Tuesday, June 30, 2009

How to look for a job after spending time as a full-time mother: Helpful hints

I've been back at work almost three months now. And I'm a little surprised to say that I'm really happy. Truthfully, I thought it would be harder settling into a full-time job - and into the role of Working Mom - after eight years as a full-time at-home parent.

But it's been remarkably smooth, this transition. It's like riding a bike: I remember how to get up, take a shower, and go to an office. I remember how to talk intelligently with grownups I don't know very well. I remember how to problem-solve collaboratively and state my opinion authoritatively. It's a daily deja vu: I feel more like my pre-children 20-something self than I have in years. My kids are great and all, but I like the way this feels.

But getting a job - well, there I was lucky, and I realize it. In the early 1990s, I accidentally fell into what is now the hottest growth sector (social media) of one of the only growth industries (the Internet business) in the world. Looking for a job in January 2009 was laughable for most people. Me, I saw new jobs listed in my sweet spot every day.

Even so, there were things I learned during my job search that I wish I had known before getting back on the market. If you know women who've been at home caring for their children and are thinking about going back to work, please send them this link. I'd love to hear from them.

So - things every mom should do when looking for a job after a period at home full-time:

1. Sign up for LinkedIn (if you haven't already), or update your current LinkedIn profile. Recruiters in every industry look for candidates on LinkedIn. Even if they find a candidate through another channel, they look on LinkedIn to cross-check what's on the person's resume. Paper resumes are out; electronic "social media" resumes are hot, hot, hot, and not just when you're looking for Internet jobs. Maintaining your online presence tells employers you're modern, current and forward-thinking - especially important when you've taken time off from work and have to fight the perception that you're a dinosaur who thinks about nothing but diapers.

2. Clean up your Facebook page. Yes, recruiters will check there too. It's fine for your Facebook page to be personal, but make sure there's nothing embarrassing.

3. Find all the blogs related to your industry or area of expertise, and spend a week just reading them and following the links within them. The blogosphere is the best way to get a handle on what's going on in any corner of the business world these days. If you read something interesting, leave a comment, and link your name back to your LinkedIn public profile. That way, when something you've said catches someone's eye, they'll be able to click through to read more about you.

4. Start a blog related to your area of professional expertise. You don't have to be a professional journalist. You don't have to be ready to write a book. But you do have to prove to potential employers that you are smart; you are thoughtful about your professional niche; and you are a take-charge go-getter. It's easy to say you're an expert on your resume; it's harder, but much more valuable, to prove you're an expert by actually saying smart things in a place where people can read them. Once you have a blog and have written in it at least three or four times a week for a month, use that link when you comment on other people's blogs.

5. Join Twitter, if you haven't already, and follow all the people in your industry you can find. When you find one interesting person in your business to follow, look at the people he or she is following for more good follow ideas. Spend a few days just reading other people's Tweets. Don't worry if no one is following you back; if you like social media, by all means start tweeting, retweeting, sending @ messages, etc. But if not, you can still learn a lot from Twitter as a passive "listener."

6. Go back to your resume and your LinkedIn profile and add your blog. I had no current work experience, but a very wise woman suggested I put my blogs (I have three) front and center on my work history. That was, indeed, what I had been doing most recently - the fact that I wasn't getting paid for them made no difference.

7. For that matter, make sure your LinkedIn profile and your resume include all the volunteer jobs you were no doubt doing while at home with your children. Chairing a fundraising committee and organizing beach cleanups for the third grade are work, and you can make them sound professional. Be sure to include results. Volunteer work is still work.

8. Make a list of all the people you've ever worked with, and find them. I know this sounds daunting, but it's worth it. If you were good at your job, people will remember you and will be happy to hear from you. I had been dormant professionally for eight years, and between Google, LinkedIn, Facebook, my personal email address book, and mining friend-of-friend contacts, I had resurrected my entire professional network within two weeks.

9. Once you've found all those people, reach out to them. Don't use a form email, but it's fine to send everyone a few paragraphs saying hi, was thinking about you, been at home for X years, now it's time for me to re-enter the working world, would love to catch up. Again, if you were good at your job, the people you used to work with will be happy to hear from you and will likely be generous about making introductions, offering advice, and, in the best case, putting you in touch with the hiring manager at their firm. Don't discount anyone - you never know who knows whom. And accept all offers of help. You never know where they'll lead. Also, don't forget that the people who used to be below you organizationally may not have taken time off and thus may now be in a position to hire you.

10. Go on every interview that comes up. Ask for informational interviews - most companies are happy to take half an hour to tell you about their businesses, even if they have no open positions right that moment. Meet former colleagues for coffee. Don't be shy about talking about your dream job. And don't forget to tell the other moms you know that you're looking - they may be at home at the moment, but they have professional networks too.

11. Here, I think is the most important thing, and it's about attitude, not action. Do not discount your own experience, ability, or worth in the marketplace. Do not start every other sentence with "Well, I know I haven't been working for the past X years, but I think..." I did this. What's worse, I did it more after starting my job than during the job search process. After my second week at work, the kind, wise friend who brought me into the company took me to lunch and said: You have to stop. Get over it. You're here, you're smart, and we all know you've been out for a while. It's fine. Your opinion is just as valuable as anyone else's. Get over it. And that very moment, I did.

I hope this helps others out there. What did I forget? What helped you? Please leave a comment below - this is a topic that needs way more discussion.

10 comments:

wendy said...

I love this post. I'm not a mom, nor do i work in your field, but i am nevertheless inspired by your insights into what it takes to create a niche, to network effectively, to build confidence and I am going to follow your lead! Thank you, Erika. to be continued.....

DB said...

Fantastic post! Not planning on going back to the workforce for a few years, but it's already playing on my mind about how to go about it when I'm ready.
You put up some great ideas, I'm saving this away for when I need to refer back to it.
I can see why you got snapped up right away!
Thanks.

Erika Kerekes said...

Thanks, Wendy and DarNonymous, for your kind words. I really do feel as though a lot of the job-hunting success was luck for me: right industry at the right time in the right place. But today's ways of networking are so different from those of the past...I'm glad to be able to share what I learned.

Barbara R said...

Hello-I am the "poster child" for how difficult it is to re-enter the workforce after having been a SAHM (stay at home Mom).

After a not so friendly divorce, I thrust myself into the daunting task of getting a job. No, not just any job, but a job that can pay the bills. After all, I was a successful pharmaceutical sales representative, top in my field. How was I to know that 3 years later I would still be applying to jobs and not getting interviews. all of the job applications that I've posted for have apparently gone straight into the circular file. If I sound bitter, I am just stating the facts. No one wants to interview you when you have been a stay at home Mom for too long. It doesn't matter how qualified you are, or, how successful you were previously.

If this comment strikes a nerve with anyone else, or if you are a recruiter or employer that believes that there is life after having children, I would love to hear from you.

Barbara Rood said...

Hello-I am the "poster child" for how difficult it is to re-enter the workforce after having been a SAHM (stay at home Mom).

After a not so friendly divorce, I thrust myself into the daunting task of getting a job. No, not just any job, but a job that can pay the bills. After all, I was a successful pharmaceutical sales representative, top in my field. How was I to know that 3 years later I would still be applying to jobs and not getting interviews. all of the job applications that I've posted for have apparently gone straight into the circular file. If I sound bitter, I am just stating the facts. No one wants to interview you when you have been a stay at home Mom for too long. It doesn't matter how qualified you are, or, how successful you were previously.

If this comment strikes a nerve with anyone else, or if you are a recruiter or employer that believes that there is life after having children, I would love to hear from you.

Erika Kerekes said...

Barbara - I feel for you. The best advice I can give you (not that you asked, but take it for what it's worth) is to go back to the people you worked with in the past who know you and know how valuable you are and how good your work was, and use those connections mercilessly. Ask them for LinkedIn recommendations, introductions, small projects or other contract work. If you can get a few recent projects on your resume, you will have a much easier time getting a full-time job. Also, if you have any friends who are managers and/or in recruiting, show them your resume and LinkedIn profiles and ask for advice - there may be small tweaks you can make that will make you appear to be a more appealing candidate.

I am a huge fan of the blog Ask A Manager, http://www.askamanager.org - she has a lot of advice on this topic.

SuperTrouper said...

Hi Erika,

Great post with lots of useful advice. My situation is also unique - although not in this area -trying to go back to work after having been a SAHM and having all my work experience only abroad. No US job ever. This means my previous contacts are long lost so they cannot provide me references. All my friends are SAHMs so it's kind of a closed circle. I really do believe my only chance of any kind of career is if I choose the entrepreneur path.

Erika Kerekes said...

@Super - you think? I would assume overseas job experience is in many ways MORE appealing to employers over here, as it paints you to be an interesting, worldly person with a rich personal life (even if none of that is actually true). Also, I believe Facebook and LinkedIn are international...you never know whom you'll find once you start looking. :)

Anonymous said...

Hi Erika,
Are you still blogging here? I am an attorney thinking of entering the work force after a gap of 12 years and need help!!
Tuti

Erika Kerekes said...

@Tuti so glad you found this! No, I'm not blogging here actively - I stopped when my kids started protesting that I was writing about them. But I'm happy to chat about how to get your career restarted. I know how hard it can be!