Transition Tips To Return To Work After Parental Leave

Congratulations! If you’re reading this post, it means that you are hoping to return to work after parental leave. That’s a big step and one worth celebrating! 

With any transition, you may be excited, nervous, dreading it, and wishing it would get here soon – all at the same time. That’s totally normal. Depending on your company’s maternity and paternity leave policy, you may have been off for six weeks, six months, or something in between. No matter the amount of time you’ve spent solely focused on your little one, there are steps you can take to prepare for the transition back to paid work.

Transition Tips For You

It’s important to understand that you are going to have a harder time than your baby with this big life transition. Your entire life has changed – for the better, of course – but in many ways it’s also more difficult. You are caring for a human that is 100% dependent on you, and that changes your priorities, personally and professionally.  

Before you get back to work, consider a couple of internal reflection questions:

• Who do you want to be as a parent?

• Who do you want to be at work?

• How do those two versions of yourself align?

Before I had kids, I never gave a second thought to staying late at work, taking on extra responsibilities, and hopping on a plane with little notice for a big meeting. After kids, I no longer want that lifestyle. I still care deeply about my career, but being at home and having dinner every night with my kids is a top priority. The parent I want to be impacts who I am and what I do at work. 

This process isn’t just for parents who have just welcomed their first child. Parents deal with personal and professional transitions after every child. It’s not always easy to accept a new lifestyle, especially if your work has always been your focus. Take the time you need to reflect and create a vision for your new life and family. Be open to the new change – you may love it more than you think!

Transition Tips For Baby

The best thing you can do for your little one is to be patient and understand that getting used to something new takes time. After all, your baby is still getting used to life in general! If your schedule is going to change, try to ease into it as early as possible. 

For example, if wake up time is going to have to move up an hour, start moving it up in 5 minute increments a few weeks before you actually have to. That way, by the time your baby needs to get up so you can get to work, they are already a pro! 

If your baby will be away from you while you are working, start spending a bit of time away while someone else cares for them so they get used to other people, preferably the person who will be caring for them while you are working.

Practical Considerations For Returning To Work After Parental Leave

There are dozens of practical life adjustments that you’ll need to make when returning to work after parental leave. Here are the considerations we suggest putting at the top of your list:

• Determine your work schedule. Set or flexible? Part-time or full-time? What time will you start? What time will you be home? Knowing your schedule will trickle down to every other decision you need to make, so figuring it out first (and early) will set you up for success.

• Set your care schedule. After you know your work schedule, it will be easier to figure out your care schedule needs. Full day? Mornings or afternoons? Only certain days of the week?

• Start looking for care providers ASAP. With your care schedule in hand, decide the best care provider needs for you and your baby. Facility or In-home daycare? Nanny or part-time sitter? Nanny share or grandparents? The pandemic has made finding child care very difficult, so start looking as early as possible. Many daycares have waitlists and in-home care providers are in high demand, so we can’t say it enough: start early!

• Plan your baby feeding strategy. Will you be pumping? If so, when, where, and how? Work & Mother is a great place to pump if your company is part of their network of lactation suites. Milikify is another awesome resource for moms who want to continue breastfeeding while working away from the home. They freeze dry your milk, making it easier to store and use on the go. Homemade baby food or store-bought purees? Setting a feeding strategy now will allow you to focus on giving your baby extra hugs when it’s day 1 of back-to-work.

• Set up contingency plans. If there is one universal truth with parenting, it’s this: it’s rare for things to go as planned! What happens when your baby is sick? What happens when your care provider is sick? If your work schedule ever changes, how will your care schedule and provider need to be adjusted? If there is an emergency, what is the process for both you and the care provider? Think through these answers, write them down, and make sure everyone is aware of the plan that needs to be involved. When the time comes for you to use your back up care, it will be ready and you’ll have less worry. Some companies partner with Bright Horizons for back up care options if daycare falls through for the day or a nanny can't make it or if an elder parent needs support. 

Set Goals For Your Return To Paid Work 

It’s possible to set yourself up for success as you return to work after parental leave! If you need help setting short- and long-term goals, both personally and professionally, Parents Pivot would love to partner with you. We have made it our mission to be the one-stop online shop for all your return-to-work needs, no matter where you are on your journey. 

Return To Work Success Stories of 2021

Despite the challenges of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, 2021 was a great year for Parents Pivot moms returning to paid work after a career break! We’ve seen success story after success story of moms who overcame the worry, fear, and uncertainty of getting back into the workforce after both short and long career pauses. 

Parent Pivot’s THRIVE Like A Mother job search coaching group connects moms with other talented, paused parents to explore career choices, define your strengths, learn how to leverage skills, and get excited for this next chapter in life. 

The women below are just a few of Parents Pivot’s clients who either graduated from THRIVE or worked with me 1:1, and successfully landed a job in 2021 after completing coaching. Join me in congratulating them for their great accomplishment!

Return To Work Success Stories: THRIVE Graduates & Coaching Clients

Congratulations to Parents Pivot mom Jessica Lin-Powers who returned to work after a career pause at Millennium Challenge Corporation! Here is how her connection with Anna at Parents Pivot empowered her in her pivot:

“Anna’s coaching helped me recenter and focus on my professional interests after putting family first for many years. She helped me regain confidence in my professional credibility so that I could project my qualifications in job interviews and offer negotiations. Just putting in

 the investment in myself and having her as an accountability partner was a crucial step in my successful return to work!”

Congratulations to Cynthia, a spring THRIVE graduate who landed a job with Intouch Solutions as Client Relationship Manager in Chicago after a 21 year career pause. Using salary negotiation tips that she learned in THRIVE, she was able to negotiate a higher salary with confidence. She says that, “Thrive gave me the courage, confidence and clarity to launch my new career.”

Congratulations to Manjari! After a 15 year career pause to be a stay at home mom of twin girls, she landed a part-time job while going through the THRIVE program with Parents Pivot. She is the new Communications and Admin Specialist at Kumon Math and Reading Center in Charlotte, NC and recently completed her HR certification. This part-time job is her stepping stone during her pivot to back into the workforce and will continue her exploration of HR. 

Congratulations to Parents Pivot momma Stephanie Grabbe who returned to paid work after a career pause at The Mom Project as Account Manager! Here is how her connection with Anna at Parents Pivot was a game changer for her:

“Anna helped focus me. I not only took an extended maternity leave, but then also wanted to return to the workforce in another industry. I knew I didn’t want to do what I was doing before I became a mom, but had no idea what I actually wanted to do. Anna’s course helped me get clear on what I wanted from my career, where my strengths really lied and what my true motivators were. Her group format also provided me with encouragement and confidence – there’s a real sense of comradery going on this journey with other incredible women! You learn so much from one another’s journeys – all guided by Anna, who brings the perfect blend of organized host and patient leader!”

Congratulations to Lisa Stock-Reusch for landing a Marketing Manager position with MOSS Building and Design!

“Going back to paid work after a career pause was quite scary and hard to know where even to begin. Anna was great in leading the way and helping with any areas that were difficult to navigate. When I realized that I also wanted to pivot when going back this added an additional layer of complexity but Anna was able to steer me through all of that as well. Anna helped brush up my skills and give me the confidence to accomplish my goal.” 

Want even more inspiration from moms who have returned to work after a career pause? Read these Return to Work success stories on the Parents Pivot blog:

• Meet Danielle

• Meet Debbie

Want to Join These Successful Moms in Returning To Work?

Maybe you’ve been out of work for a while and you feel like you don’t know the latest news in your industry. Or you’re hesitant to set up your LinkedIn profile because how in the world can you explain that gap on your resume? Or maybe you’re just plain overwhelmed by the entire return to work process.

We know the struggles, and we’re here to help. Here at Parents Pivot, we have made it our mission to be the one-stop online shop for all your return-to-work needs, no matter where you are on your journey. 

Explore our parents roadmap, which includes free membership into the Parents Pivot community and job postings, group coaching, and resources.

Check out our THRIVE Like a Mother group coaching program starting soon. Registration closes February 8th.

Will 2022 be the Year of the Great Return?

The pandemic began its crippling effects on our health and economy in March, 2020. For working moms, the coronavirus forced hundreds of thousands to leave the workforce to manage home and family life during the shutdown. While women are still leaving the workforce, it’s drastically decreased since 2020. Almost two years later, and we are all ready to put this difficult chapter behind us and hope that 2022 will be the year of the great return.

But what is the year of the great return?  It’s a year that marks a turning point in the pandemic where we have more control over our circumstances, allowing moms to return to work with the childcare and support they need to balance their personal and professional life.

Even though COVID is still here and we haven’t yet hit that turning point in the pandemic, it’s good to start thinking about what you want to do when you decide to return. Consider this: the typical job search takes 8 months for those without a career pause and even longer for those with a career pause on their resume. If you plan to return to work in 6-12 months, now is the time to start preparing!

5 Signs 2022 Is the Year of the Return

There are several signs that this year will be a year of positive progression for both the economy and our workforce.

1. Not only do we have a COVID-19 vaccine, it is now approved for children ages 5-11. Pfizer’s CEO, Albert Bourla, says the under 5 years old age group will likely be able to become vaccinated as early as the first quarter of this year. The difficulty the pandemic has brought on for working mothers regarding childcare is a major contributing factor to women leaving the workforce. With both adults and children eligible to receive a vaccine, it greatly decreases the likelihood of unexpected and extended childcare due to quarantine periods for the infected and exposed. 

2. Companies are more open to flexible work arrangement which make work more conducive for caregivers.

A silver lining of the pandemic is that companies are more open to flexible work arrangements which include working remotely where possible, designating critical “prime time” hours where meetings and employees are expected to be available, and being more flexible outside of those hours.

3. This pandemic has been a time of great transition and great reflection; people are shifting and realizing that they want a change. For many women who left the workforce, they are re-examining their interests, passions, and priorities. Returning to the workforce will most likely take a different shape from when they left. Working moms may search out different roles than what they had before, and will be looking for more flexibility, and better benefits, all of which are now more available because of the pandemic.

4. Companies are less wary of a career pause after the pandemic, regardless of what caused the gap between jobs. With record unemployment rates across the board, employers and hiring managers are accepting the fact that a career gap is going to show up on resumes more often than not.  

5. Why not start now? There is no time like the present. We have all been through several years of stops and starts with COVID. If we hang around waiting for the perfect time, then we might never get started. So why not get started planning your return? It might just be the change that you have been looking for.

If you are looking to make 2022 your year of return, Parents Pivot would love to partner with you to find success in finding the perfect fit for you! We offer many resources to assist you with your job search, from 1:1 and group coaching to special events and job listings in Houston. Connect with us today to make this year your year!

Transferable Mom Skill: Relationship Building

Throughout the year, you are building a relationship with your kids that will last a lifetime. You know what your children like and dislike, their quirks, and what motivates them. You make holidays and special occasions memorable by adding personal touches that you know they will love, creating memories that they will cherish well into adulthood. As we head into the holiday season, you may already be keeping an eye out for the perfect gift, or planning a wished-for experience for your children. That thoughtfulness makes you a great mom.

Take a moment to consider how you got to know your kids so well. It may seem obvious, but spending time with them and actively listening to them in conversations has made you the expert on your children. No one knows how they tick like you do. 

Believe it or not, you’ve been sharpening relationship building skills with your kids that can transfer to the workplace, making you a valuable asset as a leader.

5 Reasons Moms Are Experts At Relationship Building

So how do you prove you have what it takes to transfer this mom-expert skill to workplace relationship builder? Here are five reasons to share with potential employers that will showcase value they will want on their team:

1. You are observant. As a mom, you pay attention to the most subtle cues from your children that an outside observer wouldn’t notice. For example, one of my children loves hugs and I can usually tell when she needs one, whereas others might not. In the workplace, you can put your power of observation to work with your teammates to learn all sorts of ways to better communicate and work with others. If you notice Jim isn’t the most amicable person before 10am, you won’t schedule meetings before that time. If you notice that Barbara enjoys listening to classical music, you can add that into the office playlist to help boost her productivity. 

2. You are thoughtful. Having someone in your life that cares about you is a perk that is valued in the workplace these days. Gallup has shown that having a friend at work directly correlates to the amount of effort people put in at work. Since you became a mom, you’ve been thinking of ways to creatively show your children that you care about them. You buy them the perfect gifts, you spend time with them in the way they appreciate most, you make their favorite meals. In the workplace, you will put your power of observation to work by getting to know them better, then becoming a friend who genuinely cares and makes them feel like a wanted part of the team. 

3. You successfully tailor your interactions to accommodate different personalities. Let’s face it, no child is the same. If you have more than one child, you’ve learned to interact with each one in a way that will uniquely get through to them. Adults are no different. While one person may take direct, blunt feedback well, another person will find it crushing to their morale and will need it balanced with a few positives you’ve noticed. You can use your experience with your children to prove that you can adjust your written and verbal communication style, and even body language, to ensure the best possible communication with others on your team.

4. You know how to motivate even the toughest critics. In my experience, getting children to put away clothes or toys is an uphill battle. But, as parents, we learn how to motivate them to get the job done. Some children may be encouraged by a reward upon completion while others may just need a creative way to make the job more fun. In the workplace, you can use your skills to motivate even the toughest person on the team to meet their goals. You’ll be willing to work with your supervisors to come up with creative, realistic solutions to build morale and work ethic.

5. There is no challenge you cannot navigate. Being a mom is the most difficult job on the planet. You work long hours, make sacrifices, and never give up. When you find a job that you are passionate about, you will bring that same devotion to the work. You’ll do what needs to be done to reach goals and find success, because being a mom has developed perseverance and dedication in you that you didn’t have before.

As you contemplate how to showcase these relationship building values into a conversation with a potential employer, remember to tailor each of them to your exact situation as a mom and use examples. It’s helpful to write them down to flesh out details beforehand so that you can build a strong vision of what you bring to the table.

Other Mom Transferable Skills

Relationship building is just one of many transferable mom skills. When preparing your resume, cover letter, and interview talking points, consider other mom skills, such as research and problem solving, adaptability and agility, strategic thinking, communication, motivation, and organization. For even more mom skills that transfer to the workplace, click here.

5 Ways Gratitude Can Help Your Career

As Thanksgiving approaches, expressions of gratitude abound. From social media posts to t-shirts to home decor, the words “thankful” and “grateful” are everywhere. It’s one of the best parts of the season! While it’s always more prevalent this time of year, gratitude is becoming a more widespread practice in our culture, year round. Thanks to a wealth of studies on the topic, people are realizing the powerful benefits of gratitude on individual and collective well-being. Those benefits aren’t limited to our personal lives, either. Gratitude has positive effects on our professional lives, as well.

That’s not to say it’s always easy to practice gratitude at work. Between workplace grievances, the temptation to compare our career to others’, and the normal demands of everyday life, we often forget to recognize the good in our work. But doing so can make a big difference in both our satisfaction and performance on the job. Take some time this Thanksgiving season to think about the following ways cultivating an attitude of gratitude could help your career.

5 Ways Gratitude Can Help Your Career

Appreciating the good in our lives is essential for our physical, emotional, and relational well-being, but it also provides significant benefits for our paid work. Consider these 5 ways practicing gratitude can help your career and support your professional success:

1. It will improve your work performance.

   Looking for the good in your job will help you enjoy it more, and happier workers are better workers. Happiness on the job leads to higher engagement, better team collaboration, and greater investment in organizational goals. These, in turn, increase productivity and improve work performance.

2. It will strengthen your professional relationships.
   

   Gratitude generally leads to greater positivity and optimism, and people respond well to that. Think about it - would you rather work with someone who complains all the time, or someone who is enthusiastic about his/her job? By practicing gratitude in your career, you can strengthen your relationships with coworkers, clients, and bosses, as well as attract new networking opportunities.

3. It will build your resiliency.
   

   Every professional journey is filled with ups and downs. Regardless of your experience or skill level, you will face struggles, disappointments, and even failures in your career. Rather than becoming dejected or discouraged by them, gratitude will help you see how these setbacks can lead to greater wisdom and valuable experience for the future.

4. It will motivate you to greatness.
   

   Recognizing the good in our present helps us feel more hopeful about our future. As such, appreciating your current performance is an effective way to motivate yourself to improve. Make it a practice to write down successes you achieve, progress you make, and new skills you develop. It will lead to further growth and greatness.

5. It will make you a better manager.
   

   Studies have shown that feeling appreciated at work is one of the biggest factors in employee satisfaction. As mentioned above, satisfied workers are better workers. Therefore, expressing gratitude to the people on your team will cultivate a positive company culture, increase employee retention rates, and enhance the quality of work, all of which make for an effective manager.

It’s not always easy or natural to practice gratitude in the workplace, but doing so will help you build and advance your career. Have you recently taken a career pause and want to get back to the work you loved? Or perhaps find meaningful work elsewhere? No matter where you are on your return-to-work journey, Parents Pivot is here to help! See how we can help you here. 

5 Remote Work Tips for Working Moms

Among other things, the pandemic has ushered in a new era of remote work. In the initial widespread shutdowns, numerous businesses quickly looked for ways to enable their employees to work from home. As things began to open back up, many of those employees chose or requested to continue working remotely.

As a mom, remote work can be ideal for balancing work and family. It often affords greater flexibility for attending to family commitments and responsibilities. It allows more time to spend with the kids. And it eliminates commute times, opening up more time for both work and family.

Working remotely as a mom isn’t without its challenges, however, especially if you have children at home. It is often difficult to draw clear boundaries between work and home life, the constant multitasking can be exhausting, and working with kids underfoot is no joke. Knowing the full reality of remote work is important for establishing realistic expectations, but the good news is all these challenges can be managed with a few helpful strategies.

Whether you’re already working from home or you are considering a remote job, here are five tips to stay productive and sane as a remotely working mom.

5 Remote Work Tips for Working Moms

While it’s not as easy as people might think, remote work can offer flexibility and freedom that is great for moms trying to juggle paid work and family care. Keep these remote work tips for working moms in mind to thrive both on the job and at home.

1. Create a schedule
   
   In order to manage your work and family commitments effectively, your day needs structure. Having a predictable and consistent routine will help you stay focused and productive and keep the overwhelm at bay. Just as you would if you worked outside your home, set specific “office hours,” and do your best to stick to them. Decide what parts of the day you will devote to family time, and be fully present during those hours.
   
   

2. Be flexible
   
   That being said, one of the benefits of remote work is the flexibility it can offer, so be open to changes in your day. Work out an agreement with your employer about how many hours you need to log and when you need to work them. Depending on the job, many employers these days understand the need for nontraditional schedules and are willing to accommodate some flexibility as long as the work gets done.
   
   

3. Separate your mom and work roles
   
   One of the biggest challenges of working remotely is the lack of physical separation between work and home. Without a clear delineation, it can feel like you’re always at work. One way to mentally separate your mom and work roles is by establishing a dedicated workspace. Ideally, this would be a separate home office, but if that’s not possible, try to find an area you can turn into your own personal workspace.
   
   Another helpful strategy is to set clear boundaries around your work time. Decide when you will and will not answer work calls, check email, and perform work-related tasks. Then, establish rhythms in your day signaling the beginning of your work time (such as getting dressed and sitting down at your workspace) and the end (such as shutting off your computer and walking away or closing your home office door).
   
   When you work remotely, work life and home life will naturally overlap at times. Successfully balancing both will require an openness and flexibility to that intersection. However, the more you can mentally and physically separate your mom and work roles, the more focused attention and energy you will be able to give to both.
   
   

4. Set aside specific toys and activities for while you are working
   
   Never underestimate the power of something new to hold kids’ attention. They always play longer and better with toys or activities that aren’t the same old ones available to them anytime they want. With that in mind, keep an arsenal of toys and activities that you only bring out when you need them to play quietly and independently, such as during a phone call or Zoom meeting. Building toys, sensory bins, reusable sticker sets, and paint with water books are a few ways to keep young kids occupied while you work.
   
   

5. Have realistic expectations, and ask for help when you need it!
   
   Finally, set realistic expectations for yourself, and don’t expect to balance everything perfectly all the time. Realize that just because you are home doesn’t mean you will be able to tackle all the household chores, fulfill all family commitments, or entertain your kids all day. Balancing work and family is a big undertaking, and there will be times you need to give more of your attention to one than the other. Be kind to yourself and give yourself plenty of grace.
   
   Along with that, don’t be afraid to ask for help! Lean on friends and family members for support, hire a babysitter when you need one, and communicate with your partner to create workable divisions of labor. Remember, no woman can successfully fulfill all her roles without help from others, and seeking help when you need it will enable you to give more of yourself to both your work and your family.

Working remotely can be a great solution for moms wanting to balance paid work and family life, but the constant multitasking can take its toll. Set yourself up for success in both work and home by implementing the above remote work tips for working moms.

Are you interested in finding remote work that is conducive to mom life? Parents Pivot can help! With one-on-one and group coaching, we can help you pivot in the workplace and find the job that’s right for you. Set up a coaching session with Anna for customized support as you transition to flexible, fulfilling paid work.

Transferable Mom Skill: Motivation

If you have ever tried to convince a toddler to put on a coat or pick up a room full of toys, you know the power of tapping into what motivates people. With each child, you quickly learn that what motivates one person may have little effect on another, and you adapt your methods accordingly. As a mom, you become adept at motivating different personalities and temperaments in order to achieve desired outcomes, responses, and behaviors.

Those motivational skills come in handy at home, but have you ever thought about how you can use them in the workplace? Being able to successfully motivate others fosters productivity, increases performance output, and boosts morale. It is not surprising, then, that it is a valuable skill employers look for in potential employees. If you are considering a return to paid work, be sure to highlight your motivational skills in your resume, cover letter, and interviews. Follow the talking points below to show how the motivational skills you’ve honed as a mom transfer to the workplace.

How to Transfer Your Mom Motivational Skills Into the Workplace

As a mom, you know how to motivate your family - you do it every day! That ability to guide and inspire your family is useful at home, but it is also valuable in the workplace. Here are a few ways you can position the motivational skills you’ve developed as a mom into a must-have asset for potential employers.

You know how to provide vision and purpose to your “team”.

As captain of the ship at home, you set the course for your family. You know how to clearly communicate what you are working towards, as well as what each member needs to do to achieve family goals. For example, you might share how household responsibilities contribute to a smoothly running home, or what needs to be done to prepare for a vacation. In the workplace, this ability to communicate goals and cast vision gets everyone on the same page, unifies them in a common purpose, and motivates them to work hard to achieve those objectives. 

You are experienced at fostering teamwork.

Whether it’s cleaning the house for company, taking family pictures (a true test of cooperation), or building a loving family environment, you know how to rally the troops and encourage everyone to work together. Teamwork is essential for strong family bonds, and you are experienced at cultivating common purpose, accountability, appreciation of differences, and mutual trust and respect. In the workplace, the ability you’ve developed as a mom for bringing together diverse personalities and viewpoints to achieve a common goal will help you engage your coworkers and encourage them to work together to carry out team objectives.

Your high emotional intelligence will build trust and positive relationships.

Your toddler’s tantrums or teenager’s mood swings may have stretched your limits, but they also developed your emotional intelligence. As a mom, you’ve learned how to manage your emotions and maintain your composure, even in the face of meltdowns and outbursts. You also know how to empathize with your kids when they’re upset and connect with them at a deep, individual level. These abilities to regulate your emotions and build strong, positive relationships not only help you motivate your kids at home, they will also help you motivate adults in the workplace. As an emotionally intelligent leader at work, you will make your coworkers feel valued, inspire their trust, and influence their performance.

You will encourage and empower your team.

Mom life is full of teaching new skills, and you’ve spent years empowering and inspiring your kids as they grow and develop. You’ve learned when to be hands-off and when to give guidance, when and how to praise and correct, and how to build confidence in their abilities. You know how to nurture each child’s skills for productive purposes, and in the workplace, this ability to encourage and empower will produce a team that is highly motivated to perform at their very best.

You are experienced in tailoring motivational methods to unique personalities.

If you have multiple children, you have seen how different individuals can have widely different motivators. Where one child may be highly motivated by praise, another may be more motivated by new responsibilities. After a few years of parenting, you have become well-versed in various motivational methods, and you know how to apply them to your children. This ability to tailor motivation strategies to unique personalities will be a valuable asset to future employers as you bring out the best in every person on your team.

Other Mom Transferable Skills

Motivational skills are one example of transferable mom skills, but there are many others! When preparing your resume, cover letter, and interview talking points, consider your other mom skills, such as research and problem solving, adaptability and agility, strategic thinking, communication, and organization. For even more mom skills that transfer to the workplace, click here.

And if you need a little extra motivation in your job search, then join us for THRIVE! Learn more about how this program can help you as you return to paid work below.

A Solution For Returning to Paid Work: THRIVE

Get the help and support you need to return to paid work with THRIVE group coaching!

THRIVE is a supportive community of like minded returners going through the same thing you are, returning to work after a career pause. THRIVE connects you with other talented, paused parents as you explore career choices, define your strengths, learn how to leverage your skills, and get excited for this next chapter in your life.

Join us for this 3 month return to work program in the fall of 2021! Let THRIVE be the catalyst for you to move towards what’s next.

Dates: Wednesdays October 6, 13, 20, 27, November 3, 10, 17, December 1 & 8

Time: 9am PT/ 10am MT/ 11am CT/ 12pm ET

Location: this THRIVE will be online through Zoom so you can join from anywhere!

Join THRIVE Online today!

Transferable Mom Skill: Research and Problem Solving

If you’re a mom, you are no stranger to research. From the moment you found out you were expecting, you have likely spent countless hours poring over information in order to make the best choices for your kids. Birthing methods, feeding plans, parenting techniques, and schooling choices are only a few of the many decisions parents face. Not to mention choosing between all the myriad options available for things like car seats, strollers, and high chairs, oh my! 

Then there are the issues that pop up that you never saw coming. Perhaps ones you never even knew existed! From major crises like medical issues and injuries to the everyday snags that are regular occurrences in life with kids, parents encounter problems that need solving nearly every day.

Whether you realize it or not, in researching and choosing the best options for your kids, you are using valuable skills that are highly sought-after in the workplace. Many managers report having a hard time finding people skilled in research and problem solving, so these skills make you a valuable asset. If you are considering returning to work after a career pause, use this to your advantage.

As you prepare your resume and cover letter, be sure to include research and problem solving in your list of skills. Once you land an interview, use the following talking points to show potential employers how the ability you’ve honed as a mom to find and implement solutions makes you an asset they don’t want to miss.

Positioning Research and Problem Solving As Valuable In The Workplace

Are you good at researching the issues and decisions you face every day as a mom? Do you know how to recognize a problem and identify what needs to be done to address it? These transferable skills are not only valuable to your family - they can also be put to great use in the workplace!

Here are a few ways you can position the research and problem solving skills you’ve developed in your mom life into a valuable asset a potential employer would love to have:

You are skilled at identifying problems and needs.

Think of all the decisions you have had to make as a mom, starting before your kids were even born. From crazy issues that can arise during pregnancy to safety concerns, illnesses, care methods, and parenting matters every year after, you tackle them all. In order to find solutions, however, you first have to identify the problems that need to be addressed and needs that must be met. In the workplace, this finely-honed skill of recognizing when something is not right or not working well and pinpointing the source of the problem will help you provide valuable solutions for your company.

You know how to track down answers (and you don’t stop until you do).

There are few more motivated forces than a mama bear with a problem to solve. Think about how many late nights you’ve spent consuming the latest pediatric research or reading reviews of every piece of baby gear on the market. Whether it’s medical symptoms, behavioral issues, or childhood development stages, you know how to find answers to your questions, and you leave no stone unturned until you do. This dedication to research and problem solving will benefit future employers as you turn your focus and motivation toward meeting their needs.

You can compare options and choose the best solution.

When it comes to parenting issues, the problem is often not a lack of viable solutions but rather a slew of (often conflicting) options to sift through and evaluate. As a mom, you have become skilled at comparing various courses of action and choosing the best one for your family’s particular make-up, values, and lifestyle. This skill will carry over into the workplace as you evaluate possible solutions and find ones that best align with your company’s values, resources, and goals. 

You won’t be thrown by unexpected problems.

As a parent, you learn to expect the unexpected. You plan and prepare as much as possible, but surprise issues constantly pop up that require quick action. As mentioned in the adaptability and agility post, these curveballs don’t faze you. Not only do you know how to research the decisions you see coming, but you also know how to do it on the fly. This skill of batting unexpected pitches with competence and ease will help you rise to new challenges in the workplace as adeptly as you have at home.

Other Mom Transferable Skills

Research and problem solving are just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to transferable mom skills. When preparing your resume, cover letter, and interview talking points, consider your other mom skills, such as adaptability and agility, strategic thinking, communication, and organization. For even more mom skills that transfer to the workplace, click here.

Need Support Returning To Paid Work?

The summer is coming to a close, and school will be back in session before we know it. As you think about your kids going back to school, you may be thinking about going back to work yourself. If so, Parents Pivot is here to help! Set up a coaching session with Anna for customized support working through this stage of your transition, and consider joining our next THRIVE group coaching session to gain confidence, clarity, and community as you return to paid work.