(Don't) Consider Yourself At Home

Rehearsals for Oliver! Do you know how to heel click? Me neither

For the last couple of weeks I have been immersed in the side of life that is not job search. One of my sons, age 9, was in the final weeks of rehearsal for community theater in a musical called Oliver! I will try not to ooze with pride for a little kid who really doesn't come to song naturally but was determined to be a part of the show. One could learn a lot from the little ones, no?
 
The reality of community theater is that this is unpaid fun for the actors--most of them have day jobs in anything from corporate security to a pediatrician to elementary school kids. It was all-consuming--but they're all back to work and school today, most of them probably with the catchy music still playing in our heads.

The music that I've been singing all morning is Consider Yourself which has lines such as "consider yourself well-in, consider yourself part of the furniture..." It is a spectacular song and worth googling if you have a minute or two. And so with that song still ringing in my ears, I shall tell you why I have to not consider myself at home.

It's time to get out and get going. As of yet, no job offers have arrived miraculously at my feet. So far, the ReacHIRE program has not offered me a chance at a job, internship or project. It's tough out there for women returning to work...and this with high employment in many areas of the country.

A recent article in the Wall Street Journal ("Tech Companies Help Women Get Back to Work", April 10, 2016) is both optimistic and scary. While some companies are purposefully going after returning women, some are quite clearly ignoring them in favor of recent graduates and those who never left.  

Those that are now making moves towards pursuing returning women are cited as being Silicon Valley based. But not all--here I will hat-tip to those companies I know are making things happen for returning women: Goldman Sachs, Morgan Stanley and JP Morgan Chase. How I wish I wanted to be in finance, or was once in finance, or perhaps even lived in New York. Wait, not the last part--I love my Boston home. I interviewed at Morgan Stanley and had an informational interview at JP Morgan when I was graduating college--I clearly wasn't cut out for them then, and I don't think I will be now. But they're doing stuff for older women and I applaud!

One particular paragraph of the WSJ article is arresting: "Nearly 90 percent [of women who have stepped away from their careers for an extended period] attempt to resume their careers, but only 40% land full-time jobs." A further 25% take part-time jobs, and 10% become self-employed. That is a bummer. But not one that is going to take the wind out of my sails. 

Job search takes a long time: according to this excellent LinkedIn post, anywhere from six months to two years. So, how to keep the energy going? Join community theater? Nope, can't sing. Volunteer for everything? Did that, now trying to reduce my 9 volunteer roles to 2 or 3. Concentrate on job search? Ah, yes.  And here's my plan:

Consider myself out of my home...and talking with everyone I meet about what they do, what they think of it, and how their company thinks about returning to work after years away. Some of my contacts have not been particularly successful or fun, and that's okay. But as we all know, the likelihood is that my next job will come from referral, not from shooting a resume through space. 

On my list of people to contact today: one of my husband's old co-workers from BCG, a neighbor,  a friend from Brazil and a former classmate. I'm not asking them for jobs; I'm asking them for coffee. Actually I'll buy my own. Or a walk around the woods--the goslings are out and times are good in spring-y Boston.  

Be back soon. Ack, another Oliver! song...