THE MIGHTY SKILLS BORN OF PARENTING

Being a parent is a demanding job, and, even though those being managed (or managing you) may be small, their needs are huge, and their terms are firm.

At Flexibility Matters, we meet many parents who, after being out of the workplace for a while, feel they no longer have the skills that an employer is interested in. We see things very differently. We know that employers are actively seeking many of the transferable skills specifically derived from parenting, placing those who have them in a very employable position.

Being able to stay calm with a measured sense of perspective, and the ability to display empathy against all odds are just a couple to highlight. Below are our top five skills that become part of the norm when parenting that will set you apart when seeking that dream job:

  1. An expert in negotiation: You are well versed at looking at a situation from all angles in order to settle on the ideal scenario that benefits everyone. At home, this may be around the dinner table, involving you, your child and Buzz Lightyear but in the office the hard skills needed to apply diplomacy, understanding, reward and penalty, in order to pull off a good result, tend to be the same.
  2. A natural leader: As a parent you lead your child in the right direction. It’s an important, strategic task that requires unwavering focus and determined consistency. In the office, this focus and determination applied to a project or business case involving a team is essential. A leader that finds the confidence to guide from a natural place of empathy and understanding is in many cases a very successful one.
  3. A mentor and a role model: As role models to our children, we are aware of how important it is that we embody the people we want them to be. Being a role model, therefore, requires a large dose of self-awareness. Our mentor role at home involves a provision of advice from pre-school into adulthood, with much problem solving along the way. This transfers to colleagues and customers, from motivating and encouraging team members to excel, to demonstrating leading a project and still making the year one nativity performance.
  4. An accomplished multi-tasker: The ability to coordinate home duties, family events, academic responsibilities, all whilst functioning amidst constant distractions, results in a big tick in the skills box of planning and prioritising. Hard skills actively sought after for project manager roles. In amongst this, switching between the various home application learning tools provides an adaptable proficiency in the constantly changing methods of communication.
  5. Award winning at time-management: The requirements of a parent are vast, multi-faceted and in many cases time sensitive. It’s natural that when you have less time, you focus more on the tasks that need to be done – finding ways to make them as efficient as possible. This intent on purpose focus is a skill so ingrained that it may not even be one that you notice you have, let alone recognise how award-winning it is.

The important thing to remember is that whatever your qualifications and skills were before becoming a parent, you’ve now added to them significantly.

Dedicated to flexible recruiting and best practice in flexible working, at Flexibility Matters we recognise the value of life skills and the importance of work/life balance.

If you’re a professional looking for a flexible career role or a company looking to recruit flexibly, get in touch. Contact Emma and the team on 0781 0541 599 or 01273 842 288 or email: emma@flexmatters.co.uk

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