Career advice to a working mom

I work in an industry where staying in one company for long term gives a negative impact on your resume. We have to constantly upgrade ourselves in terms of knowledge, technology and of course annual compensation package wise. Most of the job hoppings happen in early stages of your career. As time passes by you get married and job gets a lower priority. You try to just stick to whatever is happening instead of trying to find some new good opportunities. Then once you become a mom, you feel as if you have achieved a great feat even if you are able to continue your career. 

I have gone through all of these phases and even today I feel guilty that I am not in a position where I should be. I deserve much more than this, but considering my family commitments it is me who keeps dragging myself behind and not trying for the opportunities that I deserve just because I don't want to go beyond my comfort zone. And to make it feel better I keep comparing myself to random women that at least I am doing better than them. Every working mom that I have met in my field shares the same feeling. 

I once met my friend who has a 2 year old daughter and asked about her job. She works in Analytics which has huge demand, she had many offers in hand but still she doesn't want to quit her old job because she fears that she will be out of her comfort zone. She might not be able to give time to her daughter. What if she doesn't get a good manager. Many women go through these feelings and it is natural to be apprehensive at first thoughts. The other type of mom is one who will get an opportunity but settle for a lower position and not take the plunge of a challenging role. The bottom line is we keep on underestimating ourselves unnecessarily.

My advice to all these moms is don't overthink. Now a days all companies offer flexibility to working moms, you can always choose a company based on this. 

1. Choose a job which is closer to your home.
2. Let your employer know that you have kid to look after and you cannot stay beyond certain hours. This might reduce the chances of getting selected in certain companies, but it is always better to be at a safer side than to take role where you require to stay beyond the creche timings. 
3. Look for Work from home facility 
4. Don't underestimate yourself.
5. Always looks for a backup resource to fill your position in case you have to go on unplanned leave for your kids illness
6. Always remember you can scale up in your career graph even after having a kid so first believe in yourself and only then the world will believe in you.

Happy Parenting!!!