Dear J.T. & Dale: I’m an accountant who’s been absent from the work world for seven years as a stay-at-home mom. How do I get back into the accounting world, which I have missed so much? - Ann
J.T.: Just list the gap in your employment as being a “full-time mother” - that one simple line accounts for the years spent doing the hardest job of all. (OK, can you tell I’m a mommy?) Then, create a unique cover letter that shares an example of your passion for your field. Instead of the first line saying, “Dear XYZ Company, I’m applying for the job of ________,” try something like this: “It’s been seven years since I’ve been in an accounting role, and I miss it dearly and am excited to get back to it. Here’s why …” then you insert an experience where you did something great for an employer.
Dale: That’s good, but with someone who’s been out of the workplace for seven years, an employer has a legitimate question about whether your knowledge is up to date. Looking at your resume, I see that you have been doing some accounting work for an entrepreneurial relative, something I’d be sure to emphasize. Further, attend professional association meetings and read the latest accounting journals, so that in interviews you’ll be able to mention a recent legal decision or new regulations. That will “prove”that you aren’t just ready and willing to go back to work, but are ready and willing to work to help your new employer.
Jeanine “J.T.” Tanner O’Donnell is a professional development specialist and founder of the consulting firm jtodonnell.com. Dale Dauten’s latest book is “(Great) Employees Only: How Gifted Bosses Hire and De-Hire Their Way to Success” (John Wiley & Sons). Please visit them at jtanddale.com, where you can send questions via e-mail, or write to them in care of King Features Syndicate, 300 W. 57th St, 15th Floor, New York, NY 10019.
© 2008 by King Features Syndicate, Inc.
