Is It Difficult To Get Back to Work After A Sabbatical?
Who doesn’t dream of taking some time off work to travel, stay with family or freelance and work at your desired schedule? Taking a sabbatical is thrilling and is often planned by many. But there might come a time when you have to return to work and this might seem like an insuperable challenge. Not only does one feel outdated due to the new candidates in the industry, but also under-confident.
It is a daunting task to look for a job and even more so looking for one after a sabbatical. Many organizations are not open to hiring employees who have taken a break in their career. The situation is different then and organizations find it testing to hire such an employee. There are numerous reasons why organizations might tell candidates with a sabbatical, "Sorry we can’t hire you".
Reason #1 Organizations are of the belief that the candidate will not be updated on the latest practices and changes in the industry.
The career gap leads to the idea that the candidate has not acquired any skills during his break. It also makes the organizations think that they are not aware of what is going on in the industry, as they have not been a recent part of it.
Reason #2 Organizations might not believe the reason you give for taking a sabbatical
Many a times, organizations might think, “That’s not the exact reason for him to take a sabbatical. There must be something more to it”. Organizations might think you are fabricating the reason for your break and thus might doubt that there’s something more to the story.
Reason #3 Candidates may not be sure of what they actually want to do
Due to a break in the career, candidates may not be aware of what kind of work they want to do. They might not have a clear idea of their skills and thus looking for a job accordingly. Organizations might not be ready to take the risk to hire an unsure candidate.
Reason #4 Candidates might lack confidence, which might affect their performance
Building confidence after a break can be challenging but it is also the most important. Lack of confidence can lead to candidates playing down their previous experience and not taking account of all that they have learnt. This can in turn lead to a poor performance in the organization.
Reason #5 Candidates might not be able to commit to a full time job
Being on a sabbatical and working at times at your own pace makes it difficult to go back to working full time for an organization. Thus, organizations might be skeptical about considering a candidate with a break for a job. Candidates might be used to flexible working hours and thus not full commit to the organization.