Practical Tips for Returning to Work After Raising a Family

For so many moms, returning to work after spending years raising children is daunting. The longer you were away from the workplace, the more nerve-wracking it’s likely to feel when you land your first interview.

Besides complex issues like sorting out childcare, there are loads of little practical things you can start doing today to prepare you for your job hunt and eventually getting back into the office, store, kitchen, classroom, or wherever your career takes you.

Read on for our top tips from real moms who have been in the same position.

Update Your Resume

First things first, you need to refresh your resume before you can send it out to employers. Add any odd jobs, freelance work, and training courses you’ve done since you went off to have your baby.

Be sure to be truthful about your experience and qualifications. You may be wondering how do employers verify education? They use background checking services to research whether you actually undertook that certification and gained those grades. Don’t be tempted to exaggerate!

Instead, think of all the skills you’ve gained since becoming a mother – it’s likely you’ve developed your time management, communication, proactivity, motivation, and creativity to keep your little human healthy and entertained. Those are transferrable skills you can put on your resume.

Review Your Contacts

Do you have an old boss who might rehire you? How about a high-flying friend who can get you an interview at her place? Or even a shopkeeper or cafe owner you’re friendly with who might need an extra hand?

Reaching out to people you already know has always been a key tool for career building. It’s not what you know, but who you know, as the old saying goes!

Even if the person you reach out to doesn’t know of any vacancies at the moment, they might pass on your details to someone who can help you. Put out the feelers and mention that you’re wanting to return to work, and the job might come to you rather than the other way around.

Think About Your Dream Job

Switching careers after time out of work is difficult, but it’s also an ideal opportunity for a fresh start. If you’ve always had a dream job you haven’t reached yet, think about how you can get on the ladder to achieving it.

Adapt your resume towards this new industry and highlight the transferable skills you’ve built through your previous career, education, and life experience. Utilize any friends, relatives, or acquaintances who work in your dream field and ask for their advice, or even if they know of any suitable roles for you.

You may have to start in a more junior position than you held before having children, but hard work means you can quickly work your way up in an industry you’ve always wanted to be a part of.

Negotiate Flextime

Obviously, being a parent means you now have to have some flexibility with your time. If your child is sick on the day of a big meeting, you may have to send someone else on your team to fill your place or conduct it via telephone. These things happen, and it helps to have an employer who is sympathetic.

If you can negotiate a role that incorporates flextime – e.g., you can work your hours at any time as long as your work is done – that’s perfect. Be open about your childcare situation with the hiring manager when you have an interview, and if they want to hire you, they’ll likely make some accommodations for you.

Be Confident

Our last point may be easier said than done, but faking it ‘til you make it is key here. After being out of work to care for children, you’re probably feeling uneasy about returning to work.

Smile, be proud of your expertise, and wow your interviewer – they’re sure to be impressed.