Midlife internships, called returnships, have become a win-win situation for both companies and men and women looking to reenter the work force after taking time off for caregiving.

The term returnship was coined by Goldman Sachs in 2008 when they established a program to help attract this untapped talent pool.  Since then major corporations including Apple, NBCUniversal, Netflix, Walmart and PayPal have jumped on board.

Returnships are geared towards men and women that have had at least five years of experience and have been out of the workforce for two years or more. This is an ideal program to pursue for stay-at home moms (or dads) that have become empty nesters.

Tami Forman, the CEO of Path Forward a nonprofit organization, works with companies and individuals looking for returnships.  Path Forward focuses on helping companies devise these programs that typically last for 16 weeks and result in an 80 percent success rate in hiring participants for full time jobs.  For those that do not land a permanent job they still gain new experiences that help with resume gaps.  Tami Forman gives us the answers to some pressing questions about returnships.

What do you see as the biggest challenge when looking to reenter the workforce?

The biggest challenge that people face when reentering the workforce is bias from recruiters and hiring managers, who will often overlook any resume with a gap on it. When it comes to making hiring decisions, managers are very risk-averse, and will avoid taking any chances. There’s an unfortunately common idea that someone with a career gap either lacks up-to-date skills or the motivation to be a successful employee.

The thinking is, “why should I take a risk on an applicant with a multiple-year gap when I have several without one?” It’s a thought process that our returnship program is trying to counteract by creating a low-risk opportunity for managers to see what people coming back from career gaps are capable of.

What about women who may have been stay-at-home moms for a long time?

We’ve had Path Forward alumni who’ve taken career breaks of a decade or two before successfully completing returnships and jumping back into the workforce! Anyone restarting their career will have challenges depending on what they did before, how long they worked, and what they’ve done outside the professional workforce. And yes, the length of the break can be a factor that is challenging for some. That said, I’ve seen someone with a 20-year gap have an easier time reintegrating than someone with a much shorter break in service. People are individuals, so there is no rule about how challenging the transition will be based on that factor alone.

What advice would you give to someone that chooses to stay at home? How can they keep their foot in the door or build skills while they are not working- in preparation for eventually returning?

One of the best ways to keep your foot in the door is to keep connecting with people in the industry. This can be done in many ways, from attending networking events to connecting one-on-one with old colleagues. Take the opportunity to talk to anyone in your industry that you come across, and ask them questions about what type of jobs they’re seeing on the rise, or what shifts and trends they’ve noticed. It will not only give you a support network when you’re ready to return to work, but will allow you to be aware of what’s happening in the industry.

When it comes to preparing for that career return, a person’s re-skilling efforts can vary depending on the field and role they want to return to work in, and how they judge their own readiness and skill level. It’s important to stop and reflect on this before throwing yourself into a job search. Ask yourself: what kind of work do I want to be doing? What companies do I want to apply to? Have there been any big changes in my industry since I’ve been out? Have any practices or technologies become the norm that I may not be familiar with? Many of our returnees have prepared for a career return by taking classes or earning a certificate to bring them up to speed on particular skills.

Can returnships be in a different area then you worked in previously? For example—if you worked in marketing but now are interested in a career change?

It’s possible to use the returnship as an opportunity to make a career shift, as long as the returnee feels that they’re prepared for a slightly longer transition period. The most common type of transition we see is a lateral one – such as someone who has prior experience in print design and completed a returnship in user experience design. In this case, some level of foundational knowledge is there, but it might be utilized in a different way. We recommend anyone looking to use a returnship for a career change do some research on overall career change advice as a way of preparing themselves to use the opportunity to its best advantage.

What is the best way to make a resume that shows a large gap? What is the best way to address that in an interview?

When it comes to applying for a returnship program, which requires a career gap, you should certainly make your gap as obvious as possible on your resume. For resumes you send to apply for full-time opportunities, you can vary your approach. You should, for example, incorporate any leadership or volunteer positions you may have taken part in while on your break into your resume, as an opportunity to discuss the soft skills you’ve been gaining in recent years.

What do companies value in those returning to the workforce? 

Companies tend to value the professional experience and talent that career returnees have, as well as their motivation to work hard and prove themselves. Many career returnees are eager for an opportunity to show what they can do on the job, both to themselves and to employers. That attitude, combined with a chance to transition into the workforce with an extra level of support, creates an environment where returnees can really excel.

How willing are companies to offer returnships? What is the success rate for full time jobs?

Companies are starting to pay attention to the concept of returnships, especially as they see other companies successfully implementing them. Another big factor that makes returnships appealing is the talent and gender gap, particularly in tech. As the labor market tightens, it’s becoming harder for companies to find suitable candidates to fill all of the skilled positions they’re offering. That’s making many hiring managers take a second look at non-traditional candidates they might otherwise overlook, like caregivers on career breaks.

About 80% of our returnees have been offered full-time employment at the companies where they completed a returnship, and others have used the recent experience and refreshed skills they have gained from their returnships to find full-time employment at other companies.

Path Forward’s focus is on providing opportunities for caregivers to show off the talents and skills they already have, and training hiring managers how to be open to nontraditional talent.

How do you help match people? Also what support do you offer with building skills, resumes, etc?

I personally take the position that it isn’t necessarily the men and women on career breaks who need the most “fixing” – it’s the companies’ attitude towards them. That’s why Path Forward’s focus is on providing opportunities for caregivers to show off the talents and skills they already have, and training hiring managers how to be open to nontraditional talent.

Someone who has been out of the workforce for multiple years may not come into their interview or first day back at work bursting with confidence, even if they have the right skills and experience to be a great fit for the role. Throughout the 16-week returnship, we provide support for both returnees and managers, and prepare them for every step of the process, to make sure everyone involved has a fulfilling experience.

Path Forward is a nonprofit organization that partners with companies to create mid-career internships (or returnships) for women and men who’ve taken a career break for caregiving. If you’ve been out of the workforce for caregiving for at least two years, with five or more years of prior professional experience, click to learn more about our current and upcoming returnship opportunities, sign up to attend a career restart seminar in one of five cities, read participant success stories, and gain job search tips.

Thank you Tami for this valuable information!

This is part one in a series of articles.  Make sure not to miss upcoming articles and information about returnships by signing up for our newsletter: