Tools

In this sluggish economy, many mothers are making the choice to return to the workforce. You may have a number of reasons for why you’re heading back, but honor yourself with choices that follow your passion, which will make the doing more enjoyable.

When you can visualize your intention and the role you see yourself playing in the workforce, you put yourself in a better position to communicate about it and sell yourself in order to land the job you want.

Mom Qualities to Bank On

You were and will continue to be the CEO of your household. You already possess many skills and talents that are valuable in the workplace. Think about all the personality disputes you’ve resolved. What about negotiations you’ve conducted with kids and your spouse, not to mention budgeting prowess? These are assets to showcase during your job interviews.

You may also have volunteered your time while you were a stay-at-home mom. What kind of leadership roles did you take on in those situations? Any experience you possess in those endeavors are additional assets you bring to any new job.

Preparing the Family for Mom’s New Role

Be authentic and honest. Share your reasoning for going back to the workplace. Lay out a time line with them about how “we’re in this together so let’s all figure out the logistics of how this can work.”

The time line may include actual calendar and clock items that will accustom everyone to the fact that you need to shower and dress by a certain time in order to leave the house to get to work on time. Perhaps you’ll teach them how to prepare their own breakfasts, or maybe it’s mother-daughter time to pack everyone’s lunches before bedtime so everyone’s ready to roll the next day.

How about making each member of the family responsible for dinner planning one day of each week? This will give your children some good skills and showcase the feeling that you are all in this together.

You are a super woman, but you do not need to be Wonder Woman every day for every person and with every task. Give yourself a break when needed and communicate with your kids and spouse that they may need to give you a break too.

Local Moms Weigh In

We asked our Facebook fans for advice about going back to work. Here’s what they had to say:

“After staying home for more than five years, I recently went back to work. I switched professions so I wouldn't have to travel all the time. I try to keep doing some of the things I did before, like attending school parties, etc., when able. It was a change, but I tried to keep my kids informed and show them where I work and what I do so they understood and transitioned as smoothly as possible.”

- Holly DeWese

“Get your daycare, nanny and sitter situation settled and tested before going back to work. If daycare, enroll your children a month before you go back to work so you can help with the transition from home to care. If [you’re going to use an] in-home nanny or sitter, have he/she shadow you for a couple weeks. This person is going to be in your home at least eight hours a day. Get to know them but keep a professional distance.”

- Michelle Bedard

“Pick one or two of your current daily rituals (or make a new special one) to keep no matter what happens at work: some little things you and your kiddo can look forward to and count on when it gets frazzling. If you are prone to feeling guilty, it'll help beat that back too.”

- Barbara Pick

“A slow transition is very important.”

- Faith Smith

Roshini Rajkumar, communication and image expert, licensed attorney and author of “Communicate That!” is founder of The Roshini Performance Group. To learn more about Roshini, visit CommunicateThatBook.com.