Top 6 Tips for Returning to the Work Force

Maybe you are not quite retired, your kids are off to school most days, you never took the dive in to the non-profit volunteer wheel and you look yourself in the mirror and think, "What's next?"  It can be a daunting question for those of us who let our skills go in a sense and chose to sharpen our minds with family finances, driving , cooking, cleaning and more.  Don't panic.  Things have changed, but you can put yourself out there with your head high and translate those skills into a job.  It WILL feel overwhelming at first, but take heart and stick with it, have some confidence, and start small.

 

1. Resume: It is always good to spend time gathering your thoughts and skills, but hard-copy resumes are rarely exchanged.  Log on to LinkedIn and update your skills, add contacts, and be sure your profile is complete.
2. Get busy making and keeping contacts.  Although much depends on the kind of job you are looking for, it is always good to foster relationships and put the word out with family and friends.
3. Get your ducks in a row:  Think through what you are willing to sacrifice in order to get "back in the pool".  In my case, events tend to be nights and weekends, so I am gone a couple of nights a week.  I haven't had to work on a weekend yet and an occasional day is do-able.  Do you want to be full-time?  Would it be a job you would have to "take home" when you leave?  Do you need insurance? (That spells FULL TIME)
4. Get used to working with millennials.  It's GREAT if you are flexible, and realize that you can share your skills.  The people I work with are young and fully educated with technology.  I am better with people and road-blocks, speaking to a group, etc... Make the best of it, and get something out of it.  No complaining! 
5. Be confident in what you know about yourself and be willing to answer questions about what "you have been doing", and "what you know".  The best way to do this is to go through some top interview questions.  I actually thought through the answers, wrote them down and studied.  Sure enough, they were asked and I felt more prepared with my answers.  
6. Be willing to start small with a job where you can learn and grow.  Jumping in to something over your head may not get you off to the best start and working 9 hours a day with no flexibility may get some getting used to.  

 

Hilarious side-note:  I am back working a part-time job in events at a tech company in Boulder.  Many of the people I work with are young, and I was asked how long I had been married.  When I said, "Uhh...30 years" they looked at me as if to say, "OMG...I am working with my mother!"... I love it!

 

Coffeetalkmom