Professional Moms: How To Get Ready To Re-enter The Workforce
|
Finally! Your youngest is in school and you are ready to hit the job market after an extended absence. As you scrape the last of the Fruit Loops from the kitchen table, you ponder a few unfortunate truths:
? Your network has gone stale
? Your industry contacts have moved on
? You are not in the loop anymore.
Face the facts: you are at a disadvantage compared to those who have been in the job market continuously. You need a winning job search methodology to jump-start your career. Most job seekers use only one or two methods to cover the marketplace, and miss 75% of available opportunities. In order to get maximum exposure you will need to use multiple job search methods simultaneously. Let's get started!
First, assess what you have to offer. Take a personal inventory of your:
? Knowledge
? Skills
? Accomplishments
If you can't think of many accomplishments, ask those around you to give you feedback on your talents and abilities. Often those close to us are more aware of what we have to offer than we ourselves are. When you have completed your skill and accomplishment review, use the results to write a compelling resume that clearly shows your value to a potential employer.
If you have been out of work for a while, you many be wondering if your skills are still relevant. You can burnish your resume by taking on some volunteer work in your area of expertise. Here's a great example. Is your niche public relations? There is bound to be a community group or local non-profit that would really benefit from having a professionally designed newsletter. Or, you could volunteer to serve as a media contact to publicize the organization's events. Is marketing your area of interest? Approach a local school and volunteer to design some marketing materials to promote their programs. Local organizations are hungry for talent. Only your imagination will limit what you can accomplish. While you are volunteering your skills, you will also be gaining exposure in the community, and you are likely to make a few contacts that can help you with your search. Those contacts will make valuable additions to your network.
Think you don't have a network? Think again! Start with any people you know. Here are a few places to start:
? Organizations to which you belong
? Church
? PTA
? Sports leagues
? Voluntary associations
Make a list of everybody you know. Ask those people whether they know anyone who has re-entered the workforce after a long absence. Talking to people who have done what you want to do will increase your confidence that you can do the same.
Now you're moving! Next, you need to start thinking about where you would like to work. Mass mailing your resume is a waste of time and postage. What you need is exposure to the companies that can make the best use of your skills. Identify five of them and research them thoroughly. Decide where you could provide the most value in each company, and identify the decision maker who has the authority to hire you.
Focus on the needs of each company; identify the relevant decision maker; and you position yourself ahead of those who limit themselves to the want ads and the Internet. You may even have an opportunity to create a position around your skills! When you reach a decision maker before an ad is published, you have obtained exposure that most will miss.
Another method of increasing exposure is to search for spot opportunities. Follow the industry news, check company websites, and learn about new initiatives or changes that could affect the business climate. Armed with this knowledge you will appear well-informed to your potential employers.
Informational interviews are another way of targeting areas where your skills might fit! Try approaching someone who is working in a job you think you would like, and ask them how they got their position, and if they could give you some advice on your job search. People will be amazingly helpful, especially when they can identify with you and your situation.
When you have reached this point, your confidence will be increasing daily. By using multiple methods to approach the market, you are being exposed to opportunities that others can only wish for. You are making new contacts, learning more about the needs of companies, and identifying the individuals that have the power to hire you. You are ready to use your knowledge of the company's needs and your inventory of skills, abilities, and accomplishments to demonstrate your value to the organization in an interview.
Sometimes all of this can seem overwhelming. If this is the case for you, you might want to consider hiring a professional to guide you in your search. But remember, you are not the first to be in this position. Others have successfully re-entered the job market after an extended absence, and you can too. Using multiple simultaneous methods to cover the entire market, and reaching decision-makers before an ad is published can be the key to your success no matter how long you have been out of work.
Lynn Green is a Senior Consultant for R.L. Stevens & Associates Inc. http://interviewing.com/ For over 24 years R.L. Stevens & Associates has been the Nation's most successful privately-held firm, specializing in executive career searches generating quality interviews through both advertised and unadvertised channels.
|
|
|
9 Secrets To Career Success
Are you miserable at your job (or what you are doing) but go anyway to earn a living? Do you feel you are unable to use your talents and are doing things that are stressful? Do you find yourself in a career rut? Wouldn't you rather be in your ideal income position and "Go to Play" everyday? Most people spend approximately 35% to over 67% of their waking hours working. Being unhappy for so muc...(related: Employment)
Be Prepared For The Unexpected
How long has it been since you last had to search for a new job? These days it's not at all unusual to change careers or jobs several times in a lifetime. The idea of retiring from the same company after a lifetime of service is much less a reality in today's world than it was a couple of decades ago. The likelihood of unexpectedly losing your job is greatly increased today due to a number of different factors such as corporate downsizing, technological evolution, and globalization just to name a few. Being thrust i...(related: Employment)
Seeking Knowledge Will Give You Power
What are you interested in? We all have a passion for something. So, what is your passion?Are you actively seeking information about your passion? Knowledge, providing it is correct knowledge, will increase your power.In this century there is an increasing demand for experts in so many fields. Everything is becoming more and more specialized.Let me give you an example. At the turn of the 19th Century, all you needed to do to be an Accountant was to be goo...(related: Employment)
How To Get A Job Writing Speeches
Jobs in speech writing are amongst the most difficult to find, but are much sought after. In many cases, the subjects that will deliver them will want to find expert advice on what to say, how to say it, and how to make themselves look good through it. You will not start out with a job in speech writing for the President, though. You will start at a much lower level and work your way up. While many people do not like to give speeches, even fewer people like to write their own. That means that there are some great opportunities out there for those looking. But, where do you look and how do you find them? What qualifications are needed anyway?Well, the qualifications for speech writing jobs are fairly basic. Y...(related: Employment)
Work In Dubai
Dubai is home to an exciting, diverse, multi-cultural blend of young, dynamic and professional people all enjoying the unrivalled quality of life the Emirate has to offer. It is of absolu...(related: Employment)
Integrity At Work - How Do You Show Up?
As the business sections of today's papers and magazines read more and more like the police blotter, ''Integrity'' is fast becoming a hot topc of conversat...(related: Employment)
Taking A Survival Type Job Is Good For You.
Ugh! Arg! How can a survivor type job be good for me?I'm barely hanging on to what I found and at minimumwage. (I have been promised a ten cent an hour increasein one month).I used to be a facilities manager at a tire factory. Boy, have I hit bottom! I've had to give up a lot of things Iliked; like my fitness club membership. None of thatnow. I feel so down in the dumps that I don't evengo for a walk, much less worry about my being fit or not.I feel lousy after the tire factory went overseas....(related: Employment)
Interview Preparation
The dreaded job interview is the Number 1 source of email enquiries to Confidence Club. The following email is typical:"I have an interview coming up and I'm terrified! I have to do a presentation in front of a panel of judges, and I j...(related: Employment)
Don?t Discount The Temporary Position Interview
If you think, 'it's just an interview for a temp job -- no big deal,' that's where you're mistaken. Some wonderful opportunities, networking connections and careers have resulted from temporary positions.Temporary assignments today run the gamut from receptionist to CEO and beyond. And since an agency is usually the first contact with the company, much of the marketing and negotiations have been done for you.And if you believe 'but the interview is set up and all I have to do i...(related: Employment)
You?re Ready For A Career Change - Is Your Resume?
You finally did it. You made the decision to leave a career that makes you dread every Monday morning and pursue one that you feel is your true calling. Congratulations! Making the decision was the hard part, right? Unfortunately, no. You've convinced yourself t...(related: Employment)
site-map - Copyright © 2007 | Contact Webmaster | All Rights Reserved | Free Articles and Information | Employment