Self-doubt, rejection, resume gaps: A career coach’s guide to getting back on your feet

Find practical guidance and strategies for women re-entering the workforce after a career break, covering self-doubt, rejections and resume gaps. Read more at straitstimes.com.

A long career break can make the idea of returning to work feel daunting – not just because industries move fast, but because life rarely slows down in the meantime.

That was the reality for Ms Kasthuri Gengadaren, a mother who stepped away from the workforce for 15 years to care for her two daughters, then re-entered the workforce – only to be retrenched on the day after her father was diagnosed with cancer.

Even so, she kept going: upskilling, leaning into networks and tapping into support from Workforce Singapore (WSG) to find her way back into work again at 50.

She says: “Reaching out to organisations like WSG is important because it is very lonely to look for a job by yourself, and they are there to help you, whether through referrals or looking for jobs that suit you.”

Stories like this also show that a career break does not erase capability. But re-entering the workforce after a break often requires one to reset expectations, seek guidance and build a career plan that fits both ambitions and responsibilities.

Here, a WSG career coach tackles the questions women most commonly ask – and offers honest, practical guidance for making the return to work, on your own terms.