Have you taken time off from paid work, want to return, but are having a hard time finding paid work? If so, then you are not alone. My name is Anna McKay, I am the founder of Parents Pivot and I would like to change this narrative. Throughout my years as an expat and after repatriating to the US, I have seen this phenomenon over and over. Brilliant women leave successful careers to move overseas with their partners or raise their children. They spend time contributing as leaders in their communities and schools. Despite their previous career success and contributions while away from paid work they are turned away from interviews and job offers. It shouldn’t have to be so hard. That is why I founded Parents Pivot to be a coaching and job search resource for parents returning to paid work and an on-boarding coach and return to work program developer for employers who appreciate the multidimensional talents of stay at home parents.
Stats don’t lie - The return to work facts
There are many reasons that people may choose to take time off from a healthy career. Parents may choose to leave paid work after the birth of a child. The cost of childcare can be as much as a yearly salary which forces some parents to choose between staying at home and paying most of their salary towards childcare costs. People may be faced with caring for aging parents, a sibling or dealing with their own health related needs.
Consider this:
· 43% of full time highly qualified women choose to take a career break for childcare responsibilities.
· According to a recent Pew research study, millennial parents are choosing to stay home more than Gen X parents.
· 93% of women who left the paid workforce say they would like to return.
· Only 74% of the women who left their career were able to return to paid work through part time positions (24%), self-employment (9%), or full time employment (40%).
With so many mothers taking a career break, and then wanting to return, it’s clear that a path needs to be laid to get them to where they want to go in the next chapter of their career.
The challenges of returning to work
The path to returning to paid work is a difficult one for most stay at home parents. In fact, a study published in 2018 in the Harvard Business Review shows that a stay at home mother is ½ as likely to get a call back for a job interview compared to an unemployed mother who had been out of the workforce for the same amount of time.
The good news
The corporate world is waking up to this overlooked group of candidates. Human Resources teams are beginning to invite return to work parents in for interviews when the skills and value they’ve learned during their time away has been presented clearly. A few progressive companies have even introduced return to work programs that make it easier for both the employer and the employee to make the transition, but more programs need to be implemented. How do you make sure that you are ready for these return to work programs?
If you are a parent wanting to return to paid work, here are five steps to guarantee success:
1) Tap into your skills, interests, and strengths from the beginning.
What did you love to do in your old job? What have you enjoyed doing during your time away from paid work? Spend time reflecting on this and talking with a friend or a professional coach.
After reflection, one particular coaching client told me she always wanted to be a teacher, but didn’t pursue that after college. That parent could have decided to go back to school and become a teacher, but instead she chose to incorporate teaching others within her established career field.
When people take the time to reflect on what they truly enjoy, they are able to tap into the skills that support returning to paid work and makes the transition process that much easier.
2) Build necessary skills
Once you have considered what you want to do, take a look at what is missing from your skill set. Pursue contracted project work, volunteer experiences, or online courses to strengthen those skills and add to your resume. Proving to hiring managers that you are the perfect person for the job, even with a career pause, is essential for finding return to work success.
3) Shift your mindset
Instead of seeing your time away from paid work as a negative, think about how this might be a benefit. One employer of return to work candidates mentioned to me that these employees often brought a fresh perspective and challenged the status quo in a positive manner through the use of their emotional intelligence. Use that to your advantage. Think of yourself as valuable, and an asset to be pursued. This will transform your experience and your confidence.
4) Reach out to your network
Many stay at home parents have met a plethora of other parents through their children’s school, activities, or other community programs. Don’t be afraid to reach out and let people know that you are looking to transition back to paid work. Don’t assume that everyone knows you want to return to work. Talking with friends, neighbors, and community members is a great way to practice communicating your value and spread the word that you are back in the job market.
5) Demonstrate your commitment
One of the biggest hesitations that I hear from employers is around the commitment level of the stay at home parent returning to paid work. It is a bias that all parents considering returning to work need to be address. If you follow the steps above and have confidence, then your passion for the work that you are pursuing will come through. In addition, communicate that contributing your skills and talents through paid work is important in your career aspirations. Relaying that excitement and commitment to your potential employer are key to helping employers get comfortable with knowing you are committed to returning to paid work.
Implement the strategies above. With more and more companies realizing the benefits of hiring talented stay at home parents returning to paid work, we will be able to change the narrative. The small businesses, corporations, and organizations who hire these stay at home parents returning to paid work will be enhanced because of their valuable contributions.
Parents Pivot is a coaching and return to work company that helps candidates reconnect to their careers with strength and clarity. We offer coaching and support throughout the job search and on boarding process whether this is figuring out what you want to do when you return to work, helping you with your resume and interviews, or coaching you through the transition back to paid work after 6 months or 16 years. We also help connect employers with highly talented stay at home moms and dads through return to work programs. Reach out to learn more about how we can serve you.
Our next Resume Rebuild online workshop is November 13. Sign up here. We offer a return to work program for individuals called THRIVE where we work through assessments and use other tools to help you connect to your skills and the value that you bring and employer, gain clarity around career options that are right for you, develop those tactical job search must haves like a resume and elevator pitch, and network with a community of like-minded parents returning to paid work. The next THRIVE return to work program starts in the spring of 2020. Sign up here to make sure that you are notified when registration opens.
