Online Bonus
How to Get Back Into the Workforce After Time Off
By J.C. Conklin
Posted April 2008

You did it. You committed yourself to staying home with your children for a few years, and now you want to get back into the career you left behind.

It’s impossible, though. That’s what other mothers, employers and even your husband might tell you, but it’s not. Sure, it’s hard, but what in life isn’t? Handling a baby and a two-year-old on three hours of sleep is hard, but doable.

The good news is employers are starting to recognize the value of stay at home moms. Nonnie Waller’s Traditional Southern, a bakery that ships nationally, targeted moms as their first employees because they believed moms were responsible and willing to work. Best Buy’s corporate headquarters has adjusted employee hours to benefit parents. Microsoft, Pricewaterhouse and Cooper, and Grant Thornton have all started alumni networks for former employees in hopes of luring them back, and one of their big targets is women who have been out of the work force.

If possible, give yourself a few months to ease into applying for a job. Think about where you want to be in five years by writing down who you’d like to work for and what position you would love to have.
 
Then call the human resources department at companies you dream of working for, ask what qualifications are needed for the job you want and what they’re looking for since you might be able to get into the company at a lower level and work up.

Once you’ve figured out what you want and what it will take to get it, you have to analyze the steps you need to take to fill in the gap between the two.

1. Do you need to take a course or two?
2. Do you need more on the job experience?
3. Do you need to know more of the right people?
4. Do you need to wait until the position opens up?

After you clarify what you have to do to get your ideal job, you can begin your real job search. That’s right - your ideal job will most likely not be your first job when you reenter the workforce. It probably won’t be your second job either. Prepare for putting in some time in a position that you don’t love but will get you to one that you will.

If there’s a company you’re dying to work for, you might consider taking a lower level job to get your foot in the door. If there’s a specific employer you want to impress, you could take a job at a less prestigious place that allows you to showcase your skills.

Couple your job search with plenty of face time by showing up at professional organization meetings and other places you know the people you want to hire you will be. Soft sell yourself over weeks of interaction. This isn’t a sprint, it’s a marathon and you don’t want to become known as the lady with a “Hire Me” sign around her neck. It’s enough to tell people you’re looking for a job. If they want to help you they’ll do the rest.

Remember where you are now isn’t where you’ll be forever. The job you had when you were 20 isn’t the job you had when you were 30. Starting over is like beginning a new career and you will have to pay some dues to get to the really great job. The difference between now and your twenties is the ramp up time is a lot quicker.

J.C. Conklin is the co-founder of www.MomsNextMove.com, a site that educates women on how to successfully leave and then return to the workforce because they have chosen to spend time with their children. In 2006, she co-authored the book Comeback Moms; How to Leave Work, Raise Children and Jumpstart your Career Even if You Haven’t Had a Job in Years.