NB This is a sponsored post.
I’ve blogged before about how hard it can be for mums returning to work.
I spent nine years at home as a stay-at-home mum. Yet despite this, I thought I would find a job fairly easily once I was ready. After all, I’d not only kept my computer skills up; but I had also learned a whole new set of skills, as I had started freelance writing for magazines.
Sadly, employers just didn’t seem to recognise or understand that a stay-at-home mum had anything of worth to offer – even though it was evident from my resume and the applications I submitted.
Tips for Mums Returning to Work
Try temping. One way of getting back into the paid workforce, is by getting current experience through a temp agency. It can be a bit of a challenge though, and is not for the faint-hearted, as you will regularly be entering new workplaces, meeting new people, learning new systems. You never get much notice either, which can be tricky when you are managing family commitments as well.
Volunteer. Being able to list a volunteer position on your CV shows that you can commit to a regular task, and gives you an opportunity to master current technology which you may not otherwise be exposed to.
Use Your Contacts. As the saying goes, it’s not just what you know, it’s who you know. Ask around your friends, family, even businesses where you are a regular customer, to see if they know of any available positions. Add your profile to Linked In, or post a status on Facebook to let others know you are looking for new job opportunities … you never know where it could lead!
Time for a career change? Personally, I found my time as a stay-at-home mum gave me a chance to consider a shift in direction in my career path. Before I had children, I fell into finance and accounting type roles – which I hated with a passion. I’ve always preferred words over numbers! I realised that when I returned to the workforce, I wanted to do something that involved writing.
Education, training and short courses. Even a short course will arm you with new skills in your chosen field, plus, getting a qualification under your belt will give you real credibility in the eyes of potential employers.
The best part is, you can prepare for that next stage of your life, before it even arrives. Online courses from accredited providers like Upskilled, mean that you can study at home, in your own time, at your own pace. Mums returning to work may even be eligible for fee help!
I’m a big proponent of online learning; after all, I’ve completed a Diploma of Digital Marketing and an SEO certification online in the last few years. I loved the flexibility of the online learning environment and being able to study when I wanted to.
And the hardest part? Trying to choose which course to do, as there are so many to choose from! From short courses which allow you to try something out; to certificates, diplomas and even degree programs. Get a qualification in areas as diverse as accounting, childcare, counselling and youth work, logistics, human resources, horticulture or retail management.
Imagine how much more confidence you would have in interviews, once you have done some study in your chosen field!
While I’m grateful for the nine years I was able to spend at home with my small children, the reality is most of us spend the majority of our adult lives in the workforce. I’m so glad that I had the courage to seek out and train in a new career path, one that has developed into so much more than I ever dreamed of!
Do you have any other tips for mums returning to work?!
Joining up with:
Deborah says
I had time off after my redundancy and found it hard to get back into the workforce. Of course I’d moved to a small town with high unemployment and very few mid-range / senior jobs… but I really underestimated how hard I would find it to get something. Fortunately I got some contract stuff over a couple of year period during that time.
Janet Camilleri says
I think contracts/temping is the way to go when you are trying to break back in after a period out of the workforce 🙂
Jo says
I agree with you Janet. The work space doesn’t appreciate the skills we learn as stay at home Mums which are many and varied. I guess at the end of the day though, up-skilling is important because jobs and the workplace change so rapidly these days in the skills we require to do them. #teamlovinlife
Janet Camilleri says
I always said I’d never go back to study again after I got my Diploma in Teaching. But now I’ve found an area I’m passionate about, I was happy to go back to school even if it was online!
Kathy Marris says
These are very good tips. I think the most important one is keeping your skills up to date by doing a course. Technology is such a big thing in the workplace today that it is imperative you keep up with it. I’m very happily not thinking of returning to work any time soon. I’m very contentedly retired!! #TeamLovinLife
Janet Camilleri says
I discovered a new term today Kathy – a lady I was talking to said she was “protired” – not quite retired, still does some jobs for clients but a lot less than when she was fulltime in her own business!
Lyndall @ SeizeTheDayProject says
Great tips Janet. I find it really frustrating that employers don’t recognise the expanded skill set of Mums. When you have a child, you have to learn so many skills, such as juggling and organisational tasks. Instead of considering Mums’ time “out of the workforce”, it would be great if they looked at the new skills learned since giving birth. #TeamLovinLife
Janet Camilleri says
Absolutely! I think the main things mums develop is flexibility, and an ability to roll with the punches, which are useful in the workforce too.
Leanne | crestingthehill says
I worked on and off when my kids were little – I even sold Tupperware for a while (never again!) Keeping your skills up and being prepared to look at alternative positions can make all the difference when it comes to finding work. I started as a Dental Therapist/Hygenist and end up as a medical receptionist – and a few other things in between.
Janet Camilleri says
LOL yes I did Tupperware for a very brief moment in time, like you said, never again! That said, I wasn’t much of a saleswoman, but it did stock me up nicely with a lifetime supply of the stuff!
Min@WriteoftheMiddle says
Great tips Janet! I kept my computer skills up to date too when I was home with the kids but when I returned to the workforce I realised there was a lot I hadn’t kept up to date with but I soon learnt. I didn’t change my career path when I first returned to work after having the kids but I did a little further down the track. Things have changed again and I’ve done some online study and would like to do more. My time as a stay at home mum and as a mum in general equipped me with a lot of skills useful in a workplace. Shame they are not generally recognised.
Janet Camilleri says
I wonder what we have to do to make employers realise?!
Leanne @ Deep Fried Fruit says
These are great tips Janet. It is very difficult to get back in once you’ve been out for so long. I’ve been out 11 years. I find that in some ways I’m apparently over qualified (for the jobs I apply for to ease back into the workforce) and under qualified at the level I left because of the break I took, Very tricky.
I’m very big on the voluteering bit.
#TeamLovinLife