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WILL
YOU BE RE-ENTERING THE WORKFORCE?
IF
YOU CAN - START PREPARING WHILE YOU
ARE OUT!
Many
individuals leave the workforce for a period of time for one reason or another.
It is always scary, especially if you have an established career.
There are, however, steps that you can take while you are out to prepare
for re-entry. And many of the items
can be fun, rewarding and can keep you intellectually stimulated.
I am not suggesting that you do ALL of the things on the list.
Just pick one or two – do what you can.
Whatever has taken you out of the labor market is probably already
keeping you very busy!
-
Continue
memberships in one or more professional organizations
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Stay up on
any reading that you receive through these organizations.
If you only have time to skim the articles or headlines don’t
worry! At least you will have a
general sense of what the hot topics are and will get a feel for general new
trends.
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If you can,
attend some of the lunches or other events sponsored by the professional
organizations to maintain a network. You
can also add some of these activities to a resume to fill in holes.
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If you have
time, do some freelance work. There
are many websites out there now that make it very easy to find projects in
your field – and most can be done at home.
Check our listing of sites at http://www.womans-work.com/freelance_jobs.htm
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Attend some
workshops or seminars
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Keep any
licensure or certifications current – it is usually easier to maintain
them than it is re-certify.
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Do some
volunteer work
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Surf the
net. Find some sites geared
toward your profession. Join
the site and/or sign up for any newsletters.
Take advantage of the content and peruse any discussion boards.
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Stay up on
current technology
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Have lunch
with former co-workers or colleagues on occasion or just drop them a quick
e-mail to say hi. It will be
helpful to have established contacts when you decide to return.
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Start a
website. Provide expert advice
from your field. Write good
content for your pages and start a newsletter.
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Write
articles for e-zines. There are
thousands to choose from! Send
an e-mail with your article idea. Most
e-zine publishers are very happy to find good content.
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Keep your
resume up to date. If you attend a seminar or do some volunteer work add it!
Kirsten Ross is mother of two sons and is
a Certified Human Resource Professional (SPHR) dedicated to helping women
achieve more life balance and to transforming the design of work.
Visit Womans-Work.com at http://www.womans-work.com
to search our revolutionary flexible work job board featuring more than 35,000
fresh work from home, part time, job share, flex time and telecommuting
opportunities, search for a job share partner or
read valuable career, life balance and family articles. You may also email
her at mailto:KRoss@Womans-Work.com
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