Women Who Quit Work Abrubtly After Childbirth - Are You the Type?

According to statistics one out of every five pregnant women will not return to work. Quitting abruptly after childbirth could wreak havoc on your finances, your career and even your relationship with your partner.

How can you determine if you are vulnerable to quitting your job abruptly after having your baby? Below are some elements that can contribute to leaving your job:

1. You hate your job-Babies have a way of forcing true feelings to the surface. This means that if you hate your job now, while you are pregnant, you might find it physically impossible to leave your baby to return to it afterwards. If this is the case in your life, admit it now and start planning to find a new job, start your own business or take a leave of absence. Now is definitely better than later.

2. You are a perfectionist- Being a working mother means trusting others to do things for you but not necessarily like you do them. Practice letting things go around the house a little bit and delegating more at home and at work. Women who insist on doing it all may end up quitting abruptly due to the stress caused by impossibly high standards.

3. You are 100% sure that you will be returning to work-Women who refuse to even allow themselves the thought of quitting are prime candidates for leaving abruptly after giving birth. This is sometimes due to feeling cheated by a short maternity leave or simply repressing true feelings about their dual roles. Pregnancy and babies are not about certainties. It is wise to take some time and consider all options including what you (and your partner) would do if one of you decided not to return to work.

The bottom line is that whatever you choose will be the right decision for you as long as you are making the decision consciously and not out of stress or unacknowledged feelings. The benefits of knowing, for the most part, what your actions are going to be after the birth of your baby are numerous when you think about finances, planning at work and not burning future bridges.

Notes:Cigna insurance company estimates that for every woman who quits her job after childbirth, four return. Source: Wall Street Journal, 1998 Work & Family Column, Sue Shellenbarger.

Brenda Abdilla is the president of Management Momentum, a Denver-based company which helps companies accomplish success by improving thier performance strategies. In her 15 years as a professional speaker and trainer Brenda has delighted audiences around the world. Brenda authored two books in the 90's (Sales and Marketing) and is now working on a book especially for women in business.

CAREER TOPICS

Job Interviews and The Secret of Selling Yourself
A very effective and persuasive tactic when selling something is to promote its benefits as well as its features.Very simply, features are what something has; benefits are what those features do for you.

Resume Writing Tips
Make sure that your resume is up to date with your latest job experience and educational accomplishments. Have a friend or relative evaluate your resume to see if it is clear, consistent, and fairly represents your skills and experience.

Job Offer Negotiations: Getting What You Want
You have worked hard at finding your next job. You have come through many obstacles and have reached your career objective.

The Ripple Effect of Fear
Unemployment carries a lot of emotional baggage for most of us and fear is a major component. We fear the financial fallout of no longer receiving regular wages.

Using The Internet For Job-hunting
The Internet is a very useful tool for job seekers as it is a great source of information. Also, taking into account of a more wired world, getting online has never been easier.

Nuts and Bolts of Effective Cover Letters
As a job seeker, you shouldn't overlook the importance of a cover letter. If written strategically, a cover letter increases your chances for consideration, and provides an opportunity to highlight your individuality.

Writing a Resume: To Template or Not To Template?
Are free resume templates a viable answer to preparing a killer resume?It's a fact that if your resume doesn't stand out--both in terms of content AND appearance-- you'll find it very difficult to get the job you seek.Hiring managers get hundreds of resumes for every open position, but usually have time to interview only a handful of applicants.

Everyday Is Saturday: Help for the Suddenly Unemployed
I recently was "unhired" by my former employer. Unhired is a softer term than "fired" but it means the same.

How to Write Cover Letters That Increase Your Chances of Winning an Interview
Submit a poorly written cover letter and the chances are your resume will end up in the trash bin without even being looked at.On the other hand, a well written cover letter can almost guarantee you get an interview.

Top 10 Tips for Career Advancement
Here's a list of the top 10 tips you can use to advance your career: 1. Don't be afraid to say "I don't know.

How NOT to Write a Resume
You can learn a lot about how to do something right by first learning what NOT to do.Take resumes, for example.

Blogging for Candidates 101: Nuts and Bolts
A "blog" is simply an internet (web) log. Blogs are created for personal or professional use.

Interview Tips - Ten Top Dos & Donts for Winning Interviews
In this day and age it can become increasingly difficult to even get your foot in the door and get an interview; once you've accomplished that you will want to make sure you continue to put your best foot forward and nail the interview as well. Unfortunately, as great as their skills, experience and education are; the interview is where many people lose a job opportunity to their competition.

Six of the Best for a Winning Resume
1. Be CompleteMake sure that your resume includes EVERYTHING your prospective employer would need to know to be able to offer you an interview.

Becoming A Police Officer Just Became Easier
As many law enforcement candidates can vouch for, taking the police entrance exam can be a stressful and highly competitive experience. I decided to research some preparation web sites and purchased several E-books on the topic to get a better understanding of what it takes to become a police officer.

Chicken Soup for Job Seekers
Do you want to change your job but don't know the right way to go about it? Are you vacillating between waiting for your dream job or accepting the first one that comes your way? Or are you a fresher falling in line with what your parents wish you to be rather than what you wish to be? If this is the kind of situation you find yourself in, then the next few minutes will help you get a clearer picture. Here is our bowl of chicken soup for the job seeker's soul.

8 Steps to Getting On-Track When You Start a New Job
Starting a new job can feel like moving to a new country. Your language skills may be modest.

I Quit!
More and more people are calling it quits to successful careers to create some personal leisure time or to pursue another career. This trend is becoming more popular and common.

After Your Interview - What Must You Do Next?
Other than actually landing the interview itself and living through it, waiting after the interview and wondering whether you will get a phone call or a rejection letter can be one of the most difficult aspects of searching for a job. What you do after the interview should actually start while you are still 'working' the interview.

Is Job Loss Making You Sick?
Job loss affects most of us like any other loss in life. Yes, there are other losses that are greater, but this one comes close too!From my experience, job loss can make anyone sick! There can be terrible anger; anger which turns into depression.