1.  Refresh Your Skills

When preparing to re-enter the workforce, the first step is to get acquainted (or re-acquainted) with the industry landscape and evaluate how your current skillset stacks up. Engaging in thorough research on emerging technologies, market trends and job openings will instil you with the confidence needed to commence your job hunt.

Given the rapidly changing nature of tech jobs, it’s likely you’ll need to upskill to make your job application stand out. Consider what skills gaps you may have, whether you’re transitioning from another field or re-entering the workforce. Engaging in courses, personal projects and industry events is an excellent way to refine both your technical and interpersonal skills in the tech field. Plus, it demonstrates a proactive approach that can help you impress potential employers!

2.  Update Your CV to Address Your Career Break

Since you’ve been away from the workforce, your CV most likely needs updating. Before sending it off with your next application, it’s important to address your career break on your resume – especially when it’s been a significant amount of time since your last role (three months or more).

When formatting your resume, you could include a brief description of your employment gap as if it were a job of its own. For example:

Full-time caregiver, Brisbane, QLD, 2020-2023

Took time off from career to care for and support a family member with special needs.

Aside from directly addressing your career gap, ensure that you highlight any additional projects undertaken during your downtime (i.e. personal coding projects), new accreditations and skills gained. Whether you pursued further education, volunteered, or freelanced, emphasise how these activities have equipped you with valuable skills relevant to the position you’re applying for.

Outlining what you did during a career break is also important when writing your cover letter. Here’s an example of a cover letter for a DevOps Engineer position that reflects on a career gap, highlighting both a personal project and accreditation:

As a dedicated caregiver to a family member for the past two years, I honed invaluable skills in problem-solving, time management and adaptability, which I believe are directly transferable to the dynamic environment of DevOps. During this period, I also engaged in a personal project in which I implemented continuous integration and deployment pipelines using Jenkins and Docker. Additionally, I completed an advanced course in cloud computing with AWS, which solidified my proficiency in the tools and technologies essential to this role.

3. Seek Support From Your Network

When planning a return to the workforce, the support of your professional network can be invaluable. Here are a few ways you could ask former colleagues, mentors and industry contacts for assistance in your tech job hunt:

• Resume feedback: Ask for feedback on your resume and cover letter to ensure they effectively highlight your skills and experiences.
• Job leads: Your network can only help if they know you’re on the lookout for a new position – so let them know what you’re after! Inquire about any job openings or opportunities within their organisations/networks that would suit your unique skillset and career goals.
• Interview preparation: Jumping back into the interview game can be daunting, especially after a career break. Your network can also be a great support here, providing tips on answering common interview questions and discussing your career break. For more on this, see here for our guide to the most common interview mistakes (and how to avoid them)!
• Professional references: You may also like to ask if they would be willing to serve as a professional reference or provide testimonials to support your applications – as these go a long way.

4.  Reach Out to a Technology Recruitment Agency

Enlisting the help of a specialised tech recruiter can be particularly beneficial for people coming out of a career break. As we work with a wide network of employers and candidates, we have the most up to date insights on the current job market, with a wealth of tech job opportunities to connect you with. We can review your resume and give you advice on how to refine it for your job search, along with helping you prepare for job interviews and negotiating offers.

Take Your Next Career Step with Emanate Technology

As a specialist technology recruitment agency, we understand what hiring managers are looking for in their next candidate. Whether you’re looking for your next dream role or need assistance crafting a CV that addresses your career gap, we’re here to help – contact us today to get started.