'Only upside:' Returnship fair offers opportunity for virtual face-to-face conversations with recruiters

The pandemic sparked an exodus of women from the workforce. Many left their jobs to care for children who were learning at home. Others were working in industries hard hit by the economic shifts during COVID.

The Returnship Career Fair is scheduled for 1 p.m. to 3 p.m., April 30, via Zoom. Participants will have the chance to meet face-to-face, individually, with recruiters from both Credit Suisse and NetApp and get tips from Dunn and others on the job hunt. The job fair is free for job seekers.

Returnships are paid internship-like programs designed for women and men who have left the workforce, typically for two years or more, and are ready to get back. Most "returners" land a full-time job at the company where they completed the returnship. (The fair is open to men and women.)

"I just think these are so important now more than ever," said Dunn, a mom who returned to the workforce herself after staying home with her own kids. "And, honestly, I would love to see companies see every open position they have and say this could be a returnship position. Let's open up the pool of talent ... for these roles."

Credit Suisse has a long-running returnship program, which launched a couple of years ago in the Triangle. NetApp doesn't have a returnship program yet, but it does have some open positions and has been contemplating launching a program.

During the event, Dunn will share a quick keynote address before Credit Suisse and NetApp representatives introduce themselves and share details about the roles they are interviewing for. They'll also provide a few tips about what they are looking for.

From there, participants will get about 10 minutes to chat with a recruiter from each of the companies.

"They'll be brief," Dunn said. "But it will give you face-to-face contact and conversation with a human that is so important in the job search."

Dunn has been interested in offering a virtual job fair for the last year. But when attending others, she was disappointed with the amount of time that job seekers had to wait to get a response to a question from a company representative.

"I would put in a question and then sit there waiting for 20 minutes for a response because the person on the other end is conducting 20 different text chats with all different people," Dunn said.

She's hopeful the opportunity for individual, face-to-face sessions will be more productive for job seekers and the companies.

MeetUp info to prep for Returnship Career Fair:

Dunn also shared some general tips for getting ready.

When companies recruit for returnships, they already know that you've been away from the paying workforce for a period of time. Don't worry about explaining that.

"That is not a space where you need to dwell on that or even worry about it," she said. "It's a given ... Come and focus on what you bring to the table as an employee."

Make sure you've researched the company that you're talking to and come with a question or two that you can't find the answer to on Google. That demonstrates that you've done your homework, Dunn said.

When you've been away from the workforce, it can be nerve-wracking to even begin a job search. But don't let nerves hold you back. The returnship fair, Dunn said, offers a great opportunity to wade into those job hunt waters.

"One of the biggest challenges for job seekers now is that everybody is sort of stuck at home," Dunn said. Getting the opportunity to meet face-to-face with a recruiter is pretty rare.

Even if you're not sure you're a perfect match for either of the companies participating, it's a great time to make an introduction and get into their pipeline for future openings.

"There's sort of only upside potential with being able to have a conversation like this and be in the pipeline for a future role if the right role isn't available today," Dunn said.

If the returnship fair is a success, Dunn hopes to hold more going forward. Said Dunn: "My hope is this is the first of many."