Wendy Egan, A Career Boost Scotland Programme participant returning to Investments at BlackRock (2 year career break)
My professional background is in marketing and customer operations, and I’ve worked within the financial, professional, and technical services sectors in the UK and South Africa.
I took a career break in 2020 – we were finding our way through the pandemic and between working from home, home schooling and the general stress of the time, I decided to take some time out. As a single parent, it was wonderful to spend more time with my daughter, and to spend more time on myself. This was the first career break I had taken in over 20 years of working, so it did take some time to get over the guilt!
Following a few months of down time, I needed something to motivate and challenge me, but I wasn’t ready to go back to work. I enrolled in a digital marketing course and volunteered as a Trustee in our residential complex. At the same time, I decided to relocate and started the process of packing up our lives in South Africa to move to Scotland.
I had read about the Women Returner’s network in a magazine while I was still in South Africa and had signed up to their newsletter and attended a few of the webinars. I found their information practical and usable and on my return to Scotland I was delighted to secure a place on the Career Boost Programme.
The practical advice shared on the Career Boost Programme was so helpful. From compiling a CV, to concisely capturing your strengths and achievements, to preparing confidently for interviews. And of course, guidance on how to deal with the dreaded career break question and how to own your story with pride and positivity. For anyone worried about returning to work after a career break, I’d highly recommend the Career Boost Programme. It’s a structured and practical programme which helps you build your career story layer by layer with the support and guidance of the expert Women Returners Coach and a cohort of other returners. If you show up and put the work in, you’ll likely feel more confident, prepared, and motivated for your job search.
While on the Programme, I applied for a position on BlackRock’s Returner Programme – I was successful and am now on a contract in the Business Operations team which I am really enjoying and in which I’m using my strengths and capabilities.