Hi Claudia,

Thank you for reaching out to Cancer and Careers! It's great that you're planning to return to work, and wise to begin thinking of your online presence and how you may answer some questions about what you’ve been doing in the time you haven’t been working. I’d recommend taking a look at our article on Managing Disclosure When Looking for a Job.

There are ways to really spin your experience as a stay-at-home parent. There are many skills that tend to be necessary when caring for children – you’ve likely been involved in scheduling, planning, organizing, problem-solving, just to name a  few that would be pertinent in the workplace. If you happened to be involved with their schools at all (perhaps events, parties, etc.?) you can use that to your advantage as well. It’s about really being creative about how you describe your skillset and how you sell yourself – which, given your experience in business consulting and software sales, is something that you’re proficient in.

In regard to your blog, considering that the majority of hiring managers typically do Google candidates, it’s likely that your blog would show up. If you do feel that it is something relevant to your work, and could potentially be seen as a positive, you can add it to your resume or LinkedIn, however by doing so you are increasing the chance that you will need to discuss it/your cancer. With that said, you should be prepared to talk about it. I would recommend thinking through the positives of starting and maintaining the blog and how it would be applicable to your work. As you mentioned, you have grown a following, this suggests that you are able to be relatable, make people feel comfortable, trustworthy – all traits that can help make you a strong candidate. Additionally, you are have also been raising children while writing the blog, which could indicate you are good at time management and staying organized. Of course, we can’t guarantee how an employer will react to the information they are coming across, but the more prepared you are to talk about it in the context of work and it being a positive, the more likely you can steer conversations back towards your skills and potential. Interviewing can feel nerve-wracking so again, practicing can be extremely helpful to getting you to a place where you are feeling confident and comfortable! Our website has a whole section of articles about Interviewing that I think can be helpful as you prepare.

Additionally, a website that might be helpful to check out is Apres (www.apresgroup.com). This website is specifically geared towards women who took time off to care for children and are returning to the workforce. While I understand some of their services cost money, there are some helpful articles and free webinars addressing some of the challenges specific to women returning to work after children.

If you have any additional questions, please feel free to reach out to cancerandcareers@cew.org.

Warm regards,

Nicole