If you've taken any length of time off from work (a paying job) to be a mom, or if you altered your career-path to make family time more manageable, you might have a few fears about returning to the workforce, particularly when it comes to how marketable you still are. Here are some top fears you may have:
·
your
experience is outdated
·
you
have too large of a gap in your resume
·
you
are no longer corporate material
·
your
skills are limited
Is
this really true or simply how we perceive ourselves?
Unfortunately,
it's often a little bit of both. If you are or were a stay-at-home
mom, or a mom who took a part-time or generic job out of convenience,
you probably are outdated compared to those who continued on a
full-time career path.
That
doesn't have to mean you are unmarketable. Nor does it mean you’re stuck
with a useless resume. How can you improve your professional
portfolio?
·
Take
a class or two. Great options to start with: MOOCs (Massive Open Online
Courses) are online courses attended by thousands of people via
the Internet. MOOCs are almost always free.
·
Ask
for a brief internship at a company you'd like to work for. If you want
an internship, don't be shy. Do your homework on local companies. (Small
companies often offer the best opportunities.) Ask and negotiate
for an internship. They'll get a free worker, you'll get a free education,
be able to add to your resume and possibly have a job offer at the end of the
internship. If that doesn't happen, intern at another company.
·
Volunteer.
Volunteering is not only good for the community, it's good for you, emotionally
and in the business realm--if you pick the right
opportunity. To spruce up your resume, choose a position
that compliments your future career plans. For example, if you want
to work in public relations you could volunteer as a fundraising
coordinator. An accountant? Volunteer as the treasurer for
your child's PTA or a local church.
·
Consider
your home skills. I don't mean turn your resume into a domestic
thesaurus. (Helping your children pick out nice clothes does not translate to
fashion designer. Stopping sibling rivalry does not make you a
relationship therapist. You get the point.) However, many moms
underestimate the skills they use every day. In this case, it's a
matter of listing your skills set rather than creating a job label. For
example, many moms become great at organizing, problem-solving, handling
finances, budgeting, etc.) If your best skills match the job you're
seeking include them. (I'm currently working on a post that
displays various types of resume styles including one that focuses on skills
and accomplishments rather than specific employment.)
·
Join
organizations. Nothing works better than social networking (the
old-fashioned kind). Find an organization, a club, an
association--anything that relates to your chosen field. Join AND
attend. Yes, meet real people, in person. Get to know
them, their businesses, let them know about your strengths. Volunteer for
a position within the organization that demonstrates or improves your
skills. Offer to intern or freelance for a potential employer.
·
The
new social networking. You can't deny the power of the internet.
Consider career sites such as Linkedin. If you're using the web to
gain employment, remember your reputation matters. Do
your best to save the web for professional activity and posts.
·
Freelance.
Thanks to the web, freelancing opportunities are available for many
fields. Again, you might start out working for peanuts, but eventually if
your work is good, you should be able to build up a following or at least be
able to update your employment status on your resume.
·
Return
to School. Many colleges offer classes on-line making it easier to earn
or upgrade your degree. If you have the time and resources and want
to start anew, talk to a school advisor about
options. Free scholarships.
o
Scholarships
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