To ask what office skills i need to work after being SAHM for too long

[MeetMeAtTheMuseum]

Been a SAHM for 18 years.

Please let's not debate the rights and wrongs of being a SAHM - it wasn't entirely my decision. Life happens and it's led to many years of depression and loss of confidence.

Anyway, I'm late 50s now and need to return to work- for money and my sanity.

Please could you advise what basic office/IT skills are needed for an admin job. The NHS is quite a big employer round here but am happy to take anything.

TIA

@MrsColinRobinson

@LondonJax

I got my current, part time, job a couple of years ago. It was the first I'd applied for after over 10 years as a SAHM. It's school based, support staff in an office.

I was running my own, very small, on line craft business and did some volunteering at the local Church. Both of those roles had helped me keep on top of Excel, Word and email. Both had meant I needed to be proficient in social media and dabble in marketing.

I made sure I matched both my past experience and my current skills very closely in the application. So I pulled out things I'd done in my pre-SAHM role and how I currently used that knowledge whilst a SAHM. For example, the role had a desirable rating for dealing with parents and children. I'd been a parent reader at primary school, had organised summer days of craft etc at the local church and in my previous role I'd done presentations on council run projects to youth groups, schools and communities in general. So I pulled that together as a 'I can do this because' statement.

The role needed marketing skills so I, again, pulled up how I market my small business, how I helped to market church run events and how I marketed community events in my previous (10 years plus ago) role. I also put things in the statement like ideas of how I could transfer those skills to this job - what I'd learned, how I'd proceed etc. The ideas may not actually work in the environment I'm now in but my manager said the fact that I'd thought about what I could actually bring into the job made the difference - it showed enthusiasm and pride in a job I didn't actually have yet.

So I'd say make sure your Microsoft Office skills are up to date, think about previous roles and what you learned in them but don't knock the things you have to do as a parent (stay at home or otherwise). The organisation, the negotiation, the teaching, the 'thinking outside the box' that we all do when we have a stroppy kid who doesn't want to get up and somewhere to be in 20 minutes. All that negotiation and tactics is invaluable when you have a worried patient who's getting in a state or someone who's been kept waiting who is kicking off (rightly or wrongly), if you want to get into the NHS.

And finally, yes the job market is tough. It was tough (but maybe not as much) a couple of years ago and school term time job are like gold dust. But as my DH said at the time, someone has to get that job and it may as well be you.

Good luck!

What a fantastic response, and good luck OP!

A stepping stone for me (also out of the workplace a long time) was the Women Returners Network. Mind you, that would be more appropriate if you were going into the same field you were in previously.

OP, as someone who had a 4-year break due to severe HG in multiple pregnancies (and is now a senior scientist in big pharma), I would recommend returnship programmes. Some are quite specific (I did a STEM one and the bank ones often ask for prior experience in the field), but others are more general; Sky have one that’s quite broad if I remember well.

You sound like you could be a real asset to a team somewhere so brush up your skills - as others have said - MS office ,teams etc and then get your confidence up !! Good luck and come back and let us know when you get something

Thank you @tigertreats - I do think I'd be an asset and posts like yours and others are making me realise that

They also say it’s best to just make one switch at a time if you want a chance of success. So, do the same role in a different industry, or, a different role in the same industry. But trying to change role and change industry is tough at the best of times, even without a career gap.

You would probably be best going back into education in some shape or form and then moving on from there once you’re back up and running in the workplace. Using it as a stepping stone, so to speak.

@MrsColinRobinson

Have you considered becoming a doctor's receptionist? You won't need much additional training

😂🤣😂

I'd recommend finding out what software the specific roles you are interested in use, some may have oracle or similar. Of course there's Microsoft for sure (word, excel, PowerPoint, teams, outlook definitely and Visio is a good one to have), Adobe and being able to use the internet efficiently is hugely beneficial.

Find the type of job you want and go through each skill/requirement and make sure initially you can meet a good amount of them (not necessarily all so don't be put off) and then include it on your cv and/or application. Things like communication skills, leadership and other core behaviours are real drivers for NHS and public sector roles ime- using software can be taught but those core behaviours are something a hiring manager would want to see evidenced in the application and interview process.

I run an office with two admin staff. Traditionally we have recruited people who are returning to work after having children and it has worked well for us as we get some very well qualified people as we can offer flexible working. Going back 10 + years we wanted MS office suite, an ability to create useful spreadsheets etc. Now the office is far more IT intensive so we need people who can learn two sector specific forms of software and do some social media postings for us as well. If someone has the skills and is confident they can pick up new systems quite easily.
Most of the people who have worked in our office over the years have done a return to work office skills course and followed that up with some temping or supporting a local charity with admin in their spare time.
I always set a small and easy practical task for the interview just to be sure the applicant is going to be OK if they get offered the job, usually a letter to customers to go out with their invoice and a spreadsheet of cancelled orders
Maybe undertaking some of the training I've mentioned above might help get you the job you are looking for?

MrsColinRobinson was having a misogynistic dig by stereotyping a job almost exclusively done by women. Shame on those who think that's funny.

Going to look for a return to work office skills course to run along some of the online courses suggested.

If you Google the job descriptions it tells you what they are asking for, using RiO system, and all Microsoft packages, also stuff like minute taking, data entry, whatever directories they are using, you also show have good people skills and communication skills in person , over the phone or online I would look into doing some online training however since you have a degree I don't think it would be a funded place

Have you thought about training for a specific vocation that is much needed and in demand? Might involve taking up a specific qualification or degree but would be worth it.

My ex SIL, for instance, did a social work degree when her children were at secondary and was snapped up.

@MeetMeAtTheMuseum

That wasn't my question. I was asking about office skills. Please don't post negativity.

That wasn’t being negative, it was being honest. If you’re hoping to get a job in today’s current market with what few skills you may have, you’ll need a thicker skin than you appear to have!

You’ll need to be computer literate in a number of applications, have good interpersonal skills, be prepared to be on your feet all day, and to be told what to do by a 25 yr old graduate on twice s much money as you.

Also, having returned, I’d say that having requisite IT skills are essential but also a very basic entry requirement. Kind of equivalent to reading a number plate at the start of your driving test. If you can’t do it then it’s game over, but if you can then it’s only the bare minimum required to start the test.

So, have the skills and record them on the CV, but don’t make a big song and dance about being MS Office literate as it may do more harm than good!

Microsoft word. Excel and outlook.
Most companies have their own in house software that they use as well so I should imagine that most places would provide training for those. I’m sure you can get free online courses for the basics though. Look at My World Of Work for help and hints etc. Good luck.

@MeetMeAtTheMuseum

That wasn't my question. I was asking about office skills. Please don't post negativity.

If you thought that the OP was being rude then I am not sure a work place with people (office/ school/ retail etc) in it is the best thing for you at the mo Good Luck anyway!

@MrsColinRobinson

Have you considered becoming a doctor's receptionist? You won't need much additional training

@MeetMeAtTheMuseum

MrsColinRobinson was having a misogynistic dig by stereotyping a job almost exclusively done by women. Shame on those who think that's funny.

Yeah that's what she was doing

@MeetMeAtTheMuseum

MrsColinRobinson was having a misogynistic dig by stereotyping a job almost exclusively done by women. Shame on those who think that's funny.

Love it when sarcasm just goes whizzing over a person's head

be prepared to be on your feet all day, and to be told what to do by a 25 yr old graduate on twice s much money as you

All office jobs require you to be on your feet all day?

Wage not a problem just want something that I've earned. DH considers his income our money, as do I, but I need to be earning again for me

Right logging off for the night. Got lots of screenshots and made some notes and got some lovely PMs so will get started after I get back from the gym. You've really motivated me.

Thank you to those who took the time to be helpful and kind

I am not sure what is where you live but in Ireland we have local colleges called Education Training Boards - they usually run free return-to-work classes, they would give a guide on writing a CV/interview techniques - would there be an equivalent near you? That way you are getting access to more than just the skills as such but a bit of support and access to maybe leads to a job - best of luck in your search i hope you get something soon.

Not all office jobs but yes some office jobs require a lot of walking around discussing with other departments. Scanning, trips to the post room. Right now it's WFH but if office based you can get your step count up quickly.

I have name changed for this as I am actively recruiting for 2 admin office based roles at the moment and have done a lot of CV sifting, working with recruiters and interviewing recently.

You have asked about office skills and the O365 suite is a bare minimum I would look for on a CV. Also Zoom or Teams experience is a must so you can coordinate meetings.

There are other skills that I need which are considered soft skills but are key in the sifting process. I would want to see experience of working in a team, stress tolerance and stability. Short term gigs on a CV or lots of changes are big red flags to me.

For me and my team, recruiting is about risk management. I need to know:

are you a risk to my existing team?
do you have sufficient skills to be able to do the job?
are you resilient enough for the workplace?
can you cope with change/are flexible?
can you 'hit the ground running'?

If I get the risk profile wrong it can be very costly in terms of time, money and conflict in the workplace.

In the spirit of being constructive I hope this helps.

At the moment, I would not hire you and you probably wouldn't get past the sift, even if you skilled up. Skills are the basic entry ticket, the soft skills are equally important and at the moment you pose too much of risk to me as a hiring manager.

You're a risk because you have a huge gap in your work history. Realistically I don't really know why that gap was there, you could give me your reasons but I would need to take them at face value which I wouldn't do. You could have been absent from the workplace for a multitude of reasons that could be detrimental to us as an employer.

You are late fifties, so in terms of flexibility I have no reference for how quickly you can adapt to new technologies or your willingness to embrace constant change.

Your previous qualifications and employment is irrelevant as its out of date.

I can tell you that at the present time, not only are you competing against younger candidates with a lot more relevant experience but you are also competing against higher qualified individuals who are looking for employment at a lower rung of the ladder to weather the current storm in the job market. I've had people with MBAs and PhDs applying for basic admin roles as they have been made redundant.

On the positive side, in your shoes I would get skilled up but I would do it through a volunteer position. Get upto speed on O365, Zoom/Teams, a finance app would also be useful from a CV perspective.

Do some admin based volunteering so you close that gap on your CV for at least a year. As long as it has a job title and you can get a reference. Then start applying next year once you have got back into the swing of it.

Professional references are key, relying on friends is a bit Mickley mouse. Its got to be someone you've worked with otherwise their assessment of you in the workplace is meaningless.

Its great people are encouraging you but you need to know the view from the otherside. Good wishes won't get you a job but some active realistic planning will.

Good luck.

3mice

From someone from an HR background you are openly admitting that you will discriminate based on multiple factors. Pretty poor from someone recruiting.