Women, get back to work!

Welcome, to the next edition of “Women get back to work”

My gift in helping women (and the men in their lives) make that transition back into the workplace and help them find their professional identity and workplace confidence mojo back. (However, there’s a lot of great input and advice for all!)

I’m really excited to be talking to my old work colleague, friend and all-time amazing woman Manuela Burg Toullerastel who took a 3-year career break to live out her dream, and what’s more she is now in an amazing role she loves.

But first, let’s talk about blockers.

Those nasty gremlin type things that prevent us from moving forward. Blockers are mentally challenging. They are formed by filters, assumptions, experiences, societal influences and negative beliefs we make on ourselves and on others that impact our actions and ultimately our confidence.

When I work with my clients, we look at those blockers, and talk through why they are there in the first place.

Sometimes we partner the conversation with a Career timeline activity which maps out the the highs and lows in your career with the aim in reflecting on what happened to cause them and why you feel the way you do.

Blockers break down our confidence in our skills and abilities and stops our potential. We fall into a mould of what is expected of us and move away from those roles that we are very capable of doing. We apply for roles beneath us because we believe we are too old, boring, not relevant anymore. We don’t know how to ask for assistance to share the load at home to release time for a role we will flourish in, and we have lost our professional identity.

Professional identity is important. If you don’t know who you are, how are you going to communicate that to others.

One of the things we talk about is defining your Brand and finding your story. Being clear on what you have done, why you have done it, who you are and what you can bring, can bring the confidence queen (and king) back.

It also helps to have that reality awareness of your gaps so you can action or re-position them. No one is the full package.

Here are some strategies and work through’s to get you "Brand" thinking.

1. Is there something that makes you a little unique or different to other candidates that would generally be going for the role. Hobby, Certification, a project you may have worked on?
2. Know your own strengths, skills, achievements, and pick out the top 5 that you feel are special.
3. Don’t forget to ask others on their input on you as well.
4. What did people come to you for at work and what were you known for?
5. Try and create a Career story to demonstrate your journey to where you are now and why you made the choices you did.
6. Differentiate around what your target audience actually cares about.
7. Can you answer the “Why should I hire you” question?
8. Create a 2-minute elevator pitch – it’s really hard as you have to very selective what you put in there, but it really makes you think.
9. Don’t forget to bring your Personality – Don’t try to be someone else – Be your authentic and honest self.

One of my clients had set up a business at one point in her career. It made her unique to others going for an internal role, as she could see the position from both angles. As a Client and as a Supplier, and partner that with her much in demand skills of creativity, business acumen, budgetary management, strategy and business development. It's all about the re-position.

I say find your style, be yourself because everyone else is taken.

It may surprise others, but I really am not a confident person. I just know how to disguise it well, but I am shaking like crazy on the inside. I hate tooting my own horn, and learnt the hard way it's a must if you want to get ahead.

I’ve also found one of the biggest confidence killers is comparison. It is the thief of JOY and social platforms don’t help. When you are unsure of what you stand for, you morph into being someone else, and many a times (and I have done it and seen it) try to copy-cat and act in a way that is unnatural to you.

That will leave you frustrated and mentally drained. It’s hard work trying to be someone else. I tried to be like one particular person once who appeared to be successful. But I could not keep it up, and it just dragged me down. Once I took my mask off, the authentic self was released, and I was much happier. Remember the workplace is a myriad of personalities, otherwise it would be boring - right? We'll talk about how to navigate those personalities in another newsletter or a post.

Sure, it’s great to look up to someone, and appreciate them. Just recognise what it is that you appreciate in them and bring that into your toolkit.

Drum roll please....

So, in my last newsletter, I spoke about how that important career break can help you re-focus as well as looking at how to position those rough diamonds into workplace inputs which can actually help you stand out. Remember great companies want to get to know the whole you.

Manuela Burg Toullerastel took a career break and what she gained knocked it out of the water, and I mean literally. I talk to her about her experience and getting back into paid work with a leading Tech organisation. It's going to be good!

So, Manuela, tell me what the main reason was that you decided on a Career break. You had a great role in a great company. Please share?

I’m passionate about sailing and had always dreamt of crossing the Atlantic Ocean. I’ve been inspired by many great sailors including some fascinating women whom I still follow today. I had been working in a variety of Corporate roles and there came a time when I felt it was right to take this risk, both financially and personally. I really didn’t want to wait until I was retired knowing I may not be as fit for the physical challenge, and I also felt I was not growing or learning as much at work. It seemed like the right time for me mentally and physically.

So, tell us about your Break and experience?

I decided to take 2 years initially with the goal to sail from the Mediterranean Sea to Patagonia through the Pacific Ocean. Once the decision was made, it was all about planning everything before I left. I actually let go of my belongings, my house and car which actually made this really real for me so there was no going back.

It’s also incredible how many people I met who helped me in little ways throughout my journey preparation to attain my goal. I ended up sailing almost 25,000km but only to Columbia in South America, but I visited 23 different countries.

What did you gain from your Career break experience, and were there any new transferable skills obtained?

Well apart from all the stories I have about human fellowship, the different cultures and remote places I was exposed to. I actually gained some new skills.

I learned weather & route planning, diesel mechanics, medical & survival techniques, practiced foreign languages. I also gained some important soft skills including problem solving, risk assessment, leadership & relationship management, working under pressure, being persistent which are really important in my role today.

Did you ever worry about the time when you would think about getting back into a paid job?

I didn’t and thinking back today, I never planned my return, which was key to me as I could really take that leap of faith. You have to remember things change over time. That’s an important thing to consider in business as well, and it makes you more resilient. You just need to build confidence that you can adapt if required.

The only factor I kept an eye on during my break was Financial which helped me decide if I was able to continue or it was time to return to work. So, you need to use those planning skills as well!

What was the experience like when you started that process for looking for work?

I first kept an open mind to changing the type of work I used to do and applied for all sorts of different things using my new skills, including Captain of a Marina, a Negotiator for a Seafood & Fish auction in La Rochelle. I also did some consultancy on a data project linked to a 3-year Ocean global convention which brought me back into IT.

As I mentioned the biggest challenge was financial. I had to monitor that carefully, and ensure I had enough time so that I did not rush into accepting the first job which I knew I would not be happy in.

I was actually surprised that employers reacted very positively to my break, as long as I could demonstrate the skills for the position they were seeking to fulfil. It actually felt it was an advantage, and some wanted to know more, so I did offer on a few times to tell them more over a coffee meeting at another time rather than at the interview as I wanted to focus on my skills for the job. It was certainly a conversation starter and made me unique.

Looking back, would you have done anything differently today?

Not really. It’s not until I came back that I really analysed some of this experience. At first, I found it difficult seeking work without a place to settle down. But it was all part of the experience before accepting a role I am passionate about today. In reality, I made many mistakes and I learnt from each one of them during this experience which I was able to share with employers. Sure, I could have done things differently, but I do not regret any of them and have taken their learnings away.

Wow. Certainly an inspiration, and I loved how Manuela turned this Career break around focusing on her new skills and uniqueness!

It’s good to talk!

If you want some inspiration, tactics and support to get back into the workplace or some other career support please reach out, and schedule a virtual coffee chat. It does not cost anything, and it’s good to talk. I’ll bring the biscuits!

Any support I provide is highly personalised, based on my coaching, business and leadership experience and aimed to get you moving asap.

email: [email protected]

Schedule a call: https://calendly.com/contact-7708/60min?month=2023-03

Want to share your story? I'll love to hear it.