Returning to work after a career break is one of the hardest things I’ve ever done.
One of the reasons I found it so tough was that there were no guidelines or established pathways to follow, especially as I was looking to make work work for me in a different way and I didn’t have a job open to return to.
I would sit at my kitchen table (desk) staring at my computer with my brain whirring thinking, “how the f*** am I ever going to get back to work? There is no way I can find something in TV that will work for me.”
The challenge was that I was sitting there pre-judging every option and labelling it IMPOSSIBLE before I’d considered it properly and this was completely self-limiting. Plus, I’d lost a whole stack of confidence as I’d been out of the workplace for 12 months after the birth of my son and was living in a new city and therefore had limited networks.
I realised that if I was ever going to get back to work, I needed to talk to people. Previously, I had always found work through word of mouth, rather than formal job applications. I started talking to people I knew locally, even if I didn’t think they knew much about my industry or experience. That said, I was strategic in that I did focus my attention on mums with older kids as I figured they’d resonate with what I was going through.
I can’t say things started to move overnight, but with each conversation I had new ideas and opportunities began to emerge. I didn’t know what was out there or what was possible but by being curious and opening my mind to opportunities a picture was forming in my head.
My journey back to work wasn’t easy. It took a lot of soul searching until I started to understand what my Secret Sauce was that I offered in the workplace and how I could once again add value. But add value in a way that worked for me as I was now, and not as I was before my career break.
I didn’t get it all right. Some things worked well so I did more of them. Others didn’t and I moved swiftly on. But all the time I was listening and learning.
Now, as I write this today, my eldest son is 15. I’ve now had as much of my career since becoming a mother as I had before. I’m really proud of where I’m at now. Having a career break and, for me, becoming a mother enabled and facilitated this period of my career. I have made different choices because of it. I think they are better choices. But it hasn’t always been an easy journey – particularly the setting off.
So, when I saw the tender from ScreenSkills to run training courses for those in HETV and looking to return to work, it was a no-brainer to put in a bid with my colleague Sarah McCaffrey from Solas Mind. It’s a space we’ve both found ourselves in at different times and one that we care passionately about helping people navigate and we want to support you on that journey, in a way that works for you, and at your own pace.
Whatever part of the industry you’ve worked in – it could Art, Camera, Costume, Hair and Make-up, or Locations, we’ve got a course for you starting in early 2023.
There’s absolutely a place for you back in HETV and it’s our role through these courses to help you identify how you can make work work for you.
