Re-Entering the Workforce

In her speech on work, Carol Fishman Cohen explains how to rejoin the workforce after taking a career break. The expert in career re-entry describes a group of people she calls 'relaunchers,' who have taken a break from full-time work due to eldercare, childcare, pursuing a personal interest or dealing with health issues. Relaunchers can have a difficult time returning due to a disconnect between them and employers. This is a problem the speaker is trying to solve.


The speech on work shares several observations about the speaker's own experience re-entering the full-time workforce. This includes concerns employers have about relaunchers, such as their worry relaunchers are technologically obsolete and don't know what they want to do. Fishman Cohen encourages people to keep up to date with basic office software and figure out if their interests and skills have changed or not on their own time. She also suggests re-entry internship programs, which allow employers to base hiring decisions on a work sample instead of interviews, meaning they don't have to make permanent hiring decisions until after the internship. This removes risk and attracts great hires.