7 months ago, I had a chance meeting with an old acquaintance Reema Basu at Lucknow airport. It was difficult to recognize initially. But the evergreen confidence in her brown eyes is the same as it was 15 years ago.

Reema Basu has been a winner throughout her life; a college topper in Electrical engineering, employee of the year five times in her seven year corporate career, and more. Till she decided to take a break from her corporate life four years ago in order to spend more time with her family. 

Now Reema was ready and gearing to make a strong comeback after a refreshing time away from work. But, little did she know that once we let go of the corporate world; the corporate world lets go of us forever.

Being the winner she was, Reema never let failure come in her way. Even when the going got tough for her comeback, she had her sights set firmly on her goals and aspirations.

After a brief chat, I understood what were the common reasons given to her while not accepting her for a corporate role again. The replies were blunt and to an extent demeaning –

• You are not working for more than four years
• You are not be competitive anymore 
• You are not in touch with the current tools & trends

This is not the story of Reema alone, many face the same issue. People often wonder how to maintain competitiveness, so when you need a job you can land an offer after years of gap.

Over the years I have come to understand that it is our colleagues and our environment that make us competitive in the corporate world. Hence, one needs to simply create the same environment during their sabbatical or long period of leaves in order to stay relevant and competitive in your industry.

I suggest these three simple steps that might help people a lot –

• Brush up on business books and case studies as much as you can
• Keep your edge by freelancing at regular intervals
• Engage in discussions with your ex-colleagues on latest trends, tools & strategies

We often casually believe that we can get things when we want because we of what we achieved in the past. But the world moves very fast; technology and culture are changing rapidly. If you have a goal in mind then keep preparing for it so that when opportunity arrives, you are ready to grab it with both the hands.

Reema Basu was a fighter who won all the battles of her life. This war took a little longer, but once she implemented above three points in her life, she bounced back in the corporate world within six months.