While personally I enjoy working from home and the flexible schedule, there are some of us who feel that they prefer to work outside their home. If you have been staying at home for some time, returning to the work force can be quite daunting. Will you be able to adapt to the work environment again? Are you been keeping up to date of what is happening in your industry? Here are some frequently asked questions and some helpful tips:
Q You have been a stay-at-home mother for years, and you are considering re-entering the work force. Will you find fulfilling work?
A Absolutely. You haven’t been paid, but you’ve still been working. Moms often fail to see that while raising children, they were honing skills in time management, people management and organization, said Jen Singer, creator of MamaSaid.net, a site for stay-at-home mothers.
Q What is the first step a stay-at-home mother should take to re-enter the paid work force?
A Figure out what, exactly, you want to do. Start by writing down your goals, priorities, strengths and weaknesses, said Steve McMahan of Kforce, a professional staffing firm based in Tampa, Fla.
“Analyze every significant work and volunteer experience and break it down into the basic components of what each job entailed — the ones you liked and the ones you didn’t. Then you’ll see opportunities,” said Carol Fishman Cohen, co-author of “Back on the Career Track: A Guide for Stay-At-Home Moms Who Want to Return to Work.”
Q How can you update your professional skills to make sure that you’ll be welcomed back to the job market?
A There are a variety of ways, said Nancy Collamer, a career consultant and founder of Jobsandmoms.com, which is for professional women looking for flexible work.
Take continuing education classes to refresh skills. Attend professional conferences and workshops to improve your industry knowledge. Do volunteer work that affects an organization’s bottom line or enhances your leadership skills. And start reading industry journals.
Do “anything that will show an employer you’ve kept up with developments in your field,” said Jo Bennett of Battalia Winston International, an executive search firm in New York.
Q Which resources will help in your search for a job? Should you rely on a professional recruiter, job boards, former colleagues?
A Former colleagues are a good place to start. Call people you once worked with and take them to lunch. Perhaps most important are junior people who reported to you at work, including anyone you mentored.
“Those people moved up and in many cases are now in a position to hire you,” Cohen said. “And they will remember you.” Job boards can help you see what jobs are in demand.
Professional recruiters will probably be of little value, because they generally place executives with traditional work histories, said Lisa Kojis of PrincetonOne, an executive search firm based in Skillman, N.J.
If you have been out of the workforce for less than two years, you may be able to work with a recruiter who specializes in your area, said Kojis. And a growing number of firms, including On-Ramps, Mom Corps and Ivy Exec, specialize in placing those who have been out of the workforce.
Q How should you write or format your resume to account for your employment gap?
A Remove the dates. Make it an accomplishments-oriented resume, rather than a chronological one.
You still have to address the gap in your work history, but do it in your cover letter and in the “personal” section, said Allison O’Kelly, chief executive and founder of Mom Corps in Atlanta.
Remember to include any volunteer work you did while at home. Just make sure you highlight accomplishments that are transferable to the work world.
“For example, if you can say ‘increased ad sales in the elementary school address book from 25 percent over last year,’ it shows you have the ability to sell ads,” O’Kelly said.
It’s also important to cover what you’ve done to prepare to re-enter your career, Cohen said, like classes you have taken or conferences you have attended.
Source: http://www.detnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070521/BIZ02/705210301/1011