Shefali is a mother of a child with cerebral palsy. She took a career break as she was finding it difficult to balance being a caregiver for her son and managing her career. During this career break of around one and a half years, Shefali prioritized providing necessary childcare to her son.
Currently, Shefali is a business analyst and scrum master in the Digital Customer domain in Consulting at Deloitte US-India Offices, facilitating communication across shores.
Drumroll...entering Deloitte
A working woman who has just become a mother is looking at two possible paths: going back to work after maternity leave or taking a prolonged career break to stay with the baby for a few months or even years.
In my case, my son's disability meant that I had to choose the latter option. After a few years, I thought of restarting my career. This was when I came across Encore, a return-to-work program at Deloitte, and without any second thoughts, I applied for it. The Encore program is designed to welcome back professionals who have taken a career break and equip them with the required skills to help them resume their careers. Over a couple of days, I went through the selection rounds and interview process. These went off well for me, since soon after, I received my offer letter from Deloitte. I was nervous but excited about returning to my area of work after a career break. This was how my #LifeAtDeloitte career journey began with the US-India Offices (USI).
Shefali Arora
Timely support
The empathy that the people at Deloitte demonstrated in understanding my situation is commendable. I interned at USI in 2010 and have wanted to be a part of the organization since then. I am delighted and proud that I joined Deloitte as part of the Encore program.
The technology in use for my role was new to me. To enable me with the technical skills required for the job, Deloitte conducted the necessary training sessions. Everyone on the team extended a helping hand to help me settle down.
Acing client delivery
Deloitte provided me with the required learning resources and trainings. Being a mother of a child with special needs takes work. I travel about five kilometers every day for my son's therapy. When I communicated the same to the project’s leadership, they offered me the flexibility to plan my work schedule around these personal commitments.
Currently, I am working in a functional role on a project. I am pleased with the impact I create through my work, the hours I spend, and the collaboration across teams. The project's leadership encourages work/life balance and the well-being of all project members.
Perseverance is the key to life
Because of the flexible work environment, I can achieve a positive work/life balance as a Deloitte professional. My advice to all the professionals who want to make a career comeback would be, to be honest about your career gap with the interviewer and convey confidence. Don't forget to share your credentials and success stories.
Shefali Arora with her spouse and their son