by Katie Dunn | May 9, 2017 | career break, confidence, interview, job search, leadership, moms, resume, women in business
I want to address an age-old question asked by women contemplating a professional comeback:
Should I take just any old job or should I hold out for the right one?
This is a question I hear a lot and it’s a question that I asked myself often as I looked for a job after being out of the full-time workforce for many years. Here’s the easy answer: It depends.
The answer to this question depends entirely on what is motivating you to go back to work. Here’s my point: If you need to start earning income for you or your families’ survival now, then you should take the best job you can find quickly. By “best” I mean highest paying. Life is expensive, kids are expensive and it takes money to survive. Pure and simple. Divorce often forces women back into the workforce, or your spouse might have been laid off. Whatever the situation, if quickly earning income has become your primary motivation, then find a job and bloom where you’ve been planted. You don’t have to stay there forever but my personal rule of thumb is that you do have to do your best while you’re there. If you sense that you’re just passing through, work diligently so that when you leave you’ll have a great recommendation and can feel good about the work you did.
While the need for money motivates many women to return to work quickly, others find that their timing isn’t quite so urgent. To you, I say – lucky you! You have the luxury of doing the 3 steps of Reflect, Research and Activate that I think are so important to a successful job search. The Reflection step is of critical importance in a job search because this is the step where you think deeply about your skills, your past experiences and your current interests and add them all up to set a course for your future.
I want a career break to become a very normal part of a person’s career (both women and men) and for employers to view these not as breaks from real work, but as opportunities to develop more deeply as people, as parents, as travelers or as caregivers of aging parents. Your ability to reflect on what you’ve learned and how you’ve grown during your career break is a key part of finding direction for your job search. And setting off on a journey with a destination in mind is going to get you there faster than if you are just wandering through the job search process, applying to something different every day.
If you are motivated to return to work by a desire to re-engage your professional self, to grow as a person in a professional capacity, to put your valuable skills to work and to earn a good income while doing so, then you have the luxury to look until you (a) find the right job or (b) find a job that offers a trade-off that you are comfortable taking. Every decision we make is a trade-off between things that are important to us. If your job search is starting to feel like it’s taking a long time, and you’re considering taking the next job that comes along, here are a few things you can consider:
- Will this job keep me moving forward? Will I learn here? Will I meet people that will grow my professional network? Will I feel good about the work I’m doing?
- Can I think of this job as a stepping stone? Will it get me closer to where I’d like to be professionally?
If you can answer “yes” to any of those questions, then maybe it’s time to take the job.
The second part of this question is –
Do I have to take a job making less money or with a lower title than I held before I took a career break?
My guidance is that I want you aim high, but you must understand that the burden of proving your value to an employer rests with you and only you. How can you prove that you’re worthy of your previous salary and title?
- By demonstrating that you’ve spent your career break learning and keeping your skills fresh
- By taking courses to refresh your job skills
- By becoming active (and being known) in a professional association relevant to your field
- By maintaining a network of influential people in your field
Then develop your personal brand image to illustrate your value.
One final thought: When I was job searching, I realized early on that my next job was going to come from someone who knew me personally and not from a resume that I blindly sent out over the Internet. And this belief changed my job search activities from sitting behind my computer sending out resumes to instead viewing every opportunity to talk to someone as a chance to get one step closer to finding the right job. And, guess what? It worked.
by Katie Dunn | Mar 28, 2017 | career break, job search, moms, resume
Back to Business Guest Blog by Mir Garvy of RTP Resumes
Whether you chose to step out of the workforce for a year or for 15 years, getting back into it can seem like an uphill battle. It can feel daunting to work toward gaining acceptance in your chosen field, toward maintaining your confidence and self respect, and toward eventually securing a position that rewards you for what you know and what you can do.
Waiting for that eventuality can be frustrating. After you’ve taken a career break you’ll be using the same skills you’ve always used to job hunt: a polished resume, a strong network, an understanding of industry trends, and a dedication to your personal goals. Keeping a positive attitude in all this is essential, but it might require some effort.
I find knowing that others have successfully relaunched their careers gives other people returning to paid work—especially women—the encouragement they need. I’ve helped enough relaunchers to know that every path back to work is unique. The people who come out on top are the ones who are flexible and creative, willing to combine some new skills with their old ones.
Meet Relaunchers Alex and Melanie
Here are two examples of what I mean. One story demonstrates how a forced career break can be framed as a growth experience leveraging someone into a new occupation. The other shows how even minimal but ongoing involvement in the same occupation can plug holes in a resume.
Alex’s Story
Alex (name changed for anonymity) was 50 years old when we worked on his resume. He had spent more than 25 years in the hospitality industry and then went through a divorce. Instead of a plum job as a Director of Operations at high-end destination resorts where he oversaw a large staff that managed top-tier functions such as golfing events, professional conferences, and weddings, he became the trailing spouse to his ex-wife, who moved twice with their children.
Alex struggled. Forced to take whatever jobs were available to him in the cities where his ex-wife chose to move, he worked as a store manager at The Home Depot and then at The Fresh Market.
When both of his aging parents’ health became problematic, he stopped working to care for them. This career break extended to two years. When they died he was charged with settling their estate.
During this time, he was not employed at all, but something interesting happened during those years. As a result of spending time with his own failing parents, he become passionate about working in an industry that improves the lives of elderly and frail people.
He decided to earn a certification in the field of elder care. His new resume leveraged his experience managing resorts to managing assisted living facilities.
We labeled the two years off a sabbatical. He told the story of caring for his parents in his cover letter, and he briefly mentioned the personal side of his being a trailing spouse as a single dad in his interview, then quickly moved on to all of his professional and transferable skills. The happy ending is that Alex was recently promoted to Senior Operations Director of a chain of assisted living facilities.
Melanie’s Story
Melanie (not her real name) is 43 years old now. In her twenties she had earned a degree in marketing and then worked for eight years in advertising and public relations, advancing her career each year.
Social media was just becoming a viable revenue-generating tool that businesses were taking as a serious part of their overall ad and marketing spend. She gained considerable experience writing blogs, ad copy, web copy, social media posts, and creating graphics for all of these outlets.
But then, Melanie and her husband decided to start a family. At age 30, she stepped out of the workforce and spent the next 12 years raising three children. From time to time, the agencies where she’d worked, as well as former colleagues who’d gone on to work at other marketing companies and ad agencies, would reach out to her to do contract jobs. This was a fortunate circumstance.
She didn’t make much money from her contract work, but she did form a sole proprietorship and report her earned income each year. By the time her youngest was ready to start school, she was ready to get back to full-time employment.
Because, on paper at least, she had owned a business for 12 years, we were able to draft her resume to show she was continuously employed. Granted, there were months—and even years—when she earned zero income for her business. But, luckily, she had maintained some level of business involvement in the midst of parenting, and some documentation to prove it.
As a result of what the piecemeal jobs required of her, Melanie had kept up to date for the most part with trends in her industry. She joined a couple of professional organizations. She attended a national conference in social media and digital marketing to brush up on all the very latest platforms, trends, and who the thought leaders were.
Her resume, her LinkedIn profile, and her interview skills quickly strengthened and she started applying for jobs. By the time she dropped her youngest off for his first day of kindergarten, she had accepted a position as Senior Social Media Manager for a well-known IT company.
I love it when all the pieces come together like they did for these two clients. Even though Alex and Melanie did not exactly plot ahead of time how they would fill the hole of a career break, and even though their work history was quite haphazard because of the curve balls they were thrown, we were able to shape their stories to make their career gaps appear logical and intentional.
Your Story
If you are a relauncher, consider how to piece together a story that frames your career break in a way that works to your advantage. If you need help with this, you may want to work with a professional resume writer who has experience in this area.
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About Mir Garvy, MS, CPRW – I’ve written resumes for 2,000+ job seekers just like you—and helped my clients land jobs with companies like Amazon, SAS, Google, Duke University, Travelocity, Cisco Systems, GlaxoSmithKline, Expedia, and IBM. www.rtpresumes.com
by Katie Dunn | Oct 1, 2016 | career break, interview, job search, moms, women in business
For women, professional dress is often a topic that causes a lot of confusion. We suggest that you dress for the Back to Business Women’s Conference as if you were going to an interview – use it as a practice run so that when you do have an interview you aren’t suiting up for the first time in a long time. Even though workplaces have evolved to be much more casual today than they were in the past, there is still an expectation that you wear a suit to an interview.
Here are a few suggestions for business attire. Our motto is: keep it simple and err on the conservative side.
- You can’t go wrong with a black or navy blue suit and a light-colored blouse. Both pantsuits and skirts are fine. A skirt that ends at your knee looks both stylish and professional. You shouldn’t have to spend a lot of money for a basic suit.
- A pair of solid-colored pants or a skirt with a blouse works well also. Avoid loud patterns and low-cut necklines. If you’re not going to be wearing a suit to work once you get that job, don’t invest in a suit now. Instead, go with a nice-looking pair of dark pants or a skirt and blouse that fit well. Look for a pair of tailored pants and make sure they are clean and well-pressed.
- Keep your jewelry simple.
- Much has been written about the impression that shoes make during job interviews. They don’t have to be fancy, but they do need to look polished, and not worn.
- Avoid trendy looks and go for more of a classic style. You don’t have to be boring, but a well-tailored, professional look says a lot of positive things about you before you even open your mouth to wow a potential employer. First impressions count for a lot!
What’s “Business Casual” all about?
And here’s a word about “business casual” because this is a phrase that often leaves people wondering what exactly they should wear: Business casual should be more business and less casual! While a full suit is not required, go for a tailored skirt or suit pants and a blouse. You’ll still want to make a businesslike impression.
by Katie Dunn | Sep 9, 2016 | career break, job search, moms, women in business
Dear 25-year old Self:
You’re just a few years into what will hopefully be a long and fulfilling career. I know you’re not thinking about how you’ll juggle career and family when the time comes, and that’s exactly why I’d like to share with you what I’ve learned over the past 20 years. You may want to take a break from your career to raise a family. Here are some strategies for success you can employ now that will make it easier to re-start your career when the time is right:
- Keep one foot in the working world: If you can find an opportunity to continue to work on a limited or part-time basis, take it! This allows you to have an employment history without a gap and to stay in touch with the professional world. Besides, it’s refreshing to have adult conversations. This is the #1 thing that women returning to work tell me they wish they’d known when they left their jobs to stay home.
- Make family your priority: You’ve heard it before – you’ll never get back those years when your children are young. If you have the luxury to be around for those early milestones and you want to be home, then seize the opportunity and savor it.
- Consider your options, choose confidently and enjoy life. Forget “working mommy guilt”, whatever that is. Whether you choose to continue working or to stay home with your children, do the best job you can and don’t second-guess yourself. You can always reconsider your decision as your circumstances change, but move forward with confidence in whatever direction you’ve chosen.
- Raise independent children: Having your own career, interests and hobbies is so much easier when you’ve raised independent children. I recently dropped my rising 9th grader off for student-only freshman orientation and was bewildered by all the moms going in with their kids. When I asked my daughter if she’d like me to come in she said “Mom, I’ve got this.” Wow – did that make my day! I drove to work feeling a bit sad that she was growing up so fast, but absolutely thrilled that she was so confident and independent.
- Attend a conference once a year: This is a great way to meet people and stay current on new developments in your field. Choose a conference nearby to keep the cost low or pick a conference in a city where you have friends or family and turn this into a business vacation. May we suggest the Back to Business Women’s Conference? It is held in October in Research Triangle Park, North Carolina. Tons of professional job search advice, support from an amazing community of women, a resume workshop, a networking workshop, and so much more – just what you need if you’re returning to work!
- Keep the network up: Make a conscious effort to keep in touch with your professional contacts. This can be as easy as emailing a few people each week to say hello and let them know what you’re up to.
- Continue to meet as many people as you can during your work hiatus. I know you’ll be busy (I get it, we have four children!), but some of the people I built relationships with during the time that I wasn’t working full-time were instrumental in helping me return to work when the time came.
- Have lunch with former co-workers: I left IBM in 2003, but meet my former office-mate for lunch every fall. We have entirely different networks since our careers have gone in different directions, but over the years we’ve each asked the other to make introductions for us. And since fall is fast approaching, I’d better go check the calendar and invite Jeff to lunch!
- Have coffee with someone new and interesting every month to talk shop: I know this sounds weird if you’re not in the habit of doing this, but a few times this summer I’ve reached out to people that I didn’t know personally to invite them to have coffee and talk about something specific. I was rewarded with fascinating conversations and great new ideas! You’ll get more comfortable with this the more you do it. I promise. I used LinkedIn inmail which was great for this.
- Be a continuous learner: Subscribe to whatever magazine people in your profession read to stay current with developments in your field. I’ve subscribed to Fortune Magazine since I was in graduate school and since they just kept extending my student rate, I kept ordering it. Sure, some months they piled up on my coffee table, but I eventually read most of them and over the course of the 12 years that I considered myself primarily a stay-at-home parent, I digested a lot of business news.
- Get a good web crawler to send you articles on your field every day: The key here is to send them directly to an email folder so that when you have the time you can read to your hearts content (or until the baby cries). If they aren’t piling up in your inbox, you won’t feel guilty that you don’t get to them all. Directing them to an email folder ensures that when you’re ready to read, you’ve got a well-stocked shelf of relevant articles.
- Develop a new skill: Taking a break from your career or downshifting for a time can provide a great opportunity to make a directional change. With so many great courses online, you can develop new skills without even leaving your house that will keep you sharp when you’re ready to return to work.
- Update your resume every year on the same day: Call it your “resume-aversary” (OK,don’t call it that), but understand that designating the same day to do this each year increases the likelihood that it will happen. If you’ve taken a significant career break and haven’t even looked at your resume in 10 years, this can be a real roadblock to getting back in the job market.
- Set aside money for professional development while you have an income. This way you won’t hesitate to invest in yourself when you’re not working. While there are lots of free courses and advice out there, you’ll find that occasionally spending money to keep your skills fine-tuned will really pay off in the long run.
I hope that by the time you’re ready to restart your career, the working world has evolved to seeing a career break as an opportunity for growth and personal development. I can say with confidence that the 12 years I spent out of the full-time workforce were years of incredible growth for me. I returned to work with a renewed sense of purpose, the ability to keep things in perspective and time management skills that I could only have dreamed of earlier in my career. In fact, I owe my current success to my career break.
by Katie Dunn | Jul 23, 2016 | career break, job search, moms
Let’s face it: It’s hard to get much of anything done in the summer! With kids home and a long stretch of time in front of us, there just isn’t much urgency to be productive. For some reason, it’s easier for me to accomplish 10 things when I only have 2 hours, than when I have 2 months! So if you’re looking for a job this summer, and especially if you’re looking to get back to work after a career break, here’s my suggestion: Be realistic about what you can accomplish this summer as you continue on your journey back to work. If you set unrealistic goals, you’ll only be disappointed when you fall short.
Since I want you to feel confident about what you’re accomplishing, I’ve come up with 2 summer job search options for you. All you have to do is decide…are you “Takin’ It Easy” this summer or are you “In High Gear?” The “Takin’ It Easy” plan is for you if you’re hoping to continue your positive momentum as you look for that right job post-career break. It focuses on getting yourself ready and taking small steps toward putting yourself out there. The “In High Gear” plan is for those of you who are actively job-seeking and it contains reminders of all the things you’ll want to be consistently doing throughout the summer.
Whether you’re “Takin’ It Easy” or “In High Gear” keep in mind that devoting even a small amount of time each day to a focused and productive activity in your job search will pay dividends for you. Click here to activate the job search plan that’s just right for you. I wish you a fun and productive summer!
