My new era as a working mum
After getting made redundant whilst on Maternity Leave a few months ago, I have been soul searching this summer and considering what’s next, whilst being a full time entertainer and caregiver for my crazy, lovable toddler.
Entering the job hunt as a new mum feels very different to prior periods of career change. A checklist of new non negotiables and priorities sits firmly in my head; hybrid working culture, flexibility, core working hours, supportive manager, whilst being challenged in a creative role for an exciting brand, but a fear also creeps in, is this realistic?
Can I find a role which fulfills me as a working mum, whilst still seeing my son?
After a few months of stepping into the job hunt, connecting with other mums and following thought leaders in this space, its clear there will always need to be compromises and the overriding one that crops up again and again is salary and as a by-product of this, responsibility level. But with the stark reality that most women need to contribute to the extortionate nursery fees presented to them in this country, there is a sense of dread that cant be avoided, how can women make it work, to work?
With the gender pay gap widening , we women continue to be on the back foot. Having built my craft pre Arthur, potentially stepping down from the salary and responsibility level I have grafted for is a hard pill to swallow, but losing out on the opportunity to return to work is even harder.
The desire to work and connect back with my old identity as an ambitious and dedicated senior professional for me, is huge. But finding a company that values me, both as their employee and a committed and present mum is also hugely important. There has been fear in admitting this, a fear in sharing my set up at home both to recruiters and employers in interviews, a fear of asking for too much and potentially weakening my position vs other candidates. But the more I have been honest and completely authentically myself, the most I have found peace, I am a mum now, forever shifted and this new part of me will be intrinsically linked to my professional identity.
So, as we enter the Autumn and I continue my job hunt, I am showing up proud. Proud of the 14+ year global career I have carved out for myself as a Senior Product Marketing professional but also proud of who I have become in the last year and a half - a resilient, hard working and multi tasking, patient and straight talking mum.
So to my potential new employers reading this, a short snapshot of why mums make the best employees:
Mastery in staying calm under pressure
Negotiating with a tiny toddler on a daily basis is not the faint hearted. Meltdowns in public at any given moment, and often when you least expect it, you have to think fast on how to resolve the crisis, whilst keeping cool and calm under pressure, never letting them smell your weakness or fear. Even the toughest of boardrooms, sell ins or product signs offs in my career have come close to this level of pressure and scrutiny. Mums are set up for managing the inevitable conflicts and challenges at work, so bring it on.
Creative, dynamic thinkers
Whilst stuck inside, on the 7th day in a row of rainstorms, and toddler meltdowns, you need to get creative to find ways to inspire and entertain them. Whether that’s a new game stacking your kitchen tupperware or creating a pillow fort out of sofa cushions where my toddlers toy animals can sleep. Mums are curious, creative and open to new ideas, pressure testing their audiences to see what sticks. If one idea falls flat, they will get back up again and try something new with an energy to inspire teams, colleagues or partners.
Willingness to embrace uncertainty, discomfort and change
One thing about parenthood is that you never know what your child is going to throw at your next, refusing to sleep, eat or chill or be held by anyone but you, you literally never know what’s around the corner. You need to sit in the uncertainty of certainty and be ok with that, managing the challenging feelings that show up and remain pragmatic, present and calm and know that ‘this too shall pass.’ Whether there is changes in the marketplace you work in, your companies leadership or your direct team, motherhood sets you up for these eventualities and managing them with ease.
Resourceful, self starters
Many mums enter motherhood alone and will spend hours, days and weeks stuck at home with a baby often finding themselves pretty isolated from the world. Being resourceful and finding connections whether that be in local communities, groups or networks is a huge lifeline and you will put yourself out there in ways you never thought you would have the courage or confidence to do. I threw myself into every opportunity, creating a network of 200+ women from the pregnancy yoga class I took, which is now a hub for sharing and supporting each other throughout motherhood. You can rely on a mum to run the meeting, ask the hard questions or get that cross functional taskforce together. All things I cannot wait to do when I am back at work!
Ability to manage multiple tasks and projects simultaneously
For the mums like me who are looking for work, the juggle is real. Not only are we applying for jobs in the pockets of time we find, but we are running a home and acting as the primary caregiver to our kids. The multi tasking I have undertaken over the last 15 months has been extraordinary, cooking dinner, whilst holding a baby, whilst doing the washing, paying my car insurance, feeding the cat and answering whatspp mum chats. And that’s just a casual Tuesday afternoon. Mums are extraordinary multi taskers, they will come in and get the job done and make the ‘spinning of plates’ look easy.
Skilled in budget optimisation
Living off maternity pay, whilst navigating the prices of baby class subscriptions, nappies and the new little person’s snack draw, the excel sheet is excelling. You need to budget for nursery fees, whilst forecasting for the new wardrobe you will need every few months when your child has a giant growth spurt. Already having had P&L management and range planning experience on my CV, its nice to know I have supplemented these skills in the last year.