How to restart your career after a long absence

By the time Sharon Thomas left the workforce when her second daughter was born, she had spent years building a successful, demanding career in marketing.

"I had a big office and a big commute," she says.

For a year and a half, Ms. Thomas stayed home with her children. Then she accepted a job with a small marketing firm in Boston. "I was nervous about the logistics of going back," she says. "But it was perfectly fine once I started."

Making the transition back to the workplace after a significant absence – a year, two years, or more – can be both challenging and rewarding. It's a step more people are facing as the traditional approach – continuous, linear employment – gives way to a new approach marked by flexibility.

"The corporate-ladder model of career progression doesn't fit the majority of workers today," says Anne Weisberg, a senior adviser at Deloitte in Boston. The new model, she explains, is a "corporate lattice," which allows people to move in many different directions.

"This isn't your father's workplace anymore," says Denise Nash, director of work-life initiatives at Aquent, a marketing staffing company in Boston.

This gradual shift is evident in a small blizzard of books about career tracks, career paths, and "opting in." It also shows up in employment services with names such as On-Ramps and Mom Corps, specializing in flexible work, and in reentry programs at business schools such as Dartmouth and Columbia University.

Not surprisingly, most of these efforts are directed to women, since they are the majority of those taking extended time-outs for child rearing and caregiving. But men want time off, too, sometimes for family needs.

"The main reason men are pursuing flexibility is for personal interests or an avocation," Ms. Nash says. Among those in Aquent's database seeking flexible work, 40 to 45 percent are men.

Whatever the reason for a prolonged absence, employment experts urge those wanting to return to take stock of their time off and be prepared for questions.

"When my team hires, one of the things we look at on résumés is gaps in employment," says Rena Everton, human resources director for Ikano Communications in Salt Lake City. "We ask about those gaps. It is a major concern. We know they're going to need time to transition back to work life."

Andrea Kay, a career consultant in Cincinnati, finds that prospective applicants often anticipate rejection. "What do they tell the employer? What do they put on their résumé? They just are worried that they'll be seen as damaged goods."

To avoid that, she says, "Describe in an appropriate way to an employer where you've been, so it puts you in a good light. Help them see that you haven't been sitting around eating bonbons for two years." She suggests telling interviewers, "I'm excited about how I can contribute to your company and explore how my skills and background can be valuable in this position."

That background might include freelancing, volunteering, fundraising, and working on teams or committees. "Value comes in different forms," Kay says.

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