Returnees can overcome biases by highlighting prior experience, updating skills, leveraging networks, and showcasing adaptability, cultural awareness, and clear goals. Engaging in return-to-work programs, seeking feedback, and emphasizing unique perspectives help demonstrate value compared to early-career interns.
What Strategies Help Returnees Overcome Bias Compared to Early-Career Interns?
AdminReturnees can overcome biases by highlighting prior experience, updating skills, leveraging networks, and showcasing adaptability, cultural awareness, and clear goals. Engaging in return-to-work programs, seeking feedback, and emphasizing unique perspectives help demonstrate value compared to early-career interns.
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Skills and Experience Levels: Returnee vs. Intern
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Leveraging Prior Experience to Demonstrate Value
Returnees can consciously highlight their previous work experience and accomplishments during reintegration, showcasing how their skills and knowledge directly benefit the organization. This contrasts with early-career interns who may be judged primarily on potential rather than proven results, helping returnees counteract biases about being out of touch.
Proactively Updating Skills and Knowledge
Returnees who invest time in refreshing and expanding their skill sets before rejoining the workforce send a strong message against stereotypes of skill degradation. By demonstrating current expertise, they reduce bias that they may be outdated compared to early-career interns who typically have more recent academic exposure.
Building Strong Professional Networks Early
Returnees can overcome bias by reconnecting with mentors, colleagues, and industry peers ahead of their return. These networks can provide advocacy, guidance, and informal endorsements, which help counter preconceptions. Early-career interns usually start building networks from scratch, so returnees can leverage prior relationships.
Emphasizing Adaptability and Growth Mindset
Adopting and explicitly communicating a growth mindset helps returnees combat assumptions that they may be rigid or resistant to change. Sharing examples of learning and adapting during their time away signals openness, which contrasts positively with interns typically seen as eager learners but inexperienced.
Demonstrating Cultural Awareness and Soft Skills
Returnees can focus on showcasing interpersonal and cultural skills such as communication, teamwork, and leadership, which may be developed through broad life and work experiences. These soft skills often differentiate returnees from early-career interns who might still be developing these competencies.
Seeking Formal Return-to-Work Programs
Engaging in employer-sponsored return-to-work or reboarding programs helps returnees receive structured support and credibility, which can reduce bias by standardizing their transition. Early-career interns often come with built-in onboarding, making specialized programs advantageous for returnees to level the field.
Setting Clear Career Goals and Expectations
Returnees who articulate specific, realistic career objectives demonstrate focus and intentionality, challenging any bias that they may be unsure or less committed. Early-career interns might still be exploring options, so clear goal-setting can distinguish returnees as motivated and goal-oriented.
Utilizing Testimonials and References from Prior Roles
Providing strong references and testimonials from previous positions underscores credibility and counters doubts about performance capability. This tangible validation can help overcome biases favoring early-career interns perceived as unproven but trainable.
Engaging in Continuous Feedback and Self-Reflection
Returnees who actively seek feedback and show willingness to self-improve demonstrate proactive growth, addressing any stereotypes of complacency. Early-career interns are often presumed to be eager but inexperienced, so returnees can stand out by modeling mature learning behaviors.
Communicating Unique Contributions and Perspectives
Returnees can emphasize the unique insights gained during their time away, such as through different industries, roles, or life experiences. Framing these as assets helps combat biases that early-career interns may be seen as more relevant or up-to-date, repositioning returnees as valuable contributors with distinct advantages.
What else to take into account
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