It’s not easy, going back to work after having kids.
And the more time you have away from the workforce, the harder it can be to get that lucky break and land a position.
I was fortunate enough to be able to stay at home full time, from early 1994 (just before our son was born) … it wasn’t until late 2002 that we felt it was time I returned to the paid workforce.
It’s not like I did nothing during those 8 or 9 years – in addition to looking after children and home (a full time job in itself!), I managed to:
- write and sell a number of articles to magazines (see below);
- make a small profit buying designer label / good quality children’s clothing from op shops, and selling them on Ebay;
- coordinate a stall for the school fete, and help with numerous other activities at the school;
- run a ladies group;
- produce a fundraising cookbook for my church;
- volunteer in the church office and prepare the weekly newsletter;
- launch, produce and distribute a quarterly magazine with the 101 tasks that involved (from graphic design to maintaining the customer database);
- organise numerous fundraising and church events;
- do quite a bit of public speaking at groups, meetings, conferences and workshops.
There’s no doubt I kept my skills up (and even learned new ones!). I was still using a computer and various software programs on a daily basis, handling finances, managing volunteers. I showed initiative, motivation and dedication.
Yet – when the time came for me to return to the workforce – no employer would take me seriously. They either ignored or completely discounted all that I had achieved because it wasn’t “paid”.
So if you are a mum wanting to return to the workforce and feeling that you are being overlooked, you are not alone. I’ve been there.
After numerous knockbacks, instead of seeking out a permanent position, I signed up with a temp agency to get some “current” work experience. During that time I worked in both the private and public sectors, doing reception, data entry, transcription, and accounts work. Some roles lasted all of a week. Another kept me employed for several months.
As a bonus, temping also gave me a good idea of what sort of a job I really wanted – big department or small office? Full time or part time? Accounts or customer service? Local or further afield? It was a great “trial run” for my family also, to see what it would be like when mum went back to work – and there were still many weeks when I was back at home. I really do recommend it to other mums looking to make the transition from home to paid work.
At last, when I started applying for permanent jobs I began to get asked to interviews. By the time I had a few interviews under my belt, I was much more prepared for whatever questions were thrown at me.
And then – I was offered two great jobs in one day – wouldn’t you know it!
My kids were in Years 4 and 2 when I began working at the local library on a casual basis – which fitted in beautifully with our family life at that point in time.
How long did you take off work when you had kids? Was it difficult to find another job?
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