The situations of these women are all very different and if you are reading this and you are now ready to think about returning to work, the chances are that you will feel somewhat lacking in confidence about your own abilities and what the workplace is like now, as there have certainly been many changes in recent years.

If you are able to take a serious look at what you have done while you have not been working, you will hopefully find that time spent out of the workplace has given you skills which can easily be transferred back into it, and which employers will value. If you have been looking after children, you may have developed good communication and time–management skills; you might be an excellent organiser, perhaps a brilliant negotiator – all of these may be valued by the right employer. If you have taken time out to travel and broaden your mind, then the new you will have something to offer the workplace which you have gained while travelling; skills learned in a voluntary role, especially those interpersonal skills which are so important, can be a real asset to a prospective employer.

Information Technology is probably the greatest new element in the workplace and if your IT skills are not good or need updating, then this is probably the first place to start, as almost every job will require some basic skills in this area, and certainly you should be able to use the internet and send emails comfortably.

The most important thing you can do is to produce for yourself a CV which does you justice and which you can use either with a job application or send to a prospective employer with a speculative letter; CVs come in different styles and a skills-based one, where you focus on what you can do, while highlighting your particular strengths, rather than a chronological one, which lists where you have worked, should help you to manage the “hole” which will be on your CV during the time you have been out of work.