Back to Business: Five tips for women restarting career

A career change can be daunting for anybody. It can be an especially intimidating task for women who have been out of the workforce for five, 10 or 20 years to care for children or aging parents.

More than 100 of those highly qualified women are gathering at a Research Triangle Park conference center this week to get tips, advice and strategies for getting back to work. WRAL.com was among the sponsors for the conference, which I had the opportunity to attend on Thursday. I met some great women who all are ready to work.

"You guys are the leader moms," said Dunn, a Cary mom who recently went back to work full-time as an associate director at the MBA Career Management Center at UNC Kenan-Flagler Business School. "Start seeing yourself that way. It will change the way that others see you and, more importantly, the way you see yourself."

During the conference, attendees had their pictures taken for their LinkedIn pages, sat through resume or interview critiques, met with recruiters from local companies and learned about everything from how to market themselves to how four local women got back to work after long breaks.

For the moms out there who couldn't make it, but are ready to get back to work, here are some tips and advice gleaned from Thursday's sessions.

It's also an easy way to connect with old colleagues, neighbors and friends, who might know somebody who is looking for the skills that you offer. LinkedIn groups allow you to meet up with alumni from your alma mater, professionals in your industry and others. Once you connect with old contacts, you can then set up one-on-one meetings to learn more about how the industry has changed since you left the workforce or what career decisions they've made for themselves.

Cohen even recommends what she calls "self-directed study," which she did when she was looking to return to a career in finance. She poured over her old textbooks and work projects and subscribed to the "Wall Street Journal."

When looking for a certification program, Cohen recommends looking for ones that include a final project or field study. They can offer great hands-on experience for job seekers to add to a resume in addition to a new certification.

Nobody is too small. Conklin, the career coach, told the story about how a fourth grader helped one father get back to work. When the grade schooler learned that the man was driving the kids to school because he was looking for a job, the boy told his father. That connection led to a job offer.

"Get your story out there," she said.

Just plastering your resume to online job boards likely won't get you far. But telling everybody you know - from the fellow mom at the swim meet to acquaintances at school functions - can only help build your network. You never know: The person you're talking to might have the perfect job for you ... or at least the connections to help you get one.

"Don't be discouraged by dead ends," said Cohen, who told the story of one mom, who spent months posting her resume online and getting no response. It was a conversation with another dad at a soccer game, however, that eventually got her a job.

If you've taken some time off, it's fair that recruiters will want to know what you've been up to, but you don't need to dwell on it.

In an interview, Cohen suggests job seekers quickly say that they were out of the workforce to care for their children, but that they are excited to get back to work. Then, she said, launch into why you're excited about the particular position that you're interviewing for.

On your resume, instead of listing "work experience," speakers recommended listing "experience." Then, include any skills that you've honed while volunteering at your child's school or for a non-profit group, for instance, that also are important for the job that you're seeking.

Thursday's session included a panel discussion with four Triangle moms who all had taken off big chunks of time to stay home with their kids. All four have been able to restart their careers.

And it's not like you've spent the last many years out of the workforce doing nothing. You've been raising human beings, running carpools, balancing home finances, cooking dinners, organizing school fundraisers and more - sometimes at the same time.

"As a mom, you can do so much," said Beth Granai, who recently returned to work. "All that time as a mom, don't discount all those things that you do."

Conklin, who took 14 years off to raise her two daughters, said she, at first, wondered if employers would be interested in her. Then she realized that she had all sorts of experience to bring to the table.

"I had been working the whole time," she said. "I just hadn't been paid for it."