Take a Break Without Harming Your Career
11 November 2011
Read by 1946 persons
Travel, work on a personal project, start your own business… Do you want to get some fresh air and temporarily leave the office and your colleagues? It's a possible dream, provided you plan it well.
When Stéphane Boyera decided to take a sabbatical five years ago, he didn't know that this choice would change his life. This IT manager, team leader, just wanted to travel the world for six months with his wife: "This trip transformed us. I understood that what really motivated me was development aid." A few months after his return, he was hired as program director by the World Wide Web Foundation, which promotes access to new technologies in poor countries.
Whether you want to travel the world, create a business or get involved in humanitarian work, the equation remains the same: how do you manage this break in your career? And ultimately, make it a professional asset? Because, well prepared and well managed, a break, even of several years, will not be perceived as an incongruity by recruiters or HR. It will also allow you to come back more motivated and open up new horizons.
Choose the right time to leave
"All periods are not conducive to breaks," observes Marguerite Chevreul, coach and consultant at Eos Conseil. "Taking a break can be risky if you are in the middle of a professional ascent. Your employer or a future recruiter might question your motivation and ambition in life." Therefore, it is difficult to consider taking the plunge between the ages of 30 and 35, a period when responsibilities increase and careers take off. Others are tempted to do so once they have passed the age of 40. The risk then changes in nature: they may have difficulty finding a job if, by chance, the return home goes wrong.
Rather than reasoning in terms of age, it is better to carry out an objective assessment of your situation. Am I at a plateau in my career? What is my room for maneuver on a personal level? For Davy Guyau, this examination of conscience was quick: "When friends suggested that I open a Basque restaurant with them, I jumped at the chance. I had done the rounds of my position as sales forecast manager at Salins du Midi. I didn't have any children. And I had some savings to invest." Also show yourself responsible towards your employer: postpone your departure if an important project requires the mobilization of everyone, and in particular your skills. Or if a restructuring is looming, which could threaten your position.
Reveal your intentions gradually
Your decision is made? It's time to announce it to your boss. If the law requires a period of one to three months, it is preferable, in practice, to make your intentions known as soon as possible. "The trick is to gradually bring the subject to the table, so that it ends up imposing itself," explains Olivier Ballu, recruitment and career management manager at RH Partners. Start by mentioning your intentions informally, without mentioning a date or duration, but emphasizing the benefit your employer could derive from such an experience. Mention a little later that you have made an interesting contact. And only openly announce your wish to leave when everything is set.
Can you be refused this break? It depends on the type of absence (parental leave is always granted), the size of the company and the number of employees already on long-term leave, or expected to be during the year. By proceeding in stages, you will at least prove that you are not acting on a whim. Stéphane Boyera confided his desire to travel the world to his boss nine months before his departure: "It was the time needed to finish current projects and smoothly hand over to a colleague."
But be careful: revealing yourself too early also risks compromising the project. "Your boss might give you more responsibilities to try to keep you and shake your certainty about the need for this break," warns Marguerite Chevreul. If you resist their sirens, be sure to thank them for their trust: it is a matter of maintaining good relations with them, in anticipation of a possible return. You already know you won't be coming back? Don't say anything. You could be sidelined during the few months before your departure.
It is better to play it safe. As Timothée de Courcy did when he was marketing director of a major gardening brand: "I had gone on a humanitarian mission in Haiti, convinced that this parenthesis would mark a turning point in my professional life and that I would change jobs afterwards. But since I didn't have any specific prospects, I didn't let anything show. I even rejoined my job so that I could calmly look for a new position."
In any case, think about how to present your project, the arguments you are going to put forward. "You must look confident and motivated, but at the same time, not overdo it," recommends Frédéric Adida, career counselor and president of Assaté. The ideal: remain factual. Your boss is not there to listen to your feelings, even less to share your enthusiasm. You are putting them in a delicate situation. There's no need to add to it.
Involve yourself in choosing the replacement
The stakes are twofold. By ensuring that you will be replaced, you leave with a more peaceful mind: your position is very likely to exist in an identical form on your return. Participating in this recruitment also makes it possible to sense whether your successor has the makings of a potential competitor... Maryse, a sales representative in the pharmaceutical industry, did not see it coming. "To replace me during my two years of parental leave," she recounts, "I had advised my management to hire a very promising young saleswoman, recently recruited. On my return, I realized that she had forged a real bond with all my clients and significantly developed our portfolio. I no longer really had my place. I preferred to position myself in another market, even if it meant starting all the prospecting from scratch."
If you can, prefer an acquaintance: the rivalry will be less. And in front of your boss, highlight the qualities of this colleague who is close to you or this former colleague in whom you have complete confidence. "Recruiting from outside the company can also be a solution," specifies Olivier Ballu. "Especially if you know someone who can quickly take over your files or a service provider who has successfully participated in several missions."
Stay organized and keep to your schedule
"By abandoning well-regulated, and often very busy, days, one can be tempted to relax, to take advantage of this break to renovate one's house, for example, and in the end one only wastes one's time," warns Frédéric Adida, from Assaté. For this break to be truly beneficial, your project must be perfectly framed, with precise objectives and a strict schedule. World tour, creation of a business or writing a novel, the important thing is to scrupulously organize your agenda, setting weekly deadlines. There is no question of falling behind under the pretext that you have several months ahead of you.
Another tip: don't cut yourself off from the world. One can quickly suffer from loneliness, lack motivation and do nothing constructive. Even if you work alone at home or your project occupies you fifteen hours a day, force yourself to have lunch outside, to regularly see friends on whom you can test your ideas. In short, maintain social ties. Why not take this opportunity to join a business club or an association? This break of a few months should also be an opportunity to meet people, gain contacts and diversify your network.
Prepare for a possible return home
Once you've left, the temptation is strong to cut ties with the office. A serious mistake! "You risk being totally disconnected on your return," warns Marguerite Chevreul. "Besides the unpleasant feeling of no longer being in your place, you will also have to face your boss's doubts about your ability to resume your duties." Postcards for globe-trotters, invitations to the opening of your exhibition or, more classically, sending emails to your colleagues and your boss: everything is good for keeping in touch.
Between one and three weeks before your return (it all depends on the size of your company and the complexity of your position), invite your boss to lunch, to discuss current files and those you will soon have to handle.
Like many of those who embark on such an adventure, Stéphane Boyera had neither given nor received any news during his sabbatical. On his return to his post, he regretted it: "My direct superior had been replaced and no one had warned me. His successor didn't appreciate my arrival one fine morning without his knowledge. As a result, I was sidelined, entrusted with various projects without interest." In this particular case, the episode was beneficial, since it reinforced the interested party's choice to switch to humanitarian work.
Nevertheless, as a general rule, even if the law requires reintegration into the job or a similar position, with remuneration at least equivalent, the sidelines remain the main fear of all those who take a break. "Show your motivation, redouble your energy, be proactive, enriched and more fulfilled than ever," advises Philippe Guittet, director of PG Conseil. "Talk, of course, about what you have experienced but contain your enthusiasm: your boss might think that you only have one desire: to leave again…"
During the first few weeks, observe what has changed in the office (in terms of organization, services, etc.) and think about what you could bring that is new, in view of what you have experienced. The mistake would be to immediately plunge back into your files. When you have been away for a long time, the daily routine seems very bland at first. You must therefore prepare yourself to experience a period of mourning, more or less long, before regaining your enthusiasm. The adventure you have experienced can also change your perception of the company. After a strong experience, it is rare indeed that one is satisfied with one's previous situation. Do you have desires for professional development? Make sure they are not mere whims.
Ask your superior for a return interview and examine with them the possible options: change of position, department, sector of activity… Because, even if the experience has been a failure, it is essential to benefit from it for the future. Like Davy Guyau: "After two years, my associates and I had to sell our restaurant: the turnover was insufficient. But I felt I had demonstrated, through this experience, my ability to commit to a risky project, to take initiatives and to cope with failure." This mining engineer had no trouble convincing a recruiter: four months later, he found a position as head of studies in a large French group.
Céline Deval
Capital.fr
Published on November 3, 2011.
Online since November 11, 2011.
When Stéphane Boyera decided to take a sabbatical five years ago, he didn't know that this choice would change his life. This IT manager, team leader, just wanted to travel the world for six months with his wife: "This trip transformed us. I understood that what really motivated me was development aid." A few months after his return, he was hired as program director by the World Wide Web Foundation, which promotes access to new technologies in poor countries.
Whether you want to travel the world, create a business or get involved in humanitarian work, the equation remains the same: how do you manage this break in your career? And ultimately, make it a professional asset? Because, well prepared and well managed, a break, even of several years, will not be perceived as an incongruity by recruiters or HR. It will also allow you to come back more motivated and open up new horizons.
Choose the right time to leave
"All periods are not conducive to breaks," observes Marguerite Chevreul, coach and consultant at Eos Conseil. "Taking a break can be risky if you are in the middle of a professional ascent. Your employer or a future recruiter might question your motivation and ambition in life." Therefore, it is difficult to consider taking the plunge between the ages of 30 and 35, a period when responsibilities increase and careers take off. Others are tempted to do so once they have passed the age of 40. The risk then changes in nature: they may have difficulty finding a job if, by chance, the return home goes wrong.
Rather than reasoning in terms of age, it is better to carry out an objective assessment of your situation. Am I at a plateau in my career? What is my room for maneuver on a personal level? For Davy Guyau, this examination of conscience was quick: "When friends suggested that I open a Basque restaurant with them, I jumped at the chance. I had done the rounds of my position as sales forecast manager at Salins du Midi. I didn't have any children. And I had some savings to invest." Also show yourself responsible towards your employer: postpone your departure if an important project requires the mobilization of everyone, and in particular your skills. Or if a restructuring is looming, which could threaten your position.
Reveal your intentions gradually
Your decision is made? It's time to announce it to your boss. If the law requires a period of one to three months, it is preferable, in practice, to make your intentions known as soon as possible. "The trick is to gradually bring the subject to the table, so that it ends up imposing itself," explains Olivier Ballu, recruitment and career management manager at RH Partners. Start by mentioning your intentions informally, without mentioning a date or duration, but emphasizing the benefit your employer could derive from such an experience. Mention a little later that you have made an interesting contact. And only openly announce your wish to leave when everything is set.
Can you be refused this break? It depends on the type of absence (parental leave is always granted), the size of the company and the number of employees already on long-term leave, or expected to be during the year. By proceeding in stages, you will at least prove that you are not acting on a whim. Stéphane Boyera confided his desire to travel the world to his boss nine months before his departure: "It was the time needed to finish current projects and smoothly hand over to a colleague."
But be careful: revealing yourself too early also risks compromising the project. "Your boss might give you more responsibilities to try to keep you and shake your certainty about the need for this break," warns Marguerite Chevreul. If you resist their sirens, be sure to thank them for their trust: it is a matter of maintaining good relations with them, in anticipation of a possible return. You already know you won't be coming back? Don't say anything. You could be sidelined during the few months before your departure.
It is better to play it safe. As Timothée de Courcy did when he was marketing director of a major gardening brand: "I had gone on a humanitarian mission in Haiti, convinced that this parenthesis would mark a turning point in my professional life and that I would change jobs afterwards. But since I didn't have any specific prospects, I didn't let anything show. I even rejoined my job so that I could calmly look for a new position."
In any case, think about how to present your project, the arguments you are going to put forward. "You must look confident and motivated, but at the same time, not overdo it," recommends Frédéric Adida, career counselor and president of Assaté. The ideal: remain factual. Your boss is not there to listen to your feelings, even less to share your enthusiasm. You are putting them in a delicate situation. There's no need to add to it.
Involve yourself in choosing the replacement
The stakes are twofold. By ensuring that you will be replaced, you leave with a more peaceful mind: your position is very likely to exist in an identical form on your return. Participating in this recruitment also makes it possible to sense whether your successor has the makings of a potential competitor... Maryse, a sales representative in the pharmaceutical industry, did not see it coming. "To replace me during my two years of parental leave," she recounts, "I had advised my management to hire a very promising young saleswoman, recently recruited. On my return, I realized that she had forged a real bond with all my clients and significantly developed our portfolio. I no longer really had my place. I preferred to position myself in another market, even if it meant starting all the prospecting from scratch."
If you can, prefer an acquaintance: the rivalry will be less. And in front of your boss, highlight the qualities of this colleague who is close to you or this former colleague in whom you have complete confidence. "Recruiting from outside the company can also be a solution," specifies Olivier Ballu. "Especially if you know someone who can quickly take over your files or a service provider who has successfully participated in several missions."
Stay organized and keep to your schedule
"By abandoning well-regulated, and often very busy, days, one can be tempted to relax, to take advantage of this break to renovate one's house, for example, and in the end one only wastes one's time," warns Frédéric Adida, from Assaté. For this break to be truly beneficial, your project must be perfectly framed, with precise objectives and a strict schedule. World tour, creation of a business or writing a novel, the important thing is to scrupulously organize your agenda, setting weekly deadlines. There is no question of falling behind under the pretext that you have several months ahead of you.
Another tip: don't cut yourself off from the world. One can quickly suffer from loneliness, lack motivation and do nothing constructive. Even if you work alone at home or your project occupies you fifteen hours a day, force yourself to have lunch outside, to regularly see friends on whom you can test your ideas. In short, maintain social ties. Why not take this opportunity to join a business club or an association? This break of a few months should also be an opportunity to meet people, gain contacts and diversify your network.
Prepare for a possible return home
Once you've left, the temptation is strong to cut ties with the office. A serious mistake! "You risk being totally disconnected on your return," warns Marguerite Chevreul. "Besides the unpleasant feeling of no longer being in your place, you will also have to face your boss's doubts about your ability to resume your duties." Postcards for globe-trotters, invitations to the opening of your exhibition or, more classically, sending emails to your colleagues and your boss: everything is good for keeping in touch.
Between one and three weeks before your return (it all depends on the size of your company and the complexity of your position), invite your boss to lunch, to discuss current files and those you will soon have to handle.
Like many of those who embark on such an adventure, Stéphane Boyera had neither given nor received any news during his sabbatical. On his return to his post, he regretted it: "My direct superior had been replaced and no one had warned me. His successor didn't appreciate my arrival one fine morning without his knowledge. As a result, I was sidelined, entrusted with various projects without interest." In this particular case, the episode was beneficial, since it reinforced the interested party's choice to switch to humanitarian work.
Nevertheless, as a general rule, even if the law requires reintegration into the job or a similar position, with remuneration at least equivalent, the sidelines remain the main fear of all those who take a break. "Show your motivation, redouble your energy, be proactive, enriched and more fulfilled than ever," advises Philippe Guittet, director of PG Conseil. "Talk, of course, about what you have experienced but contain your enthusiasm: your boss might think that you only have one desire: to leave again…"
During the first few weeks, observe what has changed in the office (in terms of organization, services, etc.) and think about what you could bring that is new, in view of what you have experienced. The mistake would be to immediately plunge back into your files. When you have been away for a long time, the daily routine seems very bland at first. You must therefore prepare yourself to experience a period of mourning, more or less long, before regaining your enthusiasm. The adventure you have experienced can also change your perception of the company. After a strong experience, it is rare indeed that one is satisfied with one's previous situation. Do you have desires for professional development? Make sure they are not mere whims.
Ask your superior for a return interview and examine with them the possible options: change of position, department, sector of activity… Because, even if the experience has been a failure, it is essential to benefit from it for the future. Like Davy Guyau: "After two years, my associates and I had to sell our restaurant: the turnover was insufficient. But I felt I had demonstrated, through this experience, my ability to commit to a risky project, to take initiatives and to cope with failure." This mining engineer had no trouble convincing a recruiter: four months later, he found a position as head of studies in a large French group.
Céline Deval
Capital.fr
Published on November 3, 2011.
Online since November 11, 2011.
