Pausing Career to Raise Your Family

Recently I recorded a short video for those pausing or stepping away from their career to spend time with their kids. It can be an amazing time for your family but it can also bring some trepidation about what happens if you decide to get back into the workforce later on.

𝑴𝒂𝒏𝒚 𝒄𝒍𝒊𝒆𝒏𝒕𝒔 𝒐𝒇 𝒎𝒊𝒏𝒆 𝒘𝒊𝒍𝒍 𝒂𝒔𝒌 𝒒𝒖𝒆𝒔𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏𝒔 𝒍𝒊𝒌𝒆:

1️⃣ Will this hurt my career?

2️⃣ What if I don't want to return to the career I had, then what can I do?

3️⃣ Will I be able to step back into my career where I left off?

4️⃣ How do I handle the gap on my resume?

And so many other questions.

What I tell my clients can vary because honestly it depends on the industry, the number of years you have been in your career, what level you are at, etc.

But one of the best things you can do while pausing your career is to volunteer.

𝑾𝒉𝒚 𝒊𝒔 𝒗𝒐𝒍𝒖𝒏𝒕𝒆𝒆𝒓𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒔𝒐 𝒊𝒎𝒑𝒐𝒓𝒕𝒂𝒏𝒕?

𝐕𝐨𝐥𝐮𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐜𝐚𝐧 𝐛𝐞 𝐢𝐦𝐩𝐚𝐜𝐭𝐟𝐮𝐥 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐚 𝐧𝐮𝐦𝐛𝐞𝐫 𝐨𝐟 𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐬𝐨𝐧𝐬.

🎯 It shows 𝗶𝗻𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗮𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗲, that you are 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗮𝗰𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗲 and 𝗶𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗲𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗱 in contributing to the community.

🎯 It will help you 𝗱𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗹𝗼𝗽 𝗻𝗲𝘄 𝘀𝗸𝗶𝗹𝗹𝘀 or 𝗵𝗼𝗻𝗲 𝗲𝘅𝗶𝘀𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗼𝗻𝗲𝘀 that are relevant to your career.

🎯 Skills that can be enhanced or developed range from 𝗹𝗲𝗮𝗱𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗵𝗶𝗽, 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗷𝗲𝗰𝘁 𝗺𝗮𝗻𝗮𝗴𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁, 𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗺𝘂𝗻𝗶𝗰𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻, 𝘁𝗲𝗮𝗺𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗸 just to name a few.

🎯 It also helps 𝗳𝗶𝗹𝗹 𝗴𝗮𝗽𝘀 in your employment history. Employers love candidates and employees that volunteer.

🎯 It provides opportunities to 𝗻𝗲𝘁𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗸 which could lead to new career opportunities in the future.

𝗩𝗼𝗹𝘂𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗲𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗴 can be a 𝗴𝗿𝗲𝗮𝘁 𝘄𝗮𝘆 𝘁𝗼 𝗯𝗼𝗼𝘀𝘁 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗿𝗲𝘀𝘂𝗺𝗲 and demonstrate your committment to your community and professional development.

Your kid's school, local community opportunities and churches are great places to start to volunteer.