Monday, September 12, 2011

Back to School, Back to Work

You can almost feel it in the air. The crisp evenings, the sounds of the school buses rumbling through the neighborhood, the smell of newly sharpened #2 pencils: the kids are back in school. If you have taken a break from the paid work force to stay home with your children for an extended period of time, you may be thinking about returning to the working world.

If you’ve been at home for more than five years, let me be the first to say you’ve got your work cut out for you. I don’t mean to discourage you at all, but think about it. Five years ago Facebook didn’t even exist and now companies are using it as a significant recruiting tool. iPhones, let alone iPads, were but an apple in Steve Jobs’ eye and now apps lead business productivity discussions. Bottom line: Things have changed in the workforce. And things for you- and your family- have changed, as well.

The good news is that we’ve seen some very warm market reception to a number of candidates lately with significant paid employment gaps. Even in the Great Recession. Because the truth of the matter is that there’s a sharp demand for very smart, well-qualified, dynamic employees (particularly in a few hard-to-fill job families) and the candidates with the best reception show personal and professional preparedness and a strong job search strategy.

Over the next few blog posts, we’ll share what we’ve seen work for returning-to-work parents in current market conditions. We’ll touch on addressing your own personal and family preparedness, building a resume to address the gap, rebuilding your professional network, job search strategy, and interview preparedness. Along the way I’ll pull in real-world examples of Momentum Resources candidates using these tips effectively to return to the paid workforce. And soon you’ll be packing your own lunch to head back to work!

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