…to work, that is!
I was not at all prepared for the intimidation and trepidation I felt when I made the decision to seek employment. Without a clear idea of what I was looking for, I started browsing job posting sites. But first, I had to figure out where to look. “Is monster.com still around?” I wondered. (It is! However, it’s not the most popular.). I searched for my old role, part-time jobs, contract jobs, telecommute jobs, and every combination you can think of. I even uploaded my resume to one of the job search sites and applied for a couple positions, but it felt like a futile exercise. I honestly have never had any luck with online job sites. Also, knowing that recruiters use keywords to search their candidate pool, I decided my resume needed a major refresh (more on that later), otherwise, I was just wasting my time and energy.
I started reading articles and talking to moms who went back to work (outside of the home) and the consistent advice is: “Tell people you are looking for a job.”
As someone who tends to shy away from networking events, this felt scary. So I decided to stick with my friend network, and one day while sitting with a friend poolside watching our boys play, I mentioned wanting to explore freelance web development and asked if she needed any help with her website. (I had acquired some basic knowledge and skills over the years as the volunteer webmaster at my kids’ schools.)
A few weeks later, she reached out and gave me my first job! If you have a desire to return to work, but don’t know where to start, start with your friends. Tell them you are back on the market!
Have you tried this? I would love to hear about your experience!