ajcjobs > BlogBreak > Archives > 2006 > March > 29 > Entry
Women returning to work
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
An overlooked talent resource? As the labor shortage continues to heat up, companies are seeking innovative and non-traditional solutions to securing the proper talent for their business employment needs.
It pains me when I see hiring managers pass over resumes of women desiring to return to work after they have left the workforce for any period of time whether to have children and be an at-home mom, or become a trailing spouse to their husband’s career.
I was at a dinner party recently, and I was sitting next to a woman whom I will call Cindy, whose husband is an executive of a global upscale hotel chain.
She talked about how his career caused their family to move from city to city over the last twenty years. They were finally settling down permanently in Atlanta and her children were in college.
This seemed like a perfect time to jump-start her postponed caree - she had a masters degree in industrial psychology and worked for a few years before she married and had children.
The problem was that most companies wanted to see a resume but she felt she had nothing to put on a resume since she had been a stay at home mom for so long. What did Cindy have to offer? What were her marketable skills?
After further conversation, I discovered that Cindy’s life experiences are very transferable, but you have to connect the dots to market yourself to hiring employers.
Here are some of her transferable skills that would be very useful to the right company:
Logistics expertise - after having moved her family seven different times from one city to another, she was an expert in handling logistics from interviewing and selecting the proper moving/relocation company to settling moving insurance claims.
Management skills - as a mother of three children each with different personalities and talents, Cindy had honed her management skills to motivate each to be the best that they could be. All of her children were successful in school and one was an aspiring Olympic gymnastics athlete.
Time management - each of Cindy’s children had different and complex schedules to be managed by her. She became an expert in multi-tasking schedules, transportation logistics, and recruiting resources to help her manage multiple busy schedules.
Organizational skills - Cindy was very active in civic affairs and was named the committee chair for several different volunteer groups over the years. She was routinely active as a board member of the PTA as well as the YWCA which she was able to connect with when moving to a new and strange city.
Leadership skills - Being named chair of a group by her peers demonstrates that others view her as an effective leader.
Relationship skills - This is probably Cindy’s greatest strength. As their family moved from city to city, Cindy would immediately determine how to best integrate her family into new social settings whether it was getting involved with school or non-profit associations.
The skills that Cindy has used in her life are what every company seeks along with the maturity to know how to make things work.
Wake up hiring managers and smell the coffee!! Here is a talent pool that is that can be a solution to a shrinking talent pool…give somebody a break!
Comments
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By Powerlady
March 29, 2006 10:02 AM | Link to this
I really enjoyed reading this entry because I have decided to take 5 yrs out of my career to raise my kids.
I question that decision every day but your advice will give me hope when I decide to jump into the fish tank once again.