Thinking of Taking a Career Break? Here’s How Mentoring Could Help You Keep Your Skills Fresh

Many people worry about taking a career break. Sometimes they’re concerned about making money on a career break while others worry about how they’ll explain the gap on their CV.

Here at Career Navig8r, we don’t believe that you should let worries hold you back from doing what you really want to do. That’s why today, we’ll be sharing our top career break tips as well as some excellent career break ideas to keep you motivated towards your next life goal.

We’ll also be talking about an excellent strategy you can take to transition into a new career, so if you’re tired of your current job then be sure to stick around to the end.

Why Take a Career Break?

There are many good reasons to take a career break. Some people do it from stress or for medical reasons, but for others it’s simply a chance to review their decisions and maybe learn a little more about what they’d like to be doing with their lives.

In many ways, a career break is not dissimilar to a gap year, except you can take one whenever you feel the need to.

The most important thing to understand, however, is not that there are any objective reasons why you should or shouldn’t take a career break. What’s important to understand is why you want to take a career break.

Career breaks are often most effective when done with clear goals in mind. Do you want to set yourself up for a new job? Are you thinking of transitioning your career entirely but need time to build up the skills/qualifications/portfolio?

Whatever your reason, be sure to have a goal in mind and a direction to focus on. It might change your life.

How to Manage the Gap in Your CV?

Okay, so this is probably our most important career break tip – how to manage the gap in your CV.

It’s true that CV gaps are a problem for most employers but they’re far from an insurmountable one, particularly the further away you get from one. There are many valid reasons why you might have a gap in your CV, from training a new skill, to having children. When it comes to employers, the most important thing you can do is explain why you took a break, and why you’re not likely to do it again while at their company.

After all, that’s their biggest worry. Once you’ve alleviated that concern they’ll be able to judge you for you.

That being said, CV gaps can become a real problem when companies aren’t calling you back for interviews. It’s one thing to have a great explanation for why you took a career break, but it’s another if nobody will give you the chance to tell them.

Should this happen, then you’ll need to rely a little more on your network – on the people you know personally within your industry who’ll be able to put a word in for you. If you don’t have a network yet, then now is the perfect time to sign up with Career Navig8r and start working with a Mentor.

Mentors are an excellent way to get yourself back into work, particularly if you’re entering a new or unfamiliar field. They’ll be able to set you up with their network and give you all the best advice on how to ace the interview!

Making Money on a Career Break

Of course, you don’t have to leap straight into another full time job at all. You might well be taking some time off but that doesn’t mean you can’t make money on a career break.

When coming out of a full-time job, you’ll have an abundance of expertise, built up over your time spent working and this makes you a perfect Mentor. As a Mentor, you could teach your knowledge to others, earning money at a rate you set and in your own time.

Trying to get away from a stressful job? Mentoring is a stress-free way to earn money? Need more time to work on a personal project or to spend with family? Being a Mentor lets you take back control of your own time.

Whether you’re just looking to escape the office for a month or two, or to jump into an exciting new career, Mentoring could truly change your life.

Are you ready to take a break from the daily grind? Think you’ve got what it takes to share your skills? Here at Career Navig8r, we believe that experience is one of the most valuable things a person has to offer. Join today and start sharing your experience with the people who need it most!