Many women of my generation choose work over being stay-at-home moms. Still, there are some (if they can afford it) that decide to leave work and stay with their kids full time for a while (typically until 1st grade). This allows you to spend more precious time with your kids, be there for all the milestones, and offer them more undivided attention. But there are a few negatives. Stay at home moms feel more financial pressure, never get a break with a full day of work with their kids, and often have a hard time going back to work. Returning to work after a two to five year break is a challenge, so I’ve talked to a few experts and fellow moms to offer you some tips on making this transition back to work easier.
Reassess your Career Path
Just because you left off at a certain level, title, industry, you’re not obligated to go back to doing the same thing. Now that you have the time to think, reassess your career goals. Do you want to follow the same path? The same industry? Are you trying to reach the same goal? If you are willing to imagine alternative choices, this is the time to do it.
“Take the time to assess your skills, you do have experience and time hasn’t changed that,” says Uva Coles, Dean of Career Management Services at Peirce College and a mom of two boys. “More than likely if you have worked in the past, there is experience in your tool belt. Look at those skills and determine how your skills align with your career plans. Figure out what you have.” As a mom, you actually have a lot of newly developed relevant skills – see a few here.
Stay Up to Date on Developments in Your Field
“On-ramping moms face the same difficulties as anyone with a long gap” says Caroline Ceniza-Levine, career expert, writer and speaker, and co-founder of SixFigureStart®, career coaching by former Fortune 500 recruiters. (Caroline is also a career contributor for Forbes.com and an adjunct assistant professor of Professional Development at Columbia University School of International and Public Affairs) “Employers will question how relevant and updated they are in 3 areas: 1) skills; 2) network; and 3) expertise.” This means that an on-ramping mom will help her candidacy by focusing on these 3 areas. “Make sure you know the latest technology in your area. For most jobs this includes social media. For jobs that require licensing or continuing credits to maintain your licensing, make sure you are current if you want to name your license on your resume,” says Ceniza-Levine. You can attend conferences, read industry publications, and keep generally informed on the latest developments. “You have to show that your expertise has not diminished with time and is still current,” advises this career expert.
One thing that’s important across many fields today is your comfort with Social Networking. “If you’ve been out of the workforce for a while, you will need to prove that you are comfortable with all of the social networking sites, including Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, and Google Plus.” says Vicky Oliver, author of the international bestseller, 301 Smart Answers to Tough Interview Questions. “Today a familiarity with non-traditional marketing channels is mandatory.”
Network, Network, Network
No matter what industry your job was in, there is a group or association for it somewhere. Identify such groups through a simple web search, or by visiting popular job sites, or social networks, like Twitter or LinkedIn. Sign up for the group’s newsletters and become a frequent visitor to their forums online, or their meetings or conferences when possible. If your little ones keep you from traveling far, wait for events in or near your town. Staying connected will help you network and be aware of the latest events and trends in your industry. “Join a professional association so that you are around people active in your field. Employed people have a built-in networking advantage because they are around other people in their field 40+ hours per week. On-rampers will have to build that network themselves.” says Caroline Ceniza-Levine.
“Identify professional organizations that are relevant to the field you are interested in,” agrees Uva Coles. “Join it and begin to go to their activities, social events, career events, and workshops. You are there for the content of whatever the event is, but the biggest thing you are there to do is NETWORK. Every person you encounter is an opportunity to network and to access who they are and who they know. Also, don’t forget about your personal network. You have people who you come into contact with every day and you need to network with them as well, for example: I know you’ve known me in this area of my life for a number of years, if you can think of anyone who would be good for me to speak with, please keep me in mind
Find a Mentor
Anyone can benefit from a mentor no matter how much you’ve built up your career. Perhaps, it’s someone that can encourage you, someone who can offer a practical picture, or someone who can simply be a sounding board for your career progress. A mentor is a perfect opportunity to network directly and learn.
Polish your Resume
If your resume is now covered by a layer of dust, it’s time to polish it off. First off, visit a few job sites you like and do a quick job search for your dream job – open it up to a national search, so you will see jobs available. Next, see what employers are looking for in their ideal candidate and think back to what you’ve done to meet such requirements. Consider how to work these in your resume. I am not suggesting any embellishments. It’s all about the right focus. If you see that you are missing some skills that your dream job employers are looking for, then perhaps it’s time to take a course to update your skills. Many local community colleges and online schools are offering many such courses. It even helps to take your resume to a recruiter to see what improvements you can make to the structure and focus. That said, you can’t create a replacement for the years missed in the industry, so add the associations or any other achievements to the updated resume.
The first question that would normally stumble you at an interview is how you’ll cover for the gap in work. Uva Coles says you have to tell them the truth and be personal about it. “Your cover letter is the best way to address the work gap. Acknowledge that you have a gap, then get into the technical things you have done. Make sure your letter is done in a concise way. Also you can create a functional resume instead of a chronological resume. You can create a document that doesn’t underscore that gap. Or you can create a hybrid resume, which is a combination of a functional and chronological resume”, suggests Coles. You can also take the time to fill the gap with some “relevant volunteer experience or registering for business classes prior to looking for a job” says Allison O’Kelly of Mom Corps.
And you absolutely must spell-check. Personal branding expert Ellen Lubin-Sherman, author of THE ESSENTIALS OF FABULOUS: BECAUSE WHATEVER DOESN’T WORK HERE ANYMORE, says “Anything you write, from an e-mail to a tweet, should be proofread. No excuses.”
Be Flexible
Depending on how much time you have to find a job, flexibility will factor in sooner or later. “This trait is always a good indicator of success, but it’s particularly essential if you have been out of the work loop for a while.” says Vicky Oliver.
“Maybe things were radically different five years ago–even at the same company. There may have been more employees back then before the Great Recession, more layers of hierarchy, more jobs, and more compartmentalized job descriptions. But, if you can prove that you are highly flexible and adapt easily to change, your will better your odds of finding a job.”
Sometimes flexibility applies to the number of hours you can work. Allison O’Kelly, founder and CEO of Mom Corps, a national flexible staffing firm, suggests that parents looking to re-enter the workforce after time away, consider a temporary or contract position. “If you have the professional skills, experience and drive, getting your foot in the door with a company where you can test each other out exponentially increases the chances of you finding a permanent placement and also allows you to build your resume.”
Adjust your Base Level
Unless you have been working part-time or have other achievements during the break, you will need to be realistic about lowering your salary expectations. This may not mean a significant cut-back, but expect to make slightly less than what you did when you left work. A great place to start is The occupational handbook which is online and created by the government: http://www.bls.gov/ooh/.
Avoid Interview Bumps
Once you are at an interview stage, a few bumps on the road are to be expected. Again, use your network. If you have someone who can speak for you and provide your resume to an employer, you are already winning. Personal branding expert Ellen Lubin-Sherman suggests a few tips on getting hired:
- Dress for the paparazzi: Fabulous people have serious flair–and killer style. Stick with the basics as you’re starting out. Repeat after me: white button-down, grey cardigan, a great rain coat and accessories, accessories, accessories.
- Know something: Read the paper–always have a conversation-starter in your pocket.
- Manners matter: Handwritten thank-you notes never go out of style and are rarely forgotten.
- Banish whatever: Everything matters. Yoga pants to anything other than yoga class? What if you meet your future employer while you’re out?
- Be Real: Be professional. Be polite. Apologize when you’ve made a faux pas, don’t act like nothing happened.
- Be proactive, not reactive: Don’t assume everyone at a meeting knows each other–make introductions and render yourself impossible to forget!
Potential employers may pose tricky questions, assuming as a mom, you present a liability when it comes to working extra hours. So I posed a few of them to Vicky Oliver, author of the international bestseller, 301 Smart Answers to Tough Interview Questions.
I applaud your efforts at trying to reenter the workforce. But an awful lot has changed about the business in the last six years. Why did you take so much time off from work, and why do you wish to get a job now?
Vicky’s answer example: “When I first had my twins, my husband was working 24/7, and I really needed to be there to raise the kids. He was launching a new company with a completely different business model, so money was very tight and we couldn’t afford any help. But during those six years, I really missed working, and my husband and I both agreed that once the kids were in first grade, it would only be fair for me to go back to what I loved. Fortunately, I kept up with changes in the business during those years by consulting for several ex-clients. With your permission, I’d like to share some case studies with you now. They’re good examples of what I helped my clients achieve during that time.” Oliver says this technique works because you’re framing your break from work as a financial/business decision. At the same time you “breeze right over the interviewer’s assumption that you haven’t kept up, and by giving concrete examples, you impress the interviewer and assuage his/her fears at the same time.”
How will your husband feel when it’s 10PM and you’re not home again for the fourth night in a row that week?
Vicky’s sample answer: “He has approximately 59 take-out menus, plus my cell phone number if he gets lonely. In our field, it’s no secret that there’s no substitute for hard work. You can’t be frightened of the long hours or try to resist them, because we need to make ourselves available to our clients when they need us–not when our schedules allow. A client once called me on Christmas while I was making stuffed turkey for 35 friends and family. He had a lot of questions that needed clarifying, and my conversation lasted over an hour. The turkey was a little overdone, but still edible. I will be here for our clients on Christmas, Passover, and even Flag Day.” She says this technique works because you are showing your dedication to the business and include a little humor, which showed that you are unflappable.
The interviewer is not always looking for knowledge in the field, but more so for reasoning, ability to think on your feet, your communication skills. And remember the interview is a perfect opportunity to learn more about the company. So don’t forget to be prepared to ask your own questions! Make a good first impression!
Be prepared for the job ahead
It’s not just about the job, but your role in the family, insists Allison O’Kelly. “Discuss your new role with them and how it will impact all of you; you will not be successful if you’re expected to do all the same work at home that you did without an outside job. Other family members might need to pick up some housework or you might need to hire people to help out.” Set expectations for the things you will continue doing and reassess everyone’s schedules to make sure kids activities continue as planned. Life may not seem the same when you re-enter the workforce, but it will be a learning experience and will boost your confidence on many levels.
