Explaining career breaks (for whatever reason) can be tricky. LinkedIn has a new feature that offers various ways of presenting non-“working” time, which could be useful (although it’s too early to tell how this will be perceived by employers).
People are thinking more about quitting their jobs as they grapple with burnout, parenting and other challenges during the coronavirus pandemic. Taking a career break, though, can feel risky.
Business-oriented social network LinkedIn says it’s trying to end the stigma surrounding career breaks by encouraging users to highlight what they learned from these experiences. The Microsoft-owned company is releasing a feature on Tuesday that will allow people to add a career break to their LinkedIn profiles through the desktop site or mobile app, giving them a way to explain the gaps in their resume. Career break types include parenting, layoffs, bereavement, career transition and travel. Career breaks will be listed under a user’s experience.
“The goal here is to be able to provide space for people to share more context and color about how these experiences have helped them grow and develop skills that are valuable in life and at work,” said Camilla Han-He, a senior product manager at LinkedIn. Read the full article on CNet.