Sneha Srinivasan
Strategies For Women And Mothers Looking For Job
There has been a vast improvement in the female unemployment rate as of June 2021. Still, many women are :
- either feeling burned out in their current roles and looking for new opportunities or
- were pushed out of the workforce either due to lack of support from their employer or
- the challenges associated with caring for children and loved ones.
The career experts say that there is much work to be done to support women (especially working mothers) in America’s workforce. The career experts also agreed:
- women returning to the workforce should stand by their decision proudly. Knowing that they made the best possible decision for themselves and their family at that moment, as opposed to feeling ashamed of having done something wrong that needs justification.
Below career experts share seven strategies for women and mothers looking for job opportunities in 2021:
Keep one foot in the door.
Allyson Downey, founder & CEO of Stellar Reviews, advises to always keep a foot in the door. For instance, she encouraged one of the employees to take on freelance assignments so she doesn’t have a gap on her resume.
Highlight your emotional intelligence.
Eden Cheng, Co-Founder, PeopleFinderFree explains the importance of emotional intelligence. Recruiters are also now looking out for candidates that carry with them a certain amount of social and emotional intelligence, to thrive in today’s remote working landscape. This means being able to demonstrate empathy for others’ emotions and behaviors which is crucial.
Since women tend to exemplify a strong sense of awareness and empathy, at least compared to men, this gives them an edge that should boost their value in front of recruiters.
Bring your authentic identity to every opportunity.
Mark Epp, Senior Leadership Director, with Talent Plus, explains,
- Self-awareness is an essential element of positive leadership.
- Knowing who you are and being conscious of all the elements that make you unique.
- Knowing what you stand for, your values, your ability to exhibit what you hope to see in others creates an example.
- Realizing that no one else thinks what you think makes you an essential contributor to an organization’s success.
Don’t be afraid to negotiate for yourself. No one else will.
Lynn Price, Negotiation Consultantexplains about the negotiating skills. She says that one of the most important skills working moms need when returning to the workforce is their ability to negotiate. They need to be prepared to negotiate not only salaries but also flexible schedules that might include hybrid solutions for being in the office and working at home.
Upskilling around tech can serve as a strong foundation.
Erin Rosenblatt, Director of Professional Certificates at Emeritus says,
Emeritus just completed a workplace survey looking at the effects of professional learning on careers. And found that the top needs are all tech-related: artificial intelligence, business analytics, data analytics, and machine learning. And that the stats around the state of women in tech are fairly disheartening and just 26% of computing jobs are held by women. That is underscoring the need for upskilling in this area.
Address the elephant in the room.
It is in your best interest to share the WHY behind your employment break. And explaining a gap on your resume increases your chances to land an interview. Meg Applegate, Resume Writer says, “ Don’t only mind the gap, explain it!”
And most importantly, trust yourself.
Neha Ruch, founder of Mother Untitled explains, that the most important skill a woman looking to return to the workforce post-COVID needs is the ability to trust herself. These women should know that every transition comes with its learning curve. And that clarity is a superpower, and confidence is a happy by-product.
Women and working mothers pushed out of the workforce still need to explain career gaps and position themselves as more desirable candidates than their colleagues. Mothers must evaluate all their transferrable skills. Including arranging schedules, managing the household and household finances, community engagement, and assisting children with academics.
In short, these transfer into multitasking, adaptability, networking, time-management, problem-solving, stress and crisis management, active listening, organization, leadership, and negotiating in the workplace.
