Career Coaching for Women Returning to Work after raising Kids
Raising a family takes love, time and effort and is often described as one of the most rewarding things you can do. But when and if you choose to return to work, it can prove to present quite a few challenges. This is especially true for parents who didn’t have a clearly established career trajectory before having a child.
As many working mums know, the hardest thing about maternity leave is not being away from your job for a few weeks or months. The bigger challenge, for many, is coming back. This is where your Career Coach can help guide you into navigating the workforce. Contact, Amelia here, who offers professional career coaching services.
I’ll let you in on a secret, can you guess what the biggest barrier for women who are returning to work after raising a family is? Confidence. Once you have made the decision to return to work you may feel an influx of doubt wash over you.
Will I find a job?
My skills are so out of date? Will I fit in? Will I be able to use the technology? Will I be able to find something which fits around the family? No one would hire me!
This is where your Melbourne Career Coach, Amelia, comes in handy. Here are my top tips for returning to work or seeking a new job after raising your family.
1. Ask for Advice
This tip is really powerful. Starting conversations with fellow parents who have been through the transition back to work can help you quickly realise that you are not alone in your parenthood battles and you will immediately feel better that it is ‘not just you’.
If you don’t know many working parents personally, use online groups on Facebook and LinkedIn to connect virtually with other parents who’ve either made the leap to return to work or are in the middle of it. Their insights, advice and tips will be a huge source of support, energy, and inspiration as you make your return.
2. Define your goals - personal and career
Before you delve into a job hunt or return to work, allow yourself to become crystal clear on your vision and goals. Setting yourself goals for what you want to achieve professionally and as a mother. A goal I always suggest to clients is to include maintaining a balance between workplace and home. Balance is different for everyone. The key is to find balance that allows you to stay on track with your personal and career goals whilst not neglecting anything, such as time with not only your family and friends but time for self-care.
Setting goals that align with your values can help you change and improve, achieve satisfaction, and feel like you're moving through your life and your career with direction. Find out how here: How to set goals around your values and find the right job for you! Amelia is always here to help guide you through goal setting. Contact Amelia here to discuss which of her career coaching services will suit you.
3. Update Your Resume and Online Presence
Before updating your resume, don’t overlook the skills you have gained while raising a child. sit down and think about the new skills you’ve gained. Some of these will look pretty good on a resume – you’ve probably learned a lot about negotiation, responsibility and balancing multiple tasks, for starters. When you’re writing an application, be sure to emphasise these, as well as anything you’ve done to keep in touch with your industry.
Once you have updated your resume, tackling your online presence is your next priority. There is no avoiding it! You’ll need to have an online presence to be competitive in today’s job market. Optimising your LinkedIn profile, it gives you an opportunity to not only showcase your relevant skills, but it’s also a great way to show you’re involved and active in your subject area.
Amelia, a qualified professional careers coach, can help you navigate your way through these. Find out more here.
4. Reconnect With And Expand Your Network
Reconnecting with your existing network and expanding it are two of the best ways to break back into the workforce. Many of your best advocates will be those who have worked with you, and many companies highly value candidates who are referred by their current staff members.
5. See a Career Coach
A Career Coach or Career Counsellor can work with you to identify your natural strengths, change your mindset around your confidence to go back to work and help you to come up with strategies to re-enter the workforce in a way that works for you. Contact Amelia here for beneficial career advice.
6. Lastly, be brave
It is super important to be crystal clear with your employer. Ask for what you want, what you deserve, what you are worth. If you want to work flexibly or part-time, ask. It's not only parents who work flexibly; executives, retired people, consultants and many others also choose their working hours. Many employers are understanding the benefits of working flexibly. And thanks to Covid-19, any boundaries around working from home have been broken down and it is becoming the norm.
If you are applying for full-time roles, don’t hesitate to ask if they are willing to offer part-time or flexible hours. Demonstrate that you are the best person for the job and show them they can't do without you - then you are in a stronger position to negotiate.
Remember: You are capable, you are confident and you will nail your chosen career!
Amelia McDermott is a Career Coach and Coaching Psychologist, based on the Mornington Peninsula in Melbourne. With nearly 20 years of training and experience working as a psychologist, Amelia has a strong understanding of how to uncover what makes people tick, and how to help people find an authentic career that aligns with their unique talents and values. If you’re looking for Career Advice or Career Counselling, look no further than Uplift Coaching and enjoy a consultation with Amelia to see if a Career Coach is right for you. Book a consultation here.