Workforce Re-entry for Sequencing Mothers
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Package Yourself Properly
As with any job seeker, a well-written CV and professional demeanor during interviews are keys to a successful return. A skills-based rather than a chronology-based CV may make the perceived gap in your work history less obvious, Maschka says.
Maschka also recommends you prepare for and practice answering the "what do you do?" question. Interviewers are legally prohibited from asking about your marital status and whether you have children. But if it comes up indirectly in an interview, make sure you feel comfortable and confident describing your current role and responsibilities. To anyone who asks what she does, Maschka responds, "Right now, I have two unpaid jobs, a volunteer management position with a not-for-profit organisation and the unpaid job of caring for my child." And don't apologise for a gap in paid work on your CV. "Taking care of kids is not a break or holiday," she adds.
Be Patient
You probably will not immediately regain the pay and prestige you had before you got off the fast track, and you might not want to if your pre-children job required long hours and travel. But don't be discouraged. As a returning professional, you have a chance for a second career that will probably be longer and may be more interesting than what you did before your hiatus, Sollmann says. "You've got maybe 25 [working] years ahead of you," she says. "You can really dig into something."
Be Confident
People 45 to 64 comprise the fastest-growing segment of workers in the US, Sollmann notes. This is good news for sequencing moms. "Employers not only want you, but need you," she says. A can-do attitude, paired with the growing demand for older workers, will land you back in the workforce. "If you present yourself as a returning professional, you will be perceived as a working professional."
