When I began writing this blog, I took a moment to re-read a post
Carol wrote in November 2008 (in the midst on the 2007-2009 "Great
Recession) entitled "Who's Hiring? We're Naming Names!"
Carol wrote, "This past Wednesday, 120 attendees participated in our
one day return to work conference, the Career Relaunch Forum, at George
Washington University (GWU). Part of the day’s agenda was an employer
panel, where companies spoke about their interest in the pool of talent on career break, even in the midst of this difficult economy.
Additional employers set up booths at the event in order to network
with mid-career professionals on career break. Our Career Relaunch Forum
sponsors ... are not all hiring at the rates they were before the
economic downturn, but they are hiring all the same."
Although we certainly recognize relaunchers' fears in the midst of
rising unemployment rates, we are nevertheless encouraged by the job
opportunities that do exist - and the eagerness of employers to fill
those jobs with qualified, mature candidates - and that's where
relaunchers excel!
The iRelaunch Job Board is not only a place to find jobs and give employers an opportunity to look at your resume - it is solely for
relaunchers and the employers (like Facebook, Bloomberg, Eaton Vance,
Johnson & Johnson, Lockheed Martin, Northrop Grumman, Medtronic and
others) who want to hire you. You won't have to explain why your career
break won't affect your job performance - these employers know about
your career break and, for many, that's exactly why they want to hire you.
They recognize the diversity and experience you bring to the job.
They are eagerly searching the resumes you've uploaded to the Job Board
and have begun reaching out to candidates (without having listed a
particular job). We urge you not to be concerned about the number of
jobs on the Job Board at the moment. We've only opened our Job Board to
employers for job posting in the last month, and our conversations with
employers indicate that their job posts will grow exponentially over
time.
And, similar to Carol's note in her 2008 blog, we are excited that
employer sponsors are enthusiastically signing up for our 2020 iRelaunch
Return to Work Conferences (we have an exciting announcement to make
about our Conferences next week!). These employers are clearly
indicating their support of relaunchers and their desire to share their
opportunities with you.
Another great resource for relaunchers is the iRelaunch "Champion Employers"
page. These employers offer career reentry programs specifically for
the relauncher community and are included among others on our "Return to Work Programs" archive.
While relaunchers can rest easy knowing that the iRelaunch Job Board,
our iRelaunch to Work Conference sponsors, our "Champion Employers,"
and our listing of career reentry programs are specifically targeted
for those who have taken a voluntary career break, there are many
opportunities for qualified employees through other aggregators.
Today, LinkedIn's Andrew Seaman, Editor for Job Seekers & #GetHired
at LinkedIn News, published this list
of "companies from industries spanning from technology to retail (that
are) hiring to meet increased demand caused by the coronavirus
pandemic."
Another sector that we often mention is academia, and hercjobs.org today
lists 27,775 job opportunities. These jobs include legal counsel,
nursing, payroll representatives, administrators, academic counselors,
program analysts and many more job functions. Were big proponents of
finding "unexpected jobs in unexpected places" ... so keep your eyes
open for those unexpected pools of opportunity!
iRelaunch has been through the "Great Recession" of 2007-2009 - one
of the worst economic downturns in history. In fact, as a proud member
of the Baby Boomer generation, I've personally lived through 10 recessions -
and I've found professional opportunity throughout all of those during
which I was of working age. Yes, you might find yourself making some
concessions during these difficult times, but you will succeed in your
job search. Because relaunchers put the "R" in resilience!
