Maternity leave rightfully means a lot to many and paid leave – both maternity and paternity – is something many are fighting for. The benefits of this time are rather unquestionable. According to CNN, it can decrease infant mortality rates, rates of postpartum depression, and even depression rates as far as 30 years on in life.
However, it’s also true that transitioning from maternity leave back into work can be challenging.
Today we are going to take a look at more than how to transition back into a career role but how to grow that role into something you’ve always dreamed of.
Networking
Everyone’s probably already heard that it’s not always what you know in the professional but that it’s also who you know. This is absolutely true. As new mothers get back into the swing of things and spend time with their coworkers again, take advantage of the chance to meet anyone new to the office. It’s also a good idea to take advantage of professional opportunities such as going to conferences or sitting in on meetings.
Any way that you can connect with other professionals is going to broaden your career options.
Consider Going Back to School Part-Time
While not a feasible option for everyone, if someone can go back to school, it can really help their growth. For instance, if they’ve worked in marketing their whole career, they could branch out by going back and studying advertising or working on a consulting program.
Working and going to school is a tough schedule, so you’ll want to take advantage of the resources available. If students are struggling, many colleges offer tutoring services to help them grasp difficult material. There are even services that can be great timesavers such as ones that will write your essay for you. These resources can be absolutely invaluable to any woman trying to earn a new degree.
Since social media is a big hit, you might want to dig into that. There are plenty of resources out there like a Facebo
Break Away from Traditional Thinking
It’s pretty typical to get to a level in your career and think that you’ve reached the limit. Many people have this misconception – that they come to a point when they are locked into a specific role in one particular job.
The truth is that there is always room for growth or change. Ideally, anyone can make either a minor or major career shift at any point. But, to be able to achieve this, they have to think that they can do so. Growth has to be a mindset to be an action – many universities have even started emphasizing a growth mindset for burgeoning professionals. Analyzing the current situation and setting future goals is a good way to start shifting to this mindset.
Consider What You Want
As just mentioned, analyzing the current position and what they want is an excellent way for someone to determine what changes they want to be made in their career. Once you’ve refocused your mindset to believe in growth, it’s time to decide what that growth will include. Is it time for a complete career change or do you want to advance the current position into something more?
Setting goals can help anyone quantify and plan growth. This is a critical difference from a generic “I want to be better” because that isn’t something that can be specifically worked towards. On the other hand, specific steps can be taken to reach a goal such as “I want to advance to a management-level position in this company.”
Don’t Be Afraid of Major Changes
It’s all too common a nightmare: being stuck in a job that you have to drag yourself to every morning and generally feels soul-crushing.
While it isn’t an immediate option for everyone, don’t be afraid to eventually transition to a position that is a better fit. If the company you work for treats you poorly or doesn’t spark any passion, it’s perfectly fine to consider switching to a career path that you are passionate about – sometimes it’s even the best choice that opens new and exciting doors.
Conclusion
It’s easy to fall into thinking that there’s a point in your career where you’ve done all that can be done but this style of thinking significantly underestimates your own value. With tips like these, you can not only resume your career after coming back from maternity leave but also grow that role to match any goal.
About the Author:
Jilian Woods is a freelance journalist and a contributing writer having more than two years of writing experience. As a writer, she sees her purpose in producing and sharing relevant content with people who are willing to expand their knowledge base and learn something new for themselves. Apart from her day job, you may find Jilian engaged in volunteering or doing yoga.
