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5 Steps to a Great Career Restart: Trupti's Top Tips at Dell Technologies

Trupti headshot

Trupti S. | Advisor, Project/Program Management | India

Originally Published: May 5, 2023

I recently completed a year of working at Dell Technologies after being away for 15 years from full-time work.

Over the past year, I have helped build multiple programs to attract and hire diverse talent at Dell. I have also had the chance to interact and work with members from teams across various businesses across the globe, which in turn has set me up on an enriching growth journey. I find my role managing Diversity Hiring Programs meaningful, challenging, and exciting and I’m thrilled the way my “return to work” journey has panned out for me.

As we prepare to host our annual Career Restart event for the year, looking back on my journey and listing five key steps that I took to make a successful comeback.

1. Define Career Aspirations

I have worn multiple hats, explored alternate employment models, and had more than one career pivot before and during my break from traditional employment. Though I was open to a wide range of work possibilities and flexible about job levels, working hours, and engagement methods, I also identified areas of interest where I would actively seek employment. Clarity on career aspirations is a required first step toward realizing them. It also serves as a framework for crafting a powerful resume and a job pitch.

2. Write a Quality Resume

Landing a job interview starts with creating a quality resume. There are multiple resources in the form of online templates, resume-making tools, and professional resume writing services that have promising outcomes, but remember that you are the best person to tell your story.

 trupti flyer

Writing a resume that tells your career story begins with professional self-realization. I started by listing my professional skills, experience, achievements, and the transferable skills I acquired through consulting and volunteering engagements during my time away from full-time work. I then utilized the listed elements to craft a compelling narrative of my career journey aligned with my career aspirations. I also revamped my LinkedIn profile to complement the story that my resume told.

trupti standing

3. Network and Seek Mentoring Opportunities 

Though I’ve always enjoyed connecting with people and making conversation, my time working as a consultant storyteller and trainer was when I truly understood the power of networking and building connections. By building and nurturing meaningful connections with clients, I was able to elevate my professional reputation and attract more work opportunities. On my return journey, I used LinkedIn extensively to reignite lost professional connections, make some new ones, and begin to build a personal brand that resonated with my career aspirations. I actively sought mentorship in my professional and social circles and received valuable feedback, advice, and coaching on resume building, structured job search, interviewing, upskilling, and more.

4. Assess Skill Gap and Upskill

When there is a mismatch between the skills required to achieve defined career aspirations and the skills one actually possesses, it results in a gap. Lengthy absence from work only exacerbates this gap. To prepare for my desired career, I leveraged my professional network and mentors to gain insight into the necessary skills I would need to perform effectively. I began my journey of self-improvement by conducting personal research, reading, developing my perspective on DEI, enrolling in an Instructional Design course, and participating in mock interview sessions with my mentors, among other things.

5. Build Resilience

The return journey back to work is full of learning and growth, pushing you to perform at your fullest potential; however, it also can come with its share of setbacks in the form of rejections, lack of open roles in the chosen areas of interest, inadequate offers, and more. 

It is essential to build coping mechanisms to deal with the stress these setbacks can induce. I worked on personal writing projects, had my written work published, took on freelance training assignments, and continued to volunteer with children from underserved communities as a storyteller while I actively sought full-time employment in my area of interest. The recognition and affirmation I received from these engagements helped me counter the lows that came with the return journey.

The road to a successful return can seem long, riddled with uncertainty and often uphill. But armed with the right mindset, careful planning, structured approach and supporting cheerleaders along the way the journey can be enriching and empowering.

And the feeling when you reach the destination – Sweet!

 trupti

To learn more about life at Dell, please visit our stories.

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