69% of Aussie mums believe that the skills they’ve developed as a mother make them better at their jobs, according to a new study from The Heat Group - a result that is much lower than a Korn/Ferry study of mum's in professional positions.
According to The Heat Group's Managing Director, Gillian Franklin, businesses should consider the highly developed skill sets of working mothers that will benefit their workplaces including multi-tasking, people management, collaboration and delegation, when hiring.
“Mums are the ultimate multi-taskers often at times having to do three things at once just to keep up with the household tasks they have at hand,” says Ms Franklin.
“This high degree of multi-tasking has made them capable of churning through work tasks more efficiently.”
This survey revealed that 13.4% of mums believe they have developed the capability of managing others effectively through having to deal with their children in their home lives.
“This skill has served mothers well in the workforce where assertiveness and decisiveness come in extremely handy. I witness this every day with our Heat mums who are highly productive, have excellent time management skills and are focussed,” noted Ms Franklin.
“Mums often have to run their households with military-like precision. Having dinner on the table at specific times, running to schedule with sports pick-ups and ensuring the laundry is done so that the family has clean clothes. Women have to pre-empt situations and plan their family lives, even to the minutest detail. This in my view reinforces the argument that we should be doing whatever is possible to encourage and support more mums in their return to work.”
If you are considering returning to work, or are in work and thinking of a job change, here are six tips from Kerri Peterson, Director of the CV Company and Résumé Builder.
1. Work out what excites you and what doesn’t
Write down what would be your ideal job and then write down the skills / qualifications you have to prove you can do that job. If you get stuck on this search for your job via CareerOne.com.au or other online jobs site to help you define the type of job that excites you.
2. What companies would you love to work for
Think about your favourite brands or companies that are industry innovators. Maybe you want to work for a company that offers flexibility. To help you find the company you want to work for view the following sources:
http://www.greatplacetowork.com.au/best-companies/best-places-to-work-in-australia
3. Write your résumé
Now that you have a better understanding of the type of job and company you want to work for, you need to write your resume with these two things in mind. If you are not confident in writing your resume yourself and need assistance, I strongly recommend you get some help. If you are a student, you can use My Resume Builder to help you create your professional Resume or you can contact a professional Resume writer at The CV Company to write your Resume for you.
4. Preparing your Job Search strategy
Ok, so with your list of companies you want to work for, start linking people you know who work there now or have worked there in the past. Don’t’ forget to ask your network if they know anyone who works there to introduce you. With this list start emailing, calling or having coffee’s with people to tell them about your skills and if they know of any opportunities in your field that they could introduce you to.
You should also use Recruitment Agencies too as they have contacts into many companies across industries and can help you find the right role for you. To find a list of Recruitment agencies relevant to your industry and/or area of focus do a google search on recruitment agency Sydney or Victoria etc,.
Don’t forget to search on employment websites like CareerOne.com.au where you’ll find positions being advertised in your industry / occupation by Recruitment Agents and small, medium and large companies.
5. Tailor your résumé and cover letter for every position
Don’t assume you can apply for positions with the same Resume and Cover Letter. Every job description and/or application process will have a different set of criteria the employer is asking for. While you have a master copy of your Resume and Cover Letter you will need to go through and tweak it here and there to bring forward the relevant skills / qualifications and experience the employer or recruiter is asking for. If you want to understand more about this you can purchase The CV Company eBook – “Mirror, Mirror on the wall, will my Resume Rise Above All?”
Get the eBook here: http://www.thecvcompany.com.au/resume_help_resume_book.htm
6. Apply with confidence
Here’s the easy part. Start sending your resume and cover letter to your network and positions you’ve seen advertised in the paper and online. Your due diligence in understanding what you want and mapping out who you can deliver value too will pay off.
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