Preparing to re-enter work force

I have been thinking a lot about when I re-enter the work force, and I find it incredibly daughnting. I just feel I do not have much to offer a potential employer.
All of my little ones will be in full time school by 2014. I have not been in paid employment for 4 years.
I am 38 and have 7 kids my eldest is 16, so I have been a SAHM for 16.5 years. I have had a lot of night jobs and weekend work, mainly in hospitality (bars, restaurants, service stations, lunch bars etc)
I have never had a full time job, never worked in an office situation or with clients.
I am a bit of a IT geek, so I am computer litterate.
I would really like to forge a career be able to use my brains and be able to move ahead and challenge myself.
It does not make for much of a resume. I don't want to go back to what I was previously doing as I did not find it challenging, it just paid the bills.
I have thought about uni, I would love to study photography (I am doing a home course) but that is another 4 years so I will be 45 when I finish ( I know that is not old, it is more a financial thing as well)
I am intelligent and if I was given a chance I can learn quickly and prove myself, but what can I do in the next few years to make my self more attractive as a future employee?
I would ideally love to go back to work now but the situation does not permit, so I want to spend the time doing what I can to be employable when I do.
Any suggestions would be gratefully received.
(sorry if it is all over the place, it was more organized in my head :lol:)

Can you do some volunteer work? That always looks great on your resume and you can sometimes do it from home in your own time.
What about some short courses? Something like website design is often in demand.

It sounds like you have a lot of experience, and can certainly use that to demonstrate CV fillers such as excellent communication skills, adaptability to new tasks, customer service. Don't worry too much about the time out of the workforce as that is often the case with mature women, and there are still ways to make your application stand out (especially if you are willing to start lower down the ladder and work your way up).

Although you are computer literate already, would you consider doing an IT course at TAFE or through distance education? That would demonstrate that you are up to date with computing as well as demonstrate recent education and would open the doors to doing something that would push you intellectually a bit more, and you wouldn't necessarily have to start with the basics but could jump into something a bit more exciting.

Other options are volunteering in a field that interests you, to demonstrate people skills as much as anything. Helping at the school your older children attend can also be used to fill your CV and show that you have been busy in your time out of paid employment. Good luck :D

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What about some short courses? Something like website design is often in demand.

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I have done website design and know XHTML, CSS and can write it, I can apply changes to PHP and SQL but can't write it but unfortunately i have not got that all important certification (self taught) so it may be worth doing some courses.

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It sounds like you have a lot of experience, and can certainly use that to demonstrate CV fillers such as excellent communication skills, adaptability to new tasks, customer service. Don't worry too much about the time out of the workforce as that is often the case with mature women, and there are still ways to make your application stand out (especially if you are willing to start lower down the ladder and work your way up).

Although you are computer literate already, would you consider doing an IT course at TAFE or through distance education? That would demonstrate that you are up to date with computing as well as demonstrate recent education and would open the doors to doing something that would push you intellectually a bit more, and you wouldn't necessarily have to start with the basics but could jump into something a bit more exciting.
:D

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Thank you for the reasurance. Happy to start lower and work my way up.
Again it comes down to being able to prove your credentials, so it looks like some courses are the way to go.
Maybe something I could look into next year. I just have to try and find time to fit it in.

Look at job ads and learn the skills they ask for.

It would be useful if you could lean to use MYOB and also be able to use spreadsheets/excel.

I did an MYOB course through my local council-run learning centre, three hours a week for about 8 weeks I think. Wasn't too expensive - less than a thousand dollars I think - and I'm now qualified as a basic bookkeeper, apparently! :D

All sorts of things are out there.

Look into distance/correspondence education, short courses, the CAE... do some googling!

I think I'm going to show this thread to DH. We have issues hiring admin staff. We always end up having to let them go because they spend more time on FB and arranging their social lives than working. I keep telling DH to hire a mature woman who is re-entering the workforce because IMO they're more likely to be ambitious and hard working than 22 year olds but he won't believe me.

Anyway, another thing to look into would be your council and state government programs - they often have initiatives to get women into work. So does the federal government. As well as discounted courses they often offer seminars in things like resume writing, interview skills and so on.
Also the Public service used to have public service exams. If they still do maybe you could sit it.

Also the careermums website might be worth a look.

Can I come work for you Chloe LMAO.

RB - I was basically in the same position as you. 10 years out of work doing absolutely nothing paid work wise at all. For the first 4 of those 10 years, I literally sat on my butt. After that Kameron started Kindy etc and I began my life as a volunteer, eventually becoming a Playgroup Co-ordinator, and President of their Governing Council for 4 years. The director of the Kindergarten was going to offer me a job, but I was pregnant with Ashton. That was the only reason I didn't get it and she told me that herself :( Nothing like a kick in the guts after 4 years of being at the Kindergarten nearly day in day out, even during school holidays.

That really put me on the back foot again and I lost a lot of confidence. I stuck it out for a little while longer as by that time Lachlan was going through Kindergarten and when he finished I resigned from all positions. I vowed never to join another committee again. Then I got onto the school scene more LOL.

I have been on the Parents and Friends committee at the school now for over 2 years. I have done basic computing courses at the kids school as well, just to freshen up on my skills and this year the school offered a TAFE course Cert II in Business, so I jumped at the chance to do that as the school got the course heavily subsidised so instead of paying over $2000 to do it, it only cost $180. With the course we had to do 80 hrs work placement somewhere. I did part of my 80 hours at a different school's library and I love it. I have kept on volunteering there even though my 80 hrs are now finished. and 2 weeks ago I applied to become an SSO (school support officer) with my main interest being library work. Still waiting to find out though if DECS will approve my application.

I have also done a couple of short courses this year. Senior first aid, & child safe practices (reporting child abuse/neglect) something I needed when I knew I was going to apply for an SSO position.

So it's definitely worthwhile to do courses. There are 2 more that I want to do. One being a Cert III in library services and the other a Cert III in Children's services. The latter all SSO's here in SA will eventually need. but to be able to afford to do them I need a job. LOL.

Onyx thank you so much for you response, I hope you can do something to change your DH's veiws. Unfortunately there is a lot of employers who think like that and it does make it hard.
I think even though we (collective we) are older we come with a lot of life experience which I like to think is advantageous.
Great idea to try goverment programs, thanks. Money is tight which makes things hard.
I will take a look at the website.

Thanks for sharing Astrolady. It is great to hear a positive story.
I hope you can go on to get your Cert III in library services and Cert III in Children's services.
Good luck :D

I think some of it comes down to confidence, for so many years 'only' being like a mum and feeling a little unvalued has not done a lot to increase my self worth and confidence (if anything decreased it) even though the job SAHM do should be valued and praised more.
so that is probably something to work on also.