Career transition is not something that comes very easily, but it is definitely possible by anyone.
Have you been thinking that you are much more than a mom and you want to really be successful in your career and also motherhood? But sometimes you just feel stuck? And it’s hard to choose your career path that fits your family’s needs?
I’ve been there, I went through a time where I really got stuck in my career. I didn’t like what I was doing. And once I became a mom, I really faced the challenges of motherhood. And so I started to look for some advice.
That’s when I found this book, “Working Moms” by Katrin Bringmann, who is a career coach with more than 10 years of experience. I was really inspired by her book.
Can you tell us what inspired you to do this book?
“I think one of the motivations to write this book was that I had a lot of clients that had problems getting back to work.”
“I’ve been there, I had a good career as a university teacher and facilitator. And then after the kids, especially after my daughter, I stayed at home for nearly a year. I had the impression that I had forgotten everything and that my whole career was gone.”
What do you think about career gap? How look into that gap positively and leverage it?
“I would never call it a gap.”
“I think it’s the other way around, because you learn so much being a mom, or being parents, this is the same for dad, of course. It’s not only raising children, but it’s also being responsible for the household in a way. So you learn so much there, you learn communication, you learn authority, you learn how to coordinate, it’s project management in a way and time management. And so I think, don’t call it gap.”
“To be honest, nowadays it has become much more obvious, in a lot of companies, those employers that who have children, are very, very good employees.”
We have so many things that we learn being moms, and we can use them for being good employees.
What advice would you give to a mom who is returning to work after a long time, and also thinking especially about charging her career?
“I think there are there are clear steps that you could take.”
“First, be clear about what you have done so far. Even in the years of being a stay-at-home mom, you have done something, you maybe you were an active member at school, or you did some voluntary work, or you help other children with their homework, etc. You still did something.”
“The second step, make sure that you know what you really want and what you’re good at. Because a lot of women want to leave their old their old job in order to do something new, something with more fulfillment. So there’s a shift so make sure you know what you’re good at, your strengths, what your values are.”
“Third step, study, read, and never stop learning.”
“The fourth thing, use your networks. I think you should throw away your shyness, and go up, walk up to people and ask. You have to find your career, and you have to do everything.”
“Fifth, don’t be afraid to ask for help. Whether be at work or at home. Ask your colleague for help if you have too much workload, and at home, we always had teenagers from around our neighborhood who took care of the kids when we had things to do.”
How can mind mapping help a mom in order to find more balance and also advance her career?
“I would start as a mom in this situation, not with a mind mapping, but with brainstorming.”
“And the difference is that in brainstorming, you put out all the ideas that are crossing your mind. So you take note of everything that crosses your mind. And this is very important because otherwise when there’s too much in your head, you can’t look straight.”
“And then when you have this brainstorming, you can draw a mind map to cluster the ideas and make topics out of them. I think a mind map makes it clear to you what is really important, and you can cross out the things that are not important.”
What is the most common challenge that moms face when they are returning to the workforce?
“Not having a good childcare system. That’s the biggest challenge. Because when the children are not well-taking care of, you won’t be able to concentrate on your job.”
“But it depends. think in big cities, big progressive cities like Berlin, where you have startups and modernly thinking CEOs and companies. Child care system is being prioritized.”
What’s your final advice you would give to a mom?
I think a lot about having confidence is the most important thing. Confidence in yourself and confidence that everything will be fine in the end.
Be more inspired by moms who are making difference despite being busy moms. Read one of their stories here
