Working
The New York Times recently reported on the “silent victims of the economy” – the 16-24 year olds that are currently competing for summer employment. Facing a record 19.6 unemployment rate, this country’s youth are certainly struggling — and if your child hasn’t yet started his or her summer job search, it’s definitely time to get going! “Consistent with last summer, I’m finding that teens have to submit 10 applications to get one job offer,” says Steve Kimball of SnagAJob.com. “The competition is high.”
But that doesn’t mean there aren’t jobs out there. I asked Kimball about where there are still opportunities if your teenager hasn’t found work yet. “There are lots of sectors still hiring,” he says. More…
Last week, I wrote about B.I.G., a women’s business networking group based in New Jersey. B.I.G. has helped women launch their own businesses across the U.S., and I Do, I Do Bridal Studio is just one of their many success stories!
WHO: Patricia Lipper & Leia Marley
WHAT: I Do, I Do Bridal Studio
WHERE: Morristown, NJ
WHEN: 2010
HOW: Patricia Lipper admits that, before opening a bridal studio, she had the “job of a lifetime.” With 20 years of experience in the garment industry, living in Asia and traveling the world, she had reached the goals she had set for herself early on in her career. However, when she was faced with a divorce and three school age children at home, she had to put her career on the back burner. “I needed to rely on myself to provide for our future, while still being there as the mom my girls have known to depend on,” says Lipper. More…
WHO: Tara Gilvar and Becky Hull
WHAT: B.I.G. – a business support, education and networking organization for women.
WHERE: Bernardsville, New Jersey
WHEN: 2009
HOW: Tara Gilvar’s was a common dilemma. A PR and marketing specialist she left the corporate world when she had kids, but she was determined to maintain a hand in the workforce to keep her skills fresh and make transitioning back in — at some future date – easier. More…
WHO: Barbara Gips
WHAT: The Lice Patrol
WHERE: Westchester County, NY
WHEN: 2008
HOW: Becoming a lice removal specialist doesn’t sound like many people’s dream career, and for Barbara Gips, it wasn’t. A decorative painter and mother of three, Gips’ children went through a collective nine cases of head lice, and practice made perfect. “I was unknowingly being trained for my business many years before I started it,” says Gips. Each case meant another opportunity to perfect her lice treatment skills, to the point that her sister-in-law (who had to hire a treatment specialist to come to her home in Maryland) suggested she make it her career. More…
Nine out of ten women find asking for money – i.e., a raise – embarrassing, according to a survey out this morning from Sheconomics.com. This compares to six out of ten men. And women are two and a half times more likely than men to find negotiating for pay humiliating.
Humiliating?
Embarrassing?
How about necessary and – when it goes well – empowering? More…
“I saw on Today that the gentleman said he uses a Virtual Assistant. Is that a legitimate work at home job? I can’t find a single person that works from home to guide me. I really could use help finding legitimate work at home jobs. Some days I can work, some days I can’t. I have a degree and worked at a major phone company for years and was an Executive Secretary and Medical Assistant. I’m 52.”
– Michelle, Georgia
I receive so many inquiries about work-from-home opportunities! Whether it’s a medical condition, lack of transportation, or another circumstance, thousands of people are looking for flexible employment opportunities – but it can be difficult to find them, and even more difficult to tell if they’re legit. A few weeks ago, I posted a story about work-from-home scams to look out for. Be sure to keep those red flags in mind – and look for the Better Business Bureau’s stamp on websites. That’s assurance that they’ve already checked it out.
A great place to start looking for legitimate work-at-home opportunities is womenforhire.com. I spoke with Peter Johnson, the site’s media director, and he suggested their entire page devoted to work from home opportunities. The page is built on thousands of hours of research – and has opportunities for people of varying skill levels. More…
This week, I invited one of my favorite sources on work/life balance – something we’re all striving for – to write a guest post about finding a job that works with your hectic schedule. Allison O’Kelly is CEO of Mom Corps, a flexible-employment staffing service. The company provides employers who are looking for part-time workers with a pool of candidates, and professionals with flexible job opportunities.
In today’s economy, it’s hard enough to find a job – let alone, a flexible one that suits your needs both as a professional and a working mom. But don’t despair – in actuality, this may be one of the BEST times to land the flexible gig you need to finally achieve and maintain some form of life/work fit.
While the economy has definitely taken a toll on the job market, it has also forced us companies and employees to reevaluate how we work – and we have seen flexibility placed at the forefront of this change. When companies couldn’t afford to reward and entice employees with bonuses or raises, they were forced to get creative and offer flexible work schedules, four-day work weeks, sabbaticals, and telecommuting options instead. When workers could not find full-time, traditional positions, they in turn started freelancing, contracting, and even interning. Both corporations and workers have seen the benefits of workplace flexibility in terms of morale and profits, and the average 9 to 5 has been redefined during the recession.
So how can you find a flexible job that matches your skill set and experience? More…
I was recently laid off, and after searching for a new job in the same field for several months, I’m considering starting over in a new field. What are some fields I should look into? – Emily, Massachusetts
Whether you’re in a job right now that you just can’t stand, or, in your case, looking to start over, it’s important to consider a few things. Ask yourself some questions – what are you good at? What industries need people with the skills you have? The U.S. Department of Labor offers an Occupational Outlook Handbook right on their website, which is a great way to find out what jobs your skills might match up with.
Once you’ve found a few jobs you think you’d be good at, you should start to look at what’s out there – not only on job-search sites like Monster.com and CareerBuilder.com, but by asking friends, fellow alumni, and anyone else who would be an asset to your business network. More…
“My husband just had his pay cut in half with no warning. He also has a company car which they now want back. We have a small cushion to pay our bills for a few months but I’m going to have to help out financially until we get back on our feet. We have two cars and an 18 year old son who needs one of the cars for his job. So, I’m stuck at home. I searched the internet for work at home jobs and found a website. They pay you to fill out surveys and you can do as many or as few as you want. My question is: Is there any way to tell if this company is legit? There is a small membership fee of $39.95 which I didn’t think was too bad. Do you know anything about this?”
- Debbie, Delaware
There has been a lot of news recently about work-at-home opportunities that have turned out to be scams — leaving people even more strapped for cash than they were to begin with. At times like these, when unemployment is up, scammers have a bigger pool of people to prey on.
So you’re wise to be careful. There are legitimate at-home jobs out there, but in your search, you need to keep your eyes wide open for some telltale warning signs. I asked Alison Southwick of the Better Business Bureau for her tips, as well as any red flags that should have you hitting the “back” button on your web browser right from the get go. More…
We all have a special talent we wish we could monetize – maybe you make the best pies in the neighborhood, or your photography skills are prized by your friends. But how do you turn it into a profitable business?
We get this question all the time. And the best advice is always to start small, with little to no overhead. If you can moonlight in your pie-making business on the side, you’ll not only make some extra cash in your spare time, but you’ll get a feel for whether it could actually be a profitable, full-time business down the line.
Luckily, there are all sorts of online tools popping up these days to help you sell the fruits of your labor. In a series of posts on this blog, I’m going to detail some of the best ones, starting with one of my favorite online shopping destinations, Etsy.com. More…
