One problem facing an increasing number of parents is how to return to the work force after having children.

One way to help ease your re-entry is to stay in touch with friends and business associates. If you do not remain visible, it will be more difficult to become re-employed, because employers are not likely to remember you.

Make a list of friends, business associates and past co-workers, and talk on the phone or meet face-to-face with them. Do not limit your list to only people who worked in the same industry as you. Instead, list all of the people who may be able to provide job leads, including workers in other industries. Just because you worked in a particular business does not preclude you from being qualified to work for other types of industries. You usually can transfer your functional job skills to different types of companies, which will expand the boundaries of your job search.

Subscribe to at lease one business magazine and read the business sections of daily newspapers to keep abreast of new trends, company restructurings, mergers, consolidations and promotions. These developments can provide clues to where jobs may be available.

Because you have removed yourself from the work force temporarily, take time to reflect on your jobs. Make a list of job-related experiences and accomplishments. Then prepare an updated resume, highlighting ways in which you helped contribute to companies' bottom lines. Include ways you increased profitability, improved operating efficiency, or developed new products or services that benefited past employers.

When you're ready to re-enter the job market, use the list to begin contacting as many employers as possible. Try to line up face-to-face interviews. Be prepared to explain your temporary leave from the work force.

Employers often give clues about what the company is looking for. You need to be flexible in each interview, adapting your answers--within the boundaries of truth--to fit the needs of the company. And remember, employers are looking for experienced, bright and capable people who can make a contribution to the bottom line. Focus on and demonstrate through concrete examples your proven abilities to do just that, and you will increase your chances of winning a new job.
 

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