Is recent experience really a must-have?

"You will struggle to find a role as you do not have recent experience for the roles to which you're applying, hiring managers will give preference to someone already in work" 

Been told this twice last week by two different recruiters - wondered how true this really is?  Is that the biased views of two individuals or the reality of the HR job market at the moment?  Interested to hear your thoughts....

I appreciate that this challenge could face someone at any stage of their career but for me, this is following a mid-career break which has included interim contracts, study and volunteering aligned to my HR/business work experience.   I'm looking for senior HRBP level work.

Parents
  • Thank you for the responses - confirmed my thinking and helped me set expectations.

    I think my action point is to extend and refresh my HR professional network which, I have a feeling, will be key to transitioning back into work along with direct applications where I can really position my situation (rather than rely on a recruitment agency).
Reply
  • Thank you for the responses - confirmed my thinking and helped me set expectations.

    I think my action point is to extend and refresh my HR professional network which, I have a feeling, will be key to transitioning back into work along with direct applications where I can really position my situation (rather than rely on a recruitment agency).
Children
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