The Fab Mom On 2: Tips For Moms Returning To Work After Kids
With school back in session, fall is a perfect time for stay-at-home moms to consider re-entering the workforce after taking time off of work to raise kids. According to research, eight of 10 moms work and about 40 percent of moms are their family's primary breadwinner. Devoting 15-30 minutes each day to reaching out to new contacts and/or rebuilding your previous ones can start the ball rolling quickly. If you're looking for work, start telling people about it.
Laura Gerson, co-founder of Los Angeles-based Momfair, a conference and online resource dedicated to helping moms return to the workforce by connecting and sharing expert insight and information, suggests starting the process by visiting LinkedIn, updating your resume, creating a professional profile by exploring and comparing others' profiles and approaching every step with confidence. "You did productive things during those years at home with your kids. You led committees at school, managed community gatherings and organized charity events. Find a way to represent that on your resume. Skills are most important to recruiters and hiring managers, even if those skills were learned and implemented during volunteer hours." Transferable skills learned in other areas of life, like volunteer and/or parent involvement at school, include managing groups of people, delegating duties, creating programs and/or activities from scratch. They all count.
The following resources are also available to explore for career ideas, opportunities and up-to-date insight:
FlexJobs: An online resource with a monthly subscription fee that screens and lists flexible jobs for parents. Companies do not pay to be listed on their site.
Working Mother Magazine, Power to Fly for tech jobs and Work at Home Mom Revolution also provides valuable insight and email blasts with cutting-edge information.
General Assembly and Skillcrush can help you develop and/or hone a new skill relevant to working in the digital age for minimal investment of time and money.
Looking for a boost of confidence, practical tips and personal stories from an entrepreneurial mom who's built a business, central to moms, from the ground up? Check out brand new book Mom Boss: Balancing Entrepreneurship, Kids & Success available now.
Jill Simonian is a Parenting Lifestyle Contributor, appearing on CBS Los Angeles every Wednesday on News at 5pm and Friday mornings at 6:45am. Her personal blog is TheFabMom.com. Follow Jill on Twitter @jillsimonian and connect with her on Facebook.
