How to restart your career after a long absence

Workplaces are now more forgiving of those who step away for years at a time.

from the June 11, 2007 edition

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"Having those volunteer interactions while I was home with my kids was what got me that job," she says. Later, she took a paid position with the Iowa Democratic Party, then managed a congressional campaign. From there she moved to public relations. Celsi says, "No matter what you're doing, always be learning new things and making connections."

For men, the search can be more challenging. "Society is much more accepting of women staying home," says Ms. Ryan. "It's much more questionable" when men stay home.

Joe Musa of Mid­dletown, N.J., spent 18 months out of the workforce, caring for the couple's first child. "My wife had the better-paying job with better benefits," says Mr. Musa, a pastry chef.

When he wanted to return to work, he took a part-time job making pastries at a golf club. The position is now full time.

"It was great to go back," Musa says.

Eventually, most at-home fathers do earn paychecks again. "Seventy-five percent go back when their first child hits first grade," says Peter Baylies, founder of the At-Home Dad Network.

In the best cases, preparing for reentry begins while people are taking time off. Sarah Grayson, a partner at On-Ramps in Boston, suggests doing not-for-profit work or project-based work. "Even a couple hours a week, a couple days a month helps to maintain confidence and skills."

Those reentering also need a willingness to begin at a lower salary and a lesser title than they had before. "We all start somewhere and work our way up," Ms. Everton says. "That's not going away."

Ryan finds that many returning mothers would do well to consider part-time work. That is a need companies like Mom Corps are trying to meet. Speaking of the desire for flexibility, Ms. Thomas, now a vice president of Mom Corps, says, "The younger generation is forcing it."

As a labor shortage looms, some workplace experts think reentry will get easier. Corbette Doyle, chief diversity officer for Aon, says, "Women who have opted out largely for ... child-raising reasons offer one of the greatest untapped and underutilized talent pools employers have."

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