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If you think returning to the office after vacation is stressful (“What did I miss? How will I catch up?”), imagine the anxiety that comes with re-entering the workforce after a multiyear leave. For women who’ve taken a substantial amount of time off to raise a family, the challenge of getting back in the game can feel positively daunting.
And while it is certainly not easy, “it is absolutely doable,” says Vivian Steir Rabin, co-founder of iRelaunch, a New York City- and Boston-based organization that helps people return to the workforce.
In fact, she says, successful re-entry “has less to do with how long you’ve been out, and more to do with how determined you are to get back in, and how strategic you are in pursuing it.”
Of the nearly 3,000 people who’ve attended iRelaunch conferences over the past four years, she notes, more than half of attendees end up re-starting their careers within a year.
Here, Rabin and other experts offer their best tips for making the transition out of stay-at-home status and back into business.
Start small
For many full-time mothers, the question of how to get back in the professional pipeline can trigger paralyzing feelings of self-doubt. “It happens even to the most accomplished people,” says Stacy Kim, who counsels returning-to-work moms in her Upper West Side-based coaching business, Life Junctions. “If you’re sitting there ruminating, it’s so much easier for you to get discouraged and overwhelmed.”
To squelch the anxiety — and to get the ball rolling — Kim recommends “getting outside your own head” and starting to take action, one baby step at a time. No clue what career you want next? Simply call up a friend whose job you admire. Haven’t touched your résumé since the Bush administration? Start by simply locating a copy.
“Getting your feet wet helps build up that energy and confidence,” says Kim. “You don’t have to have a well-mapped-out plan.”
Reach out
Whether you’re planning a return to your old gig or contemplating an entirely new endeavor, your former clients, colleagues and bosses can be your “advocates,” says Monica Burton, an executive search consultant in Witt/Kieffer’s New York office.
“If you have stayed in touch, they will be ‘warm calls,’ ” she says of reaching out to those who already “know your work and respect you for it.” Those contacts “will want to be helpful to you when you are ready to get back in the game.”
Burton also urges women to take advantage of the new acquaintances they’ve met through the playground or preschool.
“The school/parent network can be powerful,” she says.
Cultivate confidence
According to Rabin, a few years of full-time mommyhood can zap women’s sense of professional self-worth. But that lack of confidence — which sometimes comes into play when it’s time to start networking — is often unfounded.
“You’re nervous about approaching people you worked with in the past, because you think, ‘I’m just a nobody now,’ ” she says. “But their image of you is frozen in time. They think of you as the competent professional you were — even if you might think of yourself as a washed-out dishrag.”
Rabin, who took seven years off to raise her kids, also stresses professional experience doesn’t come with an expiration date.
“Don’t worry that your experience is old. If you can talk about a project that you managed, even if it was ten years ago, you’ve retained the lesson,” she says.
The even better news? She says hiring managers agree — and are starting to see mothers returning to the workforce as an excellent talent pool.
“[They realize] these are people who’ve held jobs, who have life experience, [and] who aren’t burnt out,” she says.
Last, she encourages women not to fret about any gaps on their resume.
“It’s very common today, especially because of the economy,” she says. “The key is to present yourself as competent now.”
Do your (digital) homework
The first move for a potential employer is often to search for name and credentials online — so you’d better have an updated and thorough LinkedIn profile, advises Tory Johnson, founder of Women for Hire and a “Good Morning America” correspondent. Using the platform to follow companies and join groups that relate to your career interests is a great way to stay in the loop. And when it comes to Facebook, tone down the endless updates on baby’s latest milestone.
“Focus some of your activity on your professional interests, [and] move away from exclusively posting mommy-centric content,” suggests Johnson.
Give a positive pitch
Once you’re on the networking and interview circuit, you’ll want to have a succinct — and confident — explanation for how you spent your time out of the workforce.
“Too often women feel uncomfortable about explaining their choice to take time off for a family, as if it diminished their commitment to their career,” notes Johnson. “The reality is it’s almost always a pro-family decision versus an anti-career one.”
She recommends avoiding any weak, negative or self-doubting language, instead presenting your time off in a positive light.
“Tell them, ‘I’m proud I was able to make that full-time commitment to caring for my family,’ ” she says. “Own it. Embrace it. Don’t apologize for it.”