Top Tips for Women Returning To Work
Women return to work for various reasons, financial usually being the top of the list, but returning to work after long break can be a challenge.
There are many considerations for mums to consider when heading back to work, including child care arrangements, checking to see that your skills are up to date and evaluating career plans and goals. While this may seem a lot, there are things you can do to make the return to work easier and to ensure that you stand out as a candidate.
Share the load
Returning to work can be a financial juggling act, with day-care or private nannies outweighing the the money you may gain from working. One option is to take advantage of nanny share arrangements, which involves sharing the cost of a nanny with other families. There is an increasing number of reputable nanny share agencies now available, meaning this can be a convenient and cost effective option.
Polish Your Resume and Get Qualified
It’s important to have up to date qualifications. Although it may have been a long time since you stepped into a classroom, you may still be able to transform work experience and skills into a qualification through Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL).
CEO of Australia’s leading RPL provider Get Qualified Australia,Adam Wadi, explains, “Many people are amazed to learn that their experience could gain them a qualification with no need to attend additional classes or pay for expensive tuition. RPL and skills recognition are assessment methods that verify your skills, knowledge and experience against the established industry standards and can be used to gain a qualification.” Get Qualified Australia also offers Gap Training courses online, so if you did need to update your skills there are 24/7 flexible options to fit around even the busiest schedules. For more information on Get Qualified Australia services, visit www.gqaustralia.com.au.
Filling the Gaps
Don’t list gaps on your resume with “Stay At Home Mum,” instead include any valuable unpaid experience and skills that you have gained since your last job. Volunteer work you participated in at your child’s school or in the community shows great initiative, the ability to work in a team and people skills.
Dress the Part
Boost your confidence in a job interview or the first day at a new job by dressing the part. Even for a casual workplaces, new work clothes can put help put you in the right frame of mind, while also helping you feel polished. Updating your work wardrobe doesn’t need to be expensive, and even basic stores like Target, Big W and Kmart offer stylish yet inexpensive work basics and accessories.
Be confident in what you have to offer
Research by Ernst and Young for the Workplace Gender Equality Agency indicated that working mums are often the most productive employees in a workplace. It doesn’t take much to understand why, as mums naturally possess great time management skills, multi tasking abilities, and know all too well about dealing with stressful situations. These skills are readily transferable to most positions, so be confident in your abilities and how you can contribute them to the workforce.
