Now Hiring: Working Mother?

Lately, I have been kicking around the idea of going back to work after my youngest starts kindergarten next year. So I decided to take a free online career inventory.  This was entertaining for me, since I am one of those strange people who enjoy taking tests. To my surprise, even more entertaining were the results. 

The website said it would reveal my top three career matches for free.  The first match was the career I previously had but could not return to.  The second match was a career I cannot remember, but that was not viable (probably “teacher”—thanks, Schwarzenegger).  The third match was “cruise ship director”.

Granted, the inventory gets high marks for accuracy, but unfortunately, it was not very helpful in my particular situation. I love traveling and probably would be a killer cruise ship director, but I think my husband would be displeased and my children very poorly dressed and fed (although very happy having Cocoa Puffs, dear hubby’s favorite cereal, for breakfast, lunch and dinner everyday). Finding a new career was going to be more challenging than I thought.

I imagine I am not the only parent faced with this quandary.  Although I have not discovered the solution yet, here are some of the resources I have found and steps I plan on taking.

Take time for self-assessment

Reentering the job market may be daunting, but I recently read an article that transformed my perspective. It pointed out that the last time I was considering a career path, I was still developing my identity and barely knew who I was or what I was good at.  It dawned on me that, as scary as it might seem, this was an opportunity to reevaluate my career options in light of the self-knowledge and skills I had gained over the years.

This is where personality and vocational tests may be helpful.  There are many online; some free, some with a paid option, but as always, caveat emptor. This is an excellent article that outlines some things to be aware of and links to some online assessments.

“Interview” prospective careers

Most likely you know someone who has a job that sounds appealing to you. Invite them out to coffee (yes, you should treat) and ask them to share about their career with you.  Not only will you get to know them a bit better, you will learn what their fields truly require firsthand. If the field is a good fit, with a bit of luck you could also find leads and begin networking.

Go online

I know everyone who knows me thinks this is my solution to everything, but truly, the Internet is a nearly limitless resource that has revolutionized how people job hunt. The City of Glendora’s website has an excellent page dedicated to career assistance with a number of helpful links. Working Mother magazine has a career advice section that is stocked with helpful articles and tips. The companion site to the job hunter’s classic, What Color is Your Parachute? is packed with useful articles.

Get professional assistance

If you cannot find what you need online, a live career counselor may be helpful. The Pasadena chapter of Women at Work offers a veritable buffet of services from testing to workshops to weekly job-hunting clubs for a nominal fee. They also email job leads posted on their job board in their offices. The Pioneer Center at Tri-Community Adult Education in West Covina offers vocational testing and counseling services free or for a minimal fee. Call (626) 974-6823.

Prepare your resume

This can be the most intimidating part of the process, even more so than the interview.  If you have been a stay at home parent for several years, you may fear that the large gap in your work history will eliminate you as a job candidate.  The reality is that nowadays many employers understand that stay at home parents may possess and sharpen the very skills they need for the workplace in their roles at home.  There are some great resume tips here, here and here.

Apply!

All that is left to do is dive in and start applying!  Do not be afraid to let your friends know that you are on the lookout for job leads.  Many of the links listed above will direct you to job listing sites as well.

Ironically, after all this research, I came across this article on the value of stay at home parenting and calculating the cost of a second income. I may have to break out the calculator before I dust off my resume…