Tips for Professional Mothers Returning to Work - Tips 4 - 6

Tip #4 What are your unique strengths?

Consider this question carefully.  Can you really answer it?  Let me ask it another way.

• What are your natural talents? 
• What have you always been good at and naturally inclined to do easily? 
• When people tell you that they can't believe how good you are at a certain task or way of working, what is it they are referring to? 
• What do your colleagues, friends, and family say about you?  
• What do you do that you don't think is a strength because it comes to you so easily? 

Strength is defined as Knowledge + Skills + Talent.  "The key to building a bona fide strength is to identify dominant talents and refine them with knowledge and skill."  Follow This Path by Coffman and Conzalez-Molina 2002. 

Often these traits are the things that people admire in you.  These are the things that make you unique.  I'm sure it is easy for you to list off these traits in other people that you know.  Now think of it in terms of yourself.

I highly recommend Now, Discover Your Strengths by Marcus Buckingham & Donald O. Clifton.  The book defines talent as "any recurring pattern of thought, feeling, or behavior that can be productively applied."   It describes in detail 34 strength based themes based on 25 years of research by the Gallup Organization of more than two million psychological profiles.  You are given a code in the book to complete an online self-assessment that will identify your five top strengths.  This helps you assess what you are truly naturally gifted at. 

A person who understands their unique strengths can more easily identify roles that they would be well positioned for.  Being able to articulate these strengths and support with tangible examples will put you ahead of the pack when it comes to career search, reentering the workforce, and interviewing. 

Once again, this ties right back to Tip #1 - Understand Yourself.  Often we take ourselves for granted.  We just don't take the time to really get to know ourselves.  Life is an ongoing series of self-discoveries.  We are continuing to build our personalities and experiences and along the way sometimes forget to stop, debrief and understand who we are based on those experiences.   What are your unique strengths?  Once you know what they are you will be able to identify where you can go and grow the most.

Tip #5 Practically Speaking

Now that you have read through Tip #4, What Are Your Unique Strengths, the next step is learning how to get that message across.  Can you clearly articulate where you have been, what you have done, what you were responsible for, and what you accomplished?  Can you do this in a way that will make someone want to jump over the table and hire you immediately? 

Although it is currently a tight market with a labour shortage, employers are still looking for the right person for their company.  If you have an interview or are meeting with someone informally, that is often your only chance to make a lasting and positive impression.  Talking about yourself is not something you do very often.  However if you are prepared, you will find it easy to do.  When you think about it, you are your most knowledgeable topic.  Being able to discuss yourself confidently and articulately is a skill not to be underestimated or taken lightly. 

Two themes of this tip are "message" and "tone".  Getting your message across with the right tone can ensure a successful interview. 

"Message" means articulating your skills by highlighting how you've used them in your accomplishments.  A tool that I recommend to my candidates use is a Skills Matrix.  On the top horizontal axis make a list of skills and competencies that you have.  On the vertical axis, list various projects or tasks that you have worked on over your career.  For each project or task, identify which skill you used to complete the activity.  This matrix is something that you should keep with you throughout your career and add to on a regular basis.  This way, when a company is looking for someone with a particular skill set, not only will you be able to show you have it but you can also provide the interviewer with tangible examples where you used the skill to accomplish a task. 

"Tone" is a little more subjective.  It is something that will be assessed with fit when you are looking to join a company.  How can you articulate your desire to be in the new role and yet communicate that you have other responsibilities to your family?  Can you still sound committed?  I believe the answer is yes.  As mothers, we are experts at flexibility and making things work.  Sometimes the issue is to convince the employer that you are just as committed to the role as your single counterparts.  The need to convince employers of this will likely diminish as our demographic trends continue with the workforce getting closer to retirement. 

A survey on hiring and advancement in August 2006 by NFI Research, a U.S.-based research firm that identifies and analyzes trends and attitudes in business and organizational management, found the following:  Nearly three-quarters (72.5%) of senior executives and managers say personally they rely on likelihood of fit when hiring and/or promoting in their business. More than three-fifths (69.4%) of senior executives and managers say interviews are what they rely on when hiring and/or promoting in their business, as well as willingness to learn (68.9%), personality/"likeability" (63.1%), and skills (61.7%).

Remember to give your message with an appropriate tone - it is the fine line between "This is why the company should hire Me." and "Here is how I can use my skills to contribute to this company."  Being a contributor and a person who adds value are things that companies search for.  Skills can be taught but attitude cannot. 

Tip #6 Professional Development

It is time to start thinking about "Back to School".  School isn't only for kids.  We are all life long learners and professional development is a great way to keep you up to date. 

Some professional designations require that their members maintain a certain number of PD hours each year.  If you are off on maternity leave, you will likely still be required to keep up those hours.  For those people who are not mandated to attend PD, it is a good habit to get into.

Professional development doesn't have to specifically focus on certain topics (unless it is required).  Individually, professional development should be a personal choice.  As long as you feel that you are getting some benefit out of it, it is a worthwhile exercise. 

As a child my single mother worked, raised two kids, and went to school.  When we were driving from Alberta to BC in the summers we would listen to motivational speaker tapes.  My mother never stops learning - a lesson she modeled and taught me at an early age. 

Different aspects of professional development you can consider are:

• Taking courses related to your industry
• Taking courses aimed at specific skill sets such as leadership, self awareness, public speaking, or business development
• Taking courses that are more general in nature such as entrepreneurial classes or general business
• Courses can be found through your industry association or through local colleges

The options are endless.

There are many benefits to PD courses:

• They keep you up to date
• They are an excellent opportunity to network
• They can provide contacts for future opportunities
• They add to your resume and keep it current even though there may be a gap in the work history
• They get you out of the house and does something for YOU
• They keep your mind fresh with non-toddler related material
• They provide you with new information that gives you energy

It can be a time of year when I spend hours on the internet researching which ballet school is the best option for my three year old (please someone put me out of my misery).  However, a similar amount of time can be spent researching what courses will give you the benefits mentioned above. 

The number one thing that candidates tell me they look for in a role is the opportunity to learn new things and continue to be challenged.  Professional Development is a chance for you to take the time to do it for yourself.  And of course - don't forget your back to school shopping trip!

Stay Tuned! More tips to come soon…