HerKey vs HerWorkCircle: which helps your career restart?
Choose HerKey to return to a company job: it lists roles from thousands of employers and has run mentoring and events for women returning after a break since 2015. Choose HerWorkCircle for flexible, paid work from home that our team checks before it reaches you. Many women can use both at once.
Which fits you
Choose HerKey if
- You want to go back to a full-time or hybrid job with a company, at the level you left.
- You want mentors, sessions, clubs and events with other women who have restarted.
- You want to see a wide range of jobs, from internships to senior roles, in one place.
- You have a few years of office experience and could join a company returnship programme.
Choose HerWorkCircle if
- You need work from home, in hours you choose, even an hour or two a day.
- You want every job checked before it reaches you, and to see the pay before you say yes.
- You live in a small town or village, far from office jobs.
- You want to earn and rebuild your confidence before you look for a full-time role.
Side by side
| What | HerKey | HerWorkCircle |
|---|---|---|
| What it is | A careers platform and community for women, founded in 2015 as JobsForHer | A free skill check that matches women to checked, home-based paid work |
| Best for | Returning to a company role; it lists internships up to senior leadership | Flexible work from home in the hours you choose |
| Where jobs come from | Employers post them, and can pay to feature a job or their company | Our team finds each job and checks it before sending it to you |
| Are employers checked? | Its terms say it doesn't verify the information employers provide | Yes: we check every job before we send it |
| Cost to you | Free to join; some sessions and groups are paid with HerCoins (1 HerCoin = ₹1, not refundable) | Free. We never ask you to pay |
| Mentoring and community | Mentors, clubs, paid and free sessions, events and awards for returnee programmes | A circle of women doing the same kind of work, and training |
| Community | HerKey says 5M+ women and 20K+ companies | An active, growing circle of women across India, with new checked work matched every month |
| How you hear about work | You search and apply on the site or the Android app | We message you on WhatsApp when checked work fits you |
| Your profile | You choose who sees it; set to "Everyone", it can appear in search engines | Seen only by our team |
| Your data | Its privacy policy allows sharing with partners and use for tailored ads | Never sold or shared |
| App | Android app: 3.1 stars from 54 reviews (30 September 2026) | Works in your phone's browser; nothing to install |
A quick check on where you are now
Answer what is true for you. Each question has one answer that suits HerKey and one that suits HerWorkCircle, so the result can go either way.
Which fits you right now?
Answer at least 4 questions. Your result appears here, and changes as you go.
How to read this
- HerWorkCircle is likely the better fit: Take the free skill check. It takes about 25 minutes on your phone, and we only send you work we have checked.
- HerKey is likely the better fit: Build your HerKey profile, look at the returnship programmes below, and use its mentors and events to prepare.
- Use both, for different things: Use both: HerKey for company roles and returnships, HerWorkCircle for flexible paid work while you look.
A side is called when it leads by two or more answers. Each question has one answer that fits each option.
Returnship programmes in India you can apply to
If your goal is a company job, a returnship is often the best door back in. These programmes are run by the companies themselves, and you apply on their own sites, free. HerKey's awards for employers include a category for the best women returnee programmes, which gives credit to the companies that run them.
| Programme | Who it is for | What it offers |
|---|---|---|
| Amazon Rekindle | Women with a career break of 12 months or more | Mentoring, on-the-job learning, interview and coding support |
| Tata group SCIP | Women across Tata companies; no limit on experience or length of break | Consulting assignments of 6 to 12 months, or full-time roles |
| Accenture Career Reboot | Anyone with a career break of over 24 months | Tracks in operations, consulting, corporate functions and technology |
| Restart with Infosys | Women with a break of 6 months or more and 2+ years of experience before it | Full-time or fixed-term roles; some work from home |
| TCS Rebegin | Women restarting after a break, with 2+ years of relevant experience | Roles across TCS; more than one break is allowed |
| Wipro Begin Again | Women returning after a break for motherhood, a sabbatical or caregiving | Roles for returning women |
| HCLTech Returnship | Women with a break of 6 months or more and 2+ years of experience | Training, mentoring and flexible hours |
| Goldman Sachs Returnship | People out of work for 2+ years with 3+ years of experience (not women only) | A paid 12-week programme in Bengaluru and Hyderabad |
A real returnship never asks you to pay to apply. If someone offers you a "returnship seat" for a fee, walk away.
How to explain your career gap
Many women hide their break. In a 2022 LinkedIn survey of 2,226 women in India (a company survey), 42% said they leave their career break off their CV, and half said it was hard to explain. You don't need to hide it. In the government's 2025 labour survey, 44% of women outside the workforce gave childcare or home-making as the main reason, so a break for family is common.
- Name the break plainly on your CV, with the dates: for example, "Career break, 2019 to 2025: caring for my children".
- Add what you did in that time that counts: a course, volunteering, running a home budget, helping a family business.
- Show what you have refreshed recently, such as a free course or a skill test you have taken.
- Say what you want next in one line, and keep it forward-looking.
- In interviews, keep the explanation to two or three sentences, then move to what you can do now.
Stay safe on any job platform
HerKey's own terms say it doesn't verify the information employers provide. So the check is yours to do, and it is a good habit on any platform.
- Look the company up on its own website, and check the job is on its careers page.
- Never pay anyone to apply, to get "selected" or to join a programme.
- Keep Aadhaar, PAN and bank details until you have a written offer from a company you have checked.
- Be careful with anyone who moves you from the platform to WhatsApp or Telegram.
Our guides on telling real work from fake and WhatsApp job offers go through the warning signs.
Your profile and your privacy
On HerKey you choose who sees your profile: "Everyone", "All members on HerKey" or "Only me". Profiles set to "Everyone" can be seen without logging in and can appear in search engines. If you don't want your name and work history searchable, choose one of the other two.
HerKey's privacy policy says it may share data with partners and service providers and use it for tailored advertising. You can ask for your data to be deleted by writing to the address in that policy. At HerWorkCircle only our team sees your details, and we never sell or share them.
Using both
- Use HerKey to follow companies, apply to returnships and meet mentors if you want a company role.
- Take the free HerWorkCircle skill check so you can earn from home while you look.
- Keep your CV up to date with the paid work you do, so your gap keeps getting shorter.
Questions
Is HerKey the same as JobsForHer?
Yes. JobsForHer, founded in 2015 by Neha Bagaria, is now called HerKey. The company behind it is JobsForHer Restart Portal Private Limited in Bengaluru.
Is HerKey free for women?
Signing up is free. Some sessions and groups are paid with HerCoins, where 1 HerCoin is ₹1, and HerKey's terms say they are not refundable.
Is HerKey genuine?
HerKey is a real company, funded by investors and running since 2015. Its terms say it doesn't verify employers' information, so check each company yourself before you share documents, and never pay to apply.
What is a returnship programme?
A programme run by a company for people returning after a career break, usually with training and mentoring. In India, Amazon, Tata, Accenture, Infosys, TCS, Wipro, HCLTech and Goldman Sachs run them. You apply free on their sites.
How do I restart my career after a long gap?
Name the gap plainly on your CV, refresh one skill, and choose a path: a company returnship if you want a full-time role, or flexible work from home to earn and rebuild confidence first.
Is HerWorkCircle free?
Yes. The skill check is free, and we never ask you to pay. If anyone asks you for money in our name, it is not us.
Sources
- About HerKey HerKey
- Terms and conditions (last modified 13 February 2026) HerKey
- Privacy policy (13 February 2026) HerKey
- Employer packages HerKey for business
- HerKey: Women's Work-Life App Google Play (30 September 2026)
- HerKey (formerly JobsForHer) raises $4 million People Matters (26 April 2023)
- AccelHERate and DivHERsity Awards HerKey events
- Periodic Labour Force Survey, Annual Report 2025 (press note) Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation (27 March 2026)
- LinkedIn survey: women, flexibility and career breaks (2022) YourStory (April 2022)
- Rekindle Amazon Jobs
- Second Careers Inspiring Possibilities (SCIP) Tata group
- Career Reboot Program Accenture India
- Restart with Infosys Infosys
- Rebegin Tata Consultancy Services
- Begin Again Wipro
- Returnship HCLTech
- India Returnship Goldman Sachs
HerKey is a trademark of its owner. HerWorkCircle is not affiliated with HerKey. Details about HerKey come from its public pages on the dates shown; check them before you decide.