The Times sees signs that the business world is more accepting of a couple of blank years on the resume when parents take time off to raise the kids. But there are more signs that things haven’t changed one bit. Take time off, and you’re screwed.
Mothers of baby boomers who went back to work were largely limited to secretarial, teaching or nursing jobs. Their children, in turn, took hardly any time off, juggling home and work. Now, employees want it all, taking time off but retaining the ability to return to the professional positions they left.
While Fortune 500 companies remain skeptical, the most receptive employers are smaller companies, nonprofit institutions and community groups, said Laura Hill, president of Careers in Motion, a career-coaching firm in Manhattan.
“Big companies have specific jobs that require specific experience, and they want recent experience,” Ms. Hill said. “Medium and small employers, with smaller budgets, cannot afford to be as choosy.”
Career flexibility and multiyear sabbaticals came to the fore with Gen-X’ers in about 2001, said Carol Evans, chief executive and founder of Working Mother Media. She said parents who might want to return to the land of suits and collegial camaraderie should volunteer or consult, because even people who have been out of the work force for six months have found it difficult to step back in.
Six months?!!! Six months and you’re dog meat on the career front. Excuse me while I go to the bathroom to vomit.
Apt. 11d 