Mission Possible:  How to Smooth Your Reentry

By Virginia Sole-Smith, More Magazine, September 2008

Of the 44 percent of women who take time off to care for their families, 93 percent want to return to work.  Of that number, 74 percent do get back in, says Sylvia Ann Hewlett, president of the Center for Work-Life Policy. 

 

One caveat:  Anecdotal research suggests that the longer a woman is out, the harder it is to reenter; if possible, start looking for a job before you’ve been away for 10 years.  Here’s how.

 

 

 

 

 

STEP 1:  Talk to everyone.
Start with a master list of 200 names, including every business contact, neighbor and friend, says Patricia Smith, senior vice president of New Directions, a Boston-based career transition firm (newdirections.com).  Then break the list into three groups:  

1.  A personal board of directors.  Ask you closest peers and mentors for feedback on any problems you face.

2. A business network.  Include former colleagues as well as new contacts from professional organizations; start renewing your memberships now.

3. A general get-yourself-out-there-group.  Join your alumni association, the PTA and networking groups geared to on-rampers.  Women@Work Network, a career placement firm that helps women who are returning, has chapters in most states (womenatworknetwork.com).  “The goal is to be continually meeting new people,” says cofounder Eliza Shanley.

STEP 2:  Sign up online with professional networking communities.

 
“These have become key, even for senior-level positions,” Shanley says.  The sites to bookmark:

Linkedin.com  Generally considered the most effective site of its kind, it lets you create a professional profile and connect to people you know.

Facebook.com  “This isn’t just for teenagers anymore,” Shanley says.  “Our generation is on there because you can do real-time networking.”

Offrampsandonramps.org  A new site from the Center for Work-Life Policy, it offers personal pages, discussion threads and links to job-hunting sites.

w2wlink.com  A new community site for professional women started by former CFO of Match.com.

STEP 3:  Fill in the gaps.

 
“Once women have their networks in place, job opportunities often come up,” says Pamela Stone, author of Opting Out? Why Women Really Quit Careers and Head Home.  At the interview, never apologize for your time off.  “Just say, ‘It’s been important to me to raise my children, and now I’m excited to return to work,’” Smith says.  Here are three ways to prepare.

1. Get up to speed on how your field has changed.  Read trade journals and look into refresher courses.

2. Translate relevant experience.  Use concrete terms to highlight your volunteering accomplishments:  “I raised x dollars” or “I managed y committees.”

3. Practice for your interview.  Role-playing with a friend beforehand can help you make your key points more effectively.