“Many of my clients often say, ‘I just want to see what’s out there.’ But to truly be effective in a new career, you need to really know who you are and why you want to work,” says Melissa Fireman, founder and CEO of Washington Career Services (www.dccareerservices.com). Fireman’s client roster includes the Montgomery County Commission for Women Counseling & Career Center and The Women’s Center, with offices in Vienna, VA and downtown Washington, D.C., as well as individuals and corporations. People in her classes and workshops range in age from their 20s to their 70s, and have a range of life experiences and careers. About half are stay-at-home moms.

“Employers respect that workers have been out of the workforce for family reasons. Similarly, if you’ve been out of the workforce for a while running a business or doing contract work, employers will also respect that, because you’ve kept one foot in the workforce,” Fireman says.

Know Who You Are And What You Want “Many of my clients plead, ‘Please tell me what to do!’ Unfortunately, I can’t do that. They can ask themselves what they want, and we can brainstorm solutions together,” says Fireman. She has them begin with a detailed self-assessment of their values, skills and interests through the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator, ValueSort and other tools. She has them look at their past experience in quantifiable ways—including volunteer experiences, work projects and transferable skills on their new resumes. She points them toward job-hunting and industry associations, as well as O*NET Online, the Occupational Information Network developed for the

U. S. Department of Labor. She says LinkedIn is a great social, professional and business networking tool. “It’s also really neat to see the kids of some of my clients teaching their parents the latest software programs— another way to stay current,” she says. They discuss informational interviews, elevator speeches, how to write clear and focused resumes and cover letters, targeting each opportunity and customizing the paperwork.

Although the Internet is a great tool, she encourages women to attend professional meetings and other networking events.

“It’s important to have a passion and know what you can offer an employer, but at the same time be realistic,” Fireman says. “You may have a Ph.D., but if you haven’t worked in eight years, it’s better to leave your ego behind and lower your expectations a bit. Every new job is a learning experi-Ence. Find a company that values work and family. American Express and Deloitte & Touche, for example, have initiatives that support workers staying home for family reasons.” Find Flexible Workplaces Tiffany Westover-Kernan is vice president of programs for Corporate Voices for Working Families (www.cvworkingfamilies. org and its blog, www.corporatevoices.wordpress. com), a Washington, D.C., business membership organization that partners with more than 55 business organizations to represent the private sector on flexible workplace policies and other issues, including workforce readiness.

Westover-Kernan points to their report, Flexible Work Strategies: Attitudes and Experiences, which website visitors can download and use to advocate for flexible programs in their companies. Corporate Voices’ annual meeting takes place in September. The organization has partnered with Working Mother Media to present the first-ever “Best of Congress” award to 24 congressional offices that have implemented flexible workplace policies and other programs that benefit working families.

“We have found from our research that many workers disengage between 2:30 and 4:30 p.m., when their kids are returning home from school,” says Westover-Kernan. “That’s why we are also heavily invested in creating after-school programs and family initiatives. As a mom of three with ages seven, four and two, I prefer the term ‘work-life inclusion,’ because there’s really no such thing as balance. I was trying to arrange a meeting with colleagues the other day, and we ended up postponing it until later in June because we all had end-of-school activities with our kids, and that is important to us,” she says. Westover-Kernan says that it’s important to stay connected to former colleagues, but to also be certain you are ready for an opportunity when it comes your way. She notes that many corporations have alumni programs for employees taking time out of the workforce.

Own Your Own Business Some women choose business ownership as the best route for re-entering the workforce. Damascus, MD, author, college instructor and organizational and business development coach Julie Lenzer Kirk (www.JulieLenzerKirk.com) says that women can easily transfer their parenting skills to their own businesses or a full-time job.

“I got the idea for The ParentPreneur Edge: What Parenting Teaches About Building a Successful Business (Wiley) from managers who say their employees often act like children,” Kirk says, laughing. “On a more serious note, there are a lot of parenting skills useful in the workplace, such as treating people with mutual respect, listening carefully and considering all viewpoints, not disciplining in anger, following through on consequences and taking a timeout before making decisions. As a parent you manage a household, a budget and transport everyone to where they are supposed to be—on time, just as you would in business,” she says.

“Anything you would do to demonstrate leadership—PTA fundraiser, president of an organization—can be added to your resume.” Kirk was working for IBM and traveling a lot when she had her first daughter. “I didn’t want to raise my child from a hotel room, so I managed a software business for a while, and then became a consultant after my second daughter was born. To be successful in business, you have to believe in the venture, know your product and your advisers, and at the same time be comfortable with uncertainty and wearing many hats. The mid-career women in my entrepreneurship class at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County, are doing many great things with their business ideas.

“Get over the guilt for the reasons you stayed at home,” she says. “When you are fulfilled, your life will fall into place,” she says. “If you know you want to stay at home awhile, have a plan for what you will want to accomplish.” Lorraine Lavet agrees. She is an executive recruiter of the Virginia office of Korn/Ferry International, specializing in federal and trade association recruitment. The company has just published a study about corporate perceptions of the ability to return to the workforce.

Stay Involved In Your Industry “Before you take time off, have a plan for re-entering.

This strategy puts you in a much better position. The more senior you are, the more difficult it is to return to your field—simply because industries, technologies and Ways of doing business change so rapidly,” she says. “It’s really crucial to stay current by reading, attending seminars or obtaining more education, if necessary. Pick the types of jobs you are interested in and see how well your qualifications stack up, and plan accordingly. While you are out of the workforce, pick one outside activity to be involved in and do it well—perhaps even achieving a leadership role.

Chambers of commerce and other nonprofits hunger for assistance. It’s a win-win situation, because people know who you are when it’s time to make hiring decisions,” she says.

Adjust Your Schedule Denise Crews worked for 10 years as a project planner for Northrop Grumman’s shipbuilding complex in Newport News, VA. She switched to a part-time schedule after the birth of her daughter, now eight. “In many ways, being a part-timer makes you a more efficient worker. You’re not there all the time, so you have to get things done,” she says.

But as her daughter reached kindergarten age, Crews wanted something more for her family. “My previous work schedule was not very flexible, and it’s better for me to be home in the mornings to get my daughter off to school and to be there when she comes home in the afternoons. Ever since college, I wanted to own a business, and when I learned about “10 til 2” franchising opportunities, it was a great fit and a reasonable investment.

My brother and I own the business together. We work well together and balance each other out.” The company “10 til 2,” headquartered in Denver, CO, was founded by four professional, college- educated moms who were looking to re-enter the workforce after taking time off to raise their families.

Each franchise places professional people in part-time, long-term positions, such as accounting, law, public relations and many other fields. Tentatively 10 til 2 hopes to open a new franchise in the Washington, D.C., area in about 18 months. “Our benefit is the opportunity to have a flexible work schedule that fits the employee’s needs,” Crews says. She enjoys speaking to business groups and being active with the local chamber of commerce. And she is also impressed with the backgrounds of the applicants. “One woman who had moved here from Northern Virginia had been a partner in a law firm. She was craving a change, and now she is enjoying her work with a local nonprofit. It’s a great opportunity for moms, retirees and anyone who’s seeking a flexible schedule,” she says.

“The high level of experience that we see each day is just outstanding,” says Saima Siddiqui, regional vice president for the D.C. area of Momcorps, a Marietta, GA, based full-service placement agency for all types of jobs in different fields. “It’s not just for moms, but for anyone looking for a flexible work arrangement, such as part-time, tele-commuting, job-sharing, even very short-term opportunities,” says Siddiqui. “We are a one-stop shop for flexible work arrangements. Flexibility means different things to different people. Employers have even listed and filled full-time placements with us,” she says.

The company has five offices throughout the country. And the website received 59,000 unique visitors in May. The website offers a job board, a resume writing service and Webinars on topics such as power networking for a fee. “In the current environment, where people can apply for positions online very easily, people tend to apply online and then get frustrated when they do not hear back. The reality from the employers’ perspective is that they receive hundreds of resumes and cannot possibly reply to all. So from an applicant’s perspective, it is important to use a variety of resources and be proactive about the search, using personal contacts, networking and professional events in combination with online resources and applications,” she says.

“Knowing what you want in a job is also important,” Siddiqui says. “Find the common thread in all your work experiences and create a combination functional and chronological resume that highlights strengths.

“There are tremendous opportunities out there,” Siddiqui says. “As someone who re-entered the workforce after taking several years off, I know firsthand that it can be challenging, personally and professionally, but once you find the right fit and balance, it is incredibly rewarding.”