When mums take time out of their career to care for their children, there is an obvious gap in their resume. With more than 23% of mums giving up their job before having their child, and the amount of time they take off to raise their little ones on the increase, this gap can often widen to a chasm.
So many of my clients become stuck – overqualified to re-enter their profession at graduate level, yet lacking in current work experience and referees. At Career Smart Mums, one of the strategies we recommend to help overcome these barriers to re-entering the paid workforce is to become a volunteer! There are so many pluses for return-to-work mums, not to mention the community at large.
Here’s five reasons why volunteering could be a great option for return-to-work mums:
1. You will gain valuable and current experience
Most employers consider volunteer experience to be just as valuable as paid work experience, and volunteering in your chosen industry can help to update your skills. Even if the volunteer role is not in the industry you intend to target for paid work, volunteer roles can offer really great transferable skills. For example, helping to organise your school fete can demonstrate leadership, financial management, negotiation, or project management skills. Be sure to outline the nature of your volunteer role on your resume, just as you would for a paid position. Also include your key achievements in the role to help a prospective employer gain a clear understanding of your role and contribution.
2. You can try out working in a new industry or profession
If you are seeking a change of scenery after taking a career break, volunteering can really help you to decide on your direction! At Career Smart Mums, we narrow down occupations and industries that are likely to be of interest to our clients through a range of different exercises. But once you’ve honed down your list of options, it’s great to get a hands-on insight into different industries before you embark on a job search or training.
3. You will build your professional network
I can’t stress enough how important your network is in helping you to gain employment. Did you know that 70% of jobs aren’t advertised? Knowing people in your chosen industry, and being ‘close to the action’ in a volunteer role can really help you to keep your ear to the ground, and access this hidden job market. My clients repeatedly gain employment through opportunities that come to them through their network of colleagues, friends, and family. Volunteering can help you to be in the right place at the right time!
4. Demonstrate your work ethic to employers
Volunteering shows a prospective employer that you are a hard worker, and can be relied upon to deliver a project or service. Often, return-to-work mums are missing recent referees from their resume too, which employers rely upon to make recruitment selections. Gaining a reference from the organisation you volunteer for can be a really valuable asset in any job search. Your work as a volunteer might also help you to build up a portfolio of work that you can show to potential employers. Keep a record of the work you contribute, and make sure you ask for a reference before you leave any volunteer role.
5. A great way to boost your confidence
I find, that for many of my clients, motherhood can be very isolating, and the repetitiveness of the role can leave some women feeling quite demoralised. Add to that the self-doubt that creeps in when you haven’t been in paid employment for a while, and you end up feeling unsure whether you’ll ever be able to get a job again! Volunteering can help give you structure and purpose, and gives you an outlet to use your skills (or perhaps learn a few new ones). It can also be a great practise-run for managing the juggle between family life and paid employment.
The key advice I have for selecting a volunteer role is to choose something you’re interested in, or passionate about. Have a clear plan in place about how to transition from volunteering to paid employment – be definite and realistic about how much time you devote to volunteering, be clear about the type of role you are seeking, make a list of any skills you would like to develop and think about how you can use your strengths.
You can search volunteering opportunities at sites like Go Volunteer, run by Volunteers Australia. Or you can consider organisations near you. Community organisations like your children’s school or kindergarten and local charities are always looking for helpers. Another option is to set up a formal work experience arrangement with a company. Your network might be able to connect you with an opportunity or you could go directly to an organisation you are interested in working for. Whatever you choose to do, volunteering can really value-add to your resume for prospective employers. Time to think about paying it forward?