How to Get Back into the Work Force

HI G. - I have a friend whose full-time job is as a fitness trainer at a corporation. The company has an on-site fitness center and she is there doing 1:1 training and teaching group classes. I believe that she also works with HR to design wellness programs and is in charge of maintaining the facility. That might be an interesting niche for you to consider.

Other than that, sign up with a temp agency - that'll be the fastest way to get introduced to a variety of positions and see if there is one that's a good fit for you. Many places do temp to perm.

Check with temp agencies in your area.
I am ex corporate marketing for a major snack food company and we hired people from the temporary pool.

It worked great for us because because we got a feel if they were a good fit for us and the temp employee was able to see if she/he felt good about being with our company.

Other than that, network with your friends, co-workers, clients, etc. Are you on LinkedIn? I run our company and I am on LinkedIn. I get people sending resumes often as well as recruiters contacting me.

Just get the word out and focus on what you like to do. Best wishes!

Have you talked with someone at your closest WorkForce Center? They have career counselors to work with you for no charge. They would also be aware of any training programs, or other programs to help you get back into the full-time workforce.

Here is the link to their website:
http://www.workforcecentralma.org/

If you are making less than $15 per hour you should qualify for at least some assistance for child care. I had a family with 3 or 4 children and mom and dad both worked and make over $15 per hour each. They only had a $400 per month co-pay.

I know others who were single parents and they worked full time and had small co-pays, like $50 -$75 per month for multiple children.

You should find out if you can qualify now so that if you do get more hours you'll already be using it and can start a job with no child care transition issues.

Temp agencies are good, they're not as busy as they used to be, but still have positions. It takes a minute when you apply with them b/c they are going to test you on your software and typing skills. I got a great job through a temp agency w/a med grp and they had wonderful benefits. I've been in the workforce ever since I was 14 and I can tell you that I've had great experiences working in office settings b/c they offer stability and growth. I made the most money working in a small fam run business but they didn't offer benefits, thats the sacrafice for not having benefits. I'd check out craigslist they always have alot of jobs. If you are really wanting benefits I would apply for gov't/city type jobs, medical field jobs and any type of big corp (we have a big Marriott here that doesn't pay alot but good benefits). Good luck!

This is just a random thought, but have you thought of managing a fitness center? It might be a good fit with your experience, contacts, etc. If that interests you, try talking to the managers (or whoever schedules your classes, cuts your checks, etc.) at the clubs where you've worked. Ask them how they got started doing what they do -- what their career ladder was like. You might not be able to start in a management position right away, but it seems like you can build a solid career based on what and who you already know.

Hi G.,
First...good luck and I am praying for you. Going back to work fulltime is a big deal. My suggestion is to look for church-based career networking groups in your area. These are free and meetings occur about once a week. When I needed to start working outside the home (after doing work from home for 5 years after having the boys), I was advised to attend the career networking meetings at my church. From there, I met other job seekers who knew of other networking groups, and I found an even better career networking group closer to my home. These meetings were conducted by a member of that church who had experience with job searching (usually someone who works in HR). We discussed all the tools available to find a job these days, resume advice, and learned of even more career workshops that were available in our area. The church-based career networking groups will not only give you the knowledge and tools for job searching, but they can also help you determine more career choices which are suited for you.

If you do not belong to a church that offers a career networking group, then you can go to the websites of churches in your area and see if they have a "career network" or "career transition" ministry at their church.

PM me if I can give you any more advice.

One thing that comes to mind right away is working for senior citizen complexes. They often need people to do some exercise for residents, many of whom are extremely able-bodied and want to remain so. Many have small fitness centers, run classes like "chair exercise" for those with a little less mobility but still needing muscle tone, and they also have things like walking clubs where people pick a route or a nature area or park and go walk for 90 minutes. Maybe they have some clerical work too, like staffing the reception desk and putting other programs together. Sometimes there is a complex with independent living, assisted living and nursing home all on the same campus, and they might have one full-time job made up of various half-time jobs, so you could still get benefits but split your time doing several things you are skilled at.

Gyms also need people to run classes as well as staff the front desk and even do some babysitting 2 hours per morning while the moms work out.

Smaller fitness centers sometimes have one owner who owns a few locations, and may have part time work at both, which could be melded into a full time job.

Finally, hospitals are always looking for staff and often running in-house fitness classes. If it wasn't full time in one area, perhaps it could be pieced together to make 40 hours with benefits.

Also, look into hospitals or other large companies who may be filling a temporary job, such as for someone on maternity leave. If they like you and you do a good job, you can often parlay that into a full time job in another department. I have an acquaintance with zero skills who managed that about 6 years ago, and she's still employed!