How To Keep Up With Your Career As a Mom
Women’s careers are taking a hit when couples decide to start a family.
Though times are changing, mothers are still predominantly the primary caregivers in their homes. Which often means women’s careers are taking a hit when couples decide to start a family.
In college, I worked at our university’s career center. It was my job to help students and alumni get jobs. We often worked with mothers who were trying to jump back into their careers once their babies were grown. This article lists our strategy for helping mothers keep up with their careers while caring for young children. And this is the strategy I have personally followed while balancing my own career and family goals.
Whether staying home full-time is your choice or a necessity, there are several ways that you can keep up with your career while caring for your children at home.
1: Keep Your Resume Current
As much as possible, try to continuously gain work experience while caring for your babies. That being said, you don’t have to take the traditional 9–5 route.
One positive side effect of the pandemic is an increase of remote job opportunities. Work-life balance is more accessible than ever before. It is very possible for you to do work remotely while caring for your kiddos at home.
Of course, mixing babies and work isn’t always a smooth ride. Even if you’re able to stay home and work in your pajamas, your toddler is likely screaming in the background of your muted Zoom call. Little children still require a lot of attention and energy. With that in mind, you might consider only doing part-time work to keep your life a little more balanced for the first year or two that you’re home.
You can also consider freelance or contract work. These positions tend to be even more flexible and on your own time. So they can be a better route to gain valuable experience while still having the flexibility to care for your kiddos.
If remote work or freelance opportunities still don’t fit with your family’s needs, another great way to gain experience is through volunteer work. Ideally you should find volunteer opportunities in your industry, but any volunteer experience can still keep your resume current.
Volunteer work is often quite flexible, making it a very accessible work opportunity. And it doesn’t matter if you volunteer once a week or once a month. The experience will still look good on your resume. Just be sure to highlight your transferable skills when you list it on your resume.
2: Gain Additional Education and Certifications
Whether or not you decide to work while caring for your little ones, it’s important to keep learning. When shifting back into your career, it’s nice to be able to say, “Sure, I may not have much work experience while I was home with my kids. But I have still earned this degree and/or certification and I have continued to build my skill set.”
There are lots of flexible ways to gain more education while at home with your kids. You can complete your bachelor’s degree or even earn a master’s degree online. LinkedIn and Coursera have great online certification courses you can take at your own pace.
Gaining more education or certifications keeps your resume current and helps you keep up with your career while being a stay-at-home mom.
3: Stay Up to Date With Your Industry
Whatever industry you’re in, it’s important to stay in the loop of all the new developments in your field. This way, when you transition back into the workforce, your knowledge is current and you’re not years behind.
Keep up with your industry by subscribing to journals and magazines that discuss issues in your field. Follow thought leaders on social media and engage with their content. Read the latest books published about your industry. Attend lectures and conferences discussing topics and issues in your field.
Staying informed about your industry is a really important way to keep up with your career as a stay-at-home mom.
4: Create Content About Your Industry
In today’s digital age, establishing your own voice in your particular field is important. It is also a great way to keep up with your career while being a stay-at-home mom.
In my recent interviews for full-time employment, I was hesitant to include a link to my blog in my applications. My blog is simple and I don’t have many readers. But I was surprised when potential employers were actually impressed with my blog.
It wasn’t my follower count or beautiful photography that impressed them. It was the fact that I was consistently putting effort into creating content when most people only consume it.
It doesn’t really matter what content you create. You can do a blog, YouTube channel, Instagram account, LinkedIn, podcast or a TikTok. Just try to publish content consistently.
Because mom life is so busy, I suggest publishing one piece of content about your industry once a week.
Think about it. If you publish once a week for one year, you will have 52 pieces of content. If you plan to stay home for a few years, you will have a whole library of published content you can showcase to future employers.
Creating content can feel intimidating. But your content doesn’t have to be amazing. You’ll naturally get better and improve over time. The important thing is to realize it’s an investment in your future career and to just get started.
5: Build Your Network
Another important way you can keep up with your career is by continuously building your network. By building your network, you’ll have a much easier time finding full-time employment when you decide to transition back into your career. As I have shifted from motherhood to full-time work, it was my connections that landed me a job.
Thanks to LinkedIn and other social platforms, building your network is still possible while staying home full-time with your kids. Make connections online and continuously nurture those relationships. Whenever possible, attend lectures, conferences, and networking events to meet people and build your network in person. Your network will be something you can lean on as you transition back into the workforce.
Conclusion
When it comes to motherhood, there truly is a time and a season for everything. So while I hope you found this article helpful, I don’t want to add any more pressure or guilt for you to be the perfect mom and working girl. Use these points as guideposts, but always do what’s best for you.
That being said, if you’d like to keep up with your career as much as possible while being a stay-at-home mom, these five things will help you do just that. Your experience doesn’t have to be perfect — and let’s face it, with motherhood things are rarely ever perfect. But it is possible to continuously further your career while being the primary caregiver for your children.
If you enjoyed this article by Brindisi Olsen Bravo, you might also be interested in these:
How To Find Yourself Again After Motherhood
