Are you a mom thinking of starting a job search and wondering where to start? As a mom and career coach, these are 5 MUSTS I recommend you do Before Starting Your Job Search.

Some Factual Statistics About Working Women – You are Not Alone

According to a 2017 article on the U.S. Department of Labor Blog, they are 74.6 million women in the civilian labor force.

The article further states that working moms are the norm. As 70 percent of mothers in the labor force have children under 18 years old, with over 75 percent of those moms employed full-time.

According to parents.com, 91% of working mothers are unhappy!

Reading these statistics has given me another confirmation that they are a lot of moms that need support. If, you feel alone in your struggle as you try to navigate being a working mom. You’re not alone!

A large percentage of mothers are the sole providers for their families

My mom was the sole earner for our family for the majority of my childhood. In the U.S. 40 percent of households with children under 18, today have mothers as the sole earners.

Compared to 1960 when only 11 percent of households had mothers as the sole earners.

Honestly, these statistics have my mind going in so many directions when I think about the support that ALL mothers need!

 

Awakened To The Struggles Of Mothers

I became awakened to the struggles of mothers when I became a mother. I wasn’t aware or conscious of the struggles of my mom growing up or mothers in general.

So much so, that I didn’t realize that the discontent and frustrations I felt as a working woman stemmed from my struggles juggling being a working mom.

They are so many issues in my heart when I think about all the challenges women face as working moms – and being a mom.

However, this is the season I am in and where I feel called to start on my journey of being an ambassador for hope for working moms. [Thanks for this term Sue F.]

I am using my experience as a working mom and career coach to provide support and practical resources to help you create the working mom life you love and need.

Why is it so important for you to be supported as a mother?

With 40 percent of mothers with children under 18 years old being the sole earner for their families – this is and has always been more than supporting mothers for me.

I strongly feel that when we support mothers we are supporting our future leaders – our children are our future leaders!

To help make our families, communities, country, and world better we can all support mothers – the caregivers who are raising our future leaders.

Working and providing an income is not a choice for some mothers. Whether you are a single-income household or not, many mothers must work to help support their families.

The U.S. median household income in 2017 was $60, 336. That is the highest it had been for several years.

I remember the sense of responsibility I felt and still feel as a mother that needs to support and care for my children. When I became a mom, I started living for more than just myself.

I see the same shift in many women when they became mothers.

It takes a village to raise a child. Working moms need support at home, at work, and from society.

 

Your Job Search Approach as a Career Woman vs a Career Mom

As a working mom looking for a job,  my job search approach was completely different.

Looking for a job as a parent with young children I had to first take a step back and think about some fundamental MUSTS even before starting my job search.

Most of my students and clients start their job search by asking me for help with their resumes or looking for jobs.

When I start asking questions about what, why, and where they also soon realize they need to figure out some fundamentals before diving into their job search. Let’s take a look at 5 fundamentals you must consider before starting your job search.

 

5 Musts For Moms Before Starting a Job Search

1. Know what you are looking for in your position.  Not just the title of the jobs you are searching for. Companies use different names for the titles of their positions. Be able to describe how you see yourself in the position.

Example: If I want to search for a leadership position in career services with a university.

Titles for these positions may include Director of Career Services, Associate/Assistant Director of Career Services, Manager of Career Services, Director of Career Resource Center, etc.

Here is an example of how you could describe the position you want. 

A Career Services Leadership position that would enable me to…
Provide overall leadership in the development and implementation of policies and procedures for Career Services including career planning, career development services for students, and alumni career needs…

Where I would collaborate with faculty and staff to coordinate career education, development, and readiness. As well as collaborate with employer partners to assist them with fulfilling their talent needs. Thereby assisting my students and alumni with securing internships, work experience, and employment.

Not sure how to describe what you want in a position.

• Research job descriptions and pick out the language that resonates with you.
• Use Google, job boards such as Indeed or Glassdoor, or professional social platforms such as LinkedIn to review job descriptions.
• You can also use O*NET OnLine to get a full summary of the position you are seeking.

 

2. Know your skills, experience, and accomplishments – the value you have to offer employers.

          Values I would have to offer in a Career Services Leadership position for a university:

•  More than 10 years of leadership experience
• Over six years of leadership experience in high education/universities
• Experience developing and implementing policies and procedures on a national level for over 100 college campuses
• Experience collaborating with staff and faculty to develop processes, events, and programs that assisted students and alumni with their career development and readiness
• Keen understanding of the recruiting process as a former recruiter and business development manager with experience developing and maintaining relationships with more than 500 employers
• A strong passion for assisting students and alumni with achieving their career and life goals

3. Figure out “where”. The locations you are willing and able to travel to for work.

• Does your job need to be close to your home?
• Or, does it make sense for your job to be close to your children’s daycare and/or school?

My husband and I lived in the D.C. Metro area for about five years. We secured jobs in the area and then visited to find a house. We quickly realized that, as in most major metropolitan areas. The further away we lived from the city the “more” house we would get.

The traffic is terrible in D.C. We opted to get a smaller house close to the city and our jobs.
I knew unequivocally that I did not want to be far away from our daughter.

A few years later after we had our second daughter and needed a bigger house. I also needed to make a career change. We held off moving as long as we could to give me flexibility and a wider reach with my job search.

We did not have a family living close by that was able to assist with picking up and dropping off our daughters. Or to assist in case of an emergency.

Hence, I needed to be able to get to my children in a timely manner.

4. What do you need from your potential company, team, manager, and position?

• Do you need to have a telecommuting option?
• Will you need benefits (medical, vision, dental, vacation)  for you and your family?
• Work-life “balance”. A flexible schedule. 

5. Salary. Know your worth!

• You should be able to respond confidently when asked about your salary expectations.
• You can use a salary calculator to help you figure out your salary. Salary calculators will take into account factors such as your experience, location (cost of living), and education and give you a range.

Other factors to take into account to help you figure out your salary requirements include:

• Before and aftercare costs if you will need to use and pay for these services for your children.
• The benefits offered or not offered by the company.
• The size of the company and the number of “hats” you will need to wear.
• The cost of travel to and from work and parking. Will the employer subsidize parking…

You want to make sure when you look at your expenses versus your income (the entire package) the opportunity is worth it.

Unfortunately, talking about money is more uncomfortable for us women.

However, when you do the work and figure out the salary you will need before you start your job search it makes these conversations easier.

How does it help you to do these 5 MUSTS Before Starting Your Job Search?

I have been on both sides of the table. Actually, I have been on multiple sides of the table in this job search process.

As an individual seeking a job, as a recruiter seeking and interviewing candidates for hire, as an employer looking for talent, and as a career coach assisting individuals with their entire career development.

Job searching is challenging. Period! Whether you’re in talent acquisition as the employer or recruiter or the candidate seeking a job.

Taking the time to do these 5 MUSTS Before Starting Your Job Search will make the process easier. Not, easy, easier!

• You will have clarity going into your search.
• This process will help you update your resume.
• You will not be wasting your time or potential employers’ time.
• You will feel more prepared and ready when you figure out these fundamentals that work for you and your family.
• Preparing before starting the job search process will lessen your stress level and help make you feel more confident, prepared, and ready.

5 Musts For Moms Before Starting a Job Search

1. Know what you are looking for in your position.
2. Know your skills, experience, and accomplishments – the value you have to offer employers.
3. Figure out “where”. The locations you are willing and able to travel to for work.
4. What you need from your potential company, team, manager, and position.
5. Salary. Know your worth!

I know how crazy your life is as you juggle being a working mom – trying to have a career you enjoy while being the best mom you can be for your children.

If you’re thinking of making a career change, looking for a different job, or going back to the workforce I highly recommend taking these five steps before actually starting your job search.

Taking a step back before moving forward will help you see the big picture more clearly. These 5 MUSTS are my recommendations. However, they are guides. You know your family and situation.

I hope this post will “Spark a Fire” for you so bright that you may even see more MUSTS than these five, that you need to do before starting your job search.

I would love to hear from you. Please comment below or email me directly at yamiek@rockstarcareermoms.com.
Let me know your thoughts on the posts and the  “Fire it Sparked” for you.

 

 

 

 

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Additional Job Search Resources

• Worried you will not have the flexibility to care for your family?
  This article discusses Jobs Moms Can Work and Have Flexibility For Family.
• Feeling stuck because you need help writing your resume?
  This article walks you through how to write an effective resume.
• Are you sending resumes and applying to jobs without a response?
  Here are Resume Writing Tips To Get You An Interview
• Not sure if you should job search during the holidays?
  Here are 5 reasons why working moms should job search during the holidays 

 

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