(as if raising a family isn’t work enough).
First, give yourself a lot of credit. If you stayed home to raise the fam’…you’ve probably worked harder than most people do on their jobs! But you haven’t used your skills in years? You can’t remember where all the letters are on the keyboard? Windows? HTML? Machine sequencing? Supply Chain?
OK, here are some real-life tips: Get ready for a few ‘no’s’ (maybe more than a few). If you do not retain a key skill (something very specific), you are going to have to practice for awhile. PRACTICE first. If your career is not accessible at home (Machinery, coding, negotiating) then start looking on the Internet, books and perhaps at your previous employer.
Most jobs today are not ‘trainee’ jobs. Don’t expect to get top $ the first job back. Employers will pay what you are worth to them…not what you think you “need” to go back to work. Don’t stress that you are nervous about going back to work. If you don’t have confidence in yourself, others will not. Get your ‘work energy’ and ‘sharp edge’ back. We have seen too many people approach going back to work and re-learning skills as though they are arranging a tea party…casual, chatty, and less-than-urgent. If you aren’t ready, don’t start.
Part-time? Sure. But don’t expect to ‘have your cake’. Try to find a job-share situation (2 people doing the same job on different days). Be at home when the kids get there? OK, but don’t expect to get too much. Typical business hours are 8-5 or 9-5, blue collar is 7-3, but overtime is going to be required. Jobs with hours that are 9:30-3:30 are rare. It is not fair, but that’s business, especially in a global economy melt-down.
You may want (or need) to temp first. It can be a great way to get back to the ol’ routine. Resume? How to handle the last X years ‘gap’? PUT IT ON THE RESUME! But add this to your “Career Summary Statement”(see our resume advice): ‘A back-to-worker who has taken the time before seeking interviews to regain and exceed my previous skills’. That should take care of a few unspoken questions! If this is true (skills), you WILL get interviews. This is a perfect time to get a career coach!
Discrimination against back to workers? You betcha. But not the way you think. Employers who are hiring are looking for immediate productivity, not re-training. If your skills are rusty, you are immediately second tier.
If you have been used to a day that includes a lot of downtime (in between chaos) your general “outward edge” may have been lost. Your “Business Energy” (urgency) may have been forgotten. Practice.