Top Tips For Stay At Home Mom’s Getting Back to Work

Raising a family is a full-time job. You’ve probably spent the last 20 years working round the clock to keep the family together. But when the kids get older and start moving out, you’ll suddenly find that they don’t need you as much.

When that happens, you’ll find yourself with a whole lot of time on your hands. This can often be a difficult time for mothers because their lives have been defined by being a parent. It’s easy to get bored and feel like you don’t have much purpose anymore.

If you’re starting to feel like that as the kids get older, maybe it’s time to get back to work. Having something to do during the day and earning a little extra money makes this difficult transitional period a lot easier for you. However, getting back into the world of work can be difficult when you’ve been out of it for a while.

A lot has changed in the last couple of decades and applying for jobs is very different now. There’s nowhere near as many positions available and employers are looking for different things. You’re also going to come up against a lot of competition from much younger applicants. That doesn’t mean that you won’t be able to find a job. It just means it’s going to be a bit of a challenge. Follow these tips and you should be able to get back to work in no time.

Get Back To Work By Deciding On A Career Path

This is the first thing you’ll need to do before you start looking at applications. The best way to decide what job you should go for is to think about why you’re doing this in the first place. If you don’t need the money and just want to do something productive, you’ve got more options. But if you do need the extra cash, you’re limited to jobs that pay better.

It’s also worth thinking about the jobs you had before you became a parent and how that experience might translate into a new job. Draw up a list of your priorities, job experience, and qualifications and then see what jobs this applies to.

Call Old Colleagues

You might be able to get a head start on your competitors if you’ve got contacts that can help you. If you were well-liked at your old job, why not try giving your old boss a call. See if they know of any openings anywhere. They might be able to help you get back to work somewhere where you might not ordinarily have managed to get an interview.

Having somebody vouch for you is incredibly valuable when the job market is so competitive.

Learn New Skills

When you were last in work, the way things were done would have been very different. It’s likely that your company would have just started to use computers etc. but now everything is going to be done online. That means everybody else in the workplace, and all of the other applicants for the job are going to have skills that you don’t have. When you enter the health industry and want to broaden your skills without setting aside your priority as a mom, you can consider taking a Nursing RN to BSN Program Online. 

It’s worth trying to learn a few of those new skills before you start applying so you don’t get tripped up by questions in an interview.

Embrace Your Age

One of the biggest worries people have when going back to work in later life is that they’ll get overlooked for younger candidates. That is true sometimes but your age is often positive. Younger applicants don’t have anywhere near as much life experience as you and you can use this to your advantage. They might have more qualifications or relevant job experience but employers will often see through this.

You should also stress that the skills you learned as a mother are transferable to the workplace. Timekeeping skills, solving problems under pressure and working long hours are all things that a mother does better than any younger applicant.

Dress Well

Although being a little older does have its advantages, you still want to demonstrate that you can get on board with a younger mindset. The easiest way to do this is to dress the part. There are plenty of hairstyles for older women that make you look a little more modern.

It’s worth remembering that a lot of companies have slightly more relaxed policies about what to wear. So you don’t always need to look completely formal at interview. You still need to dress smart but you’ve got a bit more room to play with. You can incorporate different colors and styles that show off your personality.

Ask Your Kids For Help

If you’ve got older children that have moved out and started working, they’ll have experience with online applications. Not to mention, the aptitude tests and group interview processes that didn’t exist before. The job market is a completely different game these days and if you’re going to find a new career, you need to know how to play it properly.

Speak to your children that have been through it and get some advice from them. They’ll be able to help you with questions and answers you might deal within an interview. They’ll also help you fill out those lengthy applications that are often filled with tricky questions.

It might feel a bit strange asking your kids for advice on jobs because it should be the other way around. Just remember they’re better equipped to deal with the ever-changing job market than you are. You want to get back to work quickly, right? There's no harm is asking.

Getting back to work after being a stay at home parent is always going to be a struggle but it is possible.