Comeback Careers

Looking for a job can be a daunting task for anyone, but it's especially scary for many adults who haven't worked outside their homes in years. If you're not Angelina Jolie, Julia Roberts or even Britney Spears, it's no picnic making a career comeback after time out of the workplace.

Those returning to the workforce worry about lacking the latest skills, competing against candidates with current experience, and learning the politics of interviewing. If this sounds like you, rest assured you're not alone. Here are some of the hesitations and concerns on the minds of employers:

• Are you really ready to reenter the job market?
• Have you kept up with the trends and issues impacting your industry?
• Are your skills current and up to date?
• Do you have realistic expectations of today's workplace?
• Can you articulate how your time off will benefit your future career endeavors?

Make sure you can answer those questions and issues before embarking on a job search. Bounce your responses off trusted friends, especially those who are currently working in demanding positions. The silver lining is that a looming labor shortage and low unemployment means that many employers are more willing to look at nontraditional candidates. That, coupled with several key steps on your part, could help you hear "You're hired."

Focus on face time instead of Net time. Get off the Internet and get out of the house. When you have a gap in your resume, scouring job boards and relying on posting your resume online will not help. Every recruiter I spoke to admitted that when looking at two resumes -- one with current experience, one with a gap -- they always went for the current one. You have to be in the room with the recruiter to turn that missing time into something interesting and positive. It's your personality and passion that can help overcome the gap, and that can only be accomplished in person.

Get in the door. You must focus on meeting people the same way you do in other aspects of life: through mutual friends and contacts. Connect with former colleagues and working friends. Ask for leads on jobs and ask for other contacts. Another great way to meet people in your industry is to join a professional group. You'll find associations in every field as well as working women support groups. Even your alumni association, no matter how long ago you graduated, is a stellar resource.

Face-to-face meetings. With all of your networking, you're looking for face-to-face meetings, so offer to buy the person coffee or to meet them at their office for 15 to 20 minutes. These are busy people, so be very clear about your goals and what you hope they can do to help you. Convince them that you're recommitting yourself to your career, so sitting down with you will not be a waste of time. Tell them you're hoping they'll connect you with some key contacts because you know you'll be a great asset to any team. The rule of thumb for informational meetings of this kind: Walk away with at least three contacts or referrals. It's the way to rebuild your professional database. And then be sure to follow up on those leads in a timely manner.

Turn time out into time well spent. Be ready to articulate what you've been doing and why it's relevant to what you want to do next. If you were smart, you kept your skills and contacts up while you were out of the job market. If that eluded you, you still developed and maintained many transferable skills. You'll need to package them in a way that shows you are ready, willing and qualified to handle anything that comes your way. Break down all your skills and put them on a functional resume , one that focuses on your skills and abilities, not a chronological resume that focuses on work history. Then, once you are face-to face with an employer figure out ways to showcase your skills and successes through meaningful and relatable anecdotes. If you've renovated your home, explain that enormous undertaking. If you've had to put our parent in a nursing home, talk about how you've managed that care. If you've navigated the college admissions process for your kids, discuss that process. You don't have to explain what you did quite literally every single day; instead focus on these big picture examples.

Take catch-up courses. Once you know where the obvious gaps are, figure out how you'll fill them. If you're looking to work in an office, but you don't know how to type or you've never used Microsoft Word or Excel, take a class. You can check with your state's unemployment office, displaced homemakers' programs at community colleges or with a local YMCA for free or inexpensive courses. If you worked previously in an industry that you want to get back into, now is the time to brush up on the trends, leading employers and key players in that field. Join professional associations and women's groups, and look at Web sites and trade journals too. This helps you to talk the talk knowledgeably, and it can let you in on not only what's happening but also who's hiring.

Face employer concerns head-on. It's important to be able to read the room, to recognize those subconscious cues. And just as with everyone sitting down with a prospective employer, you have to face any doubts head-on. If you sense that the employer is uncertain of your commitment, make it clear that you've considered all the factors that go into rejoining the work force and you've already made the necessary arrangements at home. Remember that for an employer, new hires are costly -- in time and money. They really need to know that you're committed and serious. Another concern we heard from employers was that some comeback workers don't keep up to date on technology or the latest news in their field. If you're serious about jumping back in, make sure that you are ready to go on Day 1.

If they say you're overqualified, which is often code for "too old," don't walk away. Instead say, "I'm wise enough to know not to pursue anything that would bore me. I've really researched this position and while I might be more qualified than the average candidate, by hiring me you get more bang for your buck and I get to make an immediate contribution to the company."

Be realistic about money. Maybe you really want $35,000, but you're only offered positions that pay $30,000, so you turn them down flat. Then months and months go by and you're still not making a penny. But if you had taken the job -- even at the lower salary -- there's a good chance that you'd be on your way to a promotion. Or at the very least, during that time, you wouldn't have accumulated more debt. Obviously, you want to negotiate for as much as possible, but even if the opportunity isn't exactly what you want, think about how you might be able to use it as a stepping stone to something better, especially while you're building current work history. Just because you take one job doesn't mean you must be wedded to it forever.

Focus on confidence, not criticism. Attitude is even more important than skills. I interview women all the time who've been through a divorce, and within the first few minutes I inevitably hear, "I wouldn't be in this situation if that jerk hadn't left me high and dry." And while I can certainly appreciate that, no employer wants to hear that you're bringing bitterness and baggage to the workplace. It's also a turnoff to show any sense of financial desperation. Instead of focusing on the negative reasons as to why you're returning to work, tell me the positive. "After a few years at home devoted to my family, I'm now ready to recommit myself to my career."

Know what you want. And finally, it's critical to really know what you want. If you're looking for a comeback but tell the prospective employer that you have time restrictions -- "I can only work four hours on Monday and I need Friday afternoons off" -- you're actually feeding into the concerns they already have. Instead, think long term. Instead of holding out for the dream corporate job, take a part-time job as a sales associate and work your way up. When you've proved your worth to the company, you will no doubt be promoted to where you want to be. You may also want to consider easing yourself back into the market. One really easy way is through temping or consulting arrangements—taking temporary jobs at a variety of companies in a range of capacities, many of which have the possibility to turn into permanent positions. This does two things. It gets you acclimated without a major commitment, and it allows you to sample the climate and get a taste of different environments and different positions, before you're forced to decide what it is you want to do. Not only does the company get to try before they buy, so do you.

Thinking of making a comeback?

Keep an eye on your skills and affiliations. We buy life insurance not because we think we're going to die tomorrow, but because we want to secure our financial future in the event of the unthinkable. The same theory applies to married women who don't work outside their homes. I would never say, "Hurry, get a job because your husband will eventually leave you." That's a terrible message. But I would say what all the divorced women I interviewed told me: In retrospect, they wish they had kept their hand in something professional -- even if it wasn't full-time. Consider attending a monthly meeting in your industry, reading trade papers, having an occasional lunch with a former colleague, and taking on freelance or part-time projects to maintain somewhat-current experience.