I always loved working. So I
never imagined I would ever willingly take a sabbatical in my career. But when
my daughter was born, everything changed… Due to a variety of reasons, I
decided to take a break. It was a choice that caused a spectrum of reactions
from my dear and near ones. :-)
Did I miss the constant mental
stimulation that my job gave? Yes!!! Adult conversation was something I really
missed. And those who know me personally will surely understand the reason! :-) You see, I am a
talker. I thrive when I am around people. I have rarely met a person whom I
couldn’t strike up a conversation with. So for someone like me, it was doubly
difficult to deal with the reduced amount of adult interactions.
But even with all this, the simple
fact is….I never once regretted my decision to take a break. And to this day, I
feel it was one of the best decisions I have ever taken.
When I felt it was finally time
to get back into full time work, I had a lot of apprehensions. I had not worked
in a normal, 9-5, office setup in more than 3 years. I did dabble in a few
other things in the interim….(more on that is given later in this post).
Recently, I got back to full time work - as a business analyst.
So what were the things I did to
make this humongous transition easier? And what were the things I wish I did, in hindsight? Well, I am
listing all of those here so that you can use them, when you think of joining
back the rat race. So enjoy!!!! :-)
1. Find
a great daycare or after-school care center for your child
This is the
number one, most important, deal breaker thing you need to do. I can’t stress
enough how important this can be for your peace of mind, and your stress
levels. Start sending your child to a daycare, or after-school care a few
months (at least 2) before you start job hunting. Ensure that your child is
happy at the new day care. If you find that your child is not adjusting to that
particular daycare even after a reasonable amount of time, you may have to move
her to another daycare. This is a painful period. Believe me, you want all this
to be out of the way, before you set out for a job interview. Think about
it….would you want to go for a job interview with your child’s tearful face in
mind or her smiling face?
2. Prepare
your child mentally
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgq240PrXnfDDjpMj6g44tGgiSXQ1InzeZEdbDpAobCgzHonSSPgmxlvrsr19Jjxumg9Jp04bj8SdfJfEcqC24UB4ZBxsoHPARkOswVvel7QsHEq61MKvfP5ZKPZHTd6G3XreGmBBBo5fA/s320/A_mother_and_her_y_3159352b.jpg)
Another thing I
found helpful was, a ‘Pepper’ series book called “Pepper and Mama’s new job”. I
read this out to Samaara a few days before I started telling her that I am
going to work. This helped her acclimatize to the whole concept. There may be
other better books that convey the same idea, but this was the one I got my hands
on. And I believe it has helped me tremendously.
3. Make
sustainable arrangements for pick-ups and drops
This was one
mistake I made. My daughter goes to a playschool and then later to a different
daycare. I was the one who dropped her at playschool, then picked her up at
noon and dropped her at the daycare, and then again picked her up in the
evening. This entire cycle played havoc with my time. As a result I really
struggled to find convenient time slots for interviews. Sometimes the
interviews were done in places far from home, even though the actual job location
may be close to home. I was tense through two interviews and did not perform at
my peak, because I was so aware of the hands on the clock… and was worried if I
would get there in time to pick my daughter. It was only after a lot of
heartache that I decided to finally let the school bus drop her to her daycare.
4. Checkout
if you actually want to get back to your earlier career
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhErwyunKD6Cn7-jeF1TlP7H6RCC65xaHS8bLIRTK6C4kDdvx6EOJaHBfL1fBM5SLbAF_M2KFjmO1L1mVqzV-rEP-0LZJ3awefVcjdcDWKESWd6s1fAo66axGcSDF-8dCzbP8YDL1KNwVo/s200/Voiceover.jpg)
5. Have
a heart to heart with your family
When it was time
to start work, I had serious
concerns on how we would all adjust to it. I think the hardest hit person was
my husband. :-)
He had got too used to me taking care of a lot of stuff at home - like grocery
shopping, bank related stuff, getting Samaara ready for school, etc..etc… But
my husband has been a darling. To my absolute delight, he has not just
adjusted, but really welcomed these changes. We split all our duties. Now
things are running smooth at my house, and we have all got into a routine. But
to get to that stage was not an easy task. It is imperative that you have an open
and honest conversation with your family about the upcoming changes and how
important it is for you, personally, to start working. In my experience, adults
as well as children, adjust well to changes that they have been warned
of….especially when they know how important it is for you.
6. Check
out the job portals
Start checking
out the usual job portals like naukri, monster, etc. But also check out
specialized job portals like sheroes.com
which exclusively cater to women, especially moms on a break. They have many
flexible options like part time job, work from home, entrepreneur’s corner,
etc. They also do mentoring and give guidance to women who are trying to get
back to work. There are other websites and groups which do the same. Just
google around, and you will see. Incidentally, I did not get my job through
them, but they had some good options there. And most importantly, they were a
major point of hope during my job hunting days.
7. Be
clear about your answers
8. Salary
negotiations
This was
something that was really confusing for me. I was really not clear as to how
much I could ask for. I mean, I was coming back to that career after a break.
The other things that I had done in the break period were not in the same
industry, and obviously the market rates were totally different. So I could
only compare my new expected salary with the last salary I had drawn as a BA.
So, was I supposed to ask for the same amount as my last salary? Or could I ask
for a raise on that? If I could ask for a raise, how much could I ask for, and
how much would be too much? These were all things that were very confusing. But
after consulting with a few friends of mine who are in HR, I realized you could
ask for a raise of 25 – 30%. After all, you need to take inflation into
account. So this was how I started quoting my expected salary. After that, your
usual salary negotiations will happen. Please note that salary is hugely
dependent on your capability, experience and your interview performance. It
also depends on the current market scenario. So take all this into
consideration when you decide on an amount. My own expected salary kept increasing
as I faced more interviews and my confidence grew. :-) So there are no hard and fast
rules here. But be confident when you quote the expected salary. Only then will
they feel that you are worth it.
9. Be
Patient. Everything will work out
I know, I
know….This advice used to drive me crazy too. But nevertheless, it is true.
Things do have a habit of working out in the end. And as they say….if it hasn’t
worked out, it isn’t the end yet. J
Take my case, for instance. I was hesitant to join back work as a BA mainly
because of the travelling involved in that job. But I have finally got a job
where the BA does not have to travel at all. I am not saying it was easy, or
that it was quick. I had to try out some options before I got to this job, but
it all worked out in the end. I know it is really, really frustrating when you
are just waiting for something to click and the wait seems interminable. But
hang on to your sanity (and to your temper J)
. Better days are just around the corner.
10. And
last, but not least….Happy Job Hunting J
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