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Friday 10th February 2012

Helping yourself back into employment: Advice for Mums returning to work

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Helping yourself back into employment: Advice for Mums returning to work

Posted by Guest Blogger 16 August 2010 Careers |  Guest blogger |  Women in business |  Women in IT Written by Majella Wilkins.

With all the negative press about the state of the economy and the resulting increase in unemployment, it is not surprising that women currently on career breaks are “conditioned” into thinking and accepting that a return to work in the current climate will be tough if not unachievable.

Well Return2WorkMums know that all careers can be refreshed - you just need some up to date know how, some focus and persistency. Maybe all easier said than done, particularly as it’s unlikely to happen overnight and there will be some rejection along the way. However, you make your own luck and contacts and networking could just be your secret weapon.

You are in the driving seat so set your course!
It is up to us to make our own luck and take charge of future events that are within our control. Effective job searching is an activity that we are in control of and can, therefore, increase the chances of our success. You need to start by identifying and researching ideas of where you would like to work. These ideas then need to be refined into a short list that will fit in best with your family demands. There are a range of practicalities of being a working mum and the two roles of working and being a mum need to fit together as best they can. Sometimes it will be an uncomfortable juggle and there will be compromises to be made. You need to have thought about and decided on those areas you’re prepared to delegate or compromise on.

Avoid spray and pray tactics
Once you’ve defined your ideal realistic job it will require some specific action and commitment to secure it – in other words an active robust job search. The much used job seeking tactic of “spray and pray” where job seekers blast out their CVs via post, email, jobs boards to all and sundry will not work. This approach not only generates more unnecessary rejection but also just seeks to confirm negative beliefs that the job market is too tough and that your candidacy for employment is not great.

Make your own luck – but how?
John Lees, a British career transition expert, firmly believes that lucky or successful people focus on making connections and that they possess four character traits that contribute to their good fortune. He believes that lucky people are Open, Exploring, Curious and Inviting. These personality traits are the contributory factors in their success as they enable the lucky person to make more connections which in turn helps them overcome new challenges such as finding a new job or career.

Get networking not selling
Focus then on making your own luck and developing your own opportunities by approaching your return to work with openness to ideas, an inquisitive and researching mind and invite others to share their information and knowledge. Remember networking is not a pushy sales activity.  Effective networking is a more subtle engagement based on a genuine interest in others and a generous enthusiasm for sharing information. It is in fact an activity we all do subconsciously to some degree. Think about when you first moved into your town or you were looking for a pre-school/school for your child(ren). You almost certainly went out and started to chat with fellow mums/neighbours/people in the community whose information and advice you valued. The phrase “chain of helpfulness” is one I particularly like as it sums up networking very well. Your approach to networking should be “who do I know that I can help?” or “who do I know that can provide some great insight for my return to work?”

Set realistic timescales
Finally, remember that returning to work is a significant change in your personal and family circumstances. It cannot be achieved over a weekend or a week. Be kind to yourself and above all else be realistic. You should start thinking about and planning your return to work a good six months in advance of actually needing to start work. Set up a plan of attack with some regular weekly activities that leads you towards a job role that fits your personal needs and can be managed with your ongoing family commitments.


This blog written by Majella Wilkins, founder of Return2WorkMums  - a new online community for mums to connect with experts for support, encouragement and know how about returning to work as well as ongoing career management.  

For the Return2WorkMums Summer Homework Series for Women Returners please take a look at the Maternity and Returning to Work in our Community section.
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