by Katie Dunn | Jul 1, 2016 | brand, confidence, job search, leadership, moms, women in business
Personal Branding is Important!
As a woman re-entering the workforce, you have a unique opportunity to start over in a career that may be different from the one you left behind when you were last working. This makes your “brand” all the more important because you want to be sure that you project an image consistent with the profession you’d like to enter.
There’s a lot of talk about defining your professional brand, and it can be hard to know just what that means on a practical level. Recently I attended a Forte Foundation Conference for women in MBA programs, and I heard a great talk by a speaker named Lindsey Pollak. She did a nice job of defining 4 key elements of your brand. I share them below along with my own suggested action items for women re-entering the workforce:
The Four Key Elements of Your Brand
1. Visibility – What is your level of exposure as a leader?
Action Item: Be visible to your network by sending a check-in email to see how your contacts are doing and update them on what you’re doing. Be really visible by writing and posting an article on LinkedIn. If you need to work up to that, start sharing high quality articles on LinkedIn with a comment that adds value.
2. Differentiation – What are you known for? What do you offer that others can’t?
Action Item: Determine which of your strengths are most relevant to your intended career field and get comfortable talking about them as you discuss your career search with friends, contacts, recruiters and hiring managers.
3. Consistency – Is your image consistent across various professional situations?
Action Item: Make sure the image you are putting out on your social media sites and in person is that of a good colleague.
4. Authenticity – Are you comfortable in your leadership style?
Action Item: Spend some time thinking about how you describe your leadership style. Then be sure you are not only comfortable leading (this takes practice!) but that you are looking for opportunities to lead. These can be in volunteer opportunities as well as professional settings.
Here’s the challenge
Pick just one of these brand elements to work on this week and commit to doing the action items. Then put a note in your calendar for each of the next 3 weeks to remind you to work on the next brand element. I’m a fan of breaking things into small steps, and I’m betting this will work for you too.
If you’re just getting started relaunching your career, our Return to Work Checklist will come in handy. Information on our Back to Business Women’s Conference is available here.
by Katie Dunn | Apr 26, 2016 | career break, job search, moms, women in business
Today’s blog is special because it features Q&A with Beth, Stefani and Kathleen, three successful relaunchers who attended the Back to Business Women’s Conference in 2015 and started new jobs shortly thereafter. Each of these awesome women worked hard at their job searches, learned along the way and achieved results, but they each did things a little differently. Read on to benefit from their wisdom.
What made you decide it was time to return to work?
Stefani: I was working part time with the thought that it would lead to a better position, but it wasn’t going anywhere and I knew I needed more.
How did you get your job?
Stefani: I heard good things about Indeed.com so I focused on that website and that is where I found my current position.
Kathleen: I applied to numerous jobs at UNC and NC State over a 4-month time period. I finally got an offer for a job that would have been good and on the same day got called to interview for a job that was specifically event planning, which is what I wanted. That same day I was attending the Back to Business Women’s Conference and met a UNC HR person there. He suggested emailing the hiring manager something to show her what I would do if I had the job so I emailed her a detailed event plan that she mentioned in the interview and the next day she called me and offered me the job.
What job search tactics were effective for you?
Beth: I found that networking was the most effective. Contact everyone you know and their spouses. Ask for any help you can get. It is amazing how one conversation can spark an idea or a contact that ends up becoming an opportunity. Be bold and don’t be afraid to ask for help – that’s what everyone does. In the end, my best friend’s husband’s recommendation got me my job.
Did you ever feel frustrated during your job search?
Beth: YES! Job boards were a waste of time for me. Target specific companies related to a skill or an industry where you have previous experience. Now that I have been on the other side of it as a recruiter, I see how quickly resumes are passed over, for the smallest thing. But keep trying – you have to kiss a lot of frogs to find the prince! LOL!
Stefani: Absolutely! I quit looking for a while but with encouragement from my spouse and friends I started back searching again. And what really, truly lifted my spirits was attending the Back to Business Women’s Conference! It inspired me when I had been very discouraged.
Kathleen: Very frustrated! I couldn’t get an interview for a while and it felt like it was impossible to speak to a person during the application process. I learned that I needed to be networking.
Was the type of job you went back to different from your previous job? If so, why?
Stefani: I’m back in the field in which I used to work but I changed my strategy to target a less technical position. I realized that I could not walk back into a role like I used to have due to advancements in technology. This new strategy alone truly helped me get more interviews.
Did you do anything to refresh your skills to get the job?
Stefani: I didn’t, but I was considering it. It’s just difficult to justify when a home has one primary income. Kathleen: Yes, I needed to learn a variety of software programs and I am still learning.
What is your best advice to women on a career break right now?
Beth: Do something with your time that can translate to a job later on. I heard a recruiter colleague of mine (who didn’t realize I had a career break myself) criticize a woman who had been out of work. “Could she not have had a part time job? I can’t help her!” Even a volunteer position that develops skills that can be useful in the workforce is important. Show that you had the initiative to keep current and the energy to volunteer or work at something important.
Stefani: Looking back I wish that I had a strategy in place to return to work as soon as I made the decision to put family first for a while. I was really just “a candle in the wind” but I learned that I should have attempted to keep myself involved in my field, in a professional organization or have a more pertinent part-time job. I just became totally involved in organizations and part time work that focused on my children – not career-forward thinking.
What’s your best advice to women returning to work after a career break?
Stefani: If your search is stagnant, attempt a different strategy. Keep an open mind and try different avenues – don’t be afraid to go outside your comfort zone!
Kathleen: Do a lot of research on the field or business you’re interested in, update your business attire to match the environment you would like to work in, make sure your resume is updated in a way that is being used now, create a LinkedIn account, tell people you know you are looking for a job and look confident even if you don’t always feel it.
How did you manage the transition back to work?
Beth: That was really hard at first, but my advice is to give it time – it will get better. I used an online family calendar (Cozi) to keep track of schedules – that really helped. Everyone will adjust – it does take some getting used to though.
Stefani: My mother always wants to help out so I asked her to make a casserole for my first week of work. And she really came through and made me a casserole each week of my first month – it was great! And my kids have chores they are required to do after school before I get home, such as setting the table for dinner.
Kathleen: I planned out everything I could with multiple plans and became more flexible with what “had” to be done and what could wait.
We made it a family affair, everyone does their part.
Do you enjoy being back at work?
Beth: Yes, I do. I love being an adult again, feeling like a professional and being able to support myself and provide for my family. It wasn’t my first choice for this time of life, but my confidence has returned and I love the new person that I am.
Stefani: I’m loving it – it’s like I’ve gotten back to myself and it really has improved my personal self-esteem.
Kathleen: I love my new job and schedule, so glad I did it. I learned so much from the process that I can share with my teens who are looking for a job!
by Katie Dunn | Sep 6, 2015 | career break, job search, moms
Two weeks ago I officially joined the ranks of the career re-launchers. After working a flexible, part-time schedule for the past 13 years so I could spend most of my time with our four young children, I started a full-time position. And I love it!
I have to admit the whole time I was job-searching, I had mixed feelings. I wondered if this was really the right time. Would my co-workers value my professional skills? Would an employer understand that I plan to give 110% at the office, but that my family will always be my first priority? Would our children survive if I wasn’t around all the time? Would we ever eat a home-cooked meal again?
Here’s the answer to all those questions – a resounding YES!
My first week, and this whole transition, were made much easier because of a few steps I took to prepare in advance.
First, I used care.com to find a nanny. The site is easy to use and after entering in the parameters of the job I was hiring for and some information about our family, I received eight responses in five days from people who saw my ad and wanted to apply. I ran a background check through the site on my favorite candidate, hired her and now enjoy the text she sends me each day around 3pm to let me know she’s picked our boys up from school.
Second, I got disciplined about planning a week’s worth of meals and ordered my groceries online. The monthly fee for this service is well worth it: I save at least that much each shopping trip by not being in the store to be tempted by impulse buys. I use Lowe’s Foods to Go, but Harris Teeter and other local Raleigh-area stores do it too. My hair is actually less gray when I don’t have to wait in line at the deli counter, so I’m saving on my hair coloring costs too!
Third, I enlisted the help of my family – husband and kids – to pitch in and help make this transition as smooth as it could be. They really rose to the occasion! Our dinner menu listed chicken enchiladas for Tuesday night, so on Sunday my husband cooked them and stuck them in the freezer. Having a prepared meal in the freezer is like money in the bank to me, so we cashed in on Tuesday night and enjoyed a nice family dinner.
Carpooling has also been a lifesaver. Although I fear I’ll be forever indebted to my neighbors and friends who have been extremely generous with rides for my children, I am hoping there will come a time when we can repay their kindness. Weekend rides, anyone? I’ll pick your kids up and drive them home!
As for feeling valued at work, I feel like I hit the jackpot. Keeping one foot in the working world with a part-time position while our children were little meant I never felt too far from a professional environment, even when I spent the majority of my time in the trenches of diapers and PB&J’s. If you’ve stepped out of the workforce completely and think you’ll want to return someday, don’t wait until you feel the urgency to return to work to develop new skills, keep up any certifications that might be important in your field or find a part-time or volunteer position that will enable you to keep growing professionally. It makes going back a lot easier.
During my interview for the position I started this week, I was asked about my ability to multi-task and juggle multiple responsibilities. I gave my business answer, but couldn’t resist adding “…and I do have four children, so multi-tasking is pretty second-nature to me.” My interviewer laughed and said “Well, maybe you can teach us how it’s done then!” I knew then that I’d be valued not just for what I can do, but also for who I am. I am a working mom!
