Juggling Homeschooling and Growing A Home-Based Businesses, by Sue Canfield

Guest blogger Sue Canfield, Owner of Awesome Assistant and Virtual Assistant Coach, has contributed this article to the All Moms Work blog. In the article, Sue writes about how to juggle homeschooling while building a home-based business.

Many working moms find it challenging to come home from a long day at work and then still make dinner, check homework, bathe the kids, read a bedtime story, clean the house, and the list goes on. Now imagine trying to run your business from home AND homeschool your kindergartner. How can it be done?

Good scheduling is vital to running any home-based business. This is especially necessary when homeschooling at the same time. It's important to schedule time each day for both work tasks and school tasks.

Here are some things that can be done to integrate homeschooling in everyday life:

1. Math - Make a batch of pancakes for breakfast and have your child help you. As you measure the ingredients together, your child is learning math concepts and you'll both enjoy breakfast together.
2. Social Studies - Take a half day off and take a trip to a local museum.
3. Language Arts - During your 15-minute morning break, help your child practice writing letters.
4. P.E. - Take a 15-minute afternoon break, go outside and toss a ball with your child.
5. Science - Teach your child about her teeth while brushing teeth at bedtime.

There are endless opportunities to teach your child that are easy to implement even while working from home. There are times during my break when I iron nearby while my daughter is reading aloud to me or working on a math worksheet. While cooking dinner she can be close by at the table practicing writing or working on a craft project. When we are driving around town we discuss everything we see - traffic signs, buildings in the neighborhoods, animals we might see. At the grocery store your child can help you count out items, choose red apples, tally how much is being spent. Take a walk, go to the park, visit the library.

Other resources we use include Sid the Science Kid on PBS. This half hour show teaches young ones about science in a fun way. Then your child can go online and play the Sid the Science Kid games and learn even more. Though I encourage you to spend time with your child doing these activities, sometimes it's nice to know they can do these activities and still learn while you're busy working on a client project.

My husband and I have both worked from home for three years - since our daughter was two. Not only did she learn to read by three, our businesses grew. Yes, it can be challenging at times. Some days are more productive than others. But with good scheduling in place and seeing every daily task as an opportunity to teach our children, we can juggle homeschooling and grow our businesses successfully.

Are you homeschooling and running a home-based business? What tips would you like to share?

About the Author
For over 25 years Sue Canfield, Owner of Awesome Assistant and Virtual Assistant Coach, has helped small business owners with administrative tasks. Since 2005 she has worked with over 30 clients to help them grow their businesses. She also coaches new and aspiring virtual assistants as they learn what it takes to be a business owner. Sue is co-author of The Commonsense Virtual Assistant - Becoming an Entrepreneur, Not an Employee. For more information about her services and book, visit http://BizBa6.com.

Entrepreneurial Mom Runs Educational Business for Special Needs Children

In this Q & A, Anne Scroggs, a Washington state mother of a 21 year old severely autistic and cognitively impaired son, discusses how her experience raising a special needs child motivated her to create an educational company. Anne is an accomplished advocate for special needs students. Through her website: Creative Teaching CAP: http://www.creativeteachingcap.com, Anne markets products to help autistic and special needs students thrive. In this Q & A, she discusses why she started the company. Anne also talks about her own work-life balance and offers advice for other moms who want to launch their own businesses.

1. Tell us a little about your background.
I am the CEO and Founder of Creative Teaching CAP: http://www.creativeteachingcap.com, a special education organization dedicated to creating a comprehensive suite of measurable learning tools that are proven to help autistic and special-needs students thrive. As the mother of a severely autistic and cognitively disabled son, Mitchell, I am a long time student of autistic spectrum disorders and an accomplished advocate for special-needs students.

I formerly held management positions at a number of Fortune 500 companies, including Seafirst Bank, NCR, and Wang Laboratories, and have been recognized for my accomplishments in creating efficiencies in banking systems. I currently reside in Issaquah, WA with my husband and two sons.

2. How many children do you have? Did you stop working when you had your child? Did his special needs factor into your decision to stay home?
I have two grown children, Matthew (age 23) and Mitchell (age 21). My plan was to stay home with my children while they were young and then reenter the work force once they started school. However, when Mitchell was diagnosed with autism and started displaying special needs I chose to stay home permanently to offer him the extra support he needed.

3. Why did you decide to start your company?
One day I decided to visit Mitchell’s special-needs classroom unexpectedly and found him playing by himself in a corner of the room while the other higher functioning students were being taught. I hoped this was an unusual event but as I continued to monitor the situation I soon realized that the educators felt that they didn’t have the tools necessary to help Mitchell and they had quit trying. The situation was both heart-breaking and infuriating. If this was happening in one of the best special education programs in our state what was happening in the others? Frustrated and furious, I finally pulled Mitchell out of school.

I became intensely focused on finding teaching strategies that were proven to achieve results for autistic children. I didn’t want the latest trendy educational program - I wanted education strategies that offered real evidence of progress. Eventually, through a lot of trial and error, I used this research to create a comprehensive suite of special education tools that I could use with Mitchell which was easy to use and demonstrated measurable and progressive results.

Using this system of learning tools, Mitchell improved from a 30 word vocabulary to a 275 word vocabulary in just 6 months and I was able to place him back into the school system where he could interact with other students. I went back and visited the educators who hadn’t been able to make progress with Mitchell earlier and showed them the results. They were shocked and soon special education teachers throughout Washington State began to ask me for copies of my tools. These teachers started seeing results as well. Children who didn’t have any sight words started progressing to over 75 words in just 5 months. One school saw increases in communicative speech between 200-400% for their special-needs students.

Success stories like these spread beyond Washington and soon teachers in California, Illinois, Pennsylvania, and even Canada began asking me for the tools. I realized that through my desire to help my own son I had created a system that could help special-needs children everywhere.

Acknowledging this responsibility, I soon made another informal career change from teacher to entrepreneur. I launched my own company, Creative Teaching CAP http://www.creativeteachingcap.com over a year ago and I have been thrilled to see how it is helping teachers throughout our country make break-throughs with special-needs children.

4. How are you able to manage running a company and caring for your child? Do you feel that you have a good degree of work-life balance?
I take everything one day at a time. Managing a company and caring for a family takes a lot of effort and is a lesson in compromise. There really is no perfect answer for achieving work-life balance, especially if you have a special-needs child at home. You just have to juggle a lot of balls and keep your head above water. I believe that if your work is important and it is something you feel passionately about, you will find a way.

5. What is your advice for other moms who want to manage working or starting a company with parenting a special needs child?
First, start with a good support system in place. Moms are often incredibly strong people and try to ' do it all'. We have to learn to pace ourselves and surround ourselves with positive people who we can rely on to help us in our journey.

Second, always prioritize your children first and never stop fighting for them. I had a therapist tell me that my son, Mitchell, would never speak and that he would never love me. Today, Mitchell speaks hundreds of words and I can assure you that he most definitely loves his mom. Don’t give up. If a parent doesn't fight for their child's success, then who will?

Third, be grateful. It can be easy to get frustrated with all you are facing when juggling work and family but try to seek out the small joys to be thankful for. Celebrate each and every accomplishment, for both you and your family, no matter how small they appear. It is often the tiniest successes that open the door to major gains, both personally and professionally.

Creating a "Gap-Free" Resume, by Sharon Reed Abboud

This article is adapted from an excerpt of All Moms Work: Short-Term Career Strategies for Long-Range Success.

For some stay-at-home moms, creating a "gap-free" resume is a challenge. If you have been out of the workforce for a number of years, then you may not know how to create a resume that accurately describes your skills and work experience.

If you have a resume gap from being at home, then your best course of action is to fill it in with your volunteer experiences. Any volunteer experience that you have had will be an integral component of bridging that gap.

In your resume, emphasize how you have keep up-to-date with your industry, including any coursework that you may have taken. Also, be sure to note how you have kept current with technology--including Microsoft Office. (If you aren't up to speed, find a book or take a class now. It will be difficult to find a job if you haven't.)

Types of Resumes...

When you are creating your resume, keep in mind that there are three types of resumes: chronological, functional, and combination. Chronological resumes are the traditional resumes where your experience is detailed in reverse chronological order. This is the best option for job seekers who have maintained a consistent full-time job history. If you have worked part-time, consulted, ran a business, etc., then this may be a good format for you. If you are bridging your gap with volunteer experiences, on the other hand, then it is probably best to consider a functional or combination style resume.

In a functional resume, the job seeker lists their relevant experiences under specific skill cluster headings. For example, a prospective sales manager might list their relevant experience, including as a volunteer, under the following categories on her resume:

· Management Skills
· Marketing Skills
· Sales Experience

Functional resumes are an excellent choice for women who have been out of the workforce for a period of time and/or for career changers. In this resume format, you emphasize your skills rather than the consistency in your job history. You may not need to mention the gap in your work history if you have enough relevant experience.

But that said, many employers prefer to see a combination resume, which is a hybrid of the chronological and functional resumes, because it is less difficult to discern your actual chronological job history.

In a combination resume, you will list your skills in clusters at the top of the resume—including as a volunteer--and then include a reverse chronological job history at the bottom of the resume. This resume can be an excellent format for many stay-at-home moms because you will be able to target your skills to particular types of job opportunities.

In the chronological job history section of your resume, include “Stay-at-Home Mom,” the dates, and a brief summary of your key volunteer and recent educational accomplishments, which you will have already described above in the skills summary section of your resume. After that, include the jobs you had before staying home in reverse chronological order.

Some job seekers may choose to include “mom skills” on their resume, if applicable in some way to the job they are seeking. For example, if you are interested in teaching, daycare, nursing, or other children-related or caring professions, be sure to highlight your skills as a parent. Such skills include caring for children (and your elderly parents, if applicable), organizing their activities, supervising homework, and planning menus and cooking.

Other household skills that may or may not be relevant to the job you are seeking include: general household management, accounting (your bills), logistics (car pool), etc., and the amorphous “organizational skills.” Should you include these skills? Probably not. These types of skills will be implied when you list “Stay-at-Home Mom” on your resume. If you are fortunate enough have an interviewer who is a parent or understands what parenting is all about, then they will already understand the tremendous amount of work and responsibility that stay-at-home parenting involves.

Your Job Search and Your Family: Striking a Balance, by Debra Donston-Miller

This article is posted on TheLadders.com and is re-posted here with the permission of the author. To read the original article, click here.

Your Job Search and Your Family: Striking a Balance

by Debra Donston-Miller

Striking the perfect balance between work and play is hard enough to do without family and health emergencies, much less a job search. To manage all the surprises that come your way, take a note from the families who have gotten through it all.

For most of us, the work-life balance is a delicate one. We carefully mete out our time, resources and energy to our bosses, co-workers, spouses, kids, parents, friends, pets, charities and — if all goes perfectly as planned — ourselves.

The slightest change can upset the balance. A big change — such as a job loss — has the potential to bring everything crashing down.

In today's economy, a job loss can be especially upsetting to the work-life balance because the resulting job hunt may extend for several months.

With jobs scarce and job hunters plentiful, looking for work becomes a full-time job. However, unlike most full-time positions, the job hunt offers no pay; no security; and — perhaps most significantly — no structured time off. This makes it more difficult to maintain that delicate balance we call life.

When you’re on the job search, you don’t get vacation time or even a lunch hour. It becomes a personal and financial necessity to balance your other responsibilities and keep those unexpected events like family emergencies from upsetting your job search.

Betty Priday knows this only too well.

She lost her position as an EDI consultant at Cardinal Health because a required relocation would have meant moving her elderly mother — who was in the care of Priday and her family — from Wisconsin to Ohio.

Priday had 18 months' notice to prepare for the change, and used the time to get her resume and affairs in order. But she couldn’t predict that her mother would suddenly take ill, require more intensive care and pass away just a month after Priday left Cardinal.

Priday also has three busy children (one in college); a husband who works in the real-estate business (an industry struggling to get its footing); and health issues of her own.

With all of this and more going on, said Priday, searching for a job has been "fatiguing."

Priday has sent out dozens of resumes and is working with a job-placement consultancy. She said she has become frustrated with the inhuman quality of the process, where applicants must be an exact match and where thoughtful, heartfelt applications receive an automated response — if they receive any response at all.

The power of records

So how does she keep it all together?

Organization is key, Priday said. For example, after hearing from a friend who had to fake her way through a telephone response to an application because the friend wasn't sure which job was being referred to, Priday has started keeping careful records.

"I keep a spreadsheet," she said. "It includes the date I applied for a job, the job title and where I heard about it."

Priday said she also copies descriptions of the jobs she applies for in a Microsoft Word document so she'll "be ready if someone calls." Recruiters also recommend job seekers keep track of which version of their resume and cover letter went with which application to be sure they’re not surprised in an interview by details omitted from one version of their resume but present on another.

Priday is also setting job-hunting goals. For example, she attempts to send out two or more applications every week, and she is now going back and following up on applications she has already submitted.

Goals are key to balancing the job hunt effectively amid other responsibilities and keeping your sanity, said Raoul Encinas, a board member of the Scottsdale Job Network and vice president of Preod, a professional-services firm based in Princeton, N.J.

"As a job seeker, you need your own plan or a time budget each week," said Encinas, who is also the chair of SJN’s Curriculum Committee. "If you have other demands on your time, then budgeting five, 15, 25 hours a week for your job-seeking activity is fine. You then need to tailor your weekly goals to your budget. If your normal weekly goal is to have 10 one-on-one networking meetings a week, but you can only allocate 20 hours, then change your goal to five meetings a week. That way, at the end of the week, you don’t beat yourself up for not making progress on your job-search goals."

And all those other people vying for your time and attention? Enlist them in the process, said Katy Piotrowski, a career counselor at the Career Solutions Group and author of "The Career Coward's Guides."

"If your job search is truly a priority, reflect that in your behavior," Piotrowski said. "Delegate chores to other family members so that you have the time to invest in your next career step. Remember, your advancement will benefit them also."

Experts also advise job seekers to be open and honest with family and friends about what they are going through and to set realistic expectations.

"Job seekers should talk to their children about the realities of today's economy and about how a job search can sometimes take a long time. It may be difficult for them to realize that you may not be able to get a job tomorrow and that it may take prolonged effort over an extended period of time to get the right job for you," said Sharon Reed Abboud, author of the new book "All Moms Work: Short-Term Career Strategies for Long-Range Success."

Stay healthy, stay sharp

One person who often is neglected during the job search is the job seeker.

Mental-health and career experts advocate making time for exercise and favorite activities, no matter how desperate the search becomes. In fact, the more desperate the search becomes, the more important these activities may be, as they can prevent job seekers from entering a state of depression.

But remaining active is also an important part of maintaining that elusive work-life balance during the job search, Priday said.

"What I do when I get tired is get up and do something physical — weed, move flowers, mow the lawn," she said. "It takes me away from the stress of the job search."

Priday has also been taking the time to create family pictorials, tracing the history of family members, including her mother. She said this has been a healthy distraction: "Family albums bring you back to what's important in life."

How to have a great job interview, By Alice T. Carter

This article appeared in the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review on May 18, 2009.

How to have a great job interview

By Alice T. Carter
TRIBUNE-REVIEW THEATER CRITIC
Monday, May 18, 2009

It's possible to have a flawless resume, a great work history and a great attitude, but still blow the job interview.

Subconscious, nonverbal gestures might be sending the wrong signals to a prospective employer.

"All Moms Work: Short-Term Career Strategies for Long-Range Success" by Sharon Reed Abboud offers eight suggestions on how to project positive body language:

• Turn off your cell phone before you arrive at your interview.

• Use a firm and confident handshake -- not limp, but not aggressive.

• Do not sit before the interviewer sits down.

• Do not slouch in your chair.

• Do not put your hands in your pockets or fold your arms in front of you.

• Do not look at the clock, your watch or your cell phone.

• Lean slightly forward to look interested in the conversation.

• Speak clearly and confidently.

Managing Stress as an Entrepreneur and a Mom

Lesley Spencer Pyle, the founder and president of the Home-Based Working Moms, has agreed to re-print this article here that she published in Entrepreneur.com. Lesley was interviewed in my new book: All Moms Work, Short-Term Career Strategies for Long-Range Success. Check out Lesley's interview in the book in Chapter 5!


Managing Stress as an Entrepreneur and a Mom

By Lesley Spencer Pyle, MSc

How many times have you felt like the walls are caving in around you and the stress has reached an all time high? This is especially true for mom entrepreneurs when dealing the demands of a busy family and running a business. We all handle stress differently, but there are ways that can help you cope with it. There are as many ways to deal with stress as there are situations that cause stress. According to the Cleveland Clinic, reducing stress is a major factor in protecting and bolstering the immune system.

Getting healthy and maintaining it is the best step toward reducing stress and keeping your body in great shape. This includes getting adequate sleep, healthy eating and exercise.

• Sleep - Getting a good night sleep not only helps with your overall health, but it also helps to keep things in perspective and think rationally. When people are tired, we don’t necessarily think as clearly as we would if well rested. Therefore, the stress level increases because we struggle to think through a situation.

• Healthy Eating - The more hectic our lives become, the more we tend to grab and eat on the run, which at times, throws a well balanced diet out the window. Eating a healthy diet a helps with your overall stress level by giving you a balance of nutrients such as vitamin B. Deficiency in the B-complex can lead to depression and irritability. When under stress, you tend to lose vitamins C & E. To avoid grabbing junk food, keep healthy snacks in your purse or desk drawer to help curb those hunger pains.

• Exercise - Another important factor in improving your overall heath and relieving stress is through exercise. According to MayoClinic.com, physical activity pumps up your endorphins, which are the brain's feel-good neurotransmitters. So get out with the kids, play a little tennis, soccer or take a walk around the block. Exercise can also increase your physical well-being, therefore, improving your overall self confidence.

How many times have you told yourself, “I will deal with that tomorrow”? Procrastinating brings on an elevated level of stress when you continue to dwell on a situation. It is best to tackle the issue immediately and move on. Otherwise, the longer you keep putting it off, the anxiety builds and builds. Delaying is not going to make it go away, so it is easier to deal with it right away and get the weight off your shoulders.

Stay organized and prioritize. Living and working in a cluttered, chaotic environment can increase stress levels. Being organized does not mean that everything is neat and tidy; it means that everything is in a particular place by putting a set of process and procedures in place. So reduce and purge to your basic needs.

Being a new mom can be overwhelming. We often question whether or not we are making the correct decisions when handling situations with our kids. Becoming involved in local groups may provide an opportunity to talk to others, gain a different perspective, and get advice from others.

Be OK with saying “no” if your plate is full to avoid taking on too much. People may be put off at first, but they may also respect that you are taking control of your life. It is about making you happy not making sure others are always happy with you.

Stress is a part of life. It helps to keep us on our toes. But it does have a negative impact on our health, our relationships, and how we manage our personal and work lives. As an entrepreneur and a mom, there is an increase in stress because of the responsibilities that come along with juggling your own business and family. Putting these tips in place may help to reduce the degree of stress that comes with your very busy life. Take a deep breath and relax!

Lesley Spencer Pyle is the founder and president of the HBWM.com, Inc. Network which includes Home-Based Working Moms (www.HBWM.com) and HireMyMom.com . Pyle has been featured in numerous publications including Forbes, Entrepreneur, Wall Street Journal, USA Today, Parenting, Dr. Laura’s Perspectives, Family PC and many others. She has 4 children ages 18 months to 14 years and has been working from home since the first baby was born.

Copyright 2008 by Entrepreneur.com Inc. All rights reserved.

Finding Work-Life Balance: One Mom’s Odyssey

By Sharon Reed Abboud

Barbara McRae, an Ontario, Canada mom and business owner, and a member of the All Moms Work LinkedIn group, has agreed to share her fascinating story about her quest for a better work-life balance for the All Moms Work blog.

Juggling work-life balance is a constant struggle in every family, and many working parents sometimes find that they want to search for ways to tweak their work-life set ups to make their jobs more “family friendly.” A working parent may decide to reduce their hours, for example, or telecommute one of more days a week in order to have a better work-life balance and more time with their children.

An Extreme “Wake Up Call”

While some working parents may notice subtle signs that their work-life balance is “off kilter,” for Barbara McRae, an Ontario, Canada mom of two, her quest for a better balance was launched in the midst of a blizzard, while her husband was trapped overseas in a flood.

McRae was an Events Manager at a global IT company, a position that involved considerable travel. Her husband was a C-level executive in a mining company. “For a while there was no such thing as work life balance in our family. Both my husband and I were on the road so much that we both had the highest frequent flyer status out there,” McRae said.

“That all changed one night when my husband was stuck in a cyclone in Indonesia and I was snowed in at Aspen...Aspen had become completely snowed while I was there organizing an incentive trip. My husband was in Indonesia on business and was in a cyclone walking 15 kilometers to the airport in waist high water with his suitcase over his head,” McRae explained. “Our nanny called that night to say that my daughter had been throwing up and had been admitted to hospital. There was no way I could get out of Aspen and no way that my husband could get out of Jakarta. So I sat in my hotel room and cried for hours not knowing how my daughter was or how my husband was coping…There was no way either of us could get to her within 24 hours.”

“I thought to myself this is not the way it’s supposed to be, we need to make some changes to our lives. It was a horrible time and I am happy to say that she is fine, but we both knew that we couldn't go on in the same manner,” she added.

Hanging Up Her Own Shingle

According to McRae, “It was from that experience we decided that it was imperative we be there for our children.” McRae left her job and started her own company so that she could be more selective about the work that she took. She and her husband made a pact that they would never be on the road at the same time again.

“So when we both got back home we talked it through and decided that I would leave my job. When we told the news to our kids, my son who was 8 at the time started crying, it was like a whole layer of stress had been removed from him that I didn’t know had existed. That is when I realized that we had made a very important decision, one that would affect our family for the better,” according to McRae.

McRae resigned and started her own home based company: Strategic Events www.strategicevents.ca. By working from home, McRae is able to take the kids to school in the morning and is there when they get home. She can take her children to sports, dance lessons, etc., and has time to volunteer in their school.

“I feel like I am in control of my life,” McRae said.

The McRae’s quest for a better work-life balance and more time with their children did not end there. They decided to move to the countryside, which has been a “fabulous and liberating experience,” according to McRae.

“It has been such a great decision, the kids are happier and so are we,” McRae added.

Barbara McRae is the owner of Strategic Events, an Ontario, Canada-based company: www.strategicevents.ca.

A Cover Letter is Not Optional! By Debra Wheatman

GUEST BLOG: Debra Wheatman, CPRW, CPCC, posted the following article about cover letters on her blog: The Career Doctor and agreed to re-post it here on the ALL MOMS WORK blog. In the article, Debra explains why a cover letter is an integral part of your résumé package.

A Cover Letter is NOT Optional!

By Debra Wheatman

What’s the value of writing a cover letter? Why do you need that if you are going to submit your résumé? Does that not tell the entire story? NO WAY. Simply sending a résumé is not enough. A cover letter IS important. No cover letter with your résumé is like leaving your house with a shirt and no pants. You wouldn’t do that, would you?

Here are some valid reasons why a cover letter is a very important complement to your résumé:

1. Your cover letter demonstrates your ability to put together a cogent sentence, or in this case many sentences about what you offer in a new position and how you can add value for a potential employer.
2. Your cover letter serves as your introduction. You don’t expect to walk into someone’s house through their kitchen, right? The cover is your entranceway. Here, you can enter with grace, set the tone of what the reader should expect to see on the résumé.
3. Your cover letter is an opportunity for you to highlight certain things that you might not have been able to include in the résumé. For example, perhaps you have been designing model houses since childhood, but have worked in another industry and now want to enter architecture. A cover letter would be the optimal place to discuss such information and provide specific examples of what you have designed. Or, maybe you have been cooking gourmet meals and regularly have dinner parties at your house and your friends’ houses. If you were applying for a position in a test kitchen, the cover letter would be the appropriate place to reveal this information – especially if you currently work in a more traditional business role.
4. Your cover letter is part of the résumé package. The ‘package’ is not complete without the cover. Will everyone read the cover? Probably not. While I haven’t done a full study of how many hiring managers read them vs. those that don’t, I can tell you this: when I worked in human resources I ALWAYS read them. I gained a better understanding of the candidate, what underlying skills he possessed and how he might contribute in the organization I represented.
   

Here’s a good tip: If you want to increase the chances that your cover letter will be read by a potential hiring manager, include it in the body of your email and attach the résumé. By doing this, the hiring manager will only have to open one attachment and can quickly read the cover letter when opening your email.

Here’s to your career success!

Debra Wheatman, CPRW, CPCC, is the founder and Chief Career Strategist of ResumesDoneWrite, a premier career services provider focused on developing highly personalized career roadmaps for senior leaders and executives across all verticals and industries.

Debra can be reached at -
DWheatman@RresumesDoneWrite.com
ResumesDoneWrite.blogspot.com
www.ResumesDoneWrite.com

Pros and Cons of Part-Time Work

This excerpt from All Moms Work was posted on the Life Meets Work website. Life Meets Work is a Chicago-based nationwide flexible staffing firm.

Pros and Cons of Part-Time Work

By Sharon Reed Abboud

The chief advantage of part-time work is that you have more time to spend with your family. At that same time, part-time work enables a woman to continue her career and, in some cases, stay on track toward promotions and general advancement. A part-time employee keeps her feet in the working world and may find it less difficult to transition to a full-time job later on.

Always Working

On the flip side, many part-time workers complain that they work full-time hours while being paid part-time wages. Technology, from cell phones to BlackBerries and the Internet, makes it possible to be “on call” 24/7. Boundaries are important. It’s difficult for many part-time employees to say, “No, I am off today.” Some part-time moms complain they are left out of the decision-making loop at work.

On the home front, some moms complain that their nonworking time is spent doing chores and running errands. A Brandeis University study found that switching to part-time can hurt a marriage. According to the study, marital satisfaction generally declined for the part-time working women they surveyed because the women felt they had to do the housework during their time off, while their full-time working husbands failed to chip in.

But, according to a recent study published in the journal Family Relations, overall, part-time professionals have less work-to-family conflict and strain than full-time professionals. According to the survey, there was less job-related travel, unnecessary work, and work-to-family conflict, and greater work-family success, childcare satisfaction, and family success. However, as in the Brandeis study, the survey found that mothers expressed dissatisfaction with the more traditional division of labor in household responsibilities and less career opportunity and overall work success.

Compensation vs. Costs

Part-time professionals receive less pay and benefits on a per-hour basis than their full-time counterparts. Benefits may be pro-rated and eliminated entirely. This may not be a significant issue for some women if their spouse has an adequate benefits package that covers health insurance and other necessary benefits.

Part-time working moms complain about commuting times and the cost of transportation, clothing, lunches, etc., since they do not have a full-time income to pay for these
incidentals.

Childcare

Daycare is a big concern. It’s very difficult to find a quality daycare that will admit children part-time. Some moms resort to paying for full-time care or using home care, though a nanny may be prohibitively expensive for many. Some moms take their children to home daycare centers or rely on family members to watch their children while they’re working.

Summer break and school vacations pose another problem. Most part-timers are not off in the summer and must find care for their children. It’s important to do a cost-benefit analysis to ensure that the high cost of care during the summer doesn’t trump the wages earned during the school year.

---
Excerpted from ALL MOMS WORK: Short-term Career Strategies for Long-range Success by Sharon Reed Abboud (Capital Books, www.capital-books.com).

Childcare and Telecommuting, by Sharon Reed Abboud

This excerpt from All Moms Work was posted on the Life Meets Work website. Life Meets Work is a Chicago-based nationwide flexible staffing firm.

Childcare and Telecommuting

By Sharon Reed Abboud

As a stay-at-home career mom, your main interest here may be on saved childcare costs. You may or may not be able to avoid paying for daycare if you are a telecommuter. Many companies require that another person is present and responsible for your child’s care if that child is a baby or preschooler. You may need to hire a nanny, au pair, etc., to help you with your child while you’re working. Why? In most jobs, it’s impossible to focus attention on your work if you’re trying to simultaneously work and care for your child. It isn’t fair to your employer or your child. You cannot maintain professional credibility if your baby has a melt down in the background while you’re talking to a client.

Kathleen J. Wu, a Dallas, TX, lawyer/partner and expert on issues facing women in the workplace, said it’s “absolutely” essential for telecommuters to have childcare while they’re working at home. “You can’t think with screaming kids in the background,” Wu said. “If you’ve ever tried to make a phone call with your kids in the house, you know this already. They could ignore you all day, but the minute you get on the phone, they have a crisis they absolutely must talk to you about. Besides, SpongeBob just isn’t a very good babysitter.”

At-Home Care

Most moms are okay with having on-site childcare because they enjoy working at home. The child’s caregiver can bring the baby to them for a feeding, and the mom can take breaks to spend time with their child. The best part is being able to observe the interaction between the child and the caregiver to see if it’s an optimal relationship. You may be able to hire a caregiver who also does housework, eliminating some of those chores for you and your spouse. Other moms choose to put their child or children in daycare.

If you’re telecommuting part-time, you may be able to schedule your work around naps and your spouse’s schedule, depending upon the particular job and your child. Some children nap at predictable times—others are like the “Energizer Bunny” and take brief naps whenever. But what happens if your normally predictable child wakes up during a conference call? For this reason, most moms seek childcare for children under five or six.

Older Children

Telecommuting is a good option for moms with older children, according to Kellyanne Conway, president and CEO of The Polling Company/WomanTrend, based in Washington, DC and NYC.

“Telecommuting is not just for the new mom or the women whose children are in the pre-K tender-age range,” Conway said. “We have witnessed an increase in the number of women whose pre-teen and teenage children seem to need or desire a more direct and regular maternal presence during those at-risk hours between 3 and 6 p.m. structure their days to accommodate this.”

Split Shifts

Moms with school-age children might be able to telecommute without hiring childcare. Many stay-at-home career moms work during the hours that their children are in school. Some moms might work a later shift after their spouse returns home and takes over the supervision of the children; this often works well with telecommuters who interact with clients in other time zones. As a telecommuter, you may be able to arrange your workload so that you can attend school activities or work at home if your child is ill.

---Excerpted from ALL MOMS WORK: Short-term Career Strategies for Long-range Success by Sharon Reed Abboud (Capital Books, www.capital-books.com).

For Amy Cropper, Working at Accenture Makes Her a “Better Mom”

This article was posted with permission from Amy Cropper, an Accenture associate who was interviewed in ALL MOMS WORK. Click here to view the article on the Accenture website.

Amy Cropper believes that all mothers work, whether they get paid or not.

“Being a mother is a tough job, whether you work outside the home or are a stay-at-home mom,” says the senior manager in Recruiting and mother of two. “I’m very lucky that Accenture has enabled me to continue my career while still making my family a priority.”

Amy is so passionate about this belief, in fact, that she recently contributed to a new book All Moms Work, by Sharon Reed Abboud. In All Moms Work, which offers advice for women seeking to re-enter the workforce after having children, Amy describes Accenture’s flexible work arrangements that she says have enabled her to balance motherhood and career.

Amy has worked three days a week since returning from maternity leave after her first daughter, Sofia, was born four years ago. In addition to her part-time schedule, she has also taken advantage of Accenture’s job-sharing and telecommuting programs so she can spend more time with Sofia and Josslyn, her 16-month-old.

“I think I’m a better mom because I work,” Amy said. “I really appreciate the chance to continue to challenge myself professionally. It makes me a more satisfied person, which allows me to be happier when I’m with my kids.”

Stretching beyond the comfort zone

Besides offering flexible work schedules, Accenture shows its commitment to advancing women’s careers with its annual observance of International Women’s Day. The theme of this year’s celebration is “Stretch Yourself”—especially appropriate for working mothers, Amy believes.

“Being a mother has stretched me in ways I never thought possible,” she says. “It takes you out of your comfort zone right from the beginning. Just when you think you’ve got something down, children change and grow, and give you new challenges.”

Motherhood has also presented Amy with professional challenges.

“I was really nervous about coming back into a part-time role after my first maternity leave,” she confesses. “I wasn’t sure how I would handle the balance, or how well suited my work would be to my part-time schedule. It’s taken a great deal of courage, conviction and soul-searching to become an effective working mother and part-time employee, and it’s something I continue to strive to improve every day.”

Amy encourages Accenture moms to talk openly with their supervisors and with each other about how to achieve the best work-life balance after having children.

“It’s a big adjustment in every respect,” she says. “Developing a network of other Accenture moms can be very helpful in evaluating and making the most of your personal decision path.”

Returning to Work Requires Pluck, Skill, by Lee Miller

This article was published in the The Star-Ledger, NJ, on Sunday, April 5, 2009 and is posted here with permission of the author.

Returning to Work Requires Pluck, Skill
by Lee Miller

Sunday April 05, 2009

Many individuals who have left the work force for family or personal reasons are finding these days they have to return to the work earlier than planned.

Often the cause is a spouse being laid off or having their hours reduced.

According to a recent survey by MyWorkButterfly.com, a website that helps mothers returning to work, approximately a third of those surveyed cited financial security as the reason they were seeking to get back into the work force.

Many have not planned for this eventuality and don't know where to begin.

One way to transition back into the work force is by taking a temporary assignment. Mike Wiley, president of the staffing firm McGrath Systems, frequently works with people re-entering the work force after a hiatus.

Wiley, who is looking to fill a variety of administrative, IT, accounting, engineering, and manufacturing positions in New Jersey, offers this advice: "Parents going back to work need to understand that the job market has changed and it is not necessarily the time to get into a different field from their last position."

He looks for flexible individuals who are open to various types of work arrangements, be it contract, temporary or full-time work in their areas of expertise.

If you have taken an extended break from the working world, according to Wiley, "using as many references and success stories from your past as possible" will help facilitate your finding a job quickly.

You might also want to contact past employers. They know you and the quality of your work. They may even have work available.

If not, you can use the opportunity to update them on what you've been doing and what you're looking for. Hopefully they will be willing to serve as a reference and offer you possible contacts.

Another resource available is Workforce50.com, a career site where all listed jobs are submitted directly by employers that are specifically interested in recruiting from the over-50 talent pool.

Linnda Durre, a Metuchen native who is a psychotherapist working with people that have taken time off to raise children, recommends treating volunteer work like any other job you've held.

She advises including it as a job entry on your resume with a complete description, "not just a line under a Volunteer Work heading." She also suggests sending letters of recommendation from volunteer supervisors along with your application.

It is also important to demonstrate that you have used your time at home in a way potential employers will value.

Workplace expert Jennifer Brown advises that you "fill in those resume gaps by making time and investing in your career: blog, join organizations or volunteer."

You can also take courses online or at your local community college. Sharon Reed Abboud, author of "All Moms Work: Short-Term Career Strategies for Long-Range Success," points out the importance of being tech savvy.

"Be sure to get up to date with technology (including Microsoft Word, PowerPoint and Excel) and any certifications or re-certifications that are required for your industry."

You might also consider starting your own business from home. When her husband lost his job, Janelle Schneider of Short Hills couldn't go out and get a nine to five job because of her four young children, so she started an event-planning business.

Beginning with a friend's bat mitzvah, Denim & Diamonds was born. Slowly but surely business started coming through word of mouth and now Schneider has a team of creative women, also mothers like herself, working for her.

For someone who has been out of the work force, responding to job postings and sending in resumes is not likely to be as effective as using your contacts to help get you in front of people in a position to hire you.

Once there, it is up to you to sell yourself. Demonstrate that you have kept your skills current and are familiar with, and able to learn, new technology. Be prepared to demonstrate with specific examples and strong personal recommendations that you can get things done.

Your skills, enthusiasm, preparation, persistence, a strong work ethic and a can do attitude did not disappear when you took time off from work for your family. Those qualities were valued by your previous employers and they remain valuable in a challenging economic environment.

A veteran human resources executive, Lee E. Miller is a career coach and the author of "Get More Money on Your New Job In Any Economy."

Should You Become a Virtual Assistant?

Interview with Sue Canfield, owner, Awesome Assistant

Despite the current downturn in the economy, opportunities in the virtual assistant business continue to grow. This job can be an excellent career opportunity for a stay-at-home mom: you can work from home and set up your own hours. I’ve asked Sue Canfield, owner of Awesome Assistant, an Internet-based business that provides assistance to small business owners and solopreneurs, to answer a few questions about Virtual Assistant (VA) careers.

Q: What do Virtual Assistants do?

A: Virtual assistants provide administrative support to busy entrepreneurs from their own office. Most virtual assistants specialize in a particular niche in order to provide the best services possible. The tasks a virtual assistant can perform are many and varied and may include document creation, calendar management, blog creation, creating and sending out e-mail newsletters, bookkeeping, and much more.

Q: What type of skills do VAs need? Do they need to obtain training if they already have solid secretarial and computer skills?

A: Many virtual assistants already have several years experience as administrative assistants. They have solid skills and, in my opinion, need no specialized training. If someone has no experience as an administrative assistant, I'd suggest they get some training. Local community colleges are starting to offer classes for virtual office professionals. A VA should have good administrative skills, know how to use a computer and word processing software, and be very familiar with the Internet.

Q: Why is being a VA a good job for a stay-at-home mom?

A: A virtual assistant can work from home and decide what days and hours to work. This allows moms to spend more time with their children. Many virtual assistant moms work when their children are in school, down for a nap, or in the evenings or on the weekends when dad is available to watch the children.

Q: Where can people find out about VA opportunities?

A: There are lots of resources on the Internet for VAs and those who would like to get started in the industry. Two extremely helpful forums I've found are FindVirtual.com and VirtualAssistantForums.com. As I mentioned earlier, local community colleges are beginning to offer classes as well for virtual office professionals. On LinkedIn there are groups for VAs.

Q: Do most VAs start working for someone else—or launch their own Internet-based company?

A: Most of the VAs I'm familiar with have started on their own. Some do start as sub-contractors for other VAs or join a multi-va firm.

Q: How do you recommend that applicants assess a job opportunity to make sure it is a legitimate company and not a “scam”?

A: It is unfortunate that there are so many scams out there. Personally, any job opportunity that requires you to pay a fee is, in my opinion, a scam. I've never applied for any of these opportunities and highly recommend that VAs steer clear of these. If you're not sure if it's legit, don't get involved. Be sure to ask lots and lots of questions and never pay to get a job opportunity. They should be paying you, not the other way around.

Q: Do you predict that VA career opportunities will continue to increase in the future? Why or why not?

A: Absolutely! My business has tripled in the last six months and we plan to quadruple it by the end of the year. The virtual assistant industry is growing by leaps and bounds. More and more people are going into business for themselves and need help but cannot afford to hire a full-time employee. As solopreneurs they find it more cost effective to hire a virtual assistant to handle those tasks they don't have time for but that have to get done. As online marketing strategies grow in appeal and effectiveness, the skills of a virtual assistant become indispensable.

For more than 25 years Sue Canfield, Virtual Office Administrator and Owner of Awesome Assistant, has helped small business owners with administrative tasks. Since 2005 she has worked with over 30 clients to help them grow their businesses, specifically by using online marketing strategies such as email newsletters, blogs, articles, and social networking. Her mission is to partner with her clients to work together to create and implement strategies to promote their businesses. Sue and her husband are presently writing a book about how to succeed in the virtual assistant business. For more information about how she can help your business, visit http://www.awesomeassistant.info/.

Mail Bag: Q & A: ALL MOMS WORK

Here are a few of the recent questions that I have received by e-mail about my forthcoming book: All Moms Work: Short-Term Career Strategies for Long-Range Success that may be of interest to All Moms Work blog readers.

If you have a question, send it to me at author@allmomswork.com. I look forward to hearing from you!

Q: I just re-entered the workforce after raising my children and certainly could have used your advice while pounding the pavement. Businesses want people with college degrees, which I don't have, along with a track record of performance in that field. Since I did not have the degree, nor the background, my job is entry level and pays accordingly. Were you able to give sound advice for overcoming that type of obstacle in your book?

A: One chapter in All Moms Work focuses on continuing education options--whether going back to school to complete an undergraduate degree--or for an advanced degree. I also talk about short-term certificate programs at universities (great for re-entering the workforce and/or making a career change), vocational education, and the possibility of taking coursework at a community college to obtain the qualifications needed to re-enter the workforce.

Another chapter in All Moms Work focuses on "America's fastest growing careers," which includes many high growth/high pay careers that don't require a college degree, and also many careers that require only short-term training.

Since you have found a job, you may want to read the sections in the book about how to obtain your own ideal work-life balance, including the possibility of working part-time, telecommuting, or working full time with flexible hours.

If you are hoping to change jobs, then you will find information about job searching, designing a résumé and cover letter, and interviewing. Networking is a key focus in All Moms Work. Throughout the book, I emphasize the importance of building and maintaining your professional networks for both your short-term and long-range career success.

Q: What about “Dads”?

A: All Moms Work is written primarily for stay-at-home moms who want to keep their career on track for eventual re-entry. In 2006, there were 5.6 million stay-at-home moms and 159,000 stay-at-home dads, according to the U.S. Census.

While All Moms Work is written with a focus on women's concerns, many of the strategies in the book apply for both male and female parents who are job seekers and/or are looking for a better work-life balance. There are lots of references in the book to women's networking and business organizations and mom issues (pregnancy, lactation rooms at companies, etc.)

I interviewed a number of working moms in All Moms Work—several of them described how they have “taken turns” being a stay-at-home mom while their spouse worked--and then switched roles--so that they could have the opportunity to work and their partner would be able to stay home with the children. (To find out who was interviewed in the book, click here.)

Work-life balance is important to everyone, and both women and men can find important information in All Moms Work about how to take steps toward finding their own ideal balance.

Q: What is the best way to re-enter the workforce in today’s economy?

A: I focus on this complex question in All Moms Work. Savvy job seekers need to be up-to-date with their skills, certifications/licenses, and have active professional networks. It is not as easy as it seemed to be in the old days: i.e. finding a job advertisement in the local paper, sending out a generic “one sized, fits all” résumé—and then “crossing your fingers” and hoping for an interview. The job market is much more competitive and the Internet has opened the playing field to all. In All Moms Work, I focus on how to find a job in today’s increasingly competitive job market. I also talk about how to find a more ideal work-life balance once you find a job or start a business--including the possibility of working part-time, telecommuting, or full time with flexible hours.

The Value Proposition: Everyone Needs One

Are you a stay-at-home mom who is now searching for a job because of the nation's economy?

Randy Block, a certified career coach, and a member of the LinkedIn All Moms Work group, has contributed this article as a guest blogger on the All Moms Work blog. In the article, Randy provides excellent advice on the changing approaches that job seekers will need to make in order to find a job in today's economy.

The Value Proposition: Everyone Needs One

By Randy Block

Remember the good old days? People used to return calls and email. When inquiring about a job, applicants used to ask, “What do you want?” One well-written resume fit every opportunity. Demand for people far exceeded supply. Conveniently, hiring companies did all the analysis to see if the applicant was a good fit for the job. All that the candidate had to do was just show up for the interview and answer the questions.

Well, those days are well behind us now. Globalization, the dotcom bust, business consolidation and many other factors have insured that. These are factors the job seeker had no control over.

Today, the job seeker and/or candidate must have a value propostion. Companies are now hiring solutions and not people. The 90’s were driven mostly by the “wants”. Companies in the new millennia now hire based on their needs.

There are two main needs common to most organizations today. Put succinctly, they want to know, “How can you increase our revenue?” and/or “How can you help us be more productive”? No matter what kind or level of job you are applying for, that is the crux of the screening. If you can’t deliver productivity and/or revenue propostion solutions and the other candidate can, you are definitely at a disadvantage. I have found this to be true in non-profit organizations as well.

Conducting retained search in the 80’s and 90’s, I would expend a lot of time and effort evaluating the candidates background relevant to the clients’ job description. I had to dig sometimes very thoroughly to bring out the candidates relevant strengths. Today, the candidate has to “connect the dots” (their strengths and skills with the employer’s needs). They have to show why they are a good fit with the employer.

Applicants need to show the relevancy of their backgrounds to the employers needs. In networking, they must focus on listening for the needs of the person with whom they are networking. The cover letter and resume have to be slanted to demonstrate that their background is a good fit for the employer. The thank you note needs to again “connect the dots” (“these are the challenges we discussed in our meeting and these are my strengths and experience relevant to those challenges”).

Organizations like to be chosen. If you have targeted them because you share their excitement with the industry, products, services, culture etc. that increases your marketability and prospects of being hired. You are genuinely excited about them vs. “I am looking for a job.”

Your value proposition reflects you and what you do not only well but also naturally. Candidates who impressed me in the interview, were not only excited about the job and my client company but were excited about who they were and what they liked to do.

Once you have proven that you can fulfill a need then you can talk about how you can best work together. Your value propostion comes usually in 3 flavors: Full time, part time and short term contract. Always leading with “Do you have a fulltime opening?” can greatly limit your exposure and opportunity for meaningful work and cash flow stress reduction (e.g., short term leading to full time.)

As Bill Bridges suggests in his book “JobShift”, the full time permanent job is slowly disappearing. However, in today’s world there are plenty of challenges requiring unique value propositions.

So what’s your value proposition?

(c) 2006 Randy Block. All rights reserved.

Randy brings expertise in executive search as a certified career coach. He has guided all levels of professionals in the areas of career transition: changing careers, choosing a career direction, evaluating/negotiating offers, executive career marketing, finding jobs, getting organized, as well as finding opportunities for self-employment, freelancing and consulting. He holds an IJCTC certificate from the Career Planning and Adult Development, a CCMC (Certified Career Management Coach) from Career Coach Academy and a PCRC (Professional Certified Retirement Coach from the Retirement Coach Institute. His email address is randy@randyblock.com or visit his website at http://randy@randyblock.com/.

4 Flexible Career Options for Moms Re-Entering the Workforce

If you are thinking about going back to work, but don’t relish going back to your prior career, consider making a career change to one of America’s fastest growing career fields. As a stay-at-home mom, you may be looking for a career that is both “family friendly” in terms of flexibility—and rewarding. You may also want to target a “high growth” career so that you will likely find many possible job opportunities.

Here are just a few of the multiple options for new career fields to consider. I’ve included these career fields—as well as many other options—in more depth in my forthcoming book: ALL MOMS WORK: Short-Term Career Strategies for Long-Range Success. In the book, I also recommend excellent Internet sources for finding out more about these high growth career options.

1. Teaching: Teaching is an extremely flexible option for working moms. You work virtually the same hours as your children and have the summers off. There is a continuing demand for teachers at every level, from preschool through secondary level. Opportunities to teach adult education also continue to grow. In some areas, there is a dire need for certain types of teachers: including special education, mathematics, and science teachers. Routes to teacher licensure include: going back to college and getting a teaching degree, obtaining a master’s degree in teaching, or enrolling in a shorter-term career switcher program.

2. Health Care: Abundant opportunities are available in the health care field--it's a “recession proof” profession. Many health care professions are open to career switchers—from nursing to radiology to medical administration. In some cases, you may need to go back to school for short-term training, or for another degree--depending upon the career that you are seeking. Many health care jobs are flexible in terms of hours, and may enable you to work part-time or on a shift schedule.

3. Computer/IT: It will not surprise you that computer careers are a great choice for working moms. Many computer/IT careers are open to career changers. You may need to take specific coursework or complete a certificate program to obtain certain jobs. Other jobs may require an additional degree. Computer/IT jobs are generally very flexible—you may be able to find positions that involve working part-time and/or telecommuting.

4. Sales: If you have a sparkling “sales personality” then consider about a sales career. In this case, you may not need any additional education. Sales positions may be flexible in terms of hours and you may be able to find a position where you work from home. Some pharmaceutical sales representatives, for example, work from home during “doctor’s hours”--which tend to line up neatly with their children’s school hours.

Copyright(c) 2009 Sharon Reed Abboud

Great Sites for Researching Flex Jobs

Are you a stay-at-home mom who is considering going back to work? For many working moms, finding a "family friendly" employer is a priority. Here are some great sites for finding employers that are "family friendly" and offer great work-life options, including the possibility of working part-time, telecommuting, or full time with flexible hours.

• American University: Best Places to Work in the Federal Government

• Families and Work Institute report: "When Work Works: Making Work Work"

• Forbes: America's 200 Best Small Companies

• Fortune Magazine's 100 Best Companies to Work For

• Society for Human Resource Management: Best Small & Medium Companies to Work for in America
  

• Working Mother Magazine's 100 Best Companies

Copyright(c) 2009 Sharon Reed Abboud

Five Flexible Job Options for Working Moms

The following article was posted on theSavvygal.com, an excellent online magazine.

According to the site: "TheSavvyGal.com is a unique online magazine for motivated, professional women who want more out of life. This is an innovative and fun Web site providing an online community and much-needed, smart advice for the real woman in the real world."

Check out the site at theSavvygal.com!

Glass Ceiling Demolitionists:

Five Flexible Job Options for Working Moms

By Sharon Reed Abboud

Balancing a family life and a work life is never easy. The key for many moms is to find a "flexible" job. Options for flexible work include working part time, telecommuting, starting a business, consulting/freelancing, or working full time with flexible hours.

One of these options may be able to provide you with the flexibility you need to "have it all": both a fulfilling career -- and plenty of time to spend with your family.

Becoming a Part-Time Professional
For many moms, working part time is the ideal short-term or long-range work-life set up. By working part time, you "stay in the game" and keep your skills and resume current. According to a 2007 Pew Research Survey, sixty percent of the women surveyed preferred the option of working part time versus working full time or not working at all.

While it is generally easier to negotiate a part-time job at your current place of employment, many companies nationwide are now hiring part-time professionals from the upstart. If you are already employed, consider preparing a proposal to ask your employer to let you reduce your hours. (Keep in mind that your benefits may be reduced or eliminated.)

If you are looking for a part-time job, check the major job Web sites and the career development sections of industry association Web sites. There are also a growing number of flexible and part-time job searching sites. Be sure to focus on networking, too, because most professional part-time positions tend be found via networking.

Telecommuting Opportunities are on the Rise
Internet technology has enabled millions of people to work from home or another location -- a trend that will likely continue to skyrocket into the future. For a working parent, telecommuting can be an ideal set up. You can work from home, avoid commuting in snarling traffic, and have more time with your family.

Chances are you will still need childcare to be able to concentrate on your work, but, depending on your job, you may be able to work while your child naps or plays next to you. (Or, you may need in-house childcare or need to take your child to a daycare center.) If your child is in school, then you may be able to set up a job working during school hours.

Again, as with part-time work, it is generally easier to negotiate a telecommuting job if you are already employed and working on site for a company. On the other hand, a growing number of companies are hiring telecommuters directly. Employers benefit from hiring telecommuters because they can hire employees with the expertise that they need, while saving on costs for real estate, equipment, etc.

Entrepreneurial Dreams? Start a Business
Many parents set up and operate home-based businesses. Business ideas can include everything from running a home-based daycare to a commercial Web site to becoming an eBay affiliate. Advantages of working at home include more time with your family, greater independence, and the end of office politics (hurrah!). The downside is the risk -- nearly half of all businesses fail within five years, according to the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA). Business owners give up a steady income and benefits. But, on the other hand, millions of parents run successful home-based businesses. Others start businesses outside of the home. (To find out more, to the SBA Web site: www.sba.gov.)

"Free Bird" Careers: Consulting/Freelancing
Whether by choice or circumstance, some 8.5 million people work as independent consultants or freelancers, according to the U.S. Department of Labor. Consulting careers can be a perfect work-life solution for some working moms. In this type of set up, you determine your own schedule.

Jobs that fall under this broad category include: consultant, independent contractor, freelancer, temporary worker and substitute teacher. Consultants peddle their expertise and tend to be run as home businesses. Independent contractors and freelancers work on a job-to-job basis. Typical independent contractor and freelance careers include writers, programmers, designers, etc. -- in other words, jobs that can be easily done on an independent basis.

Temp jobs are no longer limited to traditional administrative/secretarial work; there are also temp opportunities and agencies specializing in everything from law to graphic art to computer/IT. There are even temp CEO positions. Substitute teachers are also temps -- subbing can be a very appealing job for moms who want to work during their children's school hours.

The advantage of these jobs is the control of your own schedule. On the flip side, you may need to constantly hustle for new business and/or endure dry spells when you will not get any work. Your income may be unpredictable, but then again, you are free to set your own schedule.

Working Full Time with Flexible Hours
Companies nationwide are becoming increasingly amenable to hiring and retaining workers by providing benefits that include flexible scheduling. Some companies allow employees to set their own work hours, for example, enabling a mom to start her job very early in the morning and get home in time to pick up her children from school. Other companies set up compressed workweeks, for example, allowing employees to work four 10-hour days per week.

During the summer months, some companies allow employees to reduce their hours or work part time. Others have set up summer and holiday camps and programs for their employee's dependents.

Finding Your Own Ideal Work-Life Set Up
Depending on your occupation and company, you can choose one of the above or even set up a combination of flexible options, for example, working full time while telecommuting one to three days per week.

Keep in mind that despite the current downturn in the nation's economy, prospects continue to grow for working on a flexible basis. Companies are instituting flexible work options not only for ethical reasons, but because a huge shortage of professional workers is anticipated in the next several years as America's massive Baby Boomer (those born from 1946-64) population starts to retire. Employers will likely need to continue to offer flexible work options to attract the talent needed to fill those vacancies.

If you are not sure if your company will be amenable to letting you work on a part-time, telecommuting, or full-time flexible schedule, ask -- you will never find out if it is possible unless you give it a try. Finding a job with an ideal work-life balance is the key most working moms need to have a professionally and personally satisfying lifestyle.

Copyright(c) 2009 Sharon Reed Abboud.

Flexible Staffing Agencies Can Be a Bridge to the Workforce

If you are trying to go back to work and cannot find a recruiter to represent you, don't despair. While it may be difficult to find a traditional recruiter or headhunter if you have been out of the workforce for two or more years, there are a growing number of flexible staffing companies nationwide that are focused on helping parents transition back into the workforce and/or find flexible employment.

Here's a sampling of some of the "Mom-Centric" flexible staffing agencies that are featured in my forthcoming book: All Moms Work: Short-Term Career Strategies for Long-Range Success. In the book, I also interviewed moms who told their stories about how they found professional jobs via some of these organizations.

Kathy Garino, a Roswell, Georgia, mother of three, for example, was a stay-at-home mother for more than four years and then successfully re-entered the workforce by finding her present job via Mom Corps, a national flexible staffing firm. She is now a part-time staff accountant with a mortgage company. According to Garino, Mom Corps made it possible for her to both re-enter the workforce and find a “family friendly” flexible position.

“I work part-time, twenty to twenty-five hours a week. I only have to go into the office for one half day per week. It’s great!” Garino said.

Here is a sampling of "Mom Centric" flexible staffing firms:

• BalancingProfessionals.com, Raleigh-Durham, North Carolina, area. Focus includes flexible job-staffing services for job seekers.

• BeyondMotherhood.com, Ohio-based national board focused on helping moms find flexible jobs.

• ConnectMoms.com, Vancouver, Canada, area. Job board with flexible jobs suitable for working parents.

• EmployMoms.com, Hanover, NH, jobs nationwide. Focus is on placing moms in flexible professional jobs.

• FlexibleExecutives.com, Atlanta area. Job placement service that places seasoned executives in flexible corporate jobs.

• FlexibleResources.com, Connecticut, New York, and New Jersey offices. Flexible staffing and consulting firm for professional-level job seekers.

• Flexpaths.com, New Jersey-based global flex company assists both companies and flexible job seekers nationwide.

• Flexperience.com, San Francisco-based. Part-time, flex time, and project-based work in marketing, HR, finance,and law. Virtual opportunities anywhere.

• FlexworkConnection.com, Southern California region. Connects professionals with flexible work.

• Innovative-Outsourcing.com, Atlanta, GA, part-time staffing company that helps stay-at-home parents re-enter the workforce.

• JobsAndMoms.com, Connecticut-based, nationwide. Website for moms looking for flexible professional jobs.

• LifeMeetsWork.com, Chicago-based, nationwide. Flexible job information and job board.

• MomCorps.com, based in Atlanta, with offices in Charlotte, Chicago, New York, Raleigh, Washington, DC, and Boston.Connects moms with professional flexible jobs.

• Momentum Resources, Mom-entum.com, Richmond and Northern Virginia areas. Places professional moms in part-time
jobs.

• NeedlestackJobs.com, Ohio-based, nationwide. Flexible jobs for parents.

• On-Ramps.com, New York City-based flexible job consulting firm.

• Part-TimeProfessionals.com, places professionals in Orange County, CA. Nationwide job board.

• Smart-Moms.net, part-time employment in Raleigh-Durham-Cary, NC, and virtual opportunities anywhere.

• TenTilTwo.com, Colorado-based, nationwide. Part-time placement service.

• WomenForHire.com, New York-based, nationwide. Website includes job board, career expos, advice, and more.

Copyright(c) 2009 Sharon Reed Abboud

Welcome to the All Moms Work blog!

All Moms Work--whether you are a full time stay-at-home mom, or work part-time, telecommute, own your own business, consult, or work full time. My forthcoming book: All Moms Work, Short-term Career Strategies to Long-range Success (Capital Books) focuses on how to find your own best career set up.

All Moms Work is for moms (and dads) who have decided to stay at home, work from home, or work part-time while strategizing their future career course. With careful planning, you can be a primarily stay-at-home parent and then later successfully transition back into the workforce.

All Moms Work focuses on:

• Networking
• Returning to college for a BA, MA, MBA, or law degree
  
• Part-Time careers
• Telecommuting
• Starting a Business/Entrepreneurship
• Consulting/Freelancing
  
• Transitioning back to the workforce
• America's fastest growing careers
• Career change and self assessment
  
• Resumes, cover letters, websites
• Successful job interviewing
• Work-life balance and "having it all"