Relaunching your Career

The best places to go for professionals Returning to Work after a Career Break.

‘Online Career Assessments’ – for free, or a reasonable fee

• General Assessment by LiveCareer – an American resumebuilder
• Careertest based on Jung’s type thinking, from Career.net
• Career interest inventory based on the popular Holland’s six career cluster preferences, from CareerKey
• MAPP Assessment, from Assessment.com
• Shobia Career Finder, helps you find your career in 25 questions by David Gurevich
• Career path, a multi-part testing suite, by Careerpath.com
• A multi-part testing suite, by skillcow
• Career navigation system, or CNS by Harrison Assessments, free sample test

All assessments are to be found on US websites, but most are widely used in the UK as well. Please note a career assessment often works best with a professional career coach or expert guiding you through the process.

Writing a winning CV for women Returning to Work after a Career Break and women Changing Career

• Adzuna – Great tool for checking your value, and how ‘machine readable your CV is: ‘ValueMyCV’, part of a UK jobsite
• Capability Jane – top tips on writing a CV for experienced professional women that re-launch their career
• Total jobs career advice – CV advice, examples and templates, some good advice specifically for women on job-hunting
• Mumandworking – short and simple cv writing advice, specifically written for mums
• The CV Store – good tips on a CV for Stay at Home Mums, offer a CV-writing service
• CVrite – CV templates, example cover letters, step-by-step on line CV builder, articles and tips on CV writing and job seeking
• Brilliant infographic for using Social Media for your jobsearch, by Gumtree. It summarizes the do’s and don’ts for using Social Media, and helps you decide what to do with your on line CV

Job interviewing for women Returning to Work after a Career Break and women Changing Career

• Working mums – advice and support on interviewing and going back to work, addressing some particular issues mums might have
• Business balls – complete list of job interview tips for interviewees, including model answers
• Careerbuilder – job interview tips, advice and blogs
• A good top 10 of job interview questions, by Global Recruitment Inc

Online information and support for Women Returning to Work after a Career Break and women Changing Career

• Daphne Jackson Trust – Returners Scheme, helping those with a background in Science, Engineering and Technology to return after a career break, via paid two year part-time fellowships
• Careershifters – help motivated people building a career they love. Practical and fun guide, blog, and on-line support, as well as training and coaching
• i-Relaunch – self-tests, information and guidance for people wanting to return to work after a career break
• Newlifenetwork – ideas and support for building new careers, some specific https://imagineear.com/pharmacy/generic-strattera/ advice and information for women returners
• Mumsnet – Q&A with Nic Paton – author of The Complete Career Makeover, offers Mumsnetters help and advice on making a career change
• Working families – charity on work-life balance, offer resources on tax, flexible working and just lots of advice and support for working mums and dads
• Women Returners – coaching, courses for women returners, inspiring blog for women returning to work written by 2 professional life coaches and mothers
• Position Ignition – workshops, webinars, coaching, club, books and resources for people changing careers
• Check out your old employer, some large organisations are actively recruiting women returners. Read more: ‘The rise of women Returning to Work‘

It can also be helpful to ask a life coach for help, you can find life coaches and life coach directories here.

Recommended books on Returning to Work after a Career Break and women Changing Career

• What color is your parachute, Richard S. Bolles – practical and inspiring job-hunting guide, very well-known and generally seen as The One book to have for job-hunters
• The Work we were Born to do,  Nick Williams – no quick fixes but a real guide on the journey to bring your heart into your work and…earn money
• Find your dream job, Carole-Ann Rice and Sarah Wade – real-life stories, each followed by coaching, inspiring you to take control now and do what you have always wanted
• How to get a job you’ll love, John Lees – aimed at people who have a strong sense they want to do something purposeful but don’t know what
• Mothers Work! How to get a grip on guilt and make a smooth return to work, Jessica Chivers – down to earth stories and guidance to help all mums make work ‘business as usual ‘
• Going back to work: a practical guide to re-entering the job market, Sally Longson – especially aimed at those with a long(er) career break
• Back to Work – A guide for women returners Diana Wolfin and Susan Foreman – practical guide, taking you through the steps of finding a job
• Back on the Career Track, Carol Fishman Cohen and Vivian Steir Rabin, book by the founders of the i-Relaunch website, offers a practical seven step programme and inspirational stories for Stay at Home Mums that want to return to work
• The Balancing Act, Fiona Parashar – work life solutions for busy people, based on her experience of coaching senior managers
• Time Management for Manic Mums, Alison Mitchell – inspiring and practical ideas from ‘mum on the run’ to ‘mum who has fun’
• Women who waited to be great, Tom Butler-Bowdon – inspiring and motivating you to take the long look at life, start a career after 40, 50 or 60