Navigating the Journey: Overcoming Challenges as a Career Re-starter in the High-Tech Industry

Journey of a Career Re-starter: Upwards & Onward!

The high-tech industry is a driving force in today’s job market, supporting innovation and economic growth. It offers dynamic career opportunities across sectors, from anything around Software and AI to biotechnology. As digital transformation accelerates, tech skills are increasingly in demand. Thus, understanding this industry's dynamics is essential for future-ready careers. If you want to know the challenges and a way forward to restart or support the restart of a career in the high-tech industry then keep reading.

Common yet Crucial Challenges Faced by Career Re-starters Understanding these challenges ranges from getting hired, sustaining & also thriving in the eco-system; acknowledging them can be the first towards problem-solving in the High-Tech industry landscape.

• Functional Skills As the world is moving towards reinventions and innovations in consumer space, the same is true for software. The velocity of expected learning in practice is necessary but skills adaptation with non-stop learning is leading to burnout in any professional. As technology evolves rapidly, it is hard for career re-starters to stay updated with current tools and frameworks. This skill gap creates hesitation in hiring managers to onboard returning professionals. Also, gaps in experience can add to existing concerns.

• Soft Skills – Confidence, Self-Esteem, Communication A career break can introduce psychological barriers that impact one's self-worth leading to frequent self-doubt & imposter syndrome, eventually reducing confidence and sustaining hesitation in expressing ideas. This broadly affects key areas of communication and participation during hiring cycles and collaborative work dynamics in a fast-paced tech environment.

• Lack of Opportunity Despite talent, many re-starters are overlooked in favor of candidates with uninterrupted experience. Organizations often lack inclusive hiring practices, and structured programs tailored for second-career professionals.

• Support but Not for Real As the demand for high-tech skilled professionals has increased which is leading to the industry supply facing high competitive spirit in the job market. Through such times, it's of utmost importance to network and form meaningful industry connections. Some companies promote returnship programs but fail to offer meaningful roles, mentorship, or growth paths. Such superficial support leaves returners feeling undervalued and stagnant.

• Receiving Bad Behavioral Treatment Biases leads to dismissive attitudes, microaggressions, or exclusion from key projects & opportunities. Such behaviors demotivate re-starters and reinforce a sense of not belonging.

Journey of a Career Re-starter: What can an organization do?

Strategies for Overcoming Challenges What can the field i.e. establishments, organization eco-system, and industry do? Complementing existing HR hiring practices, the field can adopt the following brief yet effective strategies.

1. Hiring teams (hiring managers, recruiters, human resources teams, interviewing team members, et al.) to recognize what career re-starters bring to the table in terms of values like sincerity, commitment, delivery promise, affinity, longevity, and focused optimal use of hours at work. Also, factor in coachability quotient when it comes to functional upskilling.

2. Take the liberty to cut through the HR clutter when not necessary & proactively build new & quick engagement models. Functional teams can get engaged deeply with the career re-starters, host coffee chats, webinars, Q and A sessions, and create opportunities to work together; instilling in direct engagement, rapport building, learning & real practical alignment with the hiring functional team members.

3. Hiring teams can open roles for part-time and shadow opportunities (4-6 hours/day). Create clear and crisp marketing around open roles through events and social media.

4. Keep an actively engaged Alumni Network and publish opportunities within the circle.

5. Invest in behavioral training for employees to observe respectful collaboration & working dynamics with career re-starters.

Journey of a Career Re-starter: What can an Individual do?

Strategies for Overcoming Challenges What can career re-starters do?

1. Foster a Mindset Shift

   1. Focus on learning over attaining perfection. Reframe failure as a detour towards reviewing inputs to success.

   2. Keep an open mind about trying a hand at a new field, remember that you start with some experience and not from zero. Start slowly, steadily, and make progress incrementally.

   3. The job search process can turn into a long & arduous journey. Recognize to focus on what’s in your control. Being aware of the receptive nature of the industry & eco-system can help deal with unjustified behaviors one can encounter on the way that need to be addressed but keep going forward despite it.

2. Get Priorities Right Nothing is more important than prioritizing your well-being during the job search phase. Manage your mental equilibrium by speaking with someone empathetic yet objective & not vested in the situation as you are (avoid choosing your known circle like family or general friends), to shed out the unnecessary drama projected on you. Your well-being is essential during this phase as frequent negative or discouraging thoughts can quickly show ill effects on your self-worth. One can also channel their thoughts clearly by adopting writing, walking, mindfulness activities, listening to calming music, following a routine, or considering personalized counseling to keep one afloat & away from built-up stress during this time.

3. Build Effective Network Recognize that not every forum or community is out there to help; leverage what you have but prioritize building a strong network. Get out there in the field beyond the web, show up, participate, and get engaged regularly. Get infused in relevant Community, meet-ups, industry events/conferences, and job fairs. Build on using LinkedIn and professional groups to cultivate meaningful connections. And bring effectiveness by extending your time & skills where your contributions & outcomes are clarified in advance e.g. shadow opportunities, speaking at the group knowledge-sharing mediums, etc.

4. Update Skills & Knowledge Pursue learning through high-quality & industry-recognized online courses and certifications to stay current with industry trends.

5. Navigating the Job Market Explore effective job search strategies tailored for re-starters, like crafting a high-quality relevant resume. Understand to showcase the importance of showcasing transferable non-tech skills like team collaboration, quick learning, reliability, analytical thinking, communication, etc. that are valuable in tech roles. Narrow down the company, and industry vertical that you want to make an impact in; directly enroll in any restart program that those organizations offer.

6. Practice Persistence & Resilience One-off efforts lead to no great results! Get up and show up every day to keep persistent efforts going, leading to eventual success. Establish personal goals and milestones to keep yourself accountable. Review progress often to stay motivated and on course during job searches; small wins count to provide feeder motivation.

7. Get Coached Don’t get ahead of yourself & think you can do it all, by yourself! It's important to avoid mentorship scams, choose a valued service, and consider even coaching to identify your goals, accelerate your journey, get disciplined, and achieve personalized tangible results.

In a nutshell, to successfully restart your career in high-tech, begin with a mindset shift and clear priorities. Focus on updating your skills, building a strong network, and understanding today’s job market. Stay resilient, seek guidance through coaching, and trust your journey—every step forward counts. Re-entering the high-tech workforce is absolutely possible with the right mindset and approach. Believe in your potential and take consistent, purposeful steps toward your goals.

Your comeback can be your greatest success story! Creating a win-win outcome by providing a solid inspiration to others and the industry as a whole.

What's Next?

Get intentionally aligned to your goals and get coached. Share your comments, experiences, or challenges in restarting a career in the high-tech industry.

About Author: Tejal Rathod (she/her) is a 'Management Psychology & Workplace Well-being' Peter Drucker Management Excellence Award-winning expert Success Coach & Therapist, Author, Speaker, and Founder at eDC (www.elementsdcoach.com), having over two decades of diverse corporate work experience. She believes in leaving a legacy of positive work culture through personal growth and elevating one’s consciousness for meaningful success in life. Tejal engages with Individuals, Professionals, and Organizations worldwide while specializing in Work Dynamics & Culture, Executive Coaching, Leadership Development, Behavioral Transformation, Professional Skills Development, Mental Health & Emotional Well-being, and Holistic Lifestyle Coaching.

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