Diana Allan is proud that her resume includes a decade of business experience, years at home raising her children, and now a full return to workforce.
Allan, who earned an MBA before she had kids, previously worked in banking and served as the vice president and deputy manager of the Los Angeles office of Banque Nationale de Paris.
Like many women, she opted to leave the corporate world to focus on her family. But when the time was right—her youngest child started driving—she eagerly wanted to launch a new full-time career.
Having been out of the full-time workforce for sixteen years, she wasn’t sure where to start. Which skills did she need to update before rejoining the business world? What important developments had she missed in corporate America? How should she position herself to employers? And perhaps most importantly, what did she really want out of this phase of her career?
She found all the answers in the “Back in Business” program at the Tuck School of Business at Dartmouth College in New Hampshire. Back in Business is designed to reintegrate professionals into the business world by updating their management skills, boosting their leadership abilities, and arming them with the knowledge they need to get hired by world-class employers.
The program is one of a handful being offered by elite b-schools. The business-minded moms are becoming something of a niche market as this generation of women looks to return to the professional world. Experts say they also represent an important talent pool for employers, especially as the Baby Boomers retire.
Tuck professors understand the obstacles that women (and sometimes men) face when returning to corporate world.
“Despite the eagerness and enthusiasm of the participants to re-enter the corporate workforce, and the willingness of employers who wish to hire them, managing the process of returning after a number years of absence can be challenging for both the candidates and the employers,” says Professor Anant K. Sundaram, faculty director of executive education at Tuck.
Back in Business helps candidates refresh their business skills, effectively position themselves for today’s market, and launch their job hunt with career-planning guidance.
