Joining Work post Maternity with Confidence

In the month of March, I have had conversations with 11 moms who desired to get back to work. The one thing common in all was that they were not confident about their capabilities with the gap in their career. And so I had to come in here today in your inbox to share the insights for you to restart your career with ease and confidence.

So let us begin the journey of rooting into our innate gifts, creating a plan for skill upgradation and standing out as we join workforce back.

Busting the Myth of Starting from Scratch
You may join work post 6 months or 6 years, and your innate gifts still remain the same. So technically you are not starting from scratch. Your gifts like people management, communication, intuition, empathy, decision making, emotional intelligence, creativity, innovation, etc. did not grow old.

Also did you know? Your talent profile is 80% is mindset and only 20% is technical skill set. 80% of this mindset part you can work every single day and grow.

And for the 20% technical skillset which might have been outdated, you can create a goal plan. Knowing it is only 20% of what really matters. The rest you have got it figured out. You already have your innate gifts and you can work on your mindset with an expert (like me) to boost your confidence.

How does this revelation make you feel? Lighter? Expansive? Breathe into it!

You have a Choice
My first question to any mom who comes to me with this desire is to ask her, “If you knew everything will fall in place. And without thinking of your previous experience. If you had to choose a career today, which field or role would you choose?”

I want you to know, you have a choice. You have a choice of what you really want to create and do. I am here to help you make it happen. So do not clip your wings and dreams thinking I should go with my past experience and stick to it even if it is something you are not very fond of.

An IT professional has become a full time lactation consultant.
A Software Engineer rooted for a Product Owner role and she was selected for it.
A HR professional wanted to explore Marketing and she did that.
A Journalist wanted to start her own business of handlooms.

I am giving you these examples for your brain to receive evidence that it is possible for you too. So choose wisely and the rest can be taken care of with an expert. You need to be ready to do the work and show up with joy.

Create the Support System
One of the important aspects of joining back work is creating the support system back at home. So that you can focus on work. Does that support system look like a nanny, daycare, other caregivers or something else for you? How much do you trust these agencies? If not, what is an alternative? Work this out first.

Then work on the guilt which will be arising when you join work. And to support you in this, my Navigating Working Mom Guilt is free till April end. Pay as you wish or you can download it for free too.

Go dive into the course right away here - https://pradnyavernekar6.gumroad.com/l/zrdcu

Creating this support system is going to be a crucial part. The more you feel home front is settled, the more you will be at ease at work.

Stand Out with Your Resume
If you are applying after a gap, then creating a resume which stands out is a must. Here are some pointers to begin:

• See what are the essentials of the role and which all skills you already possess. Highlight them.

• Create a aligned resume for each position you apply considering the key skills required and highlighting those in your resume.

• Use statistics and tangible numbers to demonstrate your work efficiency and results demonstrated.

• Create a case study to showcase how you can help the organization.

• Use Canva for some amazing templates.

• Also remember, women do not apply to positions unless they feel they fit 100% into the role. You can apply even if the role is 60% of who you are today. Go back to the first point to remember, only 20% is the skillset. Rest is mindset which can be adapted. So here is your permission to apply to that role even it is not a 100% fit.

I can help you to fine tune your resume. Please feel invited to share to receive my insights.

Some Useful Resources
Sharing some resources with you which will help in accelerating your job search and joining back work journey if you are returning after a long gap:

1. Return to Work Programs- https://www.womensweb.in/2022/05/16-return-to-work-programs-for-women-in-tech-finance-others-list-india-may22wk2pa/?utm_source=RTW&utm_medium=RTW&utm_campaign=article1REEL
   
   https://returntowork.in/
   

2. Flexibees: This is an initiative started by two moms and caters to roles under career gap. Also flexible work roles. You can know more about them here - https://www.instagram.com/flexibees/
   

3. Technical Skill Upgradation: Please reach out to your network who work in the fields you want to work and see what is the latest technology in demand. Also they can guide you with the certification courses for the same.
   

4. The Pink Pelican: This is a community started by two moms. They conduct programs which help every mom to get back to work or excel at her work place. You can know more about it here - https://www.instagram.com/pinkpelicanofficial/
   To join the community, you can reach out to Megha at +919810667448.

Let this newsletter be your launchpad to start preparing for the onwards journey. I also want to mention one thing. Please do not try to be a superwoman pretending you have all of it in control. It is ok to not be all perfect and all in sync. No one is. Respect your feelings and express. Share. Seek help if needed.

I have helped 50 plus women in the last one year to get a dream job after a break. Want to create that magic with you too? Join The Phoenix here - https://subscribepage.io/RnQ45U

You can even book a 30 minutes free call to kick start this journey with me. Book your call here - https://sessionwithpradnya.as.me/claritycall

I invite you to read and take on this email and see what resonates for you. Even read it a few times this week, and you will catch something new each time.

Hit reply,

Vent

Speak out

Share it out

Speak out what is your truth behind closed doors, and you wish to untangle.

​All woman are so fucking courageous in their soul that they are made to navigate this. I have never met one that isn't.

All women are so fucking unique, yet we can seem to unknowingly block how we feel and experience ourselves- when such depths of how we see, taste and be who we are genuinely is SUBLIME.

Your reply could be your micro step to admitting to yourself that you are ready to change the way you approach these times, your existence because you MATTER. It could acknowledge how your self-development journey is so committed, yet you have never celebrated it.

Enjoy......

I love you all.

Xx Pradnya xX

The juicy things happening in my life in upcoming weeks...

1. I will be replying to all of you who email me your insights on this newsletter.
   

2. For the entire month of March, I aml be talking about self doubt on my LinkedIn. Peeling off more layers for you to navigate this emotion in a better way. We deserve to be liberated and lead a freer life! Join Soar Beyond Self Doubt here.
   

3. My most loved webinar ‘Unveiling the Patterns of Successful Women Leaders’ is happening on 17-Apr-2024. And it is completely free. Register here - https://bit.ly/3Tyh1lF
   

4. The Rose Sisterhood is newer and better. It is for the working woman who wants to create her authority at the work place. Know more about it here - https://bit.ly/4aaczRk