By Kristin Capitan, TA Programs & Attraction Intern

Did you know more people are considering taking a break from their careers than ever before? Career breaks are becoming more common, as awareness grows and their stigma decreases. A career break can be taken for a multitude of reasons, including caregiving responsibilities for a child or relative, burnout or feeling dissatisfied in one’s work, the desire to shift career focuses, and many others. COVID-19 saw millions of people take time off from working and has caused millions more to consider it, as many of these reasons became exacerbated due to the effects of the pandemic.

Whether it be a courageous step, a result of decreased stigma, or a mixture of both, we’ve begun to see exemplary examples of professionals who have successfully taken a break and returned to their careers. Whatever the reason, those who come from untraditional career backgrounds provide a unique perspective and innovative solutions when problem solving and serve as an asset for our company. At BAE Systems, we recognize the increase in the prevalence of career breaks, especially due to COVID-19. In light of this, we wanted to highlight someone within our company who has thrived after taking a career break.

Christine Sullivan, who works for our Talent Management team out of our Intelligence & Security sector, is just one example of how you can step away from your career, step back in, and continue the growth of your success to new heights. She has been kind enough to answer some questions about her career break, as well as give some words of advice for anyone considering returning or considering taking one.

Q&A:

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Tell me a little bit about yourself and your current role.

Throughout my career, I’ve worked at various organizational levels. From manufacturing facilities to corporate headquarters, as well as in many areas of Human Resources, from functional/specialist roles, like compensation, to HR manager or director roles.

I currently manage the strategic workforce planning process for the I&S sector, which sits under the Talent Management function of our Human Resources (HR) department. My work focuses on our future workforce needs and the strategic actions that the organization can take to ensure they are met. It’s a dynamic and fun role that allows me to interact with many teams across our business areas, and sectors.

A little about my personal life, my husband and I live in Ashburn, Virginia and have 3 college-age sons and two dogs. We love to bike, travel, and read. We’re training for a bike trip to France to celebrate our 25th anniversary next year!

I understand you took a career break and were able to return to the workforce. Tell me a little about what it was like to take that break and what it’s been like to return.

After being very career-focused in my 20s and 30s (which included completing my masters in HR while working, and participating in a leadership development program), I decided to scale back a bit. I worked part-time for a few years and then decided to step away from the workforce completely for a time. During that time, I got really involved in organizations within my community and with my children’s activities. This really helped with the transition from the workplace, as I still had a chance to apply my skills to whatever I was undertaking. Returning to workforce was pretty seamless because of this. It has been really fulfilling to get back into my HR career and to see that my capabilities are still needed, and I’ve really loved getting to know so many fantastic and talented people.

Returning to the workforce after a career break can be daunting. Why did you chose BAE Systems and how has it supported you during your transition?

My background was in the defense contracting industry, so it made sense to return to an environment I was already familiar with. As I thought about returning to work, I was lucky enough to have several former colleagues who were working for BAE Systems and who helped me re-enter the workforce. These people knew me and my background from life before BAE Systems, and they were a great help in my transition. Seeing a few familiar faces and not being completely unknown within the company definitely helped, as I was learning the organization and figuring out my role in it. Even before the pandemic struck, I had very a flexible work arrangement, since the work I do wasn’t dependent on being in the office. BAE Systems’ willingness to provide me with this flexibility in my role is the greatest way the company has supported me.

What was one challenge you faced returning to the workforce? How did you overcome this challenge?

I would say one challenge was getting up to speed on everything that had changed in the field of HR over the years of my career break. I tackled this challenge by joining as many meetings as I could, listening and asking questions, and didn’t worry about showing my knowledge deficits. I trusted that my skills were still useful and that I could acquire the knowledge I needed to get up to speed on changes that had been made in the field. I do remember my first WebEx meeting, though – I was the only one on camera and I had to quickly figure out how to turn it off! No one was using desktop video technology the last time I was in the workplace!

What advice would you give to someone considering rejoining the workforce or taking a career break?

Be as clear as you can be on what you’re looking for, so that you can articulate that to others.

For me, I knew that I did not want to return full-time, and I waited for the right time and opportunity to return to work part-time.

Think about what things in your life outside of work are important to youso you can assess how a new job might impact them.

This is an obvious but important one – don’t be shy about reaching out to people you used to work with, even if you’ve lost touch, to find out if they know of any opportunities or could connect you with other people that could help.

Trust in your skills and experiences– you are still the same person with the same attributes that made you successful before your career break. In all likelihood, you’ve gained new skills and had experiences that will benefit you as well.

Once you’re back in the workplace, don’t be afraid to ask questions. The quicker you can learn, the quicker you can hit your stride.

If you’re considering a career break, think about how to stay connected to your field, your mentors, your company, etc. Keep track of where people you enjoyed working with are – it’s so much easier with LinkedIn and social media.

Lastly, if you have certifications, figure out if it’s important to you to maintain them, and understand what you need to do to keep them from lapsing.

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Each career break journey, including Christine’s, is unique, and those who have taken career breaks have something unique to offer to their organization when they return.

At BAE Systems, we know that diverse backgrounds make us stronger as an organization. We encourage you to browse through the unique array of benefits we offer, linked here, where our goal is to provide employees with the resources necessary for their personal and professional success.

We also invite you to find a career that inspires you on our website. Join our talent community to stay up to date on the latest job opportunities and receive company news.