My mother was an intelligent, funny and, quite honestly, gorgeous woman. She was a wonderful writer (from a long line of wonderful writers) and had the class and poise of royalty. Before she had children, she had great success working in various capacities. When I was about ten, my mom was faced with a failing marriage and the necessity to return to the workforce after spending years raising children. Pretty scary for a mother of four.

As daunting as it must have been, what do you suppose her biggest obstacle was? Finding job postings in the paper? Nah. Writing her resume? Nope. Then what? I truly believe that my mother’s most profound stumbling block when faced with going back to work is that she had spent so much time raising my siblings and me that she had no real friends. Not a single one. It certainly made her job hunt all the more difficult; and thinking back, it breaks my heart.

Friends are an important commodity when it comes to both life and work… and they can be worth their weight in gold. Friends are not only there to lean on during troubled times, but can also be an extra set of ears to the ground when you are embarking on a life change… like returning to the rat race or seeking a part-time job.

A friend doesn’t need to be the CEO of a multinational corporation to help you on your way to your next career (but that would be nice, wouldn’t it?) Even a small core group of pals can help you make your transition by volunteering to watch your kids during your job interviews, dropping you a job lead or introducing you to potential employers in your field.

Friendships are symbiotic; and the many ways that friends can aid in each others’ successes are truly limitless. So help a friend out… her daughter just might remember it many years from now.

This blog welcomes your comments on the power of friendships!

You are looking for a part-time job. You have the skills. You have the resume. And you have a job interview. You think you are set, but then you flash forward to a million little variables that might make or break your job candidacy. It can be a little scarey

After being out of the workforce for several years, it is common for job seekers to lose sight of the evolving “best practices” for the hiring process.

But knowledge is power; and this great article will explain all those “little things” that might mean a lot in your hunt for the perfection of part-time. Click here to read “21 Things Hiring Managers Wish You Knew” by Alison Green on UpdatedNews.ca

“Whenever you are asked if you can do a job, tell ‘em, ‘Certainly I can!’ Then get busy and find out how to do it.”
Theodore Roosevelt, (1858-1919)

We all know that before embarking on the hunt for that perfect part-time job, you need all your ducks in a row. So you do a load of industry research, incessantly nose around online job boards, painstakingly update your resume, whip up a snappy cover letter… and then you’re set, right?

Ideally, your work pays off, your potential employer likes what they see and they schedule an interview. But you can’t simply show up for that interview with your resume in tow and an elevator speech on how you are a “team player and a real go-getter.” The art of interviewing is a give and take, to-and-fro process that requires conveying your strengths and background while listening closely to the information that the hiring manager is providing you. Make no mistake, having a healthy repartee with your interviewer just might be the thing that sets you apart from all the other applicants in line for the job.

To read more on how to have a successful job interview, click here to read “Using Your Noodle in Hiring Interviews” by Carrie Pinsky on the Northern Colorado Business Report website.

Considering that the stories of mothers struggling to balance work and family are so universal, especially in this day and age, it is still amazing how compelling these stories truly are.

Click here to read a great article on More.com by Leslie Morgan Steiner entitled “Back in Business: Stay-at-Home Moms Return to the Workforce.”

Most people, at some time in their lives, will be faced with reentering the workforce after an extended time off. Mommies returning to their careers; laid-off workers finding something new; and baby boomers opting to forgo their early retirements. All these job seekers will be faced with a little something called “on-ramping”, which refers to the segue from unemployed to employed.

There are countless paths to gainful full-time and part-time employment, but it all boils down to this: The key to successful on-ramping, regardless of your field, is preparation. Click here to read “Back to Work Wisdom: New Directions” by Melissa J. Anderson on TheGlassHammer.com

I recently spoke with a young woman who was on the job hunt. After hearing about her diverse and very interesting career, she dropped a bombshell on me. Turns out her resume was six pages long. That’s right, six pages… and she wasn’t willing to budge on a single detail. Let me tell you right now, I doubt that Steve Jobs’ resume is six pages long (well maybe, but he is Steve Jobs). A six page resume, unless you are an award-winning molecular biologist or the founder of Apple, is way too much information to serve up to a potential employer.

Even if you are simply seeking a part-time job, a great resume is mandatory. Beyond penning an epic saga, there are numerous other no-no’s in writing and designing a great resume. Click here to read “10 Things to Leave Off Your Resume” by Rachel Zupek on CareerBuilder.com.

We have all been moved by great mentoring relationships on the big screen. Mr. Miyagi and the Karate Kid. Dumbledore and Harry Potter. Mufasa and Simba.

Few things can enhance your career more effectively than a mentor. A mentor is someone who can share with you their path to success; someone who knows the ropes and is willing to teach you how to climb them; someone who, in one way or another, you would like to emulate. A mentor is the Yoda to your Luke Skywalker… and may the power be with you.

Part-time employees looking to make the leap to the big leagues and even those full-timers hoping to blaze their way up the corporate ladder need to think strategically about potential mentors. Is there someone you know that fits the bill?

MySalary.com has posted a great presentation by Ruth Walker on the value of mentorship. Click here to read “Mentor Me: 5 Ways to Make this Free Training Pay Off.”

Everyone who has ever searched for a new position, be it a part-time job or a full-time gig, knows that the quest for employment can leave one feeling drained and full of self-doubt. You submit your resume to a faceless nexus of hiring managers and then you wait. And wait. Then you pretty much resolve that your curricula vitae got lost or forgotten somewhere in cyberspace.

If the normal channels to attain employment simply don’t seem to be working for you, perhaps you should consider “upping the ante” to get the job done. Click here to read “10 Guerilla Job Hunting Tactics” by Amitai Givertz on MySalary.com

While some of the suggestions in the MySalary presentation may get you noticed, keep in mind that there is a fine line between being assertive and being just plain creepy.

Women’s eternal quest for work-life balance usually boils down to one soul-bearing question: Do most working moms need to, or simply choose to, work outside the home? The answer is complicated by the fact that, often times, women’s careers are tied as much to their internal contentment as they are to their ambitions (and need for a paycheck).

Click here to read a great article entitled “Do Moms Really Want Part-time Jobs?” by Sheila Lirio Marcelo on The Huffington Post website.