Jumping Back into the Workforce After Raising Kids?
Here are six ideas for getting started well before you're ready to launch.
This column is part of a special series Halbert Hargrove produced in honor of March being Women's History Month to highlight women's accomplishments and challenges.
You’ve been working at home raising kids. Now you're ready to transition to work outside the home. I’ve been there, and I know it’s a leap! And it’s one you can clear — you just need a running jump. Here are six things to think about before you leave the ground.
1. Give It Time
Kids are known for repeatedly asking, “Are we there yet?” during a journey. It’s a question you might start asking yourself once you start looking for a job. The psychology of positive waiting is this: If you have a realistic expectation of how long something takes, the waiting time feels shorter.

Sign up for Kiplinger’s Free E-Newsletters
Profit and prosper with the best of expert advice on investing, taxes, retirement, personal finance and more - straight to your e-mail.
Profit and prosper with the best of expert advice - straight to your e-mail.
According to a recent Randstad survey, it takes an average of five months for a job hunter to get hired. Considering that number’s an average, plan on it taking six months (if it’s sooner, great!). Meanwhile, take advantage of that time to work through the rest of this list.
2. Get Social
If you aren’t using social media, now is the ideal time to create and maintain a LinkedIn profile.
Just like you should check the web presence of a company you are scoping out for employment, you should expect a hiring manager to search the web for you. And since 60% of job hunters land work by networking, let people you know — not just friends and family but also former business colleagues — you’re searching.
3. Practice Makes Perfect
A recent survey found that 80% of employers value a candidate’s soft skills — specifically those related to success in teams, attention to detail and customer service — to be equally or more important than hard (technical) skills. Pinpoint the soft skills you’ve already mastered and those you want to hone, and be prepared to talk about them. Use this list of the 50 most common questions asked in interviews and practice answering some of them out loud to yourself or with someone you trust.
Practicing in a mirror is also great, as is recording a video or voice memo — and don’t worry, you can delete it after listening! Taking the time to both identify and articulate who you are and what you are good at won’t just help you in your job search, it will help you in all areas of life.
4. Put It in Writing
Whether you apply for jobs online or leverage your network to find out about an opening, you’ll need to have a résumé to circulate. As you review your work history, remember that you’ve likely acquired highly translatable hard skills that you might have overlooked.
I learned a lot in a panel interview for my first position at Halbert Hargrove. One of the interviewers noted that my recent (at-home) job experience — managing rental properties, overseeing the financial and logistical aspects of my household, and being the primary caregiver — assured him that I could easily handle the job I was applying for. He pivoted the conversation and asked more about me, and what I was looking for long term.
That interaction bolstered my confidence and helped me to permanently reframe my work history. The attitude of the interviewer also turned out to be reflective of the organization I still work for, where a child care reimbursement policy and other employee benefits provide tangible support to working parents.
5. Expand Your Search
Depending on what you did before becoming a parent, it’s possible that the industry you worked in has changed since you left, making it harder for you to re-enter that sector. Using the same expansive thinking that helped you name your soft and hard skills, ponder what other jobs you might be qualified for. This is where your network can also be a great help! Often someone outside a situation can see it more clearly.
6. Plan for Your Kids’ Sick Days and Holidays
Besides the usual before- and after-school care, plan for how you’ll handle scheduled school holidays, including spring, summer and winter breaks. You’ll also need to consider who will be home when a child is sick. If you have a partner, start the conversation now about how to handle these unplanned days off.
One of my colleagues switches with her spouse every other time — dividing the labor evenly. Determine what will work for you. The best time to start thinking about this is now — before your child has strep throat for the fourth time in four months. (Yes, that happened to me.)
As for me, after years of working in education and raising my son, I never imagined I’d be working in finance. It turned out that this was the next right place.
Profit and prosper with the best of Kiplinger's advice on investing, taxes, retirement, personal finance and much more. Delivered daily. Enter your email in the box and click Sign Me Up.
Angela Renee joined Halbert Hargrove as a Client Service Manager in 2013. Her role includes overseeing the administrative aspects of her client's accounts, serving as the firm's liaison with custodians, and mentoring and training new employees.
-
The Best Aerospace and Defense ETFs to Buy
The best aerospace and defense ETFs can help investors capitalize on higher government defense spending or hedge against the potential of a large-scale conflict.
-
Walmart Takes on Prime Day With Competing July Deals Event
Walmart is launching its own multi-day sales event to rival Amazon Prime Day — and it could be a smart time to shop, even if you're not a member.
-
Roth IRA Conversions in the Summer? Why Now May Be the Sweet Spot
Converting now would enable you to spread a possible tax hit over more than one payment while reducing future taxes.
-
A Financial Expert's Three Steps to Becoming Debt-Free (Even in This Economy)
If debt has you spiraling, now is the time to take a few common-sense steps to help knock it down and get it under control.
-
I'm an Insurance Expert: This Is How Your Insurance Protects You While You're on Vacation
Here are three key things to consider about your insurance (auto, property and health) when traveling within the U.S., including coverage for rental cars, personal belongings and medical emergencies.
-
Investing Professionals Agree: Discipline Beats Drama Right Now
Big portfolio adjustments can do more harm than good. Financial experts suggest making thoughtful, strategic moves that fit your long-term goals.
-
'Doing Something' Because of Volatility Can Hurt You: Portfolio Manager Recommends Doing This Instead
Yes, it's hard, but if you tune out the siren song of high-flying sectors, resist acting on impulse and focus on your goals, you and your portfolio could be much better off.
-
Social Security's First Beneficiary Lived to Be 100: Will You?
Ida May Fuller, Social Security's first beneficiary, retired in 1939 and died in 1975. Today, we should all be planning for a retirement that's as long as Ida's.
-
An Investment Strategist Demystifies Direct Indexing: Is It for You?
You've heard of mutual funds and ETFs, but direct indexing may be a new concept ... one that could offer greater flexibility and possible tax savings.
-
Q2 2025 Post-Mortem: Rebound, Risks and Generational Shifts
As the third quarter gets underway, here are some takeaways from the market's second-quarter performance to consider as you make investment decisions.