My story so far!

Being a stay-at-home mum was my choice. I wanted to be present during the early years of my twin daughters and give them a start to a life full of my love, care, and fulfilling experiences. I wanted to participate in those special moments. I wanted to devote a few years of my life to raising them. I wanted to see their first smile, their first step, their first fall, and I was privileged and lucky enough to be able to do it.

However, being a stay-at-home mum came at the cost of my career.

At the beginning of my stay-at-home mum years, I had many plans: I wanted to attend online courses, gain certificates, check out webinars and use the internet to increase my skills, knowledge, and network.

But in reality, I did not. I was too tired from caring for my twins, feeding them, changing them, educating them, and entertaining them. I was super sleep-deprived from all-night milk feeding. During my free time, I would search for stimulating toddler activities, cook nutritious meals, or feel too tired to do anything. My day-to-day schedule also included caring for our house, meals, supermarket, clothes, bills, holiday plans, pets, and lots more admin or family-related tasks. I took care of everything, so my husband could focus on work, which was super important as we were a one-income family.

So while my colleagues were developing and gaining modern career-related knowledge, I remained flat. While my friends were gaining insights into new markets, technologies, and trends, I did not. While my colleagues got promoted and gained important seniority career-wise, I remained flat.

Now, five years later, my children are at school happily. I have time, energy, and desire to return to work, learn and grow.

But, can I be hired?

I started my career hunting by applying to many junior positions.

I applied for positions aligned with my preferences, previous career experiences, and skills. I personalised my CV to showcase my strong skills. I included a cover letter emphasising why I am a suitable candidate and what I can add to each organisation. Sadly, all answers looked something like this.

I compete with fresh graduates who have no kids and no time-consuming responsibilities. I am competing with career changers who spend many years developing skills. I am not an ideal candidate: I am over thirty, under-experienced, and with a parental break that lasted several years.

I also tried freelancing at Upwork!

I read many success stories all over the internet on how rich I will be just working on Upwork from the comfort of my home. I set up a profile and started applying for jobs where I was most likely to get noticed.

Here is an example of a typical communication at Upwork! I would see a job post that matched my skills!

I would prepare and submit a proposal. I would also boost it with my available free “connects”. Unfortunately, the companies would get back to me with low payment options.

So far, I got rejected from over twenty job opportunities. I am not sure why I received so many rejections. I assume it is because my CV is not as strong compared to others who have years of experience.

But I am not giving up!

I refuse to give up. I know I will be a valuable asset to an organization that appreciates my skills and can see my potential. I refuse to give up. Failures and struggles are proof of trying.

Finding a career is like finding a partner: I need to find the perfect match, not quit.

What is next?

Moving from CV to interview is hard. My CV is not competitive enough to stand out from the crowd. I need to make a change. So here are the steps I am planning to take:

• Apply to short company training programs that help career changers re-enter the workforce.
• Attend networking events related to my future career plans.
• Explore self-employment options that utilise my skills.
• Continue applying to career opportunities.
• Speak to a career advisor.
• And stay positive!

All around,

The first two weeks of career hunting were interesting. I did not get the positive responses I hoped and wished. However, I am ready to adapt, adjust and plan again. I am resiliant, adaptable and presistent. I can do this!

I am excited to see what future holds for me!

I will be sharing my career-hunting journey here on my Medium blog. Follow me so you can read the updates. If you have any pieces of advice or similar encouraging stories, please share them in the comments below!

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