Rejoining the workforce after years of being home with your children can be intimidating. You may be nervous about the long gap in your work history and unsure if your skills have kept up with changes in your industry. Luckily, there are a few specific things you can do to make yourself a competitive candidate and increase your odds of snagging a great job. Here are four ideas:

Hire a Career Coach

Hiring a professional career coach is a great place to start. They will help you identify your strengths, the types of positions you're best-suited for, and how to work around the gaps in your employment history. They will also provide mock interview practice, with targeted feedback and tips, so that by the time you apply for jobs you feel confident and completely prepared for interviews. Talk to local career coaching services for more information.

Get a Professional Resume

There is more to a resume than just making a list of your old job duties. By hiring a professional to put together your resume, you are boosting your chances of getting an interview. A professionally written resume will be concise, clearly demonstrate your strengths and skills, and will incorporate keywords as needed in case your prospective employers use keyword scanning software.

Update Your Skills

If your computer or other work-related skills are out of date, consider brushing up online or by taking a few community college courses. Online academies like udemy and Khan Academy teach everything from software to bookkeeping to social media management, often for free.

Begin Networking

Networking is a great way to get back in the game professionally. Create a profile on LinkedIn, and connect with old colleagues as well as other friends and acquaintances in a variety of fields. You can also use LinkedIn to follow companies you are interested in, which will help you to see job postings as soon as they come out. Joining professional groups that meet in person is also a great idea.

Don't place too much pressure on yourself when networking. If your goal is to get someone to offer you a job, your interactions will likely feel way too forced. Instead, just be open-minded and get to know other professionals in your field of interest in a genuine way. You never know who will introduce you to just the right person, or mention that a great new company in town is hiring.

By following these tips, you will demonstrate to employers that you have valuable skills and experience, even after a long break from the workforce.