- my iParenting
- quick clicks
- pregnancy today articles
- pregnancy today q&a
- message boards
- research baby names
- prepare a birth plan
- content channels
- ip channel rss feeds
- read birth stories
- read parenting stories
- recommended books
- e-newsletters
- safety recalls
- ip diaries
- ip store
- mom of the month
- dad of the month
- editor's letter
- letters to the editor
 |
- e-newsletters
- Sign up to receive our free weekly e-newsletters
- award-winning products
The iParenting Media Awards program helps parents find the best products for their families.
Staying on Top While You're Waiting to Pop
The Working Woman's Guide to Pregnancy and Maternity Leave
By Shannon McKelden
One of the biggest worries for career women contemplating maternity leave is how it will affect their job. Will they lose touch with their career? Will their boss forget they exist or give their job to someone else?
"The key is to keep your career alive in small ways that bolster your knowledge and self-confidence and keep you connected with the workplace but don't overwhelm your with unreasonable demands on your time, energy or focus and that allow you ample time to adjust to and enjoy your new role as a mother," says Dr. Rachelle Canter, author of Make the Right Career Move (Wiley, 2007).
Jackson followed this advice. "I was still connected to work and knew what was going on," she says. "I received all kinds of mail and reports and newsletters and magazines, etc., that were job-related and even attended a couple of classes."
Dr. Canter, who has 20 plus years of career coaching experience, offers these concrete steps to staying connected to your job:
- Have a bi-weekly conversation with a colleague about current projects and challenges. Set aside five to 10 minutes a week to brainstorm ideas for these projects or overcome challenges. If appropriate, e-mail your boss with your ideas.
- You could even volunteer to do a bit of online research for him or her (everyone loves a volunteer).
- Write an article for a trade magazine to increase your visibility.
- Read a book or trade magazine in your field to keep abreast of the latest ideas and developments.
- Update your LinkedIn profile; invite people to join your LinkedIn network each week.
- Update your resume step-by-step, which will not only give you an up-to-date record of your (quantified) accomplishments and contributions, but will bolster your self-confidence, something that will help you as you move back into the work world.
Want to see more?
Comments
There are no comments for this article yet.Be the first to 
|
Post As:
|
||
| Enter your comment below: | ||
| Title | ||
| Comment Text | ||
| CAPTCHA | ||
| Please note that any comments submitted become the property of Disney Family / iParenting and can be edited and posted at our discrection. | ||
