The logistics of being employed

This is the fourth of a series of articles for returners, people who want to return to the workplace after an extended period away from it.

How much flexibility do you need?

What hours can you work?

Are there childcare arrangements to be made?

How far can you travel to work?

How will you get there?

What will happen if a child has a virus?

Is it possible to work from home?

What are your support mechanisms?

By asking these, possibly difficult questions, we are NOT trying to put you off seeking a job. We do believe that, for yourself and a potential employer, you need to know the answers.

Enlightened employers will make accommodations and adjustments because they know their staff are valuable people. They recognise being a good employer generates loyalty, commitment, and productivity. Sadly, that isn’t every employer and part of your research will be to look into the culture of prospective employers.

You may be interested to know research has found part-time employees are up to 20% more productive than their full-time colleagues!

At an interview the employer cannot ask questions which may be discriminatory. Therefore, it may be a good idea to take the initiative and to demonstrate you have thought about potential issues, know the answers and will be a thoroughly diligent asset to them. Impress with your forethought and commitment. Remember, you are trying to differentiate yourself positively from any other candidates.

Work Horizons is an online membership site which gives you career coaching at a fraction of the cost of traditional support             https://app.workhorizons.com/

Your Why?

This is the third of a series of articles for returners, people who want to return to the workplace after an extended period away from it.

Why do you want to work?

Why are you considering a specific type of work?

Are you only thinking about going back into the same type of role? Why?

Are you “managing your own expectations”? Are you only thinking about junior roles, even when you have great potential?

Are you making a compromise, even before exploring what is available?

Have you lost confidence in yourself to learn new skills?

Do you think you don’t have leadership talents? Returners take lower-level jobs in 35% of cases but 24% acquire a higher status role.

Hopefully, you are reading these questions and thinking something like, I am better than “the me” for which I am giving myself credit. Do not underestimate or undersell yourself. The clever part of job hunting is translating the things you do naturally into tangible examples an employer can see will be valuable.

Why do you not want to do some things?

Is this a point of principle? Have you described your principles and values clearly? For many people any job in a tobacco company would be totally unacceptable but what about in the nuclear energy sector? How would some industries feel for vegetarians? You need to think through these questions.

Are some jobs too physically demanding? Do you have limitations, or have you allowed yourself to become unfit?

Do you know some jobs would be too boring? How do you know? What have you done to establish the types of roles which would marry with your personality and preferences? In our changing world what research have you done into the sorts of work available?

Why are you prevaricating?

It isn’t about making decisions; it is about taking actions. You need to know what you are looking for and, together with the people that matter to you, make decisions but your biggest enemy is inertia. Get on with it.

This may not be the exact right time to apply for jobs, but it may be the time to carry out your research or undertake some training.

How many people do you need to “approve” your decision to go back to work? Don’t allow yourself to find excuses. This is easy to say but caught up in the mayhem of day-to-day life more difficult to do. Only you can make things happen.

Why does the thought of somethings motivate or demotivate you?

Some ideas, businesses, organisations, or causes stir us. They make us want to be involved, they are the difference between getting out of bed in the morning and bouncing out of bed. Alternatively, they make us think up excuses for staying in bed.

What would excite you? Who inspires you?

What turns you off? Who do you dislike?

Do you know what you want from a job? Do you know what it looks like and how to find it?

There is a fascinating book by Simon Sinek, entitled Start with Why. It is the right place to begin.

Work Horizons is an online membership site which gives you career coaching at a fraction of the cost of traditional support             https://app.workhorizons.com/

Do you have valuable assets?

This is the second of a series of articles for returners, people who want to return to the workplace after an extended period away from it.

The questions we are asked frequently are:

• Are my skills still relevant?
• What if I have forgotten everything?
• How will I be able to catch up with the changes in technology?
• Will I be able to have conversations with colleagues if my recent interactions have been limited?
• What have I got to offer an employer?

The first thing to recognise is these are very typical and, if you have any self-doubts, it is a normal reaction. Don’t beat yourself up for having these thoughts.

You don’t lose skills, albeit they may need to be revisited and updated. What courses could you take now?

Humankind is a species which loves to learn and your capacity to acquire new information has not diminished just because you haven’t been in the world of work.

Perhaps the most important aspect of this return to work to think through is, what additionally have I to offer? Some perspectives:

• Looking after children or caring for others is a huge demonstration of your ability to accept responsibility
• You have been dealing with new challenges every day and doing so successfully
• You have been adapting your communication skills to a very wide range of audiences
• Health and Safety are you raison d’etre
• You have been working 24/7 for years
• You can balance priorities and react to mini crises
• You have become more creative and laterally thinking
• You have dealt with complex logistical issues

In essence, you are remarkable and a hero. Far from lacking self-confidence, you should be proud of your achievements and your successes. The key is being able to describe your extra talents to prospective employers and, crucially, be able to give examples in a manner which demonstrates transferability to the workplace.

In the next article, we will discuss your “Why”.

Work Horizons is an online membership site which gives you career coaching at a fraction of the cost of traditional support             https://app.workhorizons.com/

There can be some serious challenges returning to work after time out of the workplace. Some of them are logistical – for example, how to find work that fits around school pick-up times and school holidays – some are psychological, is it even possible do get back into a career and work mindset?

Preparing your mindset for returning to work

This is the first of a series of articles for returners, people who want to return to the workplace. This may be parents whose children are now at school, retired people who have a variety of reasons for wanting to go back to work (25% of them do), carers now again available, people who have had a bout of ill-health but are now well again, or the long-term unemployed but still keen to contribute people. Many of us have needed to react to life changing events and have immense potential to be very productive employees.

Everyone’s situation and circumstances are different, so there is no simple template or process to follow. For anyone job hunting there are pressures and frustrations, but for you there may be the overlaid issues of childcare, running the home and balancing numerous metaphorical plates simultaneously.

From our discussions with many aspiring returners, including moms, we know there are a range of psychological issues to confront even before the job hunt process begins. Of course, not all of these are applicable to all parents and guardians but to consider some general headings:

If there is one theme which will permeate through all of our advice, it is ensure great communication: with your family and friends, any coach, any agency and all prospective employers. To achieve this it is fundamental to recognise this comes from the three aspects of communication:

Communication is one of the least well performed activities, yet it is one we all practise the most.

In the next issue of Primary Times, we will discuss your valuable assets.

Work Horizons is an online membership site which gives you career coaching at a fraction of the cost of traditional support             https://app.workhorizons.com/