Moms Returning to Work

Moms returning to work typically have an easier time finding a satisfying job when they take steps to protect their earning power, stay involved in their industry and maintain business networks while they are at home caring for their children. If you are a stay at home mom, and you plan to return to paid employment some time in the future, your ability to return to the workforce in a satisfying job will have a lot to do with what you do when you are not employed.

Maintain Your Business Contacts
When you leave your job to be a stay at home parent, make a point of keeping in touch with your former colleagues. An occasional phone call, email or lunch date is all that's necessary to maintain your network of business contacts so they will be there to help you out when you are ready to return to work.
Your former colleagues are the people who will let you know about great job leads when you are ready to return to work, and networking is the best way to find great job leads.
Stay Active in Your Industry
I know from personal experience that between diaper changes and soccer practice, finding the time to stay active in your industry can be a challenge. However, it's necessary if you want to protect your ability to earn an income.
It's typically not necessary to spend hours at this task. Finding just a small amount of time to be active in your industry will pay off when you decide to return to work. If you do a little brainstorming, you can find many ways to commit just four or five hours a week to being active in your industry in order to protect your future earning potential. For example:
- You could volunteer a few hours a week for a company in your industry. If you're considering doing volunteer work to stay active professionally, do keep in mind that the volunteer work must be relevant to your industry if it is going to help you with your future return to work. Unfortunately, unless your profession involves working with children, volunteering at your child's school typically does not carry a lot of weight with employers.
- You might do some freelance work or start a very small, part time business related to your industry. If your goal is to stay active professionally, you do not have to build a big business, just develop enough work for yourself that you are in touch with your industry. Of course, you may also use this time to develop a full fledged business (that's been my solution) if it fits with your priorities.
- Depending on the type of work you do, staying active with your professional associations, attending conferences and seminars or taking a work related course can also be ways to stay active in your industry.
Most moms returning to work do not have to spend endless hours to stay active professionally. Just commit enough time to stay connected to your field and have a solid answer for employers who will want to know what you have been doing since you left your last job.
Keep Relevant Technical Skills Current
One of the biggest and most common issues that moms returning to work face is out of date technical skills. When you're engrossed in transporting kids to school and classes, helping with homework, running a household and planning fun family activities, you may not find many opportunities to keep your skills up to date unless you actively create those opportunities for yourself. Technology moves so quickly, it doesn't take long before you find that technology has passed you by.
Plenty of jobs require computer and other technical skills, so if you are going to be out of the workforce for a while, it will be important to find ways to maintain relevant technical skills.

I've worked with a lot of moms returning to work after a long period of unemployment, and clearly, those who found ways to maintain their technical skills and stay active in and connected to their industry were also the ones who had the easiest time returning to work. A little bit of time invested now will make a big difference when you do return to work.