Career Musings

It’s that time again when I pause to express my gratitude to my clients, friends and supporters – new and old! I also pause to express appreciation for all my Twitter Followers and LinkedIn connections. I send you warmest thoughts and best wishes for a Holiday Season filled with good cheer…and a Happy, Healthy, Peaceful and Prosperous New Year.

What a year it has been in the social media sphere! It’s almost impossible to list names, but you each know who you are, and I thank you for contributing to my knowledge base this year. I hope I was able to add to yours as well.

Instead of the usual Career Highlights newsletter, I invite you to listen to the audio version for this month. Click on: Career Highlights. Once you have listened, feel free to comment on my blog.

Enjoy the Season, and be safe!

Daisy

PS: I was at York University on November 21st. Click below and cursor down to Session B:

Personal Coach Roundtable at Schulich Annual Alumni Forum

When you are taking time away from work for motherhood, keep networking. The single most important thing you can do is keep in touch with former co-workers and other contacts.

Stephanie AuWerter, Senior Editor SmartMoney.com

Tip # 8: Seek out family-friendly employers. Get a hold of surveys or publications of the best employers, and find out if they support family-friendly initiatives such as onsite daycare facilities, flexible work arrangements (telework, telecommuting, or part-time employment). You should also explore social media groups such as Redsphere Network (www.redspherenetwork.ning.com/), YummyMummy (www.YummyMummyClub.ca), Connect Moms (www.connectmoms.com), LinkedIn (www.linkedin.com), Twitter (www.twitter.com), and Facebook (www.facebook.com), and see what they have to offer. Create a profile on a couple of these sites; sign up for job alerts from different job boards, and connect and share your expertise with likeminded individuals.

Tip # 9: Sharpen your computer skills.  The Internet has made it very easy to upgrade or learn new skills, so search for free or fee-based courses offered online, via teleclasses or on CDs. A good place to start for Beginner’s Training for Microsoft is http://office.microsoft.com, and if you are looking for tips and tricks for MS Word, visit http://wordtips.vitalnews.com.

Returning to the workforce may have its challenges, but if you create an action plan, engage in professionally-related activities, and continue to upgrade and keep abreast of trends in your field, it makes your transition that much easier.

When you are taking time away from work for motherhood, keep networking. The single most important thing you can do is keep in touch with former co-workers and other contacts.

Stephanie AuWerter, Senior Editor SmartMoney.com

If you have been following our posts over the past several days, you would have been reading up on tips for moms  returning to the workforce. Here are today’s tips:

Tip # 6: Telephone & Voice Mail. Keep in mind that your interview begins the moment you send out your résumé, so let family members know to be on their best behaviour when they answer the phone because at anytime you could be receiving calls. If you already have a recorded voice mail message, it might be time to listen to it and make sure it sounds professional.

Tip #7: Employment Agencies. Employment agencies are very important players in your effort to return to the workforce.  Many full time positions are found through these contacts, and even if you don’t get a full time position, the short-term assignments will give you a chance to experience a variety of office environments, sharpen your skills and regain your confidence.

When you are taking time away from work for motherhood, keep networking. The single most important thing you can do is keep in touch with former co-workers and other contacts.

Stephanie AuWerter, Senior Editor SmartMoney.com

Are you a mom returning to work?  Follow our series:

Tip # 4: Connect with professional associations. You may have heard of  the ‘six degrees of separation’ adage – that everyone is only separated from everyone else by six degrees. Research professional and business associations in which you have an interest, sign up for their ezines, visit their websites and read their blogs to get current information on what’s happening in the industry. Contribute to discussion forums and attend monthly meetings where you can meet and network with individuals who could provide you with the key to your next job. Put yourself in a position to meet new people – those who can get you closer to your next employer.

Tip # 5: Arrange practice interview sessions. Think of the interview questions that would present a challenge for you and practice answering them with someone who will give you some candid feedback.  Become familiar with behavioural interview techniques, and practice to frame your answers in terms of stories. Be prepared to answer questions that begin with “Tell me a time when… or Give me an example of…” Make sure to project confidence while referring to the time you were away from the workforce. Never apologize for your absence.

Are you a mom preparing to return to the workforce in the New Year? Read Tip #3:

Choosing the right résumé format. Employers tend to prefer the chronological résumé, which gives a historical timeline of your work experience, but this becomes problematic when you have been away from the workforce for a time. As an alternative, you could use the functional format which focuses on notable skills and accomplishments gained from a number of jobs. Use headings such as Administration, Fundraising, Event Planning and Project Management, and list your activities and achievements under those headings. Another alternative is to use a combination format, beginning with a value statement or professional summary that answers the employer’s question, “What should we hire you?” Below is an example:

VALUE STATEMENT

Juggled several tasks as president of school council and chair of membership committee of the local Girl Guides Club. Negotiated sponsorship opportunity with a major retail chain enabling the club to increase membership from 25 to 80 within 5 months. Initiated and led the first Neighbourhood Watch group in Lakeside, significantly reducing incidences of trespassing by 25%. Used Excel to create a budget for a family of five, monitoring it on a weekly basis to ensure there were no overruns. Managed bookkeeping responsibilities for a sole proprietor and implemented an aggressive collections policy that increased cash flow by 30%.

The above summary is an example of how you could incorporate your family and civic involvement into your résumé. The aim is to be creative and bring together your outside professional involvement as well as your related child-rearing activities.

When you are taking time away from work for motherhood, keep networking. The single most important thing you can do is keep in touch with former co-workers and other contacts.

Stephanie AuWerter, Senior Editor SmartMoney.com

Today’s tip is the second in the series for moms who are returning to work:

Tip #2: Fill in the gaps. You can fill the gaps by reflecting on some of the activities you were involved in while you were off. Focus on the challenges you faced, actions you took and the results those actions.  Think of your multi-tasking and organizational abilities, or your people and project management skills when you led the delegation that met with corporate sponsors for the Girl Guides. Think of how you may have sharpened your Excel skills when you created a budget to manage the household finances. These might not have been paid activities, but you were certainly honing in on your skills.

The next tip in the series will be Tip #3: Choosing the Right Résumé Format.

When you are taking time away from work for motherhood, keep networking. The single most important thing you can do is keep in touch with former co-workers and other contacts.

Stephanie AuWerter, Senior Editor SmartMoney.com

Are you a mom preparing to return to the workforce in the New Year? Are you worried about filling the gaps on your resume? Assuming that while fulfilling your parental role, you were volunteering your expertise, and engaging in activities related to your profession, there’s no reason to worry…you’ve got skills!  This article offers tips to help with your transition back to the world of work. Come back over the next several days for additional tips:

Tip #1: Dust off your résumé. Once you have made the decision to return to work, begin working on résumé immediately.  Never leave this important task for the last minute, as so many people do.  Creating a professional résumé takes time as you will need to assess all of your skills, attributes and achievements, and determine how to showcase them in a way that differentiates you from the crowd. If you don’t feel you are capable of creating your own résumé, seek help from someone with good writing skills or utilize the services of a professional résumé writer.

The next tip in the series will be:

Tip #2: Fill in the gaps.