Back to the work force? This expert says: Dream on

 John Seraichyk's advice for women on the verge of a home-to-work switch or any professional looking for a change, for that matter is to start by dreaming. Seraichyk is the founder of The Barrett Group, a Warwick-based career management firm.

Those who seek his help often are willing to switch into a new field, but feel stuck because they can't imagine using their skills in a completely different job, he said.

So one of the first questions Seraichyk asks his clients is, "If you had six things on your calendar that truly excite you, what would they be?"

"Most people are afraid to dream, so they write down something related to their past employment rather than say, 'I'd like to take a trip to the moon,'" he said.

Once clients are able to list their "dream" occupations, reality sets in. Professional moms start listing must-have job conditions: The position has to have flexible hours. It shouldn't demand lots of travel. The commute must be short.
Seraichyk has an affectionate nickname for those people whose resumes are cobwebby and whose job expectations are lofty: Pet Rocks.

"If you have a 15-year gap in your career and you only want a job 20 minutes from home, that's a pet rock," he said.
"But this is all about creative marketing," Seraichyk said. "If you package something properly and promote it, you can sell anything." And that includes job candidates who packed their briefcases away a decade ago, he said.
Seraichyk said job-hunters should make a list of the top 10 to 20 companies they would like to work for, find out who is in charge of hiring and write a "broadcast letter" to that person.

The letter shouldn't ask for a job, but for advice and information about industry trends. "When someone asks me for advice, I'm a sucker for that," Seraichyk said. "The decision-makers form a first impression of you and you get to talk to experts and get up to speed."

Once they're face to face with a prospective employer, job- seeking moms are usually quick to pooh-pooh their at-home accomplishments. But job counselors say it's critical for these women to translate their PTO or Scouts or church volunteer work into business terms.

"Some people are embarrassed. But it's a 24-hour job. They should say, 'I raised three children and that's the thing I'm most proud of,'" says Kathy Partington, project manager of the state's netWORKri career centers. "They need to turn everything around and make it positive."

Brag, brag, brag, Partington said. The state's four netWORKri centers can help women craft résumés, as well as shore up their confidence levels so they can boast about their work at home, she said.
The centers are outfitted with computerized job listings, counselors, fax and copy machines, telephones and workshops on résumé writing and interviewing.

Best of all, the centers in Providence, Pawtucket, Warren and Wakefield provide their services for free.
Take your time job hunting, Partington advises. With unemployment below the national average, job-seekers can afford to be picky.

"It's a buyers' market," she said. "We encourage people not to take the first job, but to do a lot of research. Know yourself and the job you're going to, one that's not just good for you but also your family."
"High-tech is one of the more forgiving because there's such a shortage of workers," said Laura Livingstone, director of corporate national recruiting for Complete Business Solutions, a computer consulting firm in Providence.
Many companies offer flexible schedules for new parents, work- sharing arrangements and telecommuting, as long as the prospective worker has up-to-date skills, Livingstone said.

And if the skills are a little rusty, many companies will re- train a worker if they have other valuable assets such as management experience, she said.

 "But this is all about creative marketing," [John Seraichyk] said. "If you package something properly and promote it, you can sell anything." And that includes job candidates who packed their briefcases away a decade ago, he said.
The letter shouldn't ask for a job, but for advice and information about industry trends. "When someone asks me for advice, I'm a sucker for that," Seraichyk said. "The decision-makers form a first impression of you and you get to talk to experts and get up to speed."
Seraichyk has an affectionate nickname for those people whose résumés are cobwebby and whose job expectations are lofty: Pet Rocks.