Welcoming Gayatri Agnew to the Path Forward Board

I’m thrilled to announce the appointment of a new Director to the Path Forward Board: Gayatri Agnew. Gayatri serves on the leadership team of Walmart’s Global Responsibility division where she leads strategy and partnerships for Walmart’s efforts on economic mobility. Her work is focused on key issues such as employer practices change, improving work-based learning, and strengthening inclusion in communities. Her personal mission is for more people to find purpose…

Success Stories: Michelle Hopkins

Michelle Hopkins worked in finance across three countries and opened a women’s clothing store before taking a break to take care of her son. After over two years out and a family move to Seattle, she was ready to start a new chapter in her career. Michelle completed a returnship at Amazon, after which she was hired full-time as a Financial Analyst, and has since become a Senior Program Manager.…

Partner Spotlight: Lilit Div, VMware Hiring Manager

Senior Director of Engineering Lilit Div helped kickstart the returnship program at VMware. She tells us about getting the program off the ground, her experience as a hiring manager, and how she and her team provided support and mentorship as their returnees transitioned back into the workforce.  Company: VMWare Role: Senior Director of Engineering Tell us a little bit about yourself. How long have you been at your company? How…

Success Story: Neema Bollampally

Neema Bollampally had a varied career that took her from finance to non-profit management and corporate philanthropy. After taking a break to take care of her twins, Neema wanted to restart her career in tech. She talks about her returnship experience at LendingClub, how the skills she gained in multiple fields and her break have translated into her role as a technical program manager, and the importance of building a…

Success Story: Lindo Payumo

Lindo Payumo took a two-year break from his 20-year tech career to care for his mother-in-law. When he was ready to restart his career, Lindo completed a returnship at OSIsoft, where he now works full-time as a Product Support Engineer. He talks about his return to work experience, the importance of soft skills in product support, and how one of his customers got him featured in a company video. Returnship…

Partner Spotlight: Trey Guinn, Cloudflare Hiring Manager

Trey Guinn followed a nontraditional path to his current career, which motivated him to take part in the returnship program as a hiring manager. He talks about his experience with the returnship program, where his first cohort of returnees is now, and the special qualities that caregivers returning to work have that other candidates often lack. Company: Cloudflare Role: Head of Solutions Engineering Tell us a little bit about yourself.…

Why Your Skills Aren’t as Outdated As You Think

One thing we hear, pretty frequently, is the idea that someone out of the workforce for many years must be “outdated” in terms of their skills. We hear this from returnees themselves. And we hear it, usually formed as a question, from some recruiters. This is especially true because of how many tech companies we work with, many of whom are focused on hiring engineers. If you haven’t worked in…

Success Story: Mimi Leinbach

Mimi Leinbach had a varied career before her break, working in educational software and running her own children’s clothing company. She returned to work in product management at SAP, and now works there full-time as a Program Manager. She talks about her return-to-work experience and how the soft skills honed in her previous career have come in handy at SAP. Returnship Company: SAP SuccessFactors Returnship Role: Program Manager Tell me…

Success Story: Beth Frasco

Returnee Beth Frasco took a 16-year break from her wireless engineering career to support her growing family through several big moves. She talks about her returnship experience in the Act Two program at NBCUniversal, how she prepared for her return to work, and the steps she took to reconnect with her professional self.  Returnship role: Senior Business Analyst Partner Company: NBCUniversal What type of work did you do before taking…

Success Story: Jason Kambak

Jason took a break from a 15-year career in sales and account management, primarily in medical sales, to give his young son a better sense of stability. When he was ready to return to work, Jason searched for a job for over a year before applying for and being accepted into a sales development returnship at Dynamic Signal. After completing his returnship, Jason was converted into a full-time sales development…