The CEO of The Mom Project shares actionable advice.
After helping a reader of our Wake-Up Call newsletter deal with the grief of losing a longtime partner, Katie is back for another installment of her advice column. This time, she’s weighing in on a question about the intersection of work and family — and we know the issue at hand (and the helpful solutions we’re sharing) will resonate with many of you.
While Katie feels passionately about the concerns this reader has raised, she’s admittedly not an expert in this arena, so she called up someone who is, to get some time-tested insight. Read on for more!
Dear Katie,
I’m 63 and have largely been a stay-at-home mom raising my three amazing daughters who are 35, 31, and 21. I loved my job and poured my heart and soul into it, but I don’t regret making the choice to put my career aside. I have been a supportive partner to my husband and I’ve shepherded our family through several moves for his career.
Now, I want to focus on myself and do what I want with whatever time I have left. I’m college-educated and healthy, I’ve always had a curious mind, and I feel I have so much more to contribute to society. But because my experience isn’t valued from a business perspective, my choices are so limited. I know I can always volunteer my time, but at the risk of sounding greedy, it feels important to me to earn an income doing something I enjoy. Any advice you can impart would be so appreciated!
-Amy
Amy,
It’s crazy that when women have more free time after raising their kids, their incredible talents aren’t utilized! You should be able to find something you like AND get paid for it, but I know what you mean — sometimes your work as your family’s CEO isn’t valued. I’m not an expert, so I want to turn this over to Allison Robinson, founder of The Mom Project. She helps with things like this, and I’m hoping she can give you some good advice! Take it away, Allison…
Amy, thank you so much for a question on this important topic. We see this story so many times, and that’s exactly why I founded The Mom Project — to help moms build economic opportunities, no matter where they are in their lives or careers. The skills and value we bring as moms are undeniable. In fact, our research arm, Werklabs, found that at companies who hire moms, productivity increases by four times, positive and inclusive experiences increase by almost 23 percent, and retention increases by 35 percent.
So back to your question: What can you do to embark on your next chapter? Here are a few suggestions to get started:
Take an inventory of all those skills you’ve flexed as you raised a family — like organization, problem-solving, project-managing — and write down examples or stories that showcase those strengths. These are great interview answers and talking points to have ready.
Then create a resume that highlights these skills and what you did during that time of your career pause. Include volunteer work as positions you’ve had, highlighting all the great work you provided to these organizations.
Explore ways to build new skills with certifications or programs that can help you pivot into areas you’re interested in. (And for the record, the Mom Project’s nonprofit arm, RISE, is designed to help women upskill in new industries.) Finally, create a profile with The Mom Project and check out our many articles to help you with your job search, like this one on using tech to advance your career search.
And finally, create a LinkedIn profile and start connecting with people, in person and online — both with those you know and those you’d like to know. Building your network is the best thing you can do to improve your job search.
-Allison
