Returning to work after an extended career break. Uma speaks with Shirani, a lawyer and content creator who brings questions about re-entering the workforce, and later with Jingjin, an experienced entrepreneur and founder who offers powerful insights on building confidence and creating systemic change.Their combined perspectives reveal practical strategies for women navigating career transitions and highlight the often undervalued skills developed during caregiving periods. We explore everything from maintaining professional visibility during breaks to negotiating flexible work arrangements.We tackle important questions:➡️ How do you explain a significant career gap to potential employers?➡️ What's the best way to maintain your professional network during a career break?➡️ How can women build confidence when returning to the workforce?➡️ Should you apply for full-time positions if you need flexible hours?Here is What We Talk About:➡️ Taking Control of the Career Gap Narrative: Uma emphasizes the importance of "front-footing" the conversation about career breaks. Instead of being defensive, she suggests proactively addressing the gap and highlighting the valuable skills developed during that time.➡️ Maintaining Professional Visibility: The discussion covers practical strategies for staying visible during career breaks, including leveraging LinkedIn, engaging with your network through regular coffee meetings, and choosing the right platform for your audience.➡️ Building Confidence as a Muscle: Jingjin shares powerful insights about treating confidence like a muscle that needs regular exercise. She emphasizes the importance of practice, support systems, and changing the narrative around caregiving experience.➡️ Negotiating Flexibility: The conversation tackles the important question of whether to apply for full-time positions when seeking flexible arrangements. Uma encourages women to advocate for their needs, noting that good companies will work to accommodate valuable talent.[00:00] Introduction[02:20] The Career Break Question[05:53] Strategies for Re-entering the Workforce[10:01] Building Confidence and Visibility[13:28] Negotiating Flexible Work Arrangements[16:49] Systemic Change and Individual Action[21:04] Building Confidence Through Practice[23:47] Creating Change at Home and Work👉 Follow me on IG: https://www.instagram.com/rawwithuma👉 Follow me on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/umathana/📨 If you want more content like this, sign up for my bi-weekly newsletter. I send writing with actionable advice every other week, designed for your personal and professional growth. It’s free and always will be. https://elevateasia.org/

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