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Career makeover tips for reentering the workforce
04/30/2009 04:00 AM
By: Asa Aarons

Elizabeth Kelly quit the professional world 13 years ago to raise her children. Now she is ready to return, but is worried about competing in a workplace that has changed dramatically.

“I was concerned that when I first started to approach people there would be a look on people’s faces, as if saying, ‘Uh-oh, she’s been out of the workforce,’” says Kelly.

Kelly is rapidly finding ways to turn perceived negatives into very real positives.

“What I bring, which someone who’s a recent college graduate does not, is maturity, experience. I’m not worried about my boyfriend, will he call? I’m not thinking about the party on Friday night. I’ve done all that,” says Kelly.

When it comes to performing well in interviews, Kimberly Bishop of Slayton Search Partners says there are many positive signals that can be sent to employers.

When Bishop was asked to help Kelly relaunch her career in design, she started on proper outfits for an interview.

Bishop put special emphasis on the bag, saying that instead an applicant needs a portfolio.

“You’ll want to have a separate portfolio to have your resume in, or I would suggest a larger bag,” she says.

Speaking of resume, Bishop deflates a popular misconception.

“I think a lot of people are still operating under the myth that they need to cram their resume onto one page, and that’s just not the case,” says Bishop. “A resume needs to show all of the key accomplishments that you’ve had in your career.”

While a resume can score an interview, poor conversation skills can ruin such an opportunity.

“Interviewing is kind of an art and there’s certain skills that help people with that,” says Bishop. “It’s about practicing and thinking about what are some of the things you’re most proud of in your career.”

Candidates should focus on the employer’s needs.

“People want to hire you because you can do the job, you have the skills that they’re looking for,” says Bishop.

“I’m going to start hitting the pavement,” says Kelly.

NY1 will follow Kelly’s progress in the job market.

If you’re a stay-at-home mom trying to rejoin the workforce, chances are you have lots of questions about the smoothest path back to employment. Maggie Mistal, a career consultant on Martha Stewart Radio, has good advice for women re-entering the workforce.

What Should I Do With My Life? is used by far more than professionals at a mid-career reckoning point.

It’s widely read by those facing college graduation, and it’s been assigned to incoming freshman at some big universities like UMKC, Rutgers, Tenn State, and West Texas A&M.

One New York State Supreme Court Justice used it to counsel his son upon graduation. But it’s also picked up by those recently diagnosed with cancer who have been given a short time to live.

Many National Guardsmen have read the book after they return from their year tour, and one doctor contacted me from an Air Force base in Germany – he was giving the book to soldiers who had lost a limb (to help them accept the inevitable changes in their life).

Two famous actresses have read the book to help them understand the lives of regular people (Hah!!!), and one 17-year-old homeless youth in Denver was inspired by the book during the time he was getting off the streets.

Housewives read it as they contemplated reentering the workforce after years caring for their children at home.

A surprising number of retirees pass the book around, as a call to find a meaningful purpose in their retirement years.

Older Workers Returning to the Workforce in Greater Numbers
FOX WDAF Kansas City
Sep. 22, 2008. 08:00 PM EST

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