How To Reenter the Workforce After Staying Home With Kids

J.C. ConklinAre you struggling with getting back to work after taking time off? Women usually take time off because they are staying home to care for their kids or aging parents, but the challenges are the same regardless of the reason for the absence.   A recent article  by J.C. Conklin posted on w2wlink.com offers some great advice.
Be prepared to climb the ladder again,” Conklin writes.  “It’s hard. But what in life is not? Handling a baby and a two-year-old on three hours of sleep is hard but it’s do-able.
She says  employers are starting to recognize the value of stay-at-home and gives examples of several companies that have targeted moms as excellent employees because they are responsible and willing to work. Best Buy adjusted employee hours to lure women and Microsoft, Pricewaterhouse and Cooper, and Grant Thornton have started alumni networks for former employees to lure them back.
Several Web sites including HireMymom.com to help women connect with businesses.

Conklin’s Advice on Stay-at-Home Mom’s Re-Entering the Workplace

  1. Take some time to figure out what you want.
  2. Contact human resources people at places you’d love to work. Ask about qualifications needed for your dream job and also ask what they might have available right now. Think stepping stone.
  3. Figure out how to get from here to your dream: Do you need more education, more experience, more contacts, more patience?
  4. Realize that your first job back in will probably NOT be the dream job.
  5. Decide on where to look for a first job based on where you want to be in five years.
  6. Consider taking a lesser job to get your foot in the door where you can prove yourself.
  7. Meet and greet to get the word out. this is not a hard-sell hustle. “If people want to help you, they’ll do the rest,” Conklin says.

In a way you are starting over, so be realistic. But you’re also a lot smarter and more experienced, so your 0 to 60 time will be a lot faster.
Good luck!

About J. C.

J.C. Conklin is a former journalist for the Wall Street Journal and Dallas Morning News. She has two children and works from home writing books. She co-wrote Comeback Moms, a nonfiction book about how women can take time off and go back to work seamlessly.
She also wrote The Dallas Women’s Guide to Gold-digging with Pride, a purely fictional novel. She is currently working on her second novel. www.momsnextmove.com.

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