THE CAREER-BREAK TUTOR

ANNA JOHNSTONE, 39, is director of coaching and development at Women Returners, a site that offers free resources as well as one-on-one coaching sessions to women returning to work after a career break. MY CLIENTS Professional women who have taken a break from their careers for whatever reason – childcare, caring for elderly parents, ill health, relocation. They were typically at mid- to senior-level management before their break and are highly qualified, motivated women who can offer diversity of perspective and a wealth of experience to organisations. WHAT I DO There are around 427,000 professional women taking career breaks in the UK who would like to return to work at some stage. By supporting women to return to work, improving their CVs, developing their networking skills and practising interview responses, we help them rebuild their professional identity and regain financial independence. Organisations across the UK are keener than ever to have more women at senior levels and are therefore keen to hire returners. MY STRATEGY I advise women on a career break to take a few simple steps to maintain their professional skills. By keeping an eye on relevant industry publications, maintaining their professional network – LinkedIn can help with this – and considering some ‘strategic’ volunteering or small-scale work, their skills don’t get too rusty. TIP Focus on your strengths and what you can offer to an organisation. Ask your friends and family what you are good at – they know you best and believe in you. That will help build your confidence and prepare you for interviews at the same time. COST From £105 per hour for one-on-one coaching sessions.

womenreturners.com; info@womenreturners.com