark anxiety.
- Changing industries: Technological advancements and industry shifts may have left them behind.
- Company norms, values, culture, and best practices continue evolving, enforcing clients’ need to pivot quickly.
Therefore, tailored and goal-driven return-to-work programs are becoming more critical than ever in helping people transition from home to work after a long sabbatical due to illness, injury, maternity or paternity leave, or stress leave.
Seven Effective Strategies for Supporting Jobseekers to Return to Work
- Rebuilding Confidence using NLP (Neuro-Linguistic Programming) Principles
Confidence is key to a triumphant return to work. Career gaps can leave clients feeling uncertain about their professional identity and abilities. NLP (Neurolinguistic Programming) techniques can be powerful tools to help clients shift their mindset and overcome limiting beliefs.
Here’s how to help:
- Celebrate small wins: Reinforce progress by setting manageable goals, like updating a LinkedIn profile or attending an informational interview.
- Reframe negative beliefs: Help clients replace limiting thoughts (e.g., “I can’t keep up”) with more empowering ones (e.g., “I can manage the changes one step at a time”). Replace negative self-talk and self-doubt with affirmations and evidence of their previous successes.
- Highlight transferable skills: Encourage clients to recognize marketable skills developed during their absence, such as problem-solving or communication.
- Anchor confidence: Guide clients to recall past successes and use physical gestures to anchor those feelings of confidence.
- Visualize success: Encourage clients to mentally rehearse their return to work, imagining themselves easily navigating the process.
- Use Meta-model questioning can help clients clarify and challenge their negative assumptions, easing the transition
- Bridging Skill Gaps
During an extended leave, industries and technologies may rise or decline. Therefore, skills might need to be refreshed, especially with the rise of artificial intelligence (AI). Continuous learning is key to staying competitive in the dynamic job market. Career professionals can guide clients to:
- Identify key skills: Research industry trends to help clients focus on in-demand skills and certifications.
- Encourage lifelong learning: Guide clients to online platforms, such as Coursera, LinkedIn Learning, or Udemy, to refresh or acquire new skills.
- Facilitate active networking: Attend industry webinars, conferences, and meetups to reconnect with the professional community.
- Addressing Resume Gaps
Employment or career gaps do not need to be a hindrance. Help your clients present these gaps strategically:
- Be honest but strategic: Encourage clients to address gaps in the resume authentically without over-explaining, focusing on personal growth during their time off (e.g., caregiving, self-development).
- Recreate a hybrid resume: Shift the focus from their chronological work history to skills and accomplishments. A hybrid format in a Canadian resume focuses on skills and achievements using the CAR (Challenge – Action – Result) Method rather than a traditional work history.
- Leverage volunteer initiatives: This should be included if clients have used their time off to volunteer in the community, as it demonstrates initiative and relevant skills.
- Demonstrate achievements in different areas. Your client may have completed projects during their sabbatical that may have involved committee leadership, team-building, creativity, strategic planning, or negotiations. Emphasize clear qualitative and quantitative milestones that will address the employment or skill gaps in the resume.
- Reclaiming the Career Narrative
As an interview coach, a critical part of the process is helping clients reframe their career gap as a growth opportunity rather than a setback:
- Construct an authentic story: Help clients connect their professional past, personal journey, and future aspirations. This narrative can be used in other brand marketing documents (biography, networking resume etc.) as well as during interviews or networking conversations.
- Build and refine the client’s brand: Assist clients in creating a compelling LinkedIn summary or elevator pitch that highlights their unique experiences and skills.
- Practice behavioural questions: Conduct mock interviews to help clients respond to questions about past experiences, particularly those relating to overcoming challenges during their break. Mock interviews can help clients articulate their stories with pride and clarity, turning their career break into a strength.
- Build enthusiasm: Inspire your clients to highlight their motivation for returning and elaborate on how their skills and experiences can benefit the organization.
- Networking: Rebuilding Connections
Networking can be intimidating after a long absence, but it’s vital for establishing trusted relationships and forging growth-driven prospects. According to LinkedIn, 85% of job openings are filled through networking. For clients who lack recent professional references, building new connections is key.
- Reconnect with former colleagues: Encourage clients to contact professionals for advice or potential job leads.
- Update LinkedIn: Help clients refine theirLinkedIn profile as a key branding collateral component, reflecting updated skills, experience, and enthusiasm for returning to work.
- Join professional groups: Suggest clients join supportive online and in-person industry groups to expand their network and stay current on trends. These interactions can fuel meaningful relationships and potential references.
- Tap into Educational Experiences: Instructors or mentors from recent training programs can vouch for a client’s commitment and learning aptitude.
- Encourage Volunteer Work: Suggest clients adopt volunteer projects or part-time roles where they can build relationships with potential references.
- Supporting Emotional Well-Being
The emotional aspect of returning to work is often overlooked but is just as important as practical preparation. Many clients experience anxiety, depression or “imposter syndrome.”
- Normalize the process: Remind clients that many professionals efficiently return to work after a long leave, and their journey is valuable.
- Encourage self-care: Suggest stress-busting activities like exercise, journalling, or mindfulness practices to reduce stress and improve mental health.
- Foster a support system: Peer support groups or career coaching cohorts can help reduce feelings of isolation and foster accountability.
- Advocating for Inclusive Employers
Finding the right employer can make the transition easier. Help your clients identify companies that offer supportive re-entry programs.
- Research progressive employers: Focus on companies that offer mentorship, return-to-work programs, or flexible work arrangements.
- Encourage proactive networking: Suggest engaging with employees at these organizations to gain insights into workplace culture and growth opportunities.
Conclusion: A New Beginning
Returning to work after a long-term leave can feel like a high mountain to climb, but your clients can make a positive transition with the right strategies and guidance. By helping them build confidence, update their skills, address career gaps, and embrace their unique career journey, you empower them to return to the workforce with resilience, determination, and a clear sense of purpose.
For the best Canadian career development industry practices, training, and certification, register for upcoming events, including the Members Matter Webinar: Return to the Workforce After Long-Term Leave, at 1 pm EST on January 14, 2025.