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| Image credit : http://goo.gl/u7uqoO |
And the reasons for the sabbatical are usually the same :
most people would like to believe that they are taking a sabbatical to take a break and figure out what they should do next; or to spend time with family; or to do some course they always wanted to do.
But more often than not, it is because they are about to be relieved from their current job or want to quit because of some frustrating and untenable situation at the workplace.
And when you do not have a job in hand, a sabbatical seems to be the most logical thing to do!
But the hiring managers/ search consultants interpret this statement 'I am on a sabbatical and I am now looking to move back for the right opportunity' in very different ways :
- For most hiring managers, this is a red flag. What's going on in their mind is : you lost your last job and you haven't found another one so far. There must be some problem!
- If you were really as good as you claim you are, you would have had people reaching out to you and offering you a job.
- Maybe you couldn't handle the pressure of your previous job and needed a break. What if you are still not ready for the pressures of this job?
- You are not clear about what you want in your career. We are not sure this is the kind of person we would want to hire.
- Maybe you just want to take it easy in life now. And we are not looking for someone like that for this role!
My advice would be, don't take a sabbatical, especially in the Indian context.
But if you still had to take one, how would you address these biases you would be up against?
Please share your suggestions and I will include the best responses in my next post.
