“There are plenty of fish in the sea”—while this statement usually applies to the dating world, it can also apply to the recruiting world, especially in a candidate-driven market. Employers across the country are going to great lengths to attract and retain the best and the brightest. One employer is attracting workers that are re-entering the workforce with a special program geared towards this talent pool.
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How the Financial Industry Does It
Multinational financial services firm, Fidelity Investments, created “Fidelity Resume,” a program for people looking to return to work after a career break that provides structured training and a clear path to reactivating your career with the company. This internship program is up to 6 months long and is a paid, full-time opportunity.
In 2013, Fidelity tapped reacHIRE as a partner to help advance this innovative program for several of its regional sites in the U.S., which has had over 100 participants take part since its inception. Since 2013, Fidelity has extended or hired nearly 3 dozen individuals as a result of the Fidelity Resume program. reacHIRE helps Fidelity find potential candidates by promoting the Resume program and recruits candidates with the skills and experience that align with Fidelity’s hiring needs.
The intentions behind this program are to help people—who have been out of the industry for 2 or more years—refresh and reactivate his or her skills for the next phase of their career. According to the company’s website, “Fidelity recognizes the challenges many encounter as they seek to restart their careers and [this] new program [is] designed for professionals returning to the workforce following a career break.”
What Does This Program Entail?
The Resume program focuses on best in class training and skill development, specifically for financial-sector and technology roles.
A Perfect Way to Increase Gender Diversity
While this internship is available to any qualified individual, it attracts the many women who have taken a career break. Fidelity strongly believes that women are a critical part of the future of financial services and have taken great strides in attracting them back into the workforce.
As research shows, men and women enter the finance industry at equal rates, but many women choose to leave for a variety of reasons. This program eases the re-entry for many of these women, when the time is right for them to return.
“We want more women to consider our industry, and Fidelity, for their careers because we need diversity of thought and skills to ensure we are bringing the best customer experience to a broader range of investors at all life stages,” says Amy Philbrook, head of diversity and inclusion at Fidelity Investments—in an e-mail to Recruiting Daily Advisor. “Individuals who have stepped away from the workforce tend to have professional maturity and experience that is often overlooked, as well as the fresh perspectives they bring after time spent away from the office environment.”
As we know, there’s a growing skills gap across the country, as well as a gender gap in many industries—like the Finance and Tech industries—by offering paid internships to re-entering workers, or even candidates looking to change careers, your company may be able to reap the benefits of such programs.