People often struggle to back in jobs when they take a break. I would like to share my journey how I planned to take my next role with a double salary.
The reason why I decided to quit
I passed my engineering from a decent college in 2011 with good grades. I struggled a lot both in proving my potential to be part of the organization I aspired to be in because the competition was high. In 2014 I finally cracked a company I aspired for.
Despite having recognition and work satisfaction, I was exhausted due to family responsibilities and a lot of hard work I had put in since I passed my college to get a good decent job. I was just tired. After working for two more years in 2016 I resigned and decided to take a break.
Reactions after my resignation
- Family and Friends
My parents and friends were not happy at all and I understand their reason and care for me. They still supported my decision and advised me to take time and use this period for self-learning. - Negative people 😉
I faced a lot of judgemental opinions about my decisions like creating fears of never getting a job again to being judged as a bad coder who gave up the journey in the middle.
Strategies to make this journey smooth
Relax
We have already taken the decision and now there is no looking back.
Take a deep breath and just relax.
Some of the things I did in my first month after break
- Joined yoga class
- Go shopping, you have saved money after working so hard, time to spend some 😉
- Learned cooking from youtube and some TV shows.
Keep the conversation short and precise
Soft skills are the most important part of personal and professional life, people will ask you again and again about your decision. Speak wisely and be happy about your decision. Avoid explaining reasons.
Identify your weak areas
I would suggest taking a notepad and start writing down by splitting it into small categories
# Personal
# Professional
# Miscellaneous for traits that affect multiple areas of your life
Action items
Create a list of action items for every weakness you possess.
Below were some of my action items which are very simple to do.
# Take a course on Big data.
# Improve design skills.
# Participate in competitive programming like Hackerank.
# Wake up early in the morning and exercise 40 min daily.
# Pay attention to a balanced diet.
# Invest money in Mutual Funds.
# Read books and magazines about science and health.
How I planned my comeback into the job
By this time already three to four months passed, I was feeling more relaxed, confident, and happy 😄.
Shortlist jobs
I started again with a job hunt on LinkedIn. I checked all the job profiles that matched my tech stack and fitted my future aspirations.
Resume
The best feeling was to update my resume and adding Bigdata as a part of my tech stack was an amazing experience.
Myth #1 People who are on break don’t get interview calls.
Referrals
My ninety percent of calls came were through a referral program. Don’t hesitate to reach out to people and ask for referrals. Linkedin is a great platform to start with.
Help people to get rich when you join the company as they referred you😃.
Myth #2 I will be judged as a bad non-performing employee as I took a break.
Screening Round
This round is mainly done by HR or Hiring Manager. Be ready to face the most difficult question "What is the reason for your break ?"
Myth #3 I will be rejected in an interview if I tell the truth.
The best way to answer the question is very simple as follows:
# Be honest with your reason.
# Stay confident.
# Explain how you used this time to relax and how it contributed to your learning.
# Be positive about yourself.
Final tie-breaker round
You will reach this round after clearing all technical and system design round.
In this round, you will negotiate your salary 💰.
Myth#4 I will get a zero hike because I have a gap.
If an organization is good and believes in employee satisfaction, they will never give you zero pay raise instead HR will understand your reasons. A good company will focus on your skills than your gap but exceptions are always there, in case you get the feeling that you are being judged and not paid up to your expectation, don’t accept the offer.
Myth#5 If I reject offers and don’t accept the minimal pay hike I will always be jobless as time is passing by and my gap time is increasing.
Patience
Wait for the right opportunity to come. I rejected two offers before I made the choice.
Don’t rush on things , when the time is right it will happen.
Negotiate salary
Negotiation skills are very important. To negotiate well do your research on how much average range of salaries you can get with your experience and role offered. This will help HR know that you understand your profile well and will also help them to understand your expectations.
Summary of events
