A talented Project Manager, who had taken a career-break for two years to raise a young family, Natalie felt it would be hard to find an employer that would give her a part-time job opportunity, especially given the industry she worked in. Projects tend to be fast-paced and intensive, and part-time roles seemed to be few and far between.
Natalie was browsing Facebook when she came across FlexCareers, and it was the start of her journey to finding her perfect role. Natalie said, “I loved the idea that there was a business dedicated to helping talented women get back into the workforce in a flexible capacity.”
She continued, “I wasn’t actively seeking job opportunities, but a part-time, flexible project management appeared in my newsfeed on Facebook. I was overseas at the time, but I applied as soon as I got back. I landed an interview and, as they say, the rest is history!”.
Natalie’s greatest fear about returning to work was that she would not find the flexibility she needed to progress her career whilst caring for her young family. The role was advertised as a 3-day a week role, however Natalie negotiated working for 2-days a week initially, increasing to 3-days after a few months. “I’m so grateful to my manager” Natalie explained, “she’s a mum herself and really understands the importance of flexibility and family.”
FlexCareers Founder Marko Njvaro was humbled by Natalie’s story, he said, “Good news stories like Natalie’s are what keep us motivated to do more for women in the workplace and continue advocating for flexible roles with employers.”
From her experience of returning to work, Natalie encourages other women to:
- Be confident in your ability and what you have to offer an organisation
- Don’t be afraid to broaden your horizons and try something different
- Ask for what you want in terms of flexibility. You’ll be surprised at how flexible employers will be when they see how much you have to offer.
- Be aware of what opportunities are out there, even if you aren’t actively looking. You might stumble upon the perfect role!
Natalie concludes, “I found the perfect job opportunity through FlexCareers, which I probably would not have found through any other source. This is not just a career for me, it is a passion and given the company I work for is a small company, I plan on helping this company grow and growing with it in whichever direction it heads!”
If you are looking to Return to Work in 2018, you’ll be pleased to know that FlexCareers has a new way of helping you! We regularly recruit and manage return to work programs for clients across Australia and New Zealand, and we now have an exclusive Talent Community to help and support returning to work parents, and others who have taken an extended career break. You can find out more here:
And finally, we love to share good news stories! If you’ve had success in finding a role through FlexCareers, or would like to share your experiences of job-hunting and working flexibly, we’d love to hear from you. You can submit your story online here, or email us at [email protected]
Leave a Reply