WE'VE GOT THIS

I began the return to work process in earnest in January, 2017 by hiring a career coach and a resumé writer who also customized my LinkedIn profile.  The sum of these costs equaled about a week and a half of pay at the job I KNEW I would be getting, so I actually considered myself clever for being so forward thinking. The resume writer?  Was great, I would do it again in a heartbeat.  However, my coaching experience did not go as I had hoped. I chose a Boston-based coach (local to me) that I found online and read all the positive reviews that she had.  She advertised as being a specialist in turnarounds, career changes and breaks.  Thus, I was happy to take roughly a half hour completing an in-depth onboarding survey so that my coach could best understand what kind of guidance I was looking for: what services would be redundant and which would be added-value.  I felt very good going into it – she seemed enthusiastic, had experience and I was feeling ...

Sitting at the kitchen table, staring at my laptop, what do I do next to find a job? Networking, LinkedIn, combing through online job postings, informational interviews. Pop! My Facebook feed shows  reacHIRE - an organization to help women re-enter the workforce is offering a "Resume" workshop and a "PowerUp" workshop to prepare to go back to work.  It sounds interesting, all I have to do is send in my resume, how hard can that be I think, let's go for this! I send along my resume with a brief yet professional email. There's a response email in my inbox a few days later--you have been selected to take the next step, please answer some questions for us by email.  Sure, why not! I am about to pack up a family of 4 and put the dog in the kennel.  We are about to travel halfway around the world to see family for two weeks. I can fit in few short answers to these questions can't I?  Before I know it I am writing my responses to these questions at LAX, surp...

‘When are you going to get a job…?’ asked my children.  A valid question, as I had been searching for many months, but, not necessarily one that I expected to hear from a 5 and a 7 year old.  I had stopped working while pregnant with the 5 year old and committed to returning to work once both children were settled in primary school. My departure from full-time corporate work was in London in investment banking after a 15+ year career in banking and financial services.  As I had earned a graduate degree in finance and a CFA charter and there was a lot of ‘buzz’ on social media about hiring women in executive positions, board diversity improving productivity and decision making and the ‘talent drain’ as baby boomers retired, I assumed that I would quickly and easily find a job.  In fact, if I’m honest, I more expected to be choosing from a VARIETY of job offers.  It did not quite happen as I expected… I began searching in earnest in January, 2017 by getting...