I am just looking at starting up my work again, having been on maternity leave since February.
You read a lot of negativity about companies not wanting to employ women who may leave to have children or who already have children in case they need a lot of time off.
But after looking after a baby for the last six months, I’ve discovered that it give you loads of new skills and really polishes up the skills you always put on your CV but were never sure how good you were at them.
Here’s what I mean:
1. Multi-tasking
Right, you have a baby, which needs constant feeding, rocking, jiggling and entertaining. BUT you also have to get a wash on, make the tea AND do the washing up. Oh, and it might be pleasant to get a shower at some point during the day.
You thought you were good at multi-tasking before? Well now you’re a true expert.
2. Staying calm with a demanding client
You’ve winded, fed, changed nappy but still they cry. However the trick is lots of deep breaths and staying calm otherwise it just makes them worse. Hmmm rather like a difficult client, non?
3. Forward-planning
Whether it’s just boiling the kettle in time to make a bottle and cool it, to getting all your carefully prepared purees out the freezer, or planning where you can go to the toilet and change a nappy in the next half hour, planning ahead is essential.
A skill that will certainly come in useful when I’m back juggling PR, copywriting and marketing projects all in one day!
4. On the go with little sleep
Work is hard, especially when you’re self-employed. It’s not a nine to five job. Many times it’s a seven to seven job, if you’re lucky.
But hey, being a parent is a 24/7 job, so working for a mere eight hours a day is a BREEZE!
5. Getting ready quickly
I used to struggle to get to work for 9am whatever time I got up. Washing hair, shaving legs, faffing with hair and putting on make-up all used to take ages. But when you’re looking after a baby you learn to get ready super-quick! Run through the shower, clean teeth and get dressed. So really, you only need 10 minutes. Great skills learned for getting back to the office nice and early in the morning!
Obviously this is a tongue in cheek post – I adore having a baby. But I’m also looking forward to starting work again as I’m lucky enough to do something I really enjoy.
Give me a shout if you want to talk to someone about copywriting, PR or marketing.
