Women Returning to the Workforce

Get Organized

This isn't the last time you'll be on a job search. The Bureau of Labor Statistics says that we're going to be changing jobs every 3 or 4 years. So set up this search in a way that will make the next one that much easier. This is especially important as you may change that first "stepping stone" job back in the professional world sooner rather than later. Generate your resume on the computer to make changes and customization quicker, and remember to backup. Set up a career e-mail address that uses a term that describes the professional you (topaccountant@hotmail.com).

Then create a career management database around this new online identity:
Even if you're not planning on going back for months, go online now and identify the types of jobs and companies in which you'll be interested. Save them in folders and store them in the career management database you've formed on your computer, this will help you build a job map of employers in your target market. Older postings are still relevant when you recognize that an employer who hired an accountant last year will hire another one this year, and probably next year too. Consequently, a career management database that in part strives to capture a comprehensive listing of all employers in a target area can be used in this job search, and you won't have to start the next one from scratch either.

Translate family and community achievements to the professional world.
Take your family and community experiences and package them in terms relevant to the workplace. If you can identify problem-solving experiences with, for example, motivation, people management, multi-tasking or budgeting, you can use them as illustrations during an interview. Perhaps saying to an interviewer, "Let me give you an example of a time when I organized the fund raiser for the local March of Dimes walkathon..." It doesn't matter that an experience is unpaid, if it shows professional behaviors at work.

Address the employer's concerns
Undoubtedly, the childcare issue will come up in the interviewer's mind, however it is illegal for them to ask about it. When you address the issue head on yourself, you allay the fear that is the biggest obstacle between you and a job offer.

When the interviewer asks, "Do you have any questions?" seize the opportunity to say something like, "If I were sitting in your shoes, I'd worry about the childcare issue." Let them know that primary, secondary, and if need be, a third backup for childcare has been arranged. Let them know you've done this because you are serious about your professional career. Allay the big worry and take an even bigger step closer to the job offer.

Returning to work after being a stay-at-home mom can be a daunting task, but if you follow these six simple steps, you'll not only have an easier time re-entering the workforce now, you'll have a successful career database set up and ready to use when you change jobs again. Start work on this new initiative today begin to turn self-doubt into self-confidence.

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