Into Motivation

If you have to return to work after being off for maternity leave for some time, the prospects can appear to be quite worrying. It can be so strange that you can feel almost as if you are removed, as if you have been on an extremely long holiday, for example.

It goes without saying of course that the time you have spent away has been anything but a relaxing time and you feel as if you have been working all the hours available, as it is! Even so, it’s time to devote yourself to your career again and to look at the reconstruction of your r?sum? or CV.

1. Look at this from a positive point of view. You have a number of skills now that you did not have before. Just add them up — time management, new project management, multitasking and coping – all have improved significantly. When you have to manage a typical home and be responsible for bringing up a new arrival, you should not underestimate the skills that you are able to master and they should be added to your r?sum?.

2. Some specific coaching for women advocates that you should compose a “functional” r?sum? in this situation. This type of approach lists your skills and qualifications rather than focusing on a chronological list of employers. As such, you are definitely focusing on your experience and this should be stressed in the body of the document. List your employers without reference to dates and focus on your skills, experience and qualifications above all else.

3. Don’t be defensive when it comes to your time off for maternity leave. Employers do not look badly upon somebody who has taken time off to be with their family as they have a lot more to worry about, such as staff without any motivation, or who are forced to stay home. You should never apologise about your contribution to society!

4. While you have been away from work, you may well have taken on some voluntary tasks, attended evening classes or some other extracurricular activity. Don’t be afraid to put this on your r?sum?

and hold it in a positive light. If nothing else, it shows that you’re able to multi-task the role of mother and home keeper with other interests and duties and this strengthens your position in a prospective employer’s eyes.

5. Reveal how in control you can be, by showing that you have a plan to manage the time that you are away. For instance, it is far better to say that you had a plan to be with your new baby until a set date, a certain age, for example. This is far more preferable than saying that you are just going to be with your baby “until the little one is ready,” as this does not show much spirit. Once again, it shows that you are in control.

6. Research before you think about sending out r?sum?s. How long were you away for? Find out if anything significant has changed in a prospective employer’s business. This will prompt you to learn about new operating procedures, or to catch up on specific areas of education, for example. If you include this action on your r?sum?, it shows what you’re capable of.

7. Don’t think that you need to restrict any references to business clients and you can also refer to contacts that you made during your absence, as well. By networking and moving in your regular circles during your time away from work, you will have built up a good list of contacts who will be able to attest to your character, composition and reliability.

In our modern society, professional coaching advice from online life coaching experts can help you to focus on all that is positive in your life, so that you come up with a perfectly presentable r?sum?.

Amanda Alexander is the Director of Coaching Mums and a widely renowned ICF-accredited coach who delivers professional coaching programmes to working mums across the globe who long for more time, balance and fulfilment in their busy lives. Download our free eBook especially for working mums with 5 easy ways to achieve balance.