At some point in your professional career, you may find yourself needing to take a break. This pressure is higher on women, and while reasons may range from childbirth and family commitments to moving after a major life change, the fact of the matter is that a break is still seen as a gap in your career. How can you come out of the other side of this gap stronger?
Indeed, stories of women being offered lower pay after a break are quite common in our context. In such circumstances, with their confidence already affected by the lack of independence, women may choose to settle for something their former selves would have never agreed to.
There are many things to consider as you ReStart your career, some ReStart tips are penned here.
Moreover, when you are in a tight spot, looking at other career options and exploring out of your comfort zone can seem like a huge challenge. After seeing several successful ReStart stories at RainKraft, we believe that a coaching intervention can benefit you immensely when you begin to consider options.
In a coach, you will find a personal guide and a professional mentor who can support you and be firm with you as the situation demands. Moreover, since coaching works on the basic premise of setting your own goals and then following through, you are more likely to work towards those steps that truly inspire you.
The first step is finding a coach. It need not be a professional coach or the first person you meet who is willing to coach you. This step is the hardest to take so take your time. Find the right chemistry, reach out to someone in your life whom you feel can objectively be by your side. You need to be able to have honest conversations, trust each other, and also share your vulnerabilities. It’s not about looking like you’ve got it covered. The intent is to create a safe space to confront everything that’s on your mind.
How ReStart Coaching Helps
Coaching takes on several different forms from life coaching to executive coaching. ReStart coaching falls somewhere in the grey area between the two. It aims to empower you both in your personal and professional spheres to help you build a whole new picture for yourself. Here are some benefits of coaching if you are looking to restart a career:
1. It Helps You Stay Determined: It can be quite tempting at this stage to make a compromise and settle for the first offer that comes along. Coaching helps you visualise what you’d like for yourself better so that you can stay with your goal and not settle for less.
2. It Helps You Find Motivation: Feeling a bit blue? It is quite common to feel underwhelmed, particularly when you see colleagues and peers occupy positions that you should have. In such situations, it can be hard to look at anything but your present circumstance. However, coaching helps you set goals to work towards, reinforcing your sense of purpose and this helping you stay motivated.
3. It Makes You More Flexible: When you look at circumstances through the lens of ‘what is’, you may feel boxed in. Indeed, with time, it may even seem like there is no way out. Coaching can help you evaluate and change the limiting patterns of behaviour. When change comes from within, it gives you a new perspective. This allows you to explore a world of possibilities that you may never even have imagined earlier.
4. It Allows You To Set Boundaries: As you begin to figure out what you want, you also begin to understand what you’d rather avoid. Doing so ensures that you stay on track at all times. Coaching helps you face those aspects with more ease and confidence.
RainKraft’s ReStart Coaching comes with several supplementary services like a Resume Refresh, mock interviews and reskilling sessions to help you get back on track and be ready for your next big role. Talk to us today for a consultation and to see what would work best for you.