Jobs and Moms

Moms Returning to Work: 5 Tips for Success

The Wall Street Journal recently ran a column about several professional level women who successfully returned to the workforce after staying home full-time. In all three cases, it took planning, patience and perseverance to make the transition happen, but the end results were well worth the effort.

Here are five of my favorite ways to power-up your back-to-work search.  For more ideas, be sure to check-out The Back-to-Work-Toolkit: A Guide for Comeback Moms.

1.  Create a back-to-work support group:When you think back to your other major life transitions – college graduation, marriage, the birth of a baby – you’ll realize that those transitions were aided by having a support team of family, friends and related professionals around you.  Being involved with a support team will provide you with much-needed accountability, emotional support and structure.

2.  Get involved with a professional association: This is a great way to meet people of influence within your industry while updating your knowledge of current trends and issues. Attending association meetings/workshops can also be a useful way to network and learn of job openings before they get advertised to the general public.

3.  Apply for jobs you actually want: As obvious as this sounds, I've seen too many moms assume they are going to be rejected for jobs simply because they have been stay-at-home moms. Don't let assumptions ground you even before you start the search! As the Lotto commercial says, “You gotta be in it to win it.” If you only apply for low level jobs, you will only get low level offers. The way you position yourself in the marketplace will be critical to the way you are perceived and compensated. Apply for jobs that you believe you can do, prepare a convincing presentation and then go after those jobs with confidence and conviction.

4.  Include significant volunteer experiences on your resume: One of the best ways to strengthen a back-to-work resume is to skillfully weave work-related volunteer accomplishments into the experience section of your resume. Unpaid work experience, particularly if it involved leadership, sales, or technical expertise, can help to negate the impact of the employment gap on your resume. Did you chair a major fundraiser? Serve as a board member? Improve the efficiency or profitability of a non-profit? Highlight and quantify the results of your contributions on the resume. Remember, just because you didn’t get paid for your efforts, it doesn’t mean the experience is any less valuable than paid work.

5.  Leverage your network for success: Moms are “Networking Queens” when it comes to finding the best resources for their children -- now it’s time to apply that same moxie to your benefit! While old-fashioned face-to-face networking is still the most effective technique, technology has made it easier then ever to stay in the loop, reconnect, and make valuable new contacts. Thanks to the explosion of blogs, websites, and networking services, you can get and stay connected online 24/7. If you haven't already done so, be sure to establish a profile on LinkedIn.com to power-up your network.

Learn how to use LinkedIn

Summers tend to be a quieter time in my business (the lull before the post-vacation clients emerge in September) so I've been spending some time recently learning more about how to use social networking sites like LinkedIn. I've been amazed by all the cool features on this site -- it is a technological powerhouse of incredibly useful tools for job seekers. If you're still a LinkedIn newbie, I recommend taking advantage of their free webinars. They are easy to follow and will help you get up to speed quickly. To learn more, click here.

Job Search Lessons from my Daughter: Turning Lemons into Lemonade

In my last newsletter, I wrote about my daughter Danielle (pictured at left)  who recently graduated cum laude from the College of Charleston with a BA in Art History and Historic Preservation. 

Danielle has been actively seeking full-time employment with a design related company in NYC.  But the design industry is in a serious slump, and in spite of having a strong resume for a recent college grad (okay, I'll admit to being biased on this one) the search is moving more slowly than she would like.

Finding the dream job, even with a career coach as her mom,  is going to take some time.  But, instead of wallowing in self-pity, Danielle and five of her friends from high school, recently banded together to form a company called Grads4Hire.  They will do any odd job from sitting (baby/pet/house) to running errands to tutoring to catering.  For every job they book, they give back an hour of time to a community service project (e.g. serving meals to the elderly and helping out at our local clothing/food pantry).

Since they started the company, the girls have been booked almost non-stop.  The local papers have done two stories about them, their story has been shared on several blogs and tweets, and they have been learning invaluable lessons about pricing, marketing and customer service. 

Most importantly, the girls are having fun and feeling really good about themselves.  No small matter at a time when many other graduates are floundering.  Not surprisingly, all of their contact with the public has led to some interesting networking opportunities that might very well lead to full-time jobs.  At a minimum, it sure makes for a good story when they go in for job interviews.

I'll keep you posted on Danielle's progress.  And if anyone knows of someone who is looking for a great entry-level person in the design field in NYC, be sure to let me know!

Looking for a Flexible Schedule?

Tired of working crazy hours?  If you've been thinking about speaking with your employer about scaling back to a more manageable work schedule, be sure to check out the terrific advice, articles and products offered at WorkOptions.com.

Whether you are interested in job-sharing, telecommuting or a part-time schedule, WorkOptions.com has customizable proposal templates to help solve your work-life balance dilemma.  I have recommended these products to my clients for years and they have never failed to disappoint.  Highly recommended.