A free members’ resource signposting you to other useful organisations supporting women in the workplace.
We're not entirely convinced that the term career break is the most appropriate for women who have taken time away from their professional life to be full or part time mums. The term Career Break can conjure up an image of a lovely holiday or sabbatical to explore personal development and fulfillment.
Being at home full time with a young family, offers much enjoyment and pleasure, but it is also a demanding job both physically and emotionally and at times certainly does not feel like a break! There is a "working week" to being a parent and it is not 37.5 hours a week with weekends off. Your "Things To Do" list is unending and the lack of positive feedback can be de-motivating, particularly if you've been used to a professional environment where your quality of work and input to a business is appraised regularly and rewarded with promotion, remuneration, new projects etc.
However, there it is ...career break is the term commonly used and so we'll have to run with it. We are, however, much less accepting of the fact that many women returners discount or undervalue the skills and experiences they gained whilst on a career break.
By just putting "career break" on your CV or job application you will be completely underselling yourself and your value to a potential employer. By looking more closely at how you've managed and spent your time running your household and looking after your family you will find that you've had some new experiences that have benefitted you in some way. These skills can be transferred into the workplace and we want to show you how so that you can use them to confidently find and secure a new job.
Career Transition
Have you thought about your career break in terms of a career transition? How much of a culture shock was it to move from a professional workplace into being a full time mum. Leaving behind a professional life with status, income, perks and a company of work friends/colleagues to being a full time parent is a significant life transition and for some a lonely isolating one. However, making this transition you have demonstrated an ability to handle personal change and adapt to new circumstances. Think of some examples of how you managed the transition; where you found the change hard to bear and situations where it was easier and even enjoyable. What were your coping mechanisms and how did you make the transition successfully.
Time Management
Review your week and take a look at just how many activities and tasks you have to manage and complete each day/each week. We suspect you'll find that you are adept at multi-tasking. You also have to rely on good time management and priority setting to achieve all your daily and weekly tasks. These tasks almost certainly range in interest level from the boring and mundane to the fun and sociable. How do you balance this range of activity so that you get a good mix; how do you plan your week and align your priorities to accomplish what needs to be done.
Budgetting
When you gave up working you also gave up an income and probably had to adjust your finances accordingly. How did you manage this change in finances. You almost certainly developed or improved your budgeting skills. You may have had to review your household suppliers such as utilities, telephone, insurance etc and researched more cost effective alternatives and set up new accounts or providers. Maybe you run monthly Excel spreadsheets to help monitor and manage your finances; maybe you use the internet to do a lot of research and get the best deals and become a more efficient and savvy buyer.
Networking
Did you move into a new area and have no friends or local contacts or not know anyone at the school your child/children attends. Bet you've got lots of friends & contacts now - in fact it can be difficult to find enough time to still see all of your friends!
You would have networked, maybe unknowingly, to develop new contacts, to find social outlets, nurseries, schools and activities for your children. How easy or difficult did you find this process of building new contacts and finding out about your area and making the most of family life. Where did you find it most productive to meet new people; how did you network?
Networking is a really useful social and business skill. It could prove, in fact, to be the most effective way to help you secure a new job too. Employers, when recruiting, are looking for sociable people who can integrate into an existing team and start being an effective employee quickly.
Also bear in mind that it is estimated that as much as 60% of jobs are unadvertised and filled though networks or contacts. Networking becomes an even more relevant and useful skill for your job hunting.
New Horizons
Whilst managing your family and household did you also find time to try something completely new and different to your former professional life. Maybe you now help out in the classroom at school ....get involved in local charity projects.....are involved in your local community/politics.....are a school Governor.....organise local events or fundraising activities.....have attended some courses.... run your own childminding business from home....have managed some home renovation projects. Of these new activities what do you enjoy the most and why? What have they taught you about yourself? Are they in an area where you might like to work rather than go back to your former career and industry? What have these new activities taught you about yourself?
Get some feedback
When considering and reflecting on your career break talk to your friends about the changes and personal development they've seen in you. They might be able to help you identify, with specific examples, some of the new skills you've developed. Alternatively if you'd prefer to talk confidentially with an experienced career consultant then give us a call. We'd love to hear from you and help you define all your skills and marketability for a new employer.