It’s not unusual for people in the nonprofit sector to take extended leaves of absences from their jobs. While the most obvious reason may be for the birth of a child, an increasing number of people in the sector are stepping out of their paid roles to look after sick family members, to travel, for their own health or to pursue additional education.

While some may candidly call a leave of more than six months an “eternity leave,” according to Karen Meredith of the global human resources company Drake International, “how you’ve spent your time on leave is valuable.” She believes job seekers must acknowledge a leave of absence, because prospective employers will notice a gap on a resume and may imagine the worst. “Don’t be embarrassed about having taken a leave — figure out how you can take your experience and use it in a job capacity.”

Returning to work after a leave can be a daunting process. CharityVillage® spoke to four people who have been through it to find out what they learned and what advice they’d offer to people who are getting back to ‘the grind’ after a leave of absence.

In transition

In June 2009, Pam DeWilde, her husband and two school-aged children returned to their home in Oshawa, Ontario and her work as a community ministry developer for Diaconal Ministries Canada after spending a year living and volunteering in 12 countries outside North America.

As often happens with leaves of absence, the year away had clarified for DeWilde that she wanted a different career direction: having been warmly welcomed in so many communities, she now wanted to return the favour by working with refugees and new Canadians. She felt an obligation to her employer to return to the job they had held for her, but only stayed temporarily.

Now working as a volunteer within the sector, DeWilde offers the following tips:

  • Be patient. As much as you can have your own timeline, in reality it takes time and you are sometimes at the mercy of someone else’s agenda.
  • Connect. Put as much energy as you can into making connections within the sector. Be visible, helpful and available. Be aware of public events and attend them.
  • Demonstrate your enthusiasm and commitment. Make a point of telling people what you are looking for, that you want to get involved and are eager to learn.
  • Be willing to be new. DeWilde says this is one of the hardest aspects to looking for work in a new quadrant of the nonprofit sector. A significant part of her social network had come from her work and the boards she sat on. She had to work to connect to the sector and to develop new relationships.
  • Volunteer. As she was stepping down from her former role, a coordinator position opened up with InterChurch Immigrant Support Group, an all-volunteer organization that welcomes refugees. While this has meant some financial belt-tightening, it has provided meaningful work that DeWilde hopes will be funded in the future.

When it goes wrong

Sometimes a leave follows a job that ends badly. John Matthews, a communications professional who has worked in the nonprofit sector since 1988 and who is currently looking for a new work opportunity, recalls his year-long leave of absence in 2001. He had been working for a church in youth ministry, a role notorious for its attrition rate due to burnout. Matthews’ health suffered as a result of stress and he went on a long-term disability leave, ultimately deciding to shift roles within the sector.

As he looked to return to work, John used the following principles:

  • Recognize your needs. Most people get into the nonprofit sector because they care about the needs of others. Be aware of your own needs and don’t go back to a job that’s a bad fit or an unhealthy situation.
  • Examine your values. Take stock of what happened and move forward. Make decisions about the kind of working environment, commute, and work you want.
  • Job shadow. Job shadowing often means learning new skills and being mentored. It also is a low-risk opportunity to try on a new role.
  • Freelance. Freelancing is a low-risk, good-return way to try a new role. In order to stay busy and to pay the bills, Matthews did some freelancing writing for a friend and eventually moved to work in communications.
  • Keep a healthy schedule. Some days you don’t feel like getting out of bed and looking for a new job. A healthy schedule — with exercise, good food, sleep and set work times — will help.
  • Build good relationships. Matthews credits his supportive family (and his then puppy!) for encouraging him, and relationships and a reputation he had built throughout his career for the next job he was offered at The Scott Mission.

Go back to the beginning

“Tess” works as an administrator at a mid-sized Canadian university. She took maternity leave when her son was born and then extended that leave for another year in order to move her new lone-parent family from a rural to an urban setting. As Tess prepared to return to her position, she was concerned about her child’s adjustment to daycare but also how she would reintegrate into a fast-paced academic environment after nearly two years away.

Having learned from her experience, Tess has recommendations for people returning to the same workplace after a lengthy leave of absence:

  • Make a refresher manual before you leave. If your leave is planned, make notes, whether it is a daily record of tasks, a list of usual contacts, or how-to’s of complicated procedures.
  • Keep in regular contact with the workplace and your boss while you’re on leave. Attend office social gatherings. Keep a friendly relationship with the person filling in for you. This reminds everyone that you are still interested in the organization.
  • Attend workshops offered for employees while you are on leave. In Tess’ case, many changes occurred to the academic systems, the forms used and procedures followed. Staying abreast of such changes helps the transition go more smoothly.
  • Make a back-up plan. Especially if you are returning from a maternity/parental or compassionate leave, find support to help keep your absences to a minimum while ensuring your loved one is cared for.
  • Take it slowly if possible. Return part-time or at a quiet time for your organization. This also means that any glitches in your transition will not be a major inconvenience to the organization.
  • Make sure you are added to distribution lists immediately upon your return so you don’t miss out on any important information.
  • Understand that there is always a transition period of adjustment and perhaps a learning curve period for new changes that have occurred since you left.

Coming around again

Two and a half years ago, when her role as an employment counsellor at the John Howard Society came to an end, Teresa Bugelli moved to Malta to seek new work opportunities and to be close to family members.

Recently, she and her children returned to Whitby, Ontario where Bugelli is using her marketing skills in working for a restaurant, while pursuing education and opportunities to develop programs for youth. In her return to work in Canada, she has applied the same lessons she used with her clients at the John Howard Society:

  • Refuse to entertain self-pity. Bugelli says, “You’re employed. You’re unemployed. You’re still the same person.”
  • Spread the word. Nonprofit is in the community. Talk to your former colleagues. Networking can help you find out about projects and can encourage people to promote you to others. Others in a similar field may have more work than they can handle.
  • Redo your CV. Tailor your resume to the job you’re applying for. Bugelli notes that sometimes applications are scanned by computers for key words that are in the job listing — add those key words to your resume.
  • Don’t waste your time. Target the area you specifically want to work in and don’t consider jobs that don’t fit.
  • Use your intuition. If you feel in an interview that an organization will be a bad fit, Bugelli believes it’s better to find a job that pays the bills and allows you to continue looking.
  • Take initiative. Sometimes you can create your own job within the nonprofit sector. If your experience and skills match a need you see, create a proposal and send it to the right person.
  • Don’t give up!

Every leave of absence is different and every process of returning to work is different, but armed with strategies that boost self-confidence and build meaningful connections, every job seeker returning to work in the sector can successfully find a place to offer the experience gained while on leave, whether they return to the same area of work or explore an entirely new direction.

Susan Fish is a writer/editor at Storywell, a company that helps individuals and organization tell their story well. She has written for the nonprofit sector for almost two decades and loves a good story.