Follow your heart with Successful Mums

It’s February and with Valentine’s Day just around the corner, my thoughts are drawn to finding a job you love.

Life is short and we can spend a big part of it at work. But if we love what we do, we are more likely to be productive, committed and confident – and that can have a huge impact on our lives and the way we feel about ourselves outside work, too. I still get a thrill when I see our Successful Mums getting their mojo back, taking their first steps back to work or launching their own brilliant businesses. And it’s even more special when they’re doing something they really love.

That’s why one of the first conversations we have with the women on our Back to Work Courses is about their passions. 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. I always ask them to think about people whose careers they admire and, if I could wave a magic wand (which I occasionally do!), 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. And if those candidates are also passionate about their products or services, so much the better!

We’ve recently featured a success story from Natalie, who turned her lifelong passion for dance into a thriving business after attending our Business Start-up Course. We’ve also featured Angela, who attended our Back to Work Course and gained the confidence to find her dream job!

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 Course and we’ll happily start making the connections!

Lots to celebrate in February and for me, it’s always extra special as it’s also my little girl’s birthday – and you can’t find love bigger than that.

Jane x