Re-entering the technology marketplace

Hi Laura - I took a 5 and a half year break from the technology world after my son was born and have successfully reentered the hi tech workplace. I've been back in the workforce for 5 years now. I reentered into a similar job and industry to the one I left. But, I did so at a company that I knew had new and different opportunities I wanted to pursue.

During my timeout of the workforce, I continued to work on what I thought were relevant skills in other venues. I did volunteer work that used some of my technical skills, ran some fundraisers that enhanced team building and mgt skills, etc. And, I continued to stay in touch (networking) with people in my field through professional organizations. i also kept receiving the free mags that were relevant to my field. When I was interviewing for jobs, no one seemed overly concerned with the "gap" since I had lots of other things to show for the time and I was still knowledgable about what was going on.

For those that are looking to re enter the market even on a temp basis I know that the Austin Start up Dreamjobs Inc is specifically targeting a female professionals in all market segments.

It has been a few weeks Laura, any update on how your search is going?

What specific niche(s) are you looking in?

Hello, fellow techies! I apologize for my extended lapse - I was offered a position and accepted, and have been running 90mph since then!

Here are a couple of things that I found that helped me in my job search. Please keep in mind, when I left technology, I was ambivalent about returning to it, so I didn't have "a plan" for my absence from hi-tech as others have had. So after deciding to return to the hi-tech arena, I did the following:

1) Immersed myself in the current technology reading. I'm in telecom, so I started reading the trade journals online. The consulting firms, like Deloitte, publish a technology summary each year, usually industry specific. Find those and read them - they're very valuable.

2) Researched extensively the companies I was targeting and networked like crazy to get inside contacts in those companies. I know this sounds cliche, but it's true - the better prepared you go in, the better the interview will go. I think I asked more questions of my interviewers than they did of me.

3) Networked like there was no tomorrow. I applied for a ton of jobs here in Austin before I finally landed one - that I didn't apply for! All through the strange power of networking. This is an especially powerful tool in Austin. Make sure you reciprocate as much as possible and help others out when you can. I will say this about networking: it is a highly inefficient way to land a job but highly effective. I hope that makes sense.

4) Continually reworked my resume. This piece is very key to the search - make sure it's easily scannable and offers something that makes people want to read further.

These are the things I did, but the key now will be to maintain my network as I work a demanding schedule. The ongoing networking is critical, though. Any job in today's marketplace should be considered temporary at best, so it's imperative that you keep your network active.

That's my update! Feel free to contact me with questions - I would love to help out!
Laura J. Nesbitt
email: nesbittlj@gmail.com