IT’S FEBRUARY AND WITH VALENTINE’S DAY upon us, NOW IS THE PERFECT TIME TO FIND A JOB YOU LOVE. 

On average, an employee spends 84,365 hours at work in their lifetime. Frightening isn’t it?  

But what if you don’t enjoy your job? That is a huge proportion of your life, wasted. 

So here is the question.  

Have you found a job that you love?  

Being happy at work is so important. In fact, a recent experiment by the University of Warwick found that happy people work harder!  They were able to scientifically prove that happiness makes you more productive. 

But it isn’t just productivity that is affected by happiness.  

When we love what we do, we are more committed and confident – and that can have a huge impact, not just professionally but also personally, as our work and home lives are intertwined. 

At Successful Mums we still get a thrill when we see our parents getting their mojo back; taking their first steps back to work or launching their own brilliant businesses. And it’s even more special because they are doing something they really love. 

That is why one of the first conversations we have with the parents on our Back to Work and Confidence Course is what they are passionate about.  

We talk about what they’d be doing if they were at school today: the subjects they’d choose and the jobs they’d be dreaming about.  

We ask them to think about people whose careers they admire and, if they could wave a magic wand what their ideal job would be. 

Teasing these things out can pave the way to finding your ideal job or career.  

Just because you were a graphic designer, a PA or an accountant before your children came along, it doesn’t mean you have to return to the same job or even the same industry.  

By focusing instead on what you’d love to do, you can start to think about what your experience, knowledge and the parenting skills you have developed could bring to that role. 

Employers are increasingly recognising that candidates with skills and backgrounds from outside their own industries can bring new perspectives and fresh ideas to the table.  

We recently visited an event at a job centre, where one of the key staff members used to be an air hostess and you could see the skills she brought to the team. She was such a people person demonstrating exceptional communication skills; a quickness at building rapport and a calm nature which made attendees feel at ease.  

We’ve seen so many success stories including Emily, who turned her business idea into reality after attending our Enterprise Course. Plus we’ve had the pleasure of meeting Silvia, who attended our Back to Work and Confidence Course, and found it made a huge difference in her life, saying “I have not only found a job, but I learnt to love myself more in the process.” 

When job hunting (just like looking for love) a little matchmaking can go a long way and connecting our Successful Mums “grads” with local employers is an important part of what we do. Book your place on our next Back to Work and Confidence Course and we’ll happily start making the connections! 

Register you interest HERE.