New career guide provides tips for working moms

Candice Madsen reporting

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In Utah, women make up 45 percent of the labor force, and a lot of them face unique challenges. A revised career guide from the Utah Department of Workforce Services addresses those issues.

The Utah Department of Workforce Services updates the guide every couple of years with current information on job trends and the economy.

One fact that stands out is that most women work in today's economy, especially in Utah. Our state actually has a higher percentage of women working outside the home than the national average.

Still, a lot of women fail to plan for a career and end up with what the guide calls "until" jobs. Those are jobs women expect to have "until" they get married and have children. Thirty years later they find themselves in those same jobs that didn't pay very well.

The new guide offers some suggestions for choosing a career instead of letting it choose you. It also has tips for women trying to get back into the workforce. Curt Stewart, of the Utah Department of Workforce Services, says, "You might have raised your kids and want to get back in the workforce, or there's changes in your life that it's time to get back in the workforce and you feel good about it, but you're a little unsure of what it's like out there these days."

The career guide also has information and tips on everything from interviewing and getting ahead to child care and retirement.

The guide is free and available on the Internet. For more information on this guide click on the related link.