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CAREERS FOR SINGLE MOTHERS Working Women
Getting Back on the Career Track
Book Description
Would you like
to return to the work world but are concerned about how to find an
opportunity that will allow you to fulfill
1.
Relaunch or Not: You Decide.
If financial reasons require you to return to work, go to step 2. If
not, determine whether you are ready to go back to paid work or
whether deepening your volunteer involvement or engaging in a
non-work passion might satisfy your restlessness. If you’re not sure
whether or not you want to return to paid work, visit
www.BackOnTheCareerTrack.com and take our Relaunch Readiness
Quiz.
2.
Learn Confidence. If a
lack of confidence is one of the obstacles holding you back, don’t
worry. You can regain it. Remember, whether you are a nurse, speech
therapist, computer programmer, scientific researcher, or
salesperson, your former colleagues’ and classmates’ image of you is
frozen in time. They think of you as a consummate professional, and
as you start to renew your professional persona and reconnect to the
professional world, your confidence will grow. Following Steps 3 and
4 will also help increase your confidence as you update your
professional knowledge and become more articulate in expressing what
you want to do and why.
3.
Assess Your Career Options.
Don’t think that returning to the conventional full time workforce
is the only way to resume your career. The moms we interviewed did
everything from starting a home based afterschool enrichment program
(former teacher) to running career services for a law school on a
flexible schedule (former public defender) to job sharing a hospice
administrator position (former social worker) to creating a
marketing campaign for a new mutual fund from home (former mid level
marketing executive). Break down your old job(s) or volunteer
experiences into their component parts and focus on what you did
best and what you liked best. Then try to think of new opportunities
that build on those skills and interests.
4.
Update your Professional and Job
Search Skills. A sure way to increase your confidence and
bolster your employability is to update yourself. Read relevant
journals, take continuing education classes and attend industry
events. In terms of job search skills, develop an elevator story (a
two minute talk answering the “what do you want to do” question)
that summarizes your expertise and the kind of opportunity you seek
in a few key sentences.
5.
Network and Market Yourself.
Order yourself a business card with your name and contact
information. That way you don’t have to scribble on a piece of scrap
paper if you meet someone who wants to keep in touch with you. Then,
start talking to people, beginning with those you know well. Branch
out to those to whom they refer you, and discuss your professional
interests and the kinds of opportunities you’d like to explore.
These informal conversations essentially function as interview
rehearsals, as you gradually hone your message. Prior to formal
interviews, make sure you prepare extensively by studying the
employer’s website and practicing answers to the most common
interview questions. When asked about your resume gap, answer
matter-of-factly that you took some time out to raise your
children/take care of an elderly parent, etc., but that you’re now
eager to get back to work.
6.
Channel Family Support.
Get your spouse, if you have one, on board with your plans as soon
as possible. If you encounter resistance, make it clear how
important this is to you and point out that with extra income you
might be able to outsource some of the tasks that neither of you
wants to perform, such as cleaning and shopping. The older your
children are, the sooner you should tell them as well. If you need
to change your childcare arrangements, try to implement the changes
before you start your new job, so you can work out any problems.
Streamline your household routines to maximize time to devote to
either work or family. Develop a support network of family and/or
neighbors to help you out in a jam.
7.
Handle the Job or Find Another One.
You found the right opportunity and you’ve relaunched. Initially,
keep your employer’s expectations low. Better to underpromise and
overdeliver, rather than the other way around. Ask for early and
frequent reviews -- ideally, every six months, because neither you
nor your employer will be able to predict the rate of your career
trajectory. Help your colleagues whenever possible, so they’ll
reciprocate when you need them. And, remember, this is just your
first foray back to the professional marketplace. If it doesn’t work
out, you can always make a change.
© 2007 Carol
Fishman Cohen and Vivian Steir Rabin
Carol Fishman Cohen,
is a frequent
speaker and consultant to employers, universities and individuals on the
topic of career
Vivian Steir Rabin,
has over 18 years
of diverse business experience, including leadership roles in finance and
human
They are the authors of
Back on the Career Track: A Guide for Stay at Home Moms Who Want to Return
to Work
(Warner Business Books; June 2007; $24.99US/$31.99CAN;
978-0446578202).
For more information,
please visit
www.BackOnTheCareerTrack.com.
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Home | About SingleMom.com | Contact Us | Privacy Policy © 2007 SingleMom.com™, Sponsor by Internet Genesis™ company, All Rights Reserved. Revised: 04 Jan 2008 12:18:00 -0800 |
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re-entry. Following her 1981 graduation from Pomona College,
Carol spent two years at Los Angeles based money manager Capital Research
and Management, and then went east to Harvard Business School. When she
graduated in 1985, she worked in manufacturing and subsequently switched to
investment banking. Carol was on maternity leave with her first child in
February of 1990, when her firm, Drexel Burnham Lambert, dissolved. She
worked part time for the next five years, having three more kids along the
way, and finally when her fourth child was born, she decided to leave the
paid workforce entirely. Thus began the six year volunteer and stay-at-home
mom phase of her life. In 2001, at age 42, Carol "relaunched" her career by
taking a demanding, full time job at investment firm Bain Capital. Although
she was thrilled to return to the workplace, she eventually realized it was
not the perfect match, and left after a year. The lessons she learned, both
in attaining the position and in deciding to resign, gave her valuable
insights into the career re-entry process. Shortly after she left Bain
Capital, Harvard Business School made Carol the subject of a case study
about a professional who resumed her career after extended leave at home.
When the case was published, Carol began speaking about the topic and then
decided to write 
resources, in the media, financial services, consulting and executive
search industries. She is currently Vice President, US Operations for
retained executive search firm Salovey & Associates, where she focuses on
recruiting for the real estate industry. Following her graduation from
Harvard College, Vivian began her career at the AC Nielsen Company (now
owned by Dun & Bradstreet) in Paris France, followed by two years in PR at
American Broadcasting Companies in New York City. She then returned to
Harvard for an MBA degree and joined Lehman Brothers as an investment banker
specializing in the media and entertainment sector. She subsequently
relocated from New York City to the Washington, DC area where her husband
was based, serving as chief financial officer of a Virginia-based
broadcasting company and later as head of recruiting and human resources for
The Advisory Board Company, a high-growth consulting and publishing firm.
After two additional relocations and a seven-year professional hiatus to be
home with her five children, Vivian took a different approach to career
re-entry than Carol. Realizing that taking a full-time, out-of-the house job
would be difficult at this phase of her family’s life, she joined a small
executive search firm, where she is able to work primarily from home and has
greater flexibility in designing her schedule. Vivian’s understanding of
employers’ and recruiters’ perspectives, as well as her experience with
self-assessment tools, resume preparation, interviewing and networking
techniques, contributes valuable professional knowledge to