Tips for Stay-at-Home Moms and Dads Returning to Work

Plotting areturn to work after a breakcan be both intimidating and exciting. But,taking the time to plan your return to the workforcecan make the process smoother for your family. Here are some tips to help you plan accordingly.

Tips for Stay-at-Home Parents Returning to Work

–Make the Time to Find Work

“Returning to work is something that may take time—a lot of time—to do,” says Brie Reynolds, Career Development Manager and Career Coach at FlexJobs. “Set realistic expectations going in that this process may take many weeksor, more likely, months, to go through fully. Too often, moms and dads burn brightly at the beginning of the journey but quickly extinguish because it’s a longer process than they realized.”

Although job searches can take several weeks or months for any job seeker, research shows that it may take longer for parents returning to the workforce. A 2018 study found that parents who take time off of work to care for their families were abouthalf as likely to get called in for an interviewas people who had been working but were unemployed for other reasons.

While those statistics may be disheartening, that doesn’t mean it’s impossible to transition from full-time parent to full-time employee. Plenty of parents who have taken time off from work to raise a family havesuccessfully returned to work after years at home．

–Get in the Right Frame of Mind

“Start practicing as if you’re already returning to work,” Reynolds advises. “Talk openly about your career and the work you either used to do or the work you want to do (if they’re different).Practice talking about yourself as a professional rather than a parent．These small mindset changes, along with a lot of practice talking out loud about work as someone who works, will set you up to speak confidently when you’re interacting with potential employers.”

–得到一些建议

If most of your friends are fellow stay-at-home parents, you may need to look outside your circle for some advice and inspiration.Try to connect with other working parentsto see how they balance work life and family life.

Reynolds adds, “Even if you don’t know many working parents personally, you can use online groups on Facebook and LinkedIn to connect virtually with other moms and dads who’ve either made the return to work or are in the middle of it. Their insights, advice, and camaraderie will be a huge source of support, energy, and inspiration as you make your return.”

Ask them how they conducted their job searches, what they wish someone had told them when they were looking for a job and returning to work, and any job searchstrategies for successthey may have.

–Determine What YouReallyWant to Do

You know you want to work, but you may not be sure what you want to do. Perhaps you’re thinking about going back to your old career because it’s easier than starting over. But, maybe, you want to try something new.

Sit down andthink about the things that have brought you joywhile you were raising your children. Determine what you truly want to do, and then figure out thesteps you need to take to make it happen．

–Make a Job Search Plan

After contemplating the above questions and having a firm grasp on your and your family’s needs, create ajob search plan．Knowing what you need to do and when you need to do it will help keep you on trackand give you actionable tasks to work on if you start getting frustrated.

Set up your job search andnetworking goals, then mark the dates on your calendar. This could include taking classes to learn (or update) skills,volunteering, or even looking foradult internships．

Prepare yourelevator pitch,personal brand, andfive-word job description．Once you’ve got those set, use them when you connect with professionals and conductinformational interviews．

Seek out and verifyjob search servicesthat can help. There are a lot ofjob searching scamsout there, so do your homework to make sure you’re only applying to legitimate jobs and companies.

–Update Your Social Profiles

Many people have more than one social media account. But, even if you have only one account,make sure it’s up to dateand doesn’t containanything questionable．

If there are pictures or opinions youdon’t want employers to see, considerchanging your privacy settings so only people you approve can view your profile．

While you’re at it,optimize your LinkedIn profile．Not only does it give you a chance to showcase your relevant skills, but it’s also a great way to show you’re involved and active in your subject area.

Answering Tough Questions About Going Back to Work

Congratulations—they want to interview you! As you prepare for the big day, remember there are plenty of ways toexplain your employment gapin a professional and reassuring manner.

–Own It

Don’t hide your time off raising a family. Depending on how long you were out of work for, you likely acquired manytransferable skillsthat can be used in the workplace. Furthermore, mention any volunteer work, side projects, and freelance work you did while taking care of your family.

–Dealing With Tough Topics

Whether or not it’s legal or fair, there’s a chance someonemight ask you questions that they shouldn’t．If you find yourself in this position, it’s important to be prepared to hear the questions and have a perfect answer ready to go.

Some of the less-than-ideal questions can include:

Is your career more important than your family?
How do you let someone else raise your children?
Who cooks for your kids?
Do you have to work?

There are, of course, many more like this. But, for the most part, when it comes to answering these types of interview questions, you’ve got a few options.

The most important thing to do is to remain calm．深呼吸,试一试这些techniq之一ues to answer the question.

First, you could answer the question directly. “Who cooks for my kids? My partner, because I’m terrible at it, so the deal is they cook, and I clean the dishes.”

Second, you can try a humorous answer to redirect the question and deflect the answer. “Who cooks for my kids? Anyone I can con into it because I am a terrible cook. Seriously. I can’t even boil water correctly!”

Third, you couldask the interviewer how the question relates to the job duties．“Who cooks for my kids? Can I ask why this is important? I want to understand the job and all of its duties. If I’m going to cook and be your account manager, I’d like to know that information.”

In the end, this will give you valuableinsight into the company and its culture．

Options for Stay-at-Home Moms and Dads Returning to Work

If you didn’t get the job, don’t give up! There are still things you can do that will help you return to work.

–Part-Time and Temp Work

Considerpart-time jobsorfreelance jobs作为一个过渡步骤定期,全职employment. This way, it’s something to help you and your family get used to you working. It also lets you test the waters and figure out what kind of balance works best for you and your family.

Part-time, temporary, and freelance work are also great ways to reintroduce yourself to technology.

You Got the Job!

That’s great! But, once you begin thinking about it, you may start wondering how you’ll make it all work. Who’s going to take care of the kids when they get home from school? What about taking them to soccer practice? What if someone gets sick? Here’s how to plan for a smooth return to work.

–Test Run the Childcare

In almost every case, you’ll have about two weeks before you report for your first day of work. In that time, you should find childcare for your kids.

Once you’ve got it set up,do a test run so the kids can get used to the situationand the new person or people helping you out. It’s also an opportunity for you to figure out what works best in terms of schedule and routine and for you to gain trust and confidence in your helpers.

–Set Boundaries

Once you get back to work, you may find yourself doing everything you can to prove you can do it all. But in reality, that isn’t healthy for your own work-life balance.

Set boundaries andmake sure you enforce them.

If you have to leave at 5:00 to get to daycare before 6:00, make sure you leave at 5:00 no matter what. That may mean working a little bit at home as a trade-off, but let your team know that you have to leave promptly at 5:00 and won’t be bale to stay late for a meeting.

You can offer to have the meeting at a different time, or suggest a virtual meeting instead. There are plenty ofremote work toolsthat allow you to meet with coworkers anytime and anyplace.

Going Back to Work as a Mom or Dad Takes Time

The transition back to work isn’t always easy, so ask for all the help you can get. Reynolds says, “It can also help to work with a career coach who can work with you to find clarity on your goals, get your resume back in shape, practice interviewing, and determine the best return-to-work strategies for you. Through FlexJobs’ career coaching service,we’ve worked with a lot of moms and dads who are returning to workafter months, years, or even decades away from the workforce. The more support you have in your return, the better!”

If you’re a stay-at-home parent who’s ready to return to work, let FlexJobs help you find a new opportunity! In addition to exclusive access to our jobs database, members get discounted rates oncareer coaching services, plus many other perks. Take the tour to learn more!

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