Arkansas is full of hidden gems, and Apprenticely is one of them. Formerly the Arkansas Center for Data Sciences, this nonprofit is designed to train, coach, and match Arkansans with tech jobs. They work with companies to offer apprenticeships and paid internship/work-based learning, and provide job seekers free courses and career coaching. After I found out about them last year, I pointed my husband in their direction. They advised him to check out a nonprofit coding bootcamp offered locally, and I’m so proud to say that he graduates tomorrow! Needless to say, I’m a big fan of their organization.
I’ve kept an eye on their workshops and networking events, and attended my first today. Today’s topic was about three common career setbacks—layoffs, career breaks, and terminations—and how to navigate addressing them in your job search.
1️⃣ Layoff
First, and most relevant in my case, was a discussion about layoffs. I might be wrong here, but I think this is may be the easiest of the three setbacks to address right now. The market is tough, and at least in my experience talking with career changers at Rithm, I was never surprised to hear that someone had been laid off. The right hiring team will know that a layoff isn’t a personal decision and doesn’t reflect who you are or what your potential is.
Apprenticely’s advice is to address layoffs in a positive and straightforward way. Explain the cause for the layoff, but keep it short and sweet. This shouldn’t be the focus of your resume or interview, but instead should look exactly like what it is: a hiccup in an otherwise successful career path. The focus should always be on the future, not the past.
I learned that how you discuss your layoff will show your interviewer how you handle setbacks generally. The trick is to demonstrate resilience and a drive towards continuous growth, rather than letting the interviewer think the layoff threw you off your game. A great way to do this is to highlight what you did to keep your skills sharp and continue learning.
My position was eliminated due to company-wide downsizing that impacted myself and several other coworkers. I used this as an opportunity to complete freelance projects in X and earn Y certification.
2️⃣ Career break
Next, we discussed how to address career breaks. These could be due to relocation, caregiving responsibilities, illness, etc. I’ve never experienced a long career break (I had a very short once when we moved to NYC), but my understanding is that these are difficult to explain because a) they can be quite long, and b) some hiring teams have less empathy towards what they view as a voluntary choice to leave the job market. Of course, not all career breaks are voluntary, and even when they are, that’s okay too! But in a culture so centered around work, it can be hard for others to see that.
To navigate this, Apprenticely recommends highlighting skills rather than work history. They suggest a skills-based (also called functional) resume that highlights transferrable skills like communication, project management, problem-solving, and leadership.
They also emphasized the importance of demonstrating how you stayed knowledgable about your field during your career break. Detail new technologies you exposed yourself to, projects you completed, volunteer or freelance work, conferences or workshops you attended—anything to show a commitment to keeping your skills relevant. (Notice a pattern yet?) Most importantly, you should have a lot to show off in the education/certifications and projects section of your resume. Show that you were working even when you weren’t technically, you know, “working.”
I took time away from work to take care of my mom, which still allowed me to practice my skills in time management, organization and problem-solving. To make sure I was staying up to date on industry knowledge, I attended X conference and took a class in Y.
3️⃣ Termination
This is obviously the most challenging setback to explain in a job application or interview, and I really appreciated the advice Apprenticely gave here. Aside from the tactical advice, they emphasized that confidence is everything in a situation like this. Believe in yourself, your skills, and your growth. That’s the first step.
Again, they recommend focusing on the future rather than the past. Yes, you should absolutely address the reason for termination—there’s no way around that—but in doing so, you should underscore two things:
Taking responsibility for your actions, and
Communicating what you learned from the experience
The goal is to demonstrate that, since your termination, you’ve learned how to handle similar challenges more successfully.
From a practical perspective, this is the time to pull out all the tricks: leverage your network for references, quantify your achievements, and consider using a skills-based resume. Above all, always steer the conversation back to your successes.
I was terminated from the company due to performance issues. This situation made me realize the importance of clear communication and proactive problem-solving, which I’ve applied to my work volunteering at X. I’m confident that I’m better equipped to handle these situations in the future.
Resources
They ended the presentation by referring us to resources like Jobscan and Coursera for help with resume building and skill development. They also offered their own resume reviews, interview coaching, and networking events—I plan to take advantage of all three.
I found this workshop really insightful. Even though they offered specific tips for how to address each setback, the overall advice was largely consistent: stay positive, focus on continued education and experiences, and always look to the future. Put another way, focus on what you’re running towards, not what you’re running from.
I’ve signed up for more Apprenticely events, and if they’re anything like this one, I can’t wait to see what I learn.
Want to learn more about me? Know of any opportunities that sound like a fit? Let’s talk. You can reach me at brittleestill@gmail.com.
