517 - Reversing the Career Break Stigma

Episode: 517

Episode Title: Reversing the Career Break Stigma

A gap between jobs on your resume used to be a bad thing—but not anymore. Here’s why that narrative is changing, coming up next on The Perna Syndicate.

 

Ep 517 show:

This is The Perna Syndicate—hello and welcome! Early in my career, taking a break from being employed had a negative stigma. Employers often took it as a signal that you had lost your job or were lazy. You usually had to spend an uncomfortable part of any interview explaining it away. But times are changing. 

 

According to LinkedIn, two-thirds of employees have taken a break at some point in their career. Nearly half of hiring managers believe that people with a career break are an untapped talent pool. Nearly two-thirds of hiring managers say they’re more likely now than before the pandemic to hire someone who has taken a break from work.

 

Erin Scruggs, LinkedIn’s VP of Talent Acquisition, says it’s exciting that the narrative on career breaks is being reversed. On Zoom, people’s personal and professional lives collided in real time, and employers began to see their people in a more rounded way. This recognition and acceptance, says Scruggs, has started to normalize the life events that can lead to career breaks.

 

The reasons that people take career breaks are as unique as people themselves. They could be learning a new skill, caregiving for their family, or following a life passion. The point is, these breaks are no longer an aberration. 

 

While all of this can help you feel confident about your career break, you still need to frame it with the right context at your next interview. Your career break only helps you if you use it strategically. 

 

And that’s exactly what we’re discussing tomorrow. Tune into the next episode of The Perna Syndicate for how to present your career break with the hiring manager. Take care, and we’ll see you then!




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