Job Change for Working Moms*: 10 steps to take when you're done with your job
You’re a working mom* with a career and know it’s time for a job change. Work through this list of steps to gain clarity, define your objectives, and start developing your game plan, so your new job will work for you.
Written by Nadine Stille, who coaches moms with careers to ditch their daily grind and bring more joy into their lives.
*Working Mom: For this article, I use the term ‘working mom’ meaning a mom with a paid job or a mother with a career. I fully acknowledge that the term comes with baggage as all mothers, whether employed, remunerated for their labor or not, are indeed working. Care work, including caring for our children, is most definitely work that’s not recognized and compensated enough.
Related reading:
From A Career Coach For Moms: 12 Tips To Getting Back Into The Workforce
Moms And Work: 10 Questions To Ask Yourself To Get More Fulfilled In Your Job
You know what’s a huge energy drainer?
I mean apart from raising your kiddo, making your day work after yet another sleep deprived night, carrying the mental weight and expectations of doing it all, caring for everyone, and somehow also making family and work life work?
Being in a job we don’t enjoy.
Yes, being in a job we don’t enjoy is a huge energy drainer.
We spend, on average, nearly half of our awake time at our jobs. And when our jobs, for whatever reason, don’t work out for us, the impact can be huge.
I typically talk with mothers who are not happy in their careers and report how their mental health suffers, their emotional wellbeing, financial wellness, confidence and self-esteem, relationships, family life, and ultimately their happiness is all compromised.
Being a mom with a career is hard work, so we might as well invest in a job that works for us.
Right!?!
So, if you’re a working mom and reading this article, kudos to you for considering a job change.
'Never continue in a job you don't enjoy. If you're happy in what you're doing, you'll like yourself, you'll have inner peace. And if you have that, along with physical health, you will have had more success than you could possibly have imagined.' - Johnny Carson
Job Change for Working Moms? Here’s my list of 10 steps to take when you're done with your job:
Step 1 - List and score the reasons why you’re done with your job
You may think it’s just one reason that causes you to look elsewhere for a new job. But that one reason may only be the tip of the iceberg.
The more clarity you get now about what contributes to your unhappiness with your current job, the more actively you can look for these areas to be improved in your new role.
Here are some of the most common reasons why working moms, specifically, leave their jobs.
Professional Development incl. Advancement Opportunities
Work Atmosphere/ Workplace Culture
Compensation (Salary + performance related bonus)
Benefits (insurance, paid time off (maternity leave, sick leave)),
Flexibility (working hours per day/ week, start/ end times, etc.)
The role, its mission, and values are not in alignment with what you believe
There’s little support from people around you
The work is not inspiring
Relationship with your management
Opportunities to use skills, abilities, knowledge, and experience
Relationship with your co-workers
Autonomy/ Independence/ Trust/ Sense of control
Other reasons…
Take a moment to reflect:
What do you notice?
What’s surprising/ not surprising?
What are you learning?
Step 2 - Consider your next career options
Sometimes, there are more opportunities available than we realize. Reflect on the options below and note which ones call to you. Why do they resonate with you?
Next job options could be:
A promotion in the same team/ company
A lateral move in the same team/ company
A new job in a new team/ same company
A similar job in a new company
A new job in a new company
Going solo, starting your own business
No job
For this article, I’ll continue with career tips and the notion of you going with another job, and not one of the last two options here.
Step 3 - What’s on your career wish list?
Taking your reflections and answers from Step 1 into consideration, what would your ideal new job look like? What else would you like your new job to have that hasn’t been considered earlier?
At this stage, it’s not really about what’s possible or what potential employers might offer. It’s simply about knowing what would work for you as a working mom, what you want to search for, what you could ask for, what you deserve.
So, list everything you’d love for your new employment. Dream a bit!
…because you deserve A LOT!
Step 4 - What are your non-negotiables
Now that you’ve got your wish list, mark the 2-3 items that are absolute non-negotiables.
This means that, while you may be flexible with some of your wishes, there are a few points that simply have to be part of your new role in order for your life as a career woman, and as a mom, to work.
The reason I didn’t get you to distinguish them in step 3 was so you wouldn’t judge any of your ideas and potentially stifle what could be yours.
So, as a mom with a career, what are the most important aspects of the new job for you? Flexible working hours? A competitive salary and benefits package? A certain amount of paid time off?
Step 5 - Get clear on what this new job might be
If you already know what your new job might be, great!
Did your answers to my earlier questions bring new light to your decision or manifest your idea?
Take a moment to reflect:
What other options and opportunities are there?
Who or what might help you find what’s out there for you to claim as yours?
'Success doesn’t come to you, you go to it.' - Marva Collins
Step 6 - Start networking
Networking is key to any job transition. Your wider network will be able to keep ears and eyes open on your behalf, making you aware of positions you may not have had on your radar, or bringing you together with other decision makers that can take you a step further.
As our mom life is fully packed, there’s extra reason to be strategic with who you reach out to. So, make each reach out count.
Here are some ideas for who to consider networking with:
Friends & Family
Former colleagues
Current colleagues outside your immediate contact circle, i.e. people in your company
Trusted Recruitment Agencies
A supportive mentor or coach
People who are doing the role you’d love to do
Parenting Groups, your mom-circle besties
People who work in the team/ company you’d like to work with (including the hiring manager)
People in professional associations or who attend conferences, trainings, workshops, and events related to your preferred new job and career
Opt for genuine interactions and authentic connections both online and in person.
Step 7 - Make your LinkedIn profile sparkle
With “61 million senior-level influencers and 65 million decision-makers on LinkedIn”, “57M+ companies listed on LinkedIn”, and LinkedIn being the “most-used social media platform amongst Fortune 500 companies” you’d really want to polish your profile ahead of your career transition.
It’ll come in handy, not just during your networking efforts, but also when applying for jobs as you can apply for new positions directly through LinkedIn.
By the way, make use of the “I’m open to work” feature. Activating this setting will let recruiters know you’re looking.
Please note that, while you can now add “Stay at Home Mom” as a job title to indicate and explain gaps in your listed employment, this article in Forbes quotes some studies that argue against using the new LinkedIn feature.
Step 8 - Ace your Resume
Start updating your resume master copy with all the great accomplishments, reviews, projects, goal achievements, etc. you’ve had over the past years.
Make sure to include numbers and stats as much as possible and focus on your personal contributions, not what the general description of your role was.
Don’t underestimate your accomplishments, or hesitate to reach out to your network or a Career Coach for Moms if you’d like support.
Once you have your master copy together, spell-checked, and edited, you’ll be able to change it at short notice, make it relevant to each job opportunity that comes along, and apply without having to start from scratch.
Step 9 - Assemble your support team
A big transition, like a job change, will always be easier, smoother, and less stressful when you have your support team assembled.
Take conscious note of who that is and could be for you. Surround yourself with people who lift you up and support you.
Who will be on Team ‘YOU’? Other moms with careers? Your family? A mentor? Or even a Career Coach for Moms?
Step 10 - Brush up on your interview skills
Prepare, prepare, prepare.
This is also relevant if you’re going for an internal interview within the same team or company. Don’t underestimate the internal interview process as you’ll still, most likely, get asked the tough questions. And, you don’t want to lose out when you’ve got all the insider knowledge and expertise at your hands for the interview prep.
Some points to consider:
Review the role description and make sure you’re able to speak about it
The same goes for the team and company - research what they are about and be able to talk about it
Know your own resume and how to best highlight that your expertise and experience is what they are looking for
If there are any gaps, for care work or maternity leave for instance, be sure to practice how you’ll answer if a question about the gap comes up
Prepare your own questions to ask the interviewers
Participating in mock interviews with a trusted person with recruitment experience can also be very helpful.
Oh, and consider working with a Career Coach for Moms!
As a Career Coach for Moms, I can be your All-in-One Support and Care Package as you transition into your new job.
Typical coaching areas for working moms include, but are not limited to, more confidence and calm during the transition into a job, identifying and going after a role that truly works, co-creating a game plan, and putting everything into action with me as your supportive, non-judgmental accountability partner before, during, and after the new job, as well as hands-on consulting on resumes, LinkedIn profiles, interview preparation, and more.
Take a moment to reflect:
What areas would you like to work on with a Career Coach for Moms? Why?
I’d like to leave you with a wonderful quote:
“You can only become truly accomplished at something you love. Don’t make money your goal. Instead pursue the things you love doing and then do them so well that people can’t take their eyes off of you.”
If you’d like to explore what collaborating with me would be like and how I can support you as a mom during a career transition, then …
LET’S CHAT!