Mom, do you have to go to work?

Lately, I’ve been getting more job transitioning Moms looking to get back to work. There are the ones whose super domestic engineering duties are almost gone; therefore, they’re looking forward to transfer their skills into an office environment. On the other hand, there are the Moms whose financial household situation is requiring them to do what they know how to do best: multiple tasking between a job and the duties of raising a family.

I am a true fan of Moms and their working potential as they probe constantly their amazing commitment to do the job that needs to be done while organizing multiple priorities into a scheduled scheme of tasks that generate tangible results.


I think our society has evolved and it’s getting a deeper understanding on the transferable skills Moms have to offer to this job market; however, the market is tougher for everyone these days as there are less jobs for more qualified people. This element has an impact in the emotional side of many transitioning professionals and Moms returning to work are not the exception. I have listened to their worries about their adequate offer to the market (e.g. do I have what it takes?) or not having enough skills to sell (e.g. I may not be that qualified after all). At the end, professional branding’s clarity with a vision is the key to nail it.


40 percent of American women are now the primary earners in a household and this number keeps growing, though, we all know there are obvious salary disparities in what women make vs. men doing the same job.


The chances are most Moms out there are actually adding further value in their activities beyond the Mom duties by doing fund raising and volunteering at a local non-profit group or PTA. Knowing what to do with it and how to capitalize your resume is essential.


Highlight the competencies that you have demonstrated on these volunteering activities with no embarrassment or apologetic sense such as:

•  Developed a donor prospect list of individuals and groups with the capacity and propensity to give for further research while rating prospects in categories of giving potential in order to plan solicitations (Did you organize all the previous donors and worked on that master list for this year’s event? Well, here you go!)
• +25% contributions’ increase in less than a year by leading a fund raising drive for a +800 community members (It may be you actually organized a successful school fund drive)
• Designed and conducted training programs for +50 young volunteers using various training methodologies in order to increase fund raising events’ success (you have led and facilitated a meeting with all volunteers to go through expectations, roles and accountabilities, as well as deliverables and safety procedures to be kept during the event…isn’t this training?)

The point is to focus in what you have and not what you may think you are missing because the chances are that if you own your Brand, then you’ll be able to land an offer by networking yourself effectively among your contacts.


It is not a matter of luck but a matter of self-confidence, branding, networking and vision to succeed.


“The hand that rocks the cradle is the hand that rules the world.”- W.R. Wallace


Your coach,
 
Mariela