Returning to Work SUCCESSFULLY After Having Kids

culled from:workingmother.com
Returning to the workplace after raising kids (for several years) poses many challenges. Before starting a new job, the guilt swells. Mothers constantly contemplate: Will I be successful at my new job? What if I am slow to catch up? Will I like the new company or my manager? Will my children suffer emotionally? How will they get their homework done? What if someone gets sick? Who will transport the kids to and from soccer practice, Tae Kwon Do, choir or band? When will the house get cleaned? How will I prepare a healthy dinner on time?
Fears mount and emotions spike as mothers wonder: “How will I manage everything?” The answer? By pursuing a career you enjoy – one that capitalizes on your skills and competencies and provides fulfillment.
Because managing a career and family poses many hurdles, loving your job builds a solid foundation for success. If you are unhappy at work, you will be unhappy at home. You will perpetually question your choice to return to work, be consumed by guilt and stress and feel constantly “behind”.
Alternatively – as you might guess – if you are happy at work, you are much more likely to be happy at home. Think about the last time you had a bad day. How was your disposition by 6pm? 8pm? Were you more likely to lose your patience with your family? While only one aspect of our well-being, career happiness boosts our confidence and self-esteem.
Finding a job you love is critical to success.
Therefore, before returning to work, devote time to creating a career that will allow you to overcome the guilt and be successful both as a mother and as a careerist. Reframe your job search process as an opportunity to pursue a challenging and worthwhile career. Furthermore, redefine career to mean the right things for you NOW (rather than what career meant prior to having kids).
How do you achieve this? By following these 5 steps:
1.    Conduct a career evaluation (either a self-evaluation or partner with a career consultant)
Viewing your job search process as an opportunity to create an ideal work situation that is challenging, rewarding and personally fulfilling translates into an opportunity to find the RIGHT career. Your pre-children career might not be your post-children career. Too often, women automatically re-assume the job/career pursued prior to having children. Since raising children, you have grown as an individual – developed new skills and competencies, honed soft skills and identified new passions. Your shifting priorities may necessitate a less traditional career – or a new route.
2.    Create a career bucket list
Use this opportunity to define what CAREER means to you. Career does not necessary require long hours, two hour commutes and six-plus figure salaries. Consider typical career values (autonomy, type of organization, independence, impact on decision-making, impact on company strategy, work environments, culture, etc.) and rank them in order of importance. In other words, list what you value in a career most and what you value least. Most importantly, include nontangible factors such as commute and career growth opportunities.
3.    Follow your bucket list
Finding the right job at the wrong company can quickly become the wrong job if you ignore your bucket list. Sometimes we become swayed by the salary, the charismatic people that interviewed us or the company’s prestige, and sacrifice items on our bucket list. Over time, these items will resurface and the “dream” job will drain you. Therefore, only target companies that meet your criteria. Then determine which roles within those companies interest you, rather than finding the job and then assessing the company.
4.    Develop a blockbuster resume
The amount of focus and clarity gained by completing steps 1 through 3 can be channeled into creating a blockbuster resume. Your resume broadcasts your mission statement and your brand. Completing a career assessment and targeting companies clarifies who you are and what you bring to the table. Therefore, a blockbuster resume succinctly highlights your brand, articulates your level within an organization, underscores your understanding of the business/industry and highlights your key accomplishments and the impact those accomplishments have had on respective businesses.
5.    Practice interviewing
You wouldn’t run a marathon without training and you shouldn’t interview without practicing. Your qualifications landed you the interview - therefore your qualifications must be appealing. Your next objective is two-pronged:
(1) Ensure the interviewer you are the right person for the position and
(2) Ensure yourself this job is right for you.
When you practice, you want to:
(a) Learn about the company, the interviewers (if possible) and the role
(b) Prepare answers to common interview questions that directly relate your experiences to the company and the role (i.e., the same job at a different company might require different answers). Also prepare questions that will ensure this company and role meets your bucket list
(c) Practice delivering your answers.

Finally, completing all 5 steps – especially number 5 – builds confidence. Most women start this process feeling overwhelmed – the choices seem endless and the risk seems high. By the end, confidence soars and risk is minimized. Women realize they CAN do this – they CAN be careerists and mothers SIMULTANEOUSLY and SUCCESSFULLY.