According to Fortune, there?s a nonprofit out there that?s interested in helping moms — specifically, moms looking to return to the workforce after years away.
Return Path is one NY nonprofit recruiter that is dedicated to helping out women. Marina Groothuis is a prime example of the type of person this service helps. Groothuis had a job in the music industry as a marketer, before taking 12 years off to raise her family. When she tried to break back into the industry, she found that it had completely transformed thanks to the rise of MP3s. Even the marketing lingo that had defined her job role previously had changed.
Though Groothuis applied to hundreds of jobs for months, she says she heard back from only a tiny percentage of them. Her resume was out of date — and it didn?t go unnoticed by hiring managers.
Today, Groothuis is now a marketing analyst at Return Path after working a 20-week paid ?returnship? for the same company. A returnship is similar to an internship, but it?s specifically focused on bringing returning-to-the-workforce parents up to date in roles they can succeed at in companies. The program has been so popular at Return Path that it is helping numerous other companies establish their own returnship programs.
According to Return Path, the company believes that the program could now be a standalone program if necessary, even though its original purpose was to increase the representation of women in technical roles. About 80% of participants agree to continue working with the company after their returnship is finished.
Full Time Work: Is it Possible?
Although about 73% women are able to successfully return to their careers after a break, only an estimated 40% of them are able to find full time work — this can serve as a substantial barrier to entry for women. Path Forward nonprofit says it will be helping human resources departments at corporations set up mid-career internships going forward. The benefit is to both employers and employees. Employers will often receive very loyal employees at the end of the program, who have been fully trained to handle the details of their job; employees get an entry back into a career they otherwise may have stayed shut out of.
Courtney Graham, who serves as the HR for ReadyTalk — a company who is using a similar returnship program, says that people who have already served as caregivers ?bring a unique value? to their jobs and can be useful in providing a diverse perspective to the workplace.
Temp Agencies and Non Profit Salaries
For individuals returning to the workplace after years away, a returnship can be a great experience. If such a program isn?t available, temp agencies can often be of service of helping to place individuals with temp work that could turn permanent. There’s often work to be found in the nonprofit sector, and non profit salaries may be more competitive than you might think.
Are you looking for non profit salaries? Let us know in the comments.