Calling all SAHMs who have gone back to work without having any hard skills....what did you do?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP here. Did not mean to be so controversial with the HYP statement! I find the commentary to be quite amusing . In any case, not a troll but kind of wish I were just trolling. A bit discouraged by my job prospects and can’t help but to be envious of my friends who have seemingly amazing careers. Again, grateful for all the helpful comments. And to those on this thread who are in similar situations, thx for chiming in. It’s nice to be reminded that I’m not alone!

I took just a year and an half off and it was very hard to reenter (50+ interviews). I did some consulting work in the interim which was the only way I could prove myself. No matter what great-sounding DEI programs companies have, they view you as unemployed and the person who is interviewing after hasn’t been. You’re going to need someone to do you a favor by hiring you. I don’t mean for that to sound negative, but it’s true. Have any friends who own companies?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

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Anonymous wrote:Who attends3 ivy leagues and why?

Surely there can’t be two separate adult people in the same thread who don’t know what HYP indicates?

You obviously don’t know what it means. The pp never asked what it means. They said ivy leagues. They obviously know what it means. They asked who would attend all 3? Idiot.

This is so unintentionally hilarious

No one goes to Harvard, Yale, and Princeton? Do you know anyone who has attended all? No, you don’t.

Yet, I know a lot of people who attended two.

To those trying to return, think about what you've been doing. I did an informational interview once with a SAHM and she did the church's books the entire time she was not doing paid work. That's an actual, sellable skill! So if you've done anything like that, even run something annually, use that as a job. You all aren't skill free. Just think abouit it. I hired a returning mom as an office manager. Best hire ever. Fast and organized. (her SAH was 5 years).

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Never mind the Hyp or three. What is 'eons'?

A word that means a very, very, long time, ages ago.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Not me, but someone I knew. Very similar profile to OP. Took a generic desk job at a small company, learned the product and went into sales. Very well spoken, put together, and could travel at a moment's notice because her kids were grown.

I had a simialr situation. I started back up as a receptionist. It was a good way to get back into the groove of things. I took positions with incrementally more responsibility and eventually made the jump to a Fed job. Don't get fixated on low starting pay, it is a means to an end. Ten years later, I'm making about 3.5x that in a position I'll stay at long term. The most confidence boosting part is that if for some reason my DH loses his job or gets a serious illness, I can pay the mortgage and keep us afloat. It's a way to thank him for taking on that role and allowing me to be with my kids when they were young.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Never mind the Hyp or three. What is 'eons'?

How are so many people who can’t figure things out ending up on one short thread? Are you joking?

[Anonymous]

What did you do before kids? I would try to leverage previous positions to break back in.

I returned after 7 years out. It was brutal getting back in but I feel like time have changed. You can always look at consulting or government contract positions, which is what I did. Much like you I didn’t need to work but was bored with both kids in school.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:What did you do before kids? I would try to leverage previous positions to break back in.

I returned after 7 years out. It was brutal getting back in but I feel like time have changed. You can always look at consulting or government contract positions, which is what I did. Much like you I didn’t need to work but was bored with both kids in school.

NP. What kind of govt contract positions? How did you find out about them?

[Anonymous]

OP, I hope you will continue to update us as you get further along in your job search! I am a sahm trying to get back in and I’ll share anything helpful I find or tips. I hope others will too!

[Anonymous]

I found a job after a very, very long job search. Age discrimination is real. I have degrees from great schools (the envy of many parents on the College forum), but those degrees are MEANINGLESS when you are older and have not worked for a long time. I had to go back to school and get training for a new field. I finally found a job, but it was hard. I had to use every connection I had and network like crazy.
I love working, and I'm extremely happy and feel grateful that I found work. I don't need the money, but I need to be working.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Why would you attend Harvard, Yale, and Princeton?

Really? To find a husband.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

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Anonymous wrote:Who attends3 ivy leagues and why?

Surely there can’t be two separate adult people in the same thread who don’t know what HYP indicates?

You obviously don’t know what it means. The pp never asked what it means. They said ivy leagues. They obviously know what it means. They asked who would attend all 3? Idiot.

This is so unintentionally hilarious

No one goes to Harvard, Yale, and Princeton? Do you know anyone who has attended all? No, you don’t.

OP was clearly saying she went to *one* of them, without wanting to specify which one. My god.

No she did not till after the question was asked. It clearly says she received her degree from hyp. She did not say she went to one of them. And you are also incorrect again, bc she later said she went to two of them. This is when she said she did not want to be specific. She did not specify this before the question was asked in her first post. Learn to read.

WTF is wrong with you? It's pretty common on DCUM for someone to say HYP instead of one of those schools specifically. Why are you acting like this is some novel thing you've never seen on here before? People post this ALL THE TIME.

[Anonymous]

As a hiring manager and a mother myself, I would happily take an informational interview with you and consider you for a junior position that I'm sure you would very quickly move up the ladder. That said, the one thing I ask of you is to not lie on your resume or LinkedIn. I have come across more than one acquaintance's resume in the job pool that said they did "consulting work" under "Last Name Job Title, LLC" or tried to couch PTA work as "event planning". In these instances I actually knew the women, but now I know what to look for on resumes so that I can ask for details.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Never mind the Hyp or three. What is 'eons'?

eaons means ages, as in ages ago, eons ago. Wow I didn't realize adults wouldn't know that, I wouldn't expect everyone to use that word but I would expect them to know it!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What did you do before kids? I would try to leverage previous positions to break back in.

I returned after 7 years out. It was brutal getting back in but I feel like time have changed. You can always look at consulting or government contract positions, which is what I did. Much like you I didn’t need to work but was bored with both kids in school.

NP. What kind of govt contract positions? How did you find out about them?

It depends on your skill set. What skills do you have? The area is filled with government contractors. It’s pretty easy to land a gig, depending on your skill set.

[Anonymous]

You were given the chance to go to the world’s top schools and you stayed home for 15 years?