Visa's Ready to Return program in action

A Ready to Return program alumnus teaches us that the journey back to work should never be traveled alone.

Last year, Visa launched the popular Ready to Return program to address the challenges that professionals face when returning to the workforce after caring for a child or an elder parent. We had an opportunity to chat with Vidhya Kasiviswanathan, who attended the inaugural conference in 2016 and soon afterward, became a Visa full-time employee.

It’s so wonderful to hear that your Ready to Return experience resulted in a full-time role. Tell us what you do at Visa.

I joined Visa in 2016 as a QA Engineer with the Digital + Mobile Product Development team. Our team focuses on making payments via mobile phones a seamless experience. Our team owns the Android SDK code that is integrated with Visa Token Services, and we enable Issuers to build their own applications while we manage the security, storage and the payment aspects. It’s an innovative field and I am as humbled as I am excited to be a part of it.

How did Ready to Return help you with the transition back to Visa?

What the Ready to Return program taught me was to actually schedule my day like I would if I had a job. So, I revised my children’s schedule. Once I dropped my daughter Shruti and my son Shravan off in the morning, I used to then take my things and go to the library and study and prepare for interviews, and I would only stop when it was time to pick up the kids.

The other thing that happened to me personally was that I wasn’t sure my husband and my kids would really pitch in once I went back, but they did. They say, “Mom, what can I do?” I wasn’t expecting that. And I think I used to use that as an excuse for not going back to work yet. I thought everyone’s life would get harder and they would resent me. But not only do the kids want to help, my neighbors even want to help.

How did you find out about Ready to Return and what was it like when you attended?

I found out about Ready to Return from a very good friend of mine who works for Visa. When participating in the program, the first thing that struck me was that I was not alone. There were many women and men who, like me, had taken breaks and we’re now ready to go back.

One of the first things that the summit taught me was not to be apologetic about taking the break. Before I joined the Ready to Work program, whenever I was in interviews, I used to do a lot of explaining and over-explaining that I had to take a mom break. After the program, my tone immediately changed. I wouldn’t even approach the subject in an interview. My conversations were very much about my skills, about technology. If the person asked about my gap, I would confidently say, “Yes, I took a mom break, but now I’m here.” I also enjoyed the practice sessions where we answered questions like, “Tell me about yourself” and how to approach phone interviews and face-to-face interviews.

What is your advice to people who feel they are ready to return to work and are perhaps looking for that direction?

I think you should make up your mind to go back. For me, it was a definite decision; I’m going to look for a job in this space for this type of role, and although no company is obligated to me or vice versa, it will be a win-win for both sides. That focus is very, very important. One of the things that the Ready to Return program brought out was the importance of networking, knowing people and attending meetups. I would say keep in touch. Be able to call up your old bosses, your old colleagues, meet them for a cup of coffee. That is also good “me time.” And keep yourself somewhat connected to the working world.

How did Ready to Return prepare you for interviews?

One of the things the Ready to Return program taught me was to prepare a 60-second pitch about yourself.

Another thing that’s very valuable is to pick one or two friends that are working, and are the kind of friends you know will be brutally honest with you. Have them look at your resume. Be completely open to their feedback. Ask them to conduct mock interviews with you. One of my friends even picked apart my posture and she would say, “Shoulders back, sit straight.” My two-page resume became a one-page resume. Have people go through the process with you and give you that perspective that you couldn’t get on your own. Take the time to go back through your previous accomplishments and be clear to relay that in an interview.

Thank you for sharing your experience! What’s your big takeaway from the Ready to Return program?

My overall piece of advice is that you don’t have to do this alone. There are many people out there who will help you and want to help you succeed.

I owe a lot to the Ready to Return program. It’s been a great experience. Absolutely. Some of the information that comes out in the program was not new to me, but it reinforced for me that I was in the right direction. That was very powerful for me.

When I interviewed at Visa, I already had another job offer in hand. But the way I was treated at Visa, the way people approached me, these are the things that were a deciding factor. Don’t worry about the commute, who’s going to pick up the kids. Those things will settle themselves.

Visa’s Ready to Return summit will take place on July 27-28, 2017. Hundreds of candidates applied and a select number have been invited to participate in the two-day program, having aligned with criteria and current open roles.