I was put in touch with Deb Newmyer through a mutual friend and immediately realized how much her personal story and her amazing book would resonate with Second Shift members. Deb truly understands the vagaries of a working woman’s career path. She is a big shot producer who took time off to stay-at-home with her of 4 children, and then returned to Hollywood and became a renowned author. Her book Moms for Hire: 8 Steps to Kickstart Your Career is a well-researched workbook for women re-engaging in the workforce or changing career paths, which is something that she clearly know a lot about.
This is such a meticulous and comprehensive book– part step by step guide, part inspirational pep talk, part interactive boot camp. As a first time author, how did you pull this off??
I pulled it off by never giving up. Sheer determination was my truest ally. During my off-career stretches, all I ever wanted was to hop into a bookstore and find an upbeat guidebook that would show me a path back to employment. I found nothing that spoke to me or to the hidden talent pool of smart and capable moms I saw everyday as I waited in that carpool line. So I sat down, researched every self-help guru available, interviewed scores of working women, wrote and re-wrote until Moms for Hire: 8 Steps to Kickstart your Next Career became 235 pages of tips & worksheets, life slices & female cheers….all wrapped up in a pretty flexible cover.
You have re-invented yourself throughout your varied and successful careers. What’s the best advice for women looking to switch gears or focus on one aspect of a skill set?
Start by making the following two lists:
- What are you most passionate about? How do you best want to spend your day?
- What’s your talent? Your expertise? Your most transferrable skill?
And then hold your two lists) side-by-side like a Venn diagram. Hopefully, enough items on these two lists coincide with each other. And from there, create more lists:
- Who do you know? What is your working network? Create a list of all your former colleagues, alumni, acquaintances and social media connections.
- Create a habit of making a regular to-do lists. Every morning, write your daily do list, and every evening, make a ritual out of crossing off accomplished tasks
Mostly, keep at it. All of life’s best accomplishments happen in increments. Look for the best route. And when you find yourself frustrated and asking “are we there yet?”…keep going.
Your book focuses specifically on women re-entering the workforce after a career pause but many women in our membership who full time freelancers/ consultants face the same issues What lessons can be taken for all working women?
Across all generations, the truest & simplest clue to career satisfaction is also the most clichéd: hunt for a job you love and eventually occupational happiness will be yours. If you can hold on to passion for the work, rewards will follow. Not every opportunity will match up with your domestic realities, but the best way to find occupational happiness is to know what you want, what you excel at and what your family needs from you.
I really like Step 5 – be the ideal candidate and the practical advice for selling yourself and your experience. This is a really critical step don’t you think?
Honestly, there are no gimmicks to finding a job-you’ve got to dig deeply, work a few new muscles, and devote an-hour-every-day to boldly show off your most attractive self. The single most valuable tool in finding your next career is determination. Keep at it and eventually an offer will be yours.
Pay it forward is a core concept of The Second Shift – we all rise and fall together. This section really speaks to the need for women to help and encourage each other. Why did you include this section?
Okay, it’s a sad fact:
- There are not enough Woman in Board Rooms — only 10.6% of Fortune 500 Companies.
- There are not enough Women in Director’s Chair—only 7% of the top 250 Films.
- There are not enough Women in the US Congress — 19.6% in 2016 US Senate & House
- There has never been an American Woman in the White House.
In truth, there are just not enough women actively engaged in the workplace and we need to work together to fix that.
The Mommy Wars will always be a challenge.
Oh, that Mommy Fence. Nearly every day, I am shocked to witness the un-sisterly divide between working moms and stay-at-home moms. A staggering amount of mis-understanding and self-righteous territory grabbing happen on both side of the fence. Balancing it all is an awesome goal, but it is very close to impossible.