Top Career Planning Tips for Stay-at-Home Parents

Getting back to work can be a difficult task for stay-at-home parents. The biggest reason behind this is that they have lost touch with most of their professional contacts. While making this transition, many parents occupy jobs that do not actually match their professional level. Becoming successful while jumping back into a career after staying at home for 5-10 years requires a job search strategy. Given below are some top tips for long time stay at home parents for getting back to work and start a career of their choice. These career planning tips come to you straight from career experts.

Re-establishing Your Professional Network
It should be obvious to jobseekers that the most number of job vacancies are not advertised. They are filled through networking or people's references. Therefore, it is important for stay-at-home parents to consider who they know and revive their professional contacts if they have lost touch. Get into the networking loop again and re-establish the network to receive job information and being referred to employers through your contacts. Be aware of networking rules . And let your contacts be informed about what career opportunities you are looking for.

Are You Planning a Career Change?
In most cases, stay-at-home parents decide to make a career change. By re-examining your career goals, you can make a well informed decision about making a career change . Parents, therefore, need to consider what they want out of their life, what their personal values are and what careers would suit them the most. The career change situation may happen to parents because they have learned a lot of life lessons while raising kids at home. Stay-at-home moms learn a lot about life and themselves while raising children. In any case, the career changing decision should be the right one.

Marketing Your Skills (through Resumes, Cover Letters etc)
Successful career planning needs an effective strategy. Transitioning career seekers need to review their job resume and cover letters. Considering the fierce competition of the job market, it is essential for career seekers to stand out from the crowd and market their job skills in the most effective manner. Stay-at-home parents need to know how to create a perfect resume to market their skills to employers. By writing an effective cover letter, you can enhance your chances of landing more job interviews.

Using Your Volunteer Experience  
While you get ready to revise your resume, you should not forget to include your volunteering experiences on it. Those who know the benefits of volunteering can use it to their maximum career advantage. Volunteering does not only provide you with some real world experience, but it also builds your professional network that you can use for landing jobs.

Going Backwards?
Many stay-at-home parents when they return to work accept low level or entry level job positions. There are career experts who believe that women should not even think of joining entry level jobs. A re-defined career strategy will enable you to occupy jobs that match your professional level. Women should carefully think whether they want some additional training or courses to update their job skills, while keeping the cost of education in mind. This is important for jumping back into a career of your choice.

Contacting Your Former Employer
Stay-at-home parents can also consider getting in touch with their former employer to get back into the workforce. If you liked the work culture and the job you did with your former employer, it would be a good decision to contact the company for a job position. The company may decide to hire you again if you performed well previously. Many companies will value your work talents when it comes to hiring you back for a job position.

Striking the Work-Life Balance
Work-life balance is a critical issue, particularly for parents. Stay-at-home parents need to decide whether they want to occupy part time or full time jobs according to their specific requirements. There is no dearth of part time and full time work opportunities. However, parents need to obtain jobs that offer them a flexible work schedule.

Giving it Time
Getting back into the professional work force and restarting a career may take some time. This period may be anywhere between 3-6 months or longer. Parents are advised to devote time to job search on a regular basis or on an everyday basis. Just step out of the house, interact with professional people and start working towards your career.

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