Posted on Tue, May 29, 2012 @ 11:04 AM
Recently, Facebook COO Sheryl Sandberg made headlines with the video confession about how she leaves work at 5:30 p.m. to be with her kids at dinnertime. This comment sparked great discussion around the ways that both men and women are creating their own work-life synthesis, every day.
To us, creating work-life synthesis means identifying all of your professional-life needs, along with all of your personal-life needs, and finding ways to make the two gel together into complementary parts of a whole life.
In your mission to find work-life synthesis, take a cue from Sheryl Sandberg. A highly successful business woman, Sandberg was able to manage the demands of her career while creating time for her family -- flexing between hopping offline at 5:30 p.m. to be with her family, and then back online later in the evening to manage work demands. It's all about finding a routine that works for you.
Identifying your own work-life synthesis
Trying to find that elusive work-life synthesis? Consider these steps.
1. Re-evaluate
First, start by identifying what's most important to you, both personally and professionally. Why do you go to work everyday? What do you hope to achieve or maintain? What do you want to spend more time doing? What keeps you awake at night?
2. Re-prioritize
Think about how you can re-prioritize your time. Can you re-work your routine to better accomodate your top priorities? Another important thing to consider are things that drain your time and energy. On a typical day, what things do you waste the most time doing or dealing with? Is there a pattern?
3. Re-define
Now that you've identified what's most important to you and the obstacles that stand in your way, what resources will you need to be successful? Tools? Time? Flexibility? Will your current job accomodate these needs, or do you need to find a job that will allow you to work more flexible hours, have a shorter commute, or work from home at times?
Taking the time to identify your top priorities and the things that stand in your way will help you create an action plan to achieve better synthesis. What do you have to lose, besides wasted energy?
Get help with finding flexible work here.
Posted on Tue, May 22, 2012 @ 08:46 AM
Continuous Career Management Tips from LinkedIn
Continuous career management is a new term being used within the staffing industry to describe the need for people to continuously incorporate career advancement exercises – like networking, personal branding and resume updating-- into their daily schedules. That’s right – daily. But wait! It’s not as tricky as it sounds.
William Arruda from LinkedIn recently wrote a powerful blog post on how to transform your career in only 9 minutes a day. Arruda suggests several easy tips on how to maintain valuable relationships, document achievements, and remain relevant within your network; which can lead to more job opportunities, better networking, and greater awareness.
Read the article and watch the short video: http://blog.linkedin.com/2012/05/14/nineaday-blog-post/
What are your favorite career management tips? Tweet your tips to #momcorps!
Posted on Tue, May 15, 2012 @ 11:43 AM
It's graduation season and for recent grads entering the job market, it's important to know that your alumni network can be a great starting point for professional networking. Before summer officially begins, remember to register and initiate connections with your alumni network. Here are a few tips for how job seekers can effectively leverage their alumni network.
Make genuine connections
Networking with fellow alums can provide great career track insights and leads to industry resources. But like any form of networking, the goal should always be to build and maintain relationships. You should never attend alumni networking events simply to "get hired", and should always create authentic connections before leveraging an alumni relationship for a job opportunity.
Reach out to fellow alums at a prospective employer
If you're applying for a job and you notice that one of the high-ranking officers at the company shares your same alma mater, if you don't know him/her, do not cold call him/her to try to get a foot in the door. Chances are a move as rash as trying to leverage a non-existent relationship can come off as too aggressive, lacking social tact and professionalism, tainting your reputation.
If you do wish to reach out to fellow alums (with whom you have some connection) at a prospective employer, be sure to introduce yourself professionally. Keep the introduction simple, let the person know which job you're applying for, and ask if they have any insight about the culture or industry that you should be aware of before your interview.
If the person you're interviewing with is a fellow alum, it's ok to casually mention a collegiate connection at an appropriate time during the interview, or at the end of a post-interview thank you note. But it should always be an aside, rather than the focus of the conversation. Never assume that a connection is a sure-fire foot in the door.
If you decide to meet with a fellow alum for networking purposes...
- Come prepared with questions that showcase your curiosity and ambition. Don't ask questions that could be easily answered with a Google search. Make the most of your networking time by being prepared.
- Consider asking the person to tell you the story of how they got to where they are now. These types of conversations take the pressure off of you, and will give you clearer insights that will likely lead to better questions and deeper relationship building. And don't expect the person you're trying to network with to help you figure out your life direction.
- Be sure not to talk about yourself too much, since that would be a missed opportunity to learn from someone who is likely ahead of you on the career track. Good listening is just as important as asking good questions. Everyone loves a good listener!
Posted on Tue, May 08, 2012 @ 03:12 PM
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Name: Holly Schick
City/State: West Chester, OH
Family: Husband, Robert and son, Joey, 6
Education: BSBA Accounting, Xavier University, Cincinnati, OH
Summary of your professional experience: Five years of accounting for small to medium-sized businesses in a small CPA firm, followed by 11 years in the not-for-profit sector doing general accounting.
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New Job: I was placed with American Heritage Insurance Group, LLC, in Cincinnati, OH as their part-time Controller in a temp-to-hire capacity, working 16 - 26 hours/week, depending on workload. They are extremely flexible, so that if I need to take 2 hours off for lunch to attend my son's pre-school party, it is no problem--my dream job!
Why did you turn to Mom Corps? Mom Corps offered exactly what I was seeking: flexible workplace solutions. I wanted to work, but I also did not want to miss out on any milestones with my child. Mom Corps offers a win/win situation for the job-seeker and the employer.
How was your experience with Mom Corps? I was astounded and ultimately, quite pleased, in my recruiter's efforts to place me with a company. Her follow-up was very thorough and much-appreciated.
How has working with Mom Corps effected your work-life synthesis? I FINALLY feel that I I have achieved true work/life balance. Besides the flexibility that American Heritage offers, I also have reduced commute time, since they are located a few miles away from my son's school. Reduced commute time means more time with the family and more home-cooked meals!
What is your go-to stress reliever? Facebook!
How would you summarize your overall experience? I am so thankful that I believed that I really could have it all, thanks to Mom Corps.
Posted on Thu, May 03, 2012 @ 07:36 AM
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