Career Transitions: Re-Entering the Workforce After Being a Professional Parent

By Roy Notowitz, Partner - Generator Group

A couple of years ago, my sister wanted to get back into the workforce after taking 6 years off to be a professional parent for her young children. She has now been back in the workforce for two years and has resumed her previous level as a VP in a major financial institution in New York City. 

When she wanted to get back into the workforce, she had asked me to help her through the process because she anticipated that potential employers would think that her skills were not relevant anymore.  I worked with her  to perfect her communication around her desire to return to work. We also worked on her ability to articulate the core competencies that she still held despite her time on the sidelines. The first few interviews were challenging for her, but we debriefed after each one to learn from the experiences.

Here are a few of the important success factors that worked for her:

1. She needed to have confidence in her abilities in order to succeed in the interviews.
2. She did not have to settle for just any job as a result of taking time off, she could be selective.
3. She bolstered her marketability by doing some contract consulting work to gain a baseline of experience with some of the newer systems and audit procedures.
4. She maintained a positive attitude and demonstrated flexibility without giving up what she really wanted.

Many employers did not view my sister’s time off as career suicide and,in fact, it wasn’t really a big issue. Although initially she had to take a bit of a salary cut and start at a slightly lower level to compensate for her gap in experience, she quickly rose back up to her previous level and commensurate compensation. Her biggest challenge in re-entering the workforce was adapting to the changes in pace, productivity, systems, and email etiquette driven by the proliferation of technology that happened in her absence. For example: she asked me once if she should reply to a coworker’s email saying “Thanks” after receiving a reply to an email that she originally sent to that same coworker.

Here are some resources for professional parents who wish to re-enter the workforce on a part-time or full-time basis:

Matchpoint  (http://www.matchpointcorp.com/)

Matchpoint is focused on the needs of professional parents. With operations located in NY, Portland, LA, Atlanta, and Seattle our mission is to help professionals identify and explore professional opportunities, share information on domestic services, and help create and sustain family friendly work environments. We are committed to improving the way corporations engage and leverage the skills of talented professionals looking to find a balance between family and work.

Back on the Career Track (http://www.backonthecareertrack.com)

Back on the Career Track: A Guide for Stay-At-Home Moms Who Want to Return to Work, a book offering strategy and advice to women resuming careers after extended time at home with children. Both graduates of Harvard Business School, Carol and Vivian have experienced personally the process of building a career, taking a career break to be home with children, and getting “back on the career track”.

iRelaunch (http://www.iRelaunch.com)

iRelaunch  is a resource that will be launching shortly to connect mid-career professionals on career break with each other, with resources to update them and with employers interested in reengaging them.

Generator Group - Executive Job Search Firm

Comments

[Lisa Benson]

Our site is a good place to network with other professional parents if you want to job share, or, if you need a partner to deliver work to a client.

Also, we have found success convincing clients to allow people to do contract work between 9 and 2 (between drop off and pick up for people with school-aged children), as well as off-site, when necessary.