Returnship FAQs

Think of a Returnship as an internship for experienced professionals who took a career break, so companies can access a pool of hidden talent. A Returnship has two purposes: employers augment their talent pipeline and evaluate the candidate’s fit for a permanent role, and returners receive the support, confidence, and skills they need to help them make an impact and achieve success in their return to work.

Learn about our Return-to-Work programs.

Our minimum cohort size is 6. However, we regularly partner with companies to fill as many as 40-50 roles across departments, geographies, and job functions.

reacHIRE recruits for a variety of roles depending on our clients’ needs. The reacHIRE Return-to-Work opportunities spread across a wide range of job functions including: Project Management, Customer Relations, Finance/Accounting, Product Management, Human Resources, Communications, Information Technology/Software Engineering, QA, Systems Analysis, Marketing and more.

Learn more about reacHIRE’s Return-to-Work programs.

Prior to the program, reacHIRE partners with companies to understand business needs, identify roles that are the right fit, and plan the overall timeline. This takes about 12 weeks from contract signature to the new hires first day. Once the candidates are selected by the company, we offer customized onboarding and training so Returners are ready to make an impact at your organization. reacHIRE programs are 26 weeks. 

Learn about our end-to-end Return-to-Work programs.

Returners in our program receive a comprehensive reimmersion week of training that includes professional development workshops, technical skill refreshers, and leadership training. Throughout the six-month program, Returners benefit from:

• A structured onboarding experience to ease their transition back into the workforce
• Monthly learning workshops focused on business acumen, confidence-building, and workplace reintegration
• One-on-one coaching to provide personalized guidance and career development
• Peer learning and cohort support to foster collaboration and professional networking
• Access to our proprietary platform, Aurora, which includes on-demand learning resources, skill-building modules, and coaching opportunities​​

Hiring through a Returnship program offers a lower-risk, high-reward approach to recruiting experienced professionals compared to traditional external hiring. Key advantages include:

• Highly skilled talent: Our Returners typically have 10 years of prior experience and bring a fresh perspective along with strong leadership potential​
• Higher retention rates: 85% of our Returners either convert to full-time roles or extend their tenure, and 90% are still with the company two years post placement
• Cost-effective hiring: Companies avoid the high costs associated with external recruitment and hiring mismatches, as the program allows for mutual fit assessment before a full-time hire​

reacHIRE can recruit and hire from anywhere in the U.S. We source talent from an extensive database of 16,000 professionals who have taken career breaks and are eager to return to work. Our recruitment strategy includes:

• Proactive sourcing through our specialized recruiters, who have 15+ years of experience
• Partnerships with professional organizations and alumni networks to access untapped talent pools
• A strong social media and digital marketing strategy that reaches professionals actively seeking Returnship opportunities
• Our engaged alumni network, which provides referrals and expands our talent pipeline​

We provide full end-to-end program management, ensuring that both Returners and your internal teams receive the support they need. This includes:

• Dedicated Program Managers who facilitate onboarding, training, coaching, and Returner progress monitoring
• Manager training to help leaders integrate Returners effectively into their teams
• Regular check-ins and performance management support to ensure Returners are meeting expectations and adding value
• Custom reporting and analytics to track Returner progress and program impact​/ROI

Absolutely! reacHIRE can enhance and elevate existing Returnship programs in several ways:

• Upskilling your current Returners through our Aurora platform, which provides training, coaching, and peer learning opportunities
• Improving retention and conversion rates—our conversion rate is over 80%, compared to most in-house programs that convert only 60% of participants​
• Customizing and optimizing your program by providing best-in-class program management, recruitment, and coaching support to fill in any gaps in your existing initiative​

If you’re interested in learning how reacHIRE can complement your existing Returnship efforts, contact us today at sales@reachire.com!