“My brain was turning to mush (but my house was spotless),” quipped Jan Brickman, a stay-at-home mother who responded to, “Why do you want to go back into the workplace?”
“Brain rot” is not the only reason that women want to work after an extended absence. For some it is financial. Maybe the children are older and women need to find something to satisfy their own needs. Or perhaps work would help to fill a void after a major life alteration such as a divorce, death of a loved one, illness, retirement, or having been fired or laid off. For others it is to connect to the greater world.... Paying taxes may not be our desired goal, but being a viable, contributing (paying) member of society is essential for many women’s self-esteem.
The first step towards re-entering the workforce is self-assessment. You need to know who you are, where you are in your life and where you would like to go in order to define a career path. There are eight key areas to consider which are discussed in this article:
- What is your passion; what are your skills?
- Full or part-time work?
- Self-employment?
- Do your needs and values fit in with the particular work environment?
- What are the financial costs of going back to work?
- Will the time commitment be realistic?
- Will there be a support system if you require it?
- What does success mean to you?
1. What is your passion; what are your skills?
Many women have no idea what they want their ideal job to be.
Exercise:
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a) On a piece of paper, create four separate columns for things you:
Love to do Like to do Hate to do Love to do but Haven’t
Jot down any items that come to your mind in each appropriate column. These can be from any area in your life – academics, your social world, activities with your children, hobbies, volunteering, relationships, relaxation, etc.
b) Once you’ve completed your list:
- Ask yourself, “What would I like to eliminate?” Put a line or “x” through those things. For example, if you hate math, wanting to be an accountant may not be appropriate.
- Next, focus on the things you like to do and would be willing to explore. Highlight those items with a question mark (?).
- Highlight things you really love with an asterisk (*). Include things that others have told you that you are good at doing.
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c) Re-examine your positive Love to do items (those you marked with an “*”). Start a new list with only those positive items and add a column beside them titled Skills / Attributes. Beside each Love to do item, write what skills and attributes you used to accomplish each task. For example, if you volunteered at a senior home then you might list patience, organization, co-operation, commitment, etc.
Next, ask yourself:
- How did I feel doing that activity?
- Did I eagerly anticipate returning to it?
- Did I grow from the experience?
- Did I get positive feedback from others?
- Could I see myself permanently doing that function?
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For other possibilities, write the skills you think are necessary in a different ink colour. Re-examine the list. Choose things you are passionate about. Eliminate those that did not live up to your expectations or that you would not like to pursue. Look at your abilities from all the things you have done and see how you can apply them to other areas of interest. These are called “transferable skills.”
d) On a separate sheet of paper, you should list your Values. These are things like integrity, respect, ethical, equity etc. Beside values, list your Needs. Do you need to be challenged, nurtured, physically active, etc.?
e) Your last list is Personal Characteristics. Are you outgoing, creative, reserved, a team player, etc.? What others say about you is also relevant to your profile. |
| Carefully examine your lists and combine them. A picture of who you are should begin to form revealing employment that suits you. |
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Finding Help:
The sources below may provide you with comprehensive career planning information and assistance. Many programs are free or of minimum cost to qualified people.
*[CAVEAT – All sources listed in this article are references only. Women Can Do Anything Inc. is not responsible for the content of these sources.]
- Call Human Resources and Skills Development Canada (www.hrsdc.gc.ca/en/home.shtml or under Federal Government in your telephone book) to find out where your nearest assessment office is located.
- Provincial Governments – Contact Ministry of Training, Colleges and Universities (www.edu.gov.on.ca/).
- Municipal or regional government offices would also be able to tell you where assessments are done.
- Check local YMCAs.
- Adult education in local schools or centres may also provide assessments.
The following are some websites offering on-line self-assessment tools:
2. Full- or part-time employment?
Once you have a good idea of your skills, aptitudes and attributes, you need to consider your financial needs as well as the amount of time you can commit to working. Ask yourself:
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- Does your career choice offer full-time employment? Part-time? Both?
- Do you want to work full-time?
- Do you require more money? Part-time work may be insufficient to meet your financial needs.
- Do you have time constraints due to other responsibilities, i.e. caring for young children or elderly persons, volunteering, etc.?
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3. Self-employment?
Only you and your family can determine whether this is a suitable career option for you. There are many things to consider about self-employment (there will be more covered on this topic in the 5th (last) part of this series). Examine your skills (based on your self-assessment) and see if you have what it takes to run your own business.
To help you verify if you are “entrepreneur able,” do the following on-line quizzes:
4. Do your needs and values fit into the particular work environment?
Reassessing your values and needs from your lists will help determine the kind of environment in which you want to work. For example, if you need to work in a small, nurturing environment with flexible hours, it may not be in your interest to join a large corporation with set work schedules.
| However, job seeking also means being a visionary and the willingness to take risks. Before you reject something unfamiliar, weigh all the benefits against the disadvantages. Are you willing to stretch the limits of your expectations for personal growth and skills development? Unless there are concrete reasons why you cannot do this, it would be beneficial to keep an open mind and review all possibilities. Flexibility and adaptability are amongst the top 10 skills that employers look for. |
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5. Financial costs of going back to work?
Transportation:
- Bus fare
- Extra gas
- Wear and tear on the car equals more car repairs.
- If you have only one car in the family and your spouse or someone else requires it or if you do not own a car, you may need to purchase one if public transit is not available or convenient.
Clothing:
- New or more complete wardrobe
- Dry-cleaning costs
Food:
- Lunches out or socializing after work
- Convenience foods or restaurants when too late to cook
Office Pools:
- Putting in money for gifts, charity etc.
- Day care for children, animal care or home care for seniors
- Housecleaning
- Haircuts, manicures
- Upgrading your education
6. Will the time commitment be realistic?
- Are you willing to commute long distances?
- What if the job involves travel, moving?
- Are you prepared to stay late for meetings, appointments?
- Would you bring work home, work on weekends?
- What about time needed to go back to school or upgrade your skills?
- Will you be able to balance your personal needs and work?
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7. Will there be a support system if you require it?
Statistically, women who do not have a support system will be less able to cope out in the workplace.
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- Who will be there to help you deal with responsibilities you now look after like childcare, carpooling, cooking meals, housecleaning, pet care, senior care?
- When things get hectic, will you have the emotional support to keep you going?
- If you have a significant other, how will they feel about you switching gears? How will it affect your relationship?
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8. What does success mean to you?
Assuming you worked out all of the above and you got the job of your dreams, how would you handle your success? Be careful what you wish for. If you got too caught up in a career you love, it could threaten to take over every aspect of your life.
Balance is the key to survival. Try and set a moral imperative for yourself such as how many hours a day you are prepared to work while recognizing the need to be flexible. If making lots of money is a goal, put it into proper perspective. Many people who have lots of money are not happy people – because they never have time to enjoy it or share it. A career should be something you love, not an obsession.
Next issue: Goal setting and Plan of Action.
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Heather Resnick
Email Heather
Heather is committed to writing words that provoke positive change. Her first novel, Ms. Humpty Dumpty, a “powerhouse of emotions” about a woman who keeps falling off the wall and tries to put back the pieces (www.mshumptydumpty.com). |
Share your success stories, hopes, and fears by visiting www.womenreworked.com and completing an on-line survey to help Heather with her upcoming book Women Reworked for women considering entering the workplace after an extended absence or for the first time.
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