Need to Find a Job
After Your Maternity Leave?
Of the women that need to find a job after having a baby, 22% of these new moms go to a new employer.* Sometimes their family leave runs out and they lose their current position, other times they know that the old company would not be flexible or supportive in their new role as mother. Returning to the same job where you've already proven your worth might allow for more negotiations like re-arranging your schedule to part-time or flex-time for your return with the downside of returning to work in four months or less.
Whether you stay with the old job or moving to a new place, you should try to find the environment that works for you. Many people, after being away from the workforce are timid about making demands, but if you don't ask, you'll never get!
* US Census
Many people see working on-line from home as the ideal scenario, and it certainly is attractive, but beware of scams that make you pay an upfront fees to start employment or seem too good to be true. The internet is filled with these scams that take advantage of emotionally and financially vulnerable new mothers.
When searching for a new job, make sure to ask the following questions:
• Are there part-time jobs available?
• Could I consult on an hourly basis?
• Could I work from home?
• Could I arrange flexible hours?
• Is there day care on site?
Consider Quality of Life
There are other points to consider before you become a working woman again, as you are going to be balancing bringing up a child and bringing home a paycheck. So take the following to heart when you find a job:
• Would my commute to work be too long?
• Does the work site provide a place where I could pump and collect milk in private?
• Are there other mothers with young children on staff?
What's the point of a great job if you spend two more hours a day in the car and away from your kids? When you find a job you like, make sure you take a test drive during peak morning and evening traffic to see how long your commute will really be. When I returned to work after my first child, I started at a new job and severely underestimated my cross-town commute. After sailing to the interview at 11:00 AM in under 30 minutes, I assumed I had the all-clear. Nope, on my first day it took me over an hour to get there and most nights were an hour and a half or more to get home. Luckily, we were able to move closer to my work while keeping the same distance to my husband's employer.
2008 100 Best Companies for Working Mothers
Go to WorkingMother.com
Kudos to Procter & Gamble, who lets working moms telecommute and let me take one year away from work after my second baby.
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