Are you overwhelmed when you think about returning to work after a break? Do you need to rebuild your confidence? After taking time away from the workplace, it might be hard to imagine that you will return and start to pick up where you left off. Perhaps you will join another place of work but worry about whether you will be able to do all the things you did before. You might feel apprehensive about whether you will be hired at all.

I could hear myself telling my son about all these things I used to do in my old role, the pride I had about the good work we used to do, the great view from my office, all the people I used to meet and yet I felt like he was looking at me like ‘Mum’s acting oddly again’, like he couldn’t picture the person in front of him as being one and the same.

(Libraryreturner A)

Rebuilding confidence is linked to our professional work identity considerably. As if we are clear about who we are within our profession we are likely to feel a bit more confident or sure of ourselves. So, it’s good to be reminded of what you’ve achieved in the past and what you can offer today. This will jog your memory about what you are bringing to an employer (your experience, your achievements, etc). It also helps to remember when you’ve felt happy and satisfied at work and about the accomplishments you’ve helped bring about through your labour. Organisations like mental health charity Mind encourage you to ‘recognise the positives’ when rebuilding self-esteem and confidence. We can use this on our work identity too.

Rebuilding confidence: strengths and skills

Skills are things we’ve learnt to do, while strengths are things we’re naturally gifted at. Women Returners, the Return to Work specialists, also believe that ‘a strength is something you are good at AND feel energised by’. (Return to Work Mentor Toolkit 4)

You can find out your basic strengths by using an online tool such as VIA Signature Strengths as described in this powerpoint.

Or getting hold of a printed copy of StrengthsFinder2.0 by Gallup.

Or try to make a note the next time you feel energised while you are engaged in an activity. (Think about what you were doing? What part did you like best?)

Or speak to family and friends. People who know you best might be able to tell you clearly what your strengths are. You alone may not appreciate your range of strengths and skills. Talking these examples through with someone you trust can help you to identify new skills.

Don’t forget to consider everything you’ve done while you’ve been on your career break. This will help you to build up a picture of the skills you developed both before and during your break.

It has been said that confidence comes from actions – from the act of doing something – so what practical action steps could you take? Think about utilising new opportunities to add more skills and experience. Achieving a new qualification or simply learning something new will make you more confident about job searching. You could start by looking at the free courses delivered by the Open University. Or read the posts on this site related to updating your library and information skills and knowledge.

Action: Make a list of your strengths. Now try to make a list of things you do well that employ these strengths.

Further resources

• Listen to the Rebuilding Confidence podcast by Valerie Cherneski (iRelaunch)
• Read the Boost your Confidence for a Successful Return to Work blog post from Women Returners

The genesis for this Rebuilding Confidence post started some time ago when I was one of the first volunteer Career Boost Programme Mentors for the organisation Women Returners. Here I supported professional women based in Scotland to get back to fulfilling job roles in the libraries, museums and archives sector after a career break. The mentorship programme has run several times since the launch and has been a positive, worthwhile experience for both the mentees and mentors involved. The Return to Work Mentor Toolkit forms part of the programme. Look out for the publicity if you would like to become involved.