The challenge of jumping off the career path and then trying to get back on can be especially hard on parents. Judging my the number of prams navigating Capitol Hill sidewalks this spring, finding solutions to get moms and dads back into the workforce are going to become more and more important.
Capitol Hill mother of three Jamie Flynn launched a Seattle chapter of Mom Corps this month and is looking for resumes from college-educated and professional parents. Dads can apply, too. Mom Corps job candidates typically have a college degree, five years of work experience and have been out of the workforce for two years or less, but Flynn said their candidates are diverse.
Flynn was inspired to start her Mom Corps business when she watched company founder Allison O’Kelly interviewed on the Today show.
“I found the Mom Corps concept to be so compelling, because I was a working mother struggling with a lot of the same issues [they were] trying to address,” said Flynn. “When I realized that Mom Corps had started franchising its operations, I immediately jumped on board, because I realized that both Seattle area businesses and professionals would greatly benefit.”
Flynn built a career in law and commercial property development. She worked in London as an international finance lawyer, and was recently a regional development partner for Campus Crest Development, a national owner and operator of university student housing. She worked on projects throughout the Northwest, California, Nevada and Texas. For the last six years, she has lived with her husband and three daughters on Capitol Hill.
“Flexibility means different things to different people,” said Flynn. “It could mean a standard, 20 hour per week, part-time position, it could mean a contract, or project-based, position. Or, it could mean a full time job with some component of flexibility attached to it, such as a job that allows the employee to work from home part of the time.”
Interested Mom Corps applicants should go to the company website to complete an application and browse jobs placed by employers that are eager to work with parents. The site is free to use.
If you’re considering rejoining the workforce after a few years hiatus, Flynn recommends you consider the following:
1. Make sure that you have the support of your family before going back to work.
2. Get current. Update your resume, update your wardrobe, learn any new computer skills that have changed in your field and learn whether there are any new trends in your industry. That way you will have set yourself up for success.
3. Get childcare, including having a back-up plan in place, because let’s face it, we all have to rely on our back-up plan from time to time.
4. Be confident. Be confident in your skills and your experience. That confidence will shine through during any interview.
5. Be happy with your decision to go back to work, rather than feeling guilty about leaving your family to re-enter the work force. Just remember that a happy, balanced parent will lead to a happy, well-adjusted family.
Since the Seattle franchise just launched, listings are still pretty sparse but applicants should check back to the website in the coming months to see what positions will become available. Flynn said she doesn’t want to “jinx” the staffing opportunities she’s evaluating right now, but says the Seattle job force looks promising. She said she hasn’t connected with any businesses on Capitol Hill yet but is looking in to it. Her district covers Seattle and the Eastside.
“Suffice it to say, the Mom Corps concept is appealing to a broad range of companies, particularly because it provides them with high caliber, on-demand talent while promoting diversity in the workplace,” she said.
