The Conversation Continues:
Stay-at-Home Moms Ready to Bust a Move (Part 2 of 2)
By Delmar Johnson
In my last article I began to speak to stay-at-moms who were
ready to bust a move -- get out of the routine of home, soccer fields, PTA
meetings, school recitals, baseball teams, and other kid-centered
activities. While I've always found it
interesting that kids drive mom’s (and dad’s) schedules rather than the other
way around.. that's for another article perhaps.
Mom, Lets Review
Mentioned in the last article were five things to get you and
your new career jumpstarted. I hope these five tips got your juices flowing and
your mind ticking, helping you zone in on creating your new career plans.
1. Get clear about who you are
2. Take stock of what it is you have and own it
3. Identify what your career interests are now
4. Let your circle of influence know you are ready to get
back into the market
5. Network, network, network
6. The bonus: Lean into the fear
But maybe getting clear about who you are and taking stock of
what you have will take more than pulling out your iPad, lab top, or the trusty
pen and paper. You may even be asking yourself, “Where in the world do I
start?”.
Well, there’s simply no better place to start then at
the beginning. What makes you jump out the bed in the morning? What has you
excited for the day? Maybe it's knowing you have all kinds of great ideas for a
blog that you can't wait to get out there. Maybe it’s training for the marathon
you've always wanted to run but didn’t think you had time for. Maybe you're
finally starting back on that book you’d put on the back burner after the first
20,000 words.
As we get older, our priorities change. As women we, more
often than not, shrink who we are in order to let others shine--especially our family. Then, at the end
of the day, we have nothing left to give ourselves
and we begin to settle for what's left over. But let’s face it, that's no way
to live! The beauty of it all is that you absolutely have the power to change
what may have been your previous outlook. You have the power to create a new
path.
What are your interests now?
As the age-old saying goes, a woman has a prerogative to
change her mind! What interested you before becoming a stay-at-home mom may be
drastically different now, or, heck, it may very well be the same! The question
is what is it? What do you need to do
to make it happen? Lets explore...
Maybe you wanted to be a project manager.
How about a teacher?
An Executive Assistant?
Be a graphic designer!
A social media maven?
The possibilities are endless.
Take a Closer Look.
Previously I just skimmed the surface of the skill sets moms
develop during the course of raising their children and running productive
households. No mom underestimates the challenge of raising positive
contributors to society! But let’s go a little deeper by offering you some
scenarios based on the suggestions above that will paint a better picture of
what it is you potentially have developed and evolved into, of which you might not yet be aware...
SAHM Skills vs. "New
Opportunity" Skills.
Stay-at-Home Mom -vs-
Project Manager
Planning, organizing, negotiating, budgeting, scheduling,
regrouping, meeting deadlines, follow-up
Stay-at-Home Mom -vs-
Executive Assistant
Personal relations, attention to detail, sense of urgency,
scheduling, planning, organizing, negotiating, meeting deadlines
Stay-at-Home Mom -vs- A
Social Media Maven
Tech savvy, personable, enjoys writing and sharing
information, content creator, community oriented
On any given day a stay-at-home mom can pull out multiple
skills that mirror those you find in a corporate setting. Do any of those
skills sounds familiar to you moms? Some even repeat and overlap with each
other! Just because it wasn't in a corporate setting doesn't mean they
have no relevance. If anything, they're even more relevant because it dealt with real-life situations. I bet
some of you reading this even experienced a few “a-ha!” moments, or at least I
hope so!
Never let someone else diminish the relevance of your
talents, skills, or know-how because they weren't necessarily sharpened in a
traditional work setting. Keep in mind, the world of work today doesn't look
like it did yesterday and it takes flexibility and a non-traditional outlook to
compete and succeed.
Cheers to your success!
For more innovative
HR and Career solutions, contact Delmar Johnson at info@delmarjohnson.com.
Call her at 901.318.3006.
______________
From The Home Front to the Line of Fire: Entering the Workforce After Years as a Stay-at-Home Mom (Part 1 of 2)
By Delmar Johnson
Ready
to move from Stay-at-Home Mom to Co-Worker?
Maybe you've
been a stay-at-home mom for the last 5, 10, even 20 years. You may miss the
co-workers, managers, and vendors that you interacted with to get things done
on the job. You may miss, let’s face it,
adult conversations. Your time has been
consumed with caring for your family, making sure everybody was doing well, growing
and developing. But now you're at a point where you're asking yourself,
“What now? What's next?”
While you’re
dreaming about getting back to doing the work you've enjoyed before, you might
be having doubts about yourself. Frankly, society tells you that being a
stay-at-home mom has diminished your skills, talents and abilities.
Before you go
any further with that thought pattern... STOP! That couldn't be further from the truth.
When you know
how to communicate and show the next new potential employer exactly the value
you bring to their business culture and environment, you place yourself in the
running of being seen by the right decision maker.
After 20 years
of human resources and career-training experience, I see so many individuals in
transitions in their lives run and dust off their resume, add a few things that
may capture the attention of a recruiter, and just begin submitting one
application after another via online submissions. I can unequivocally declare
that is not the way to strategically
land the next best opportunity that fits who you are now, versus who you were,
who you have been.
Here are some
first steps to take before getting to that point.
Five
things to get you started toward a new career.
1. Get clear about who you are. Starting
over or transitioning is the perfect time to reassess who are you are, what
drives you, what fulfills you, what energizes you and what you do that provides
the most satisfaction. This first step should be taken fully consciously and not rushed. When you give yourself the
time and space to do it, you will probably be amazed by what comes to surface.
2. Take stock of what it is you have and own it.
Grab your laptop, iPad, or simply a pen and paper and begin to identify what
your talents, skills and abilities are. Take the time to actually write these
down. Do you know what you have and can do? What better time than now to
pinpoint what they are! When you aren’t quite sure about what you can offer,
how will you ever be able to convey to a potential employer that you have what
it takes? For example, stay-at-home moms have several skills and abilities
that can easily translate into the market place - organizational skills,
negotiation skills, disciplinary skills, budgeting and planning skills, and
that's just to name a few. Think about your previous career skills and the
skills that were required in raising a family, and put those down on paper.
3. Identify what your career interests are now.
The career interests you had 5, 10 or 20 years ago are not likely to be the
same now. Technology alone has transformed the employment market, and it's
important that you research the changes. Define how you must align yourself to
be competitive and identify the steps you need to take to be ready and noticed.
4. Let your circle of influence know you're
ready to get back into the market. It's important to let your trusted
circle know you are preparing yourself to get back out into the market for a
new career. Let them know what you're looking for and the type of industry you
desire. Ask if they are open to making personal introductions to people they
know who are connected with the types of employers and career environments you
want to be in.
5. Network, Network, Network. Most of the
the best jobs in the market won't be found on the internet--they’re found in a
networking environment. However, networking should be done strategically. There
are meetups everyday and everywhere, but not every one of them is conducive to
what you want and need. Be deliberate in choosing networking environments that
could potentially have decision-makers in the room. For example, try greater
chamber of commerce meetups, targeted business organizations like NAWBO
(National Association of Women Business Owners) or industry-specific meetups like
SHRM (Society of Human Resources Management). These are just a few examples to
get you thinking--find the one that works for you.
BONUS:
6. Lean into the fear, don't run from it. What
do I mean by that? Going through change, it is inevitable that FEAR will show
up every single time. The key is not to get so overwhelmed by it that you start
listening to the voice of doubt, reasoning, and procrastination. Grab hold of
the FEAR and, well, do it anyway! There are a few things you can do to operate
effectively in the presence of fear:
(1) assess the fear and break down the
risks,
(2) take small steps- you don't have to do
everything in a day or overnight, and
(3) live in
the present - give yourself permission to be in the present and not let your
mind run off in to the future.
These are the
first five steps that will get you jump-started and moving in the right
direction. In making all of these moves, never forget to embrace the change you
are moving through! When we choose to embrace the change, rather than fighting
against it, the potential to be overwhelmed is diminished far more than jumping
in with no direction and no sincere thoughts toward it. I hope you will
join me in my next blog as I expand a little more on this topic, to get you
Stay-at-Home Moms moving again with confidence.
For more innovative HR and
Career solutions, contact Delmar Johnson at info@delmarjohnson.com. Call her at 901.318.3006.
Want Your Employees to Hear You? Start Speaking Their Language
What
You Say May Not Be What's Heard
As a business owner, do you know how to effectively
communicate with your employee population? Since no two employees are exactly
alike, "cookie cutter" communication skills will not always get the
job done. Now, more than any other time in our economic landscape, the
workplace operates within a multi-generational employee environment.
Communication takes place constantly, whether it's effective or not. It is estimated that we spend 80% of
each day communicating in some way. The division of that time breaks down like
this:
Listening - 45%
Speaking - 30%
Reading - 16%
Writing - 9%
We are communicating every
time we interact with each other, and it's not always a verbal exchange. In
organizations, the importance of communication is often acknowledged through
statements, such as, "Our basic problem is communication" or, "I
just can't seem to communicate with him.”
It goes without saying (no pun intended!) that communication
with and among employees is the glue that keeps everyone working together, and
working together well. The difference
now is that a generational employee population demands that the way company
management once communicated must be changed to fit the current category of
employees. Not only does it balance the needs of the organization and the needs
of the employees, it helps to restore and maintain credibility.
Understanding generational communications is essential to
getting your point across. While a baby boomer, generational X and a millennial
may in fact have the same job title and responsibilities, each will most likely
relate to internal communications from management or fellow co-workers
differently. Baby boomers relate more to stability and prefer meeting settings;
while Generation X-ers are part of the tech advancement and flow better with a
direct approach; and yet, Millennials value individuality and are immersed in a
global environment. Millennials tend to be quite comfortable with the more
immediate form of communications like text, voicemails, and emails.
A
Little History in Getting Your Point Across
From the industrial revolution to the technological evolution
era, communicating has always come in different forms depending on the group
you’re talking to.
For a bit of historical perspective, let’s first define
“generational”. A generation is a subdivision of population grouped in time
intervals of approximately 18 - 20 years (Wikipedia). Each generation's culture
is shaped by its attitudes and beliefs formed by cultural shifts, influential
public personas, changes in technology and major events that occur during the
formative years of life.
As with parents who typically possess more wisdom than their
children, so does each "generation believe they are more intelligent than
the one that went before it, and wiser than the one that comes after it."
(George Orwell) Why is this important? Do you remember when Kennedy died
or when Neil Armstrong landed on the moon?
"Anything that is invented between the times when you
are 15 to 35 is new, revolutionary and exciting, and you can possibly get a
career in it,” writes late author Douglas Adams in The Hitchhiker’s Guide to
the Galaxy. But, he adds, “Anything invented after you are 35 is against the
natural order of things."
In America today, history is being made. At no other time
have four generations been documented
in the workplace together, at the same time. Instead of looking at that as a
bad thing or potential problem, instead as an employer, look upon it as a
challenging opportunity for growth. Improved and effective internal
communications have the capability of reducing confusion and creating a healthy
dialogue.
The speed of technology and a new world of work have forever
changed how we communicate with each other. These changes have altered how
employers get their mission, their goals and their messages across in a way
that’s clear to all employees, regardless of generation, to promote moving
forward in productivity and growth. Don't get stuck in yesteryear in how you
say what needs to be said.
_______________
Five Keys to Unlock Your Next Career Move
While unemployment has been high over the past few years and competition has grown more challenging, you have the tools to strategically gain an edge over other job seekers. There are five key areas to focus on to put you right in the position to edge out the rest:
Key #1: Your Resume: Have you worked on a job or been in a certain title for years only to confine yourself to that job title; that’s where restructuring your resume comes into play. You can identify your current transferable skills and experience you already possess and redesign your resume to target a new career job or industry. Start connecting your skills, talents and experience to career options, not “job titles” you are interested in. If you need help, ASK for it.
Key #2: Your Network: Making contacts and building productive relationships can be great leads for you in your job search. When you find yourself downsized or experiencing a job lost or you’re in a position that you are unfulfilled, reach out to your contacts and let them know you are back in the job market. Schedule informal meet-ups to keep your pulse on the industry and to find out if there are any opportunities out there they are aware of at their own employer or other companies. Start attending networking events and connecting to people; find out how you can help them and that keeps you at the top of mind, as opportunities begin to surface.
Key #3: Your Talent: More than ever before, it’s important to re-evaluate your talents, skills and know-how and determine if any additional training is necessary to be equipped for a new career. Your training can come through college courses, certification programs, internships, even through volunteering in a position you want to test run. There are many personal assessments available that can help you narrow down what your skills are, and the characteristics of your personality, resulting in a match with career jobs that are best suited for you. Check out www.strengthfinders.com as a source to get you started with assessing what you have to offer.
Key #4: Your Profile: Your professional image is key to career opportunities and upward mobility especially, if you are currently in an upper level role and want to be recognized by senior management within the company. No one is going to see or know about you when you’re sitting behind your desk. So your first step is to get up from your desk and become more visible. Be open to learn from a global perspective (the job marketplace is global; make sure you have a profile setup on www.linkedin.com); communicate more with senior level colleagues; take a look back at your career development plan and zone in on those things identified as weaknesses and begin taking strategic steps to turn them around to be noticeable accomplishments.
Key #5: Your Flexibility: A lack of flexibility can cost you the very opportunity you seek. You may need to relocate, or take a lower level job, or take on new responsibilities, but be mindful if you’re staying in a job or position just for the title or recognition. Staying power on a job in these economic times can weigh very heavily on your ability to adapt to change. When you are at a point where you have to make a decision to change, consider will the change fulfill you and the affects it will have on your family.
With over 10 years of experience working with big corporations, small business owners and new entrepreneurs, human resource guru and visionary Delmar Johnson founded HR Brain for Hire as a trusted and resourceful solution for first time employers in need of affordable, efficient, and top notch recruitment, training and HR services. Contact her at info@delmarjohnson.com and visit online at www.delmarjohnson.com, www.twitter.com/hrbrainforhire and
