Re-entering the work force

Whether you're returning to the paid work force after staying at home, unsatisfied with your current situation or out of a job due to layoffs, sticking to the basics will serve you well:
1.) Keep it simple; 2.) Be confident; 3.) Use your resources wisely; and 4.) Know the market.

1.) Keep it simple. It can be easy to see the job search data, advice and resources available and become overwhelmed. Focus your efforts on defining:

* 3 skills you excel at and love to use
* 3 special abilities you have
* 3 types of knowledge you have developed
* 3 ways you can help a company or organization increase its profits/proceeds or reduce its expenses by using your unique skills, abilities and knowledge and
* 3 employers or industries you are most interested in and want to learn more about.

Note: But, not too simple. Telling people you're good with people and like to organize things doesn't help them help you. What does is being specific - I'm a great people and asset manager that knows the commercial real estate industry in the midwest region well. I'd really like to talk to someone at XX, XX or XX to get their take on where the industry is at. Do you know someone that would be willing to talk to me?

2. Be confident. If you're not confident in your ability to do the job, why should an employer be?

Going through a job search can be demoralizing if you're not taking pro-active steps to maintain and/or increase your self confidence. You can do this by educating yourself, preparing and practicing.

Remember the move from kindergarten to grade school, from high school to college? These transitions seem daunting and exhilarating when you approach them. But before you know it, you're teaching new students the ropes and moving on to the next big challenge. Educate yourself about the employers or industries you are interested in and plunge in. This will decrease your anxiety while increasing your self confidence and excitement about opportunities available.

The first college application you completed may have felt like completing a novel, but the next few were a breeze. You had the basics pulled together, you just needed to customize them to the next school's forms. The same goes for interviews and resumes. Pulling together all the information you need for a resume and interviews can take a while if you haven't kept it up. Approaching friends and re-engaging your network after an absence may feel overwhelming or awkward. Working through that ackwardness with people you know and trust will be easier than and prepare you for submitting your resume and interviewing people you don't know at all.

3. Use your resources wisely. For example, when your creating or updating your resume, take advantage of the great information out there at your local library, job placement office, your alma mater, and great online resources. Ask your friends in the field to share their resume with you as a model. It can be as simple as naming a few jobs you are interested in and then doing a google or other online search for "resume computer analyst", "resume sale association," "resume VP Marketing." Don't recreate the wheel when there are plenty of resources out there to help you.

4. Know the market for the job you're after - If you don't already have a pulse on this information, check out online resources such as www.salary.com and www.cbsalary.com, and ask a trusted advisors or trade association representatives. If you don't know the value of the job to employers and the marketplace, the employer may question whether you really have the skills, ability and knowledge you claim.