Back on the Career Track: A Guide for Stay-at-Home Moms Who Want to Return to Work Paperback – August 15, 2008

This is a great book for any woman preparing to get back into full-time work after taking time off to raise her family. There are lots and lots of tips as well as examples from the lives of real women who have made it back into the workforce. My only problem with the book is the writers don't seem to realize there are women out there who actually WANTED to stay home with their children, gave up their careers happily, and wouldn't go back to work unless they had to. They only seemed to interview career women who sort of got stuck at home accidentally, pretty much hated every second of it and couldn't wait to get back to work. The worst of this comes in the beginning, so if you can hold your nose through the introductions in the first chapter you'll get to the useful part pretty quickly. Also this book is focused on career women in the fields of business and medicine. It's still helpful even if you don't work in those fields, but you might not find a lot to compare yourself with if you're not in sales, marketing or the medical profession.

Are you considering returning to employment after a career break from staying at home with your kids, taking a personal sabbatical from your field, reentering after a long layoff, caring for an elderly parent or dealing with a family health issue? If so, this is the book you must read!Carol Fishman Cohen and Vivian Steir Rabin have written an organized, thoughtful and systematic book that directly addresses the questions of professionals considering a return to the workforce. They walk the reader through the process of deciding if she wants to return, assessing family support, evaluating her strengths, deciding what she wants to do, and going after it.Returning to work after a career break can be an emotional process filled with highs and lows. Cohen and Rabin have been in your shoes and are the wise, encouraging friends you want to have in your corner. If you are a relauncher keep this book on the Kindle application on your phone so you can return to it frequently for literary pep talks.In addition to the book, check out their website, iRelaunch.com and sign up to receive notices of events in your area and corporate return to work programs. They produce great conferences and boot camps on the subject. I recently went to one in NYC that was packed with smart, well-educated women with great career experiences (and more than a few men relaunchers as well.) As a sign of how influential the "relaunch" conversation began by the co-authors has become, there were about 15 major companies that were there actively recruiting women to apply to their firms.

This book provides both practical guidance on where to start and motivation for any mom who opted out of work and now, for a variety of reasons, is interested in or required to return to earning an income. I was starting to do some of the things anyway, but very unsure of myself. This book gave me reassurance that I was on the right track as well as giving guidance on the next steps. Unlike some career books, it doesn't shy away from dealing with the emotional side of things. It doesn't take any sides in the 'mommy wars' but gives equal validation regardless of how you might feel about working versus staying home. There seems to be very few books out there dealing with this subject and typical career books assume everyone is looking for the same high-powered career path.I would recommend this book to any woman wanting to return to work, even if no children are involved.

This book is a bit older than I expected. I didn't check the copyright date before buying it. Things have changed so much in the last 8 years. I'm sure it was useful and more relevant a few years back.

This book is one of my favorites to recommend in workshops, programs, and coaching sessions on career transition and following your dreams. Although expressly written for mothers relaunching their careers (and the authors do a great job weaving in actual stories and situations about mothers) I find it to be one of the best career guides around in general for information on networking, crafting a resume, thinking through career strategy, and obtaining useful experience."Back on the Career Track" is practical, clear, interesting, and fun to read. I particularly like the way the authors guide mothers (or anyone who has been on a career break) through different ways of assessing current needs, strengths, interests, talents, and dreams. They do not have an agenda about what is best for women want to re-enter the workforce, and help readers explore what is best for them and their family, whether part-time work, a full-time job, an entreprenurial venture or other option.As a psychologist and coach, I highly recommend this book.

I can identify myself with at least 95% of what I have read in this book. I am a professional woman mother of two gifted children who decided to become a full time mom after the birth of my second child. After knowing that both of are gifted, and facing the challenges that this represents, becoming a fulltime mom was the best decision at that moment in time. As the book presents, I have always wanted to return to practice my profession. Reading this book makes me feel confident that I can return to paid work successfully and that I am not alone in my experience as a professional woman who made his "mommy" duties a priority.

I'm a quarter of the way through the book, but so far so good. It's very informative, considering not only the financial but also the emotional reasons why we return to work. I've even recommended this book to a friend of the family!

Great book for women going back to work after taking time off to raise the children. I loved the inspirational stories. The authors really understand the challenges, doubts, insecurities that come with going back to work and do a great job of inspiring the women in this situation by giving real life examples.