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June 20, 2024 0 Comments

Five Terrific Jobs for Moms

As a mom, you may want or need to work outside of the home. While you may be qualified for all sorts of positions, you are hoping to find one that gives you the ability to bring in some much-needed income while still having enough flexibility to be there for your kids when they need you — and even when they don’t. With this in mind, the following five jobs for moms are ideal for those who would prefer not to work a typical 9 to 5 schedule:

Real estate agent

Real estate agents usually set their own hours, but they also work some odd times like on weekends and nights, SheKnows notes. If your spouse works a traditional schedule, this can be an ideal situation because chances are good at least one of you will always be home with the kiddos and you won’t have to spend some of your hard-earned money on daycare. Some Realtor moms just list a couple houses at a time, so that they can still devote a lot of their days to their family.

Small business owner

Do your friends freak out when they see the gorgeous postcard-worthy photos you post on Facebook? Are your cupcakes or cinnamon rolls legendary in your neighborhood? It may be possible to turn your talent into a money-making venture by opening up a small business right from home. You can set up a website that sells your products or services, and spread the word via social media and word of mouth that you are now available to shoot family portraits, or pet sit, or cater birthday parties. If you are super crafty, you might also find that a website like Etsy is a terrific place to open your own store on the Internet.

Insurance agent

The insurance industry is great for moms who want to telecommute. Many different companies have jobs that allow people to work from home. Insurance agents also tend to have an entrepreneurial spirit that can be very appealing to moms who are also looking for some freedom in their schedules. Lead aggregation services like Quote Wizard enable moms to pursue life insurance business opportunities in between dropping the kids off and picking them up from school.

School teacher

As Business News Daily notes, working at a school is the perfect way for a mom to be on the same schedule as her kids. In an ideal world, you might also be able to find a position at the same school your kids attend. If you do not want to work as a teacher, there are still plenty of other openings in schools that are ideal for moms; these include working in the school’s library, being a lunchroom and playground aide, assisting in the front office, and being a teacher’s assistant.

Pharmacist

Careers in the pharmaceutical industry can be ideal for working moms who are looking for job flexibility. As Forbes notes, the positions offer an outstanding balance between working and home life, and they typically offer a great salary and benefits.

These are just a few flexible jobs for moms seeking something different than the corporate world.

Check out these other great articles about home-based jobs as a work from home professional. Also check out our home-based job descriptions and current job postings for mom professionals.

 

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June 20, 2024 0 Comments

Manage Your Image Prior to the Big Job Interview

Not that long ago, employers relied on interviews, reference checks and resumes to determine whether or not they wanted to hire someone. These days, business owners use a variety of other methods to decide if someone is hire-worthy. Some business owners will look into your background as part of the screening process; this may include asking you information about your educational background, any criminal records, your financial history, and the way in which you use social media, the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission notes. Potential employers may also do a background check, which can include looking up a credit report and any past criminal activity, and they will probably spend some time online learning what they can about you and your activities.

Here are some interview tips to prepare for the background screening and help ensure that your image is as upstanding, responsible and professional as possible.

Research yourself

Since employers often use a search engine like Google to learn more about you, beat them to the proverbial punch and research yourself, Lifehacker suggests. Hopefully what pops up will be a pretty accurate representation of who you are, including recent achievements and awards, articles that may have mentioned your name, and social media profiles. If your name is fairly common or if you are in the unfortunate situation where your name is the same or close to some notorious individual, you may want to go ahead and mention this during the interview. You could even add links and URLs to accurate articles about you to your resume.

Make sure your driving record is spotless — or close to it

Many employers will want or even require that you have a clean driving record. In addition to being a good indicator of responsibility and competency, a lack of tickets and other moving violations can show your future boss that you are capable of good decision making. Of course, this is especially important if the job involves any kind of driving. If your license has expired or if you have recently moved to a new state and you have not been down to the MVD yet, do everything you can before your interview to make sure your driving records are up-to-date. For example, if you just moved and you need to get your driver’s license, you can prepare for your exam by taking the permit practice test online at DrivingTests.org.

Clean up your social media act

Chances are good the person who will be interviewing you will look you up on social media sites. Take the time and go through all of your pages and remove anything that might be remotely questionable. This includes those fun pictures taken of you at that party on your Facebook page — you may not have been doing anything wrong, but it’s probably best to err on the side of caution.

Also, as Wisconsin Job Center notes, never speak poorly of your last boss in a job interview. If you ever did any complaining about your job, boss or co-workers on social media sites, take those comments off, pronto. Assume that your potential future boss will scroll through some of your Tweets, so go back and remove any that make you look less than positive. In addition, if you have a page on LinkedIn, make sure your profile is up to date with your latest job history and references.

Take these interview tips to heart — do anything you can to make sure that whatever someone learns about you online will increase, and not decrease, your chances of being hired.

Check out these other great articles about job search tips as a work from home professional. Also check out our current job postings for mom professionals.

 

 

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June 20, 2024

Conquer Career Goals with an Online Education Program

The job market can be tough. Recent college graduates are struggling to find work just as much as older, more experienced individuals. That philosophy degree may have seemed like a great idea when you were in college, but now, after starting a family and taking time off, it may feel like an unwise decision. If you have taken a break from the workplace in recent years, it can be difficult to stay relevant in the current hiring market.

We have some great work from home career ideas that you can adopt today. Mentoring, volunteering, and internships are great first steps towards a new career. Here are a few tips to get started!

Start by Volunteering

If you are curious about the opportunities out there, look into volunteer programs in your area. Sign up for websites like Volunteermatch.org to find local opportunities that meet your interests. Volunteer Match notifies users about opportunities with organizations that are associated with advocacy and human rights, art and culture, animals, and board development. Through volunteer work you may discover a career path to pursue outside of your degree. You can also look at community bulletin boards in your area to see what other volunteer opportunities are in your area.

Become a Mentor

If you’ve ever considered mentoring others, Mentoring.org is a great resource that helps you locate mentoring programs in your area or start one of your own. It’s as easy as entering in your zip code to get started. Once you enter your zip code, a list of organizations will be provided, along with the program type and the age group being assisted. Opportunities vary from helping homeless youth, to free arts programs, to providing families from reservations health services and a safe place to stay.

Participate in an Internship

Another way to explore career options outside of your degree is through internship programs. Most job sites post internships along with job listings which makes them easy to find. Internships will give you immersion into the workplace, offer new skills, and help you network within any industry. Through an internship programs you may find what interests you most and decide what to pursue further.

Go Back to School

If volunteering and internship programs help you find the career path of your dreams, consider going back to school. With the ease and availability of technology today, quality education programs are at your fingertips. There are many online certification programs out there that can help you get an edge on the competition. In 2011, 65 percent of students had taken online courses and 89 percent of four-year universities were already offering online courses to their students. These numbers have continued to grow as more individuals are recognizing the benefits and convenience of online courses.

Worried you don’t have the time? It can be hard to juggle the responsibilities of running the household, taking care of the kids, and all that comes with it. You may not have the time to go sit in a classroom three days a week, but with online programs, you can make your own schedule and do your assignments at home. It is that easy!

If you have ever considered going into medicine, now is the time. Health care students no longer have to go back to medical school to learn the skills required for jobs in various health care-related professions. Eight years in medical school and hundreds of thousands of dollars in student loans is no longer required to get going in the medical and health care fields. Unlike many industries today, the health care field is always growing and looking for driven, smart workers. College Online’s health and medical degrees include medicine and nursing programs with certification courses in health care administration, therapy, counseling, nursing, pharmacy and more.

Be proactive. Use these creative work from home career ideas to take the necessary steps to get the education you deserve and the career you want.

Check out these other great articles about continuing education as a work from home professional. Also check out our current job postings for mom professionals.

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June 20, 2024

Maintain Your Home-Based Business & Your Sanity During the Holidays

As a mom and home-based business owner, you probably feel like one of those circus performers who can keep a dozen plates spinning on sticks all at once. It can be challenging from day to day, but most of the time you are pretty good at keeping your plates in the air. However, add the upcoming holiday season to the mix—which, of course, includes shopping, decorating, incoming guests and kids bouncing off the walls with anticipation—and it might seem like those carefully balanced plates will all come crashing down.

Fortunately, we have some work life balance tips to help. With some planning and preparation, you can make it to 2015 without losing your business or your sanity.

Adjust Your Schedule and Your Expectations

Accept the fact that your usual schedule will be disrupted for awhile. Once you’ve accepted this, look for pockets of time during the day and night to fit in shorter spurts of work. For example, if your kids are watching “How the Grinch Stole Christmas” for the thousandth time and dinner’s in the oven, head to your computer and knock out some emails or invoices. If you are an early bird, set your alarm an hour or so earlier and try to crank out some work before the kids and company get up. If you are more of a night owl, work a little after the kids go to sleep to catch up on some of your projects.

Prioritize and Push Back

Schedule some specific times and activities with your family and guests during the holiday season, and post the calendar in a place where everyone can see it. Whenever possible, schedule things to do during the times when you wouldn’t normally be working anyway—that way, you won’t feel as stressed out about missing work time, and you can really focus on your kids. You could swing by your local coffee shop for hot cocoas to go, and then drive around your neighborhood looking at lights.

Also, try to push back at least some of your work and deadlines into January. Chances are good that many of your clients are also trying to juggle their lives and the holiday season, so depending on what type of at-home work you do, it may be possible to reschedule at least some of it until early 2015.

Shop Online

If your to-do list is already three pages long, you might wonder how you’ll find time to get to the mall to shop. You don’t have to fight the crowds and parking lots to get toys and gifts for everyone on your “Nice” list. Pour yourself a cup of coffee or a glass of wine, put on your comfy flannel jammies, and when the kids are asleep, take care of your holiday shopping online. Walmart always has some great Black Friday deals and it seems like every online retailer offers shipping deals this time of year. If you are planning on sending out holiday cards, you can also upload photos to sites like Snapfish or Shutterfly and order them from there.

With these work life balance tips, you will be able to skate through the holidays having a fun and relaxing time with your family.

Check out these other great articles about productivity / time management as a work from home professional. Also check out our current job postings for mom professionals.

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June 20, 2024 0 Comments

4 Great Apps Every WAHM Needs in 2015

Not that long ago, work-at-home-moms relied on giant wall calendars, fax machines, decent computers and plenty of caffeine to get in a full day of productivity. Now, working at home means having a handful of the best devices and dozens of organizational apps that reach across your computers, tablets and smartphones. WAHMs keep discovering ways to stay on top of both work and family commitments—caffeine still required, of course—so there’s no excuse for not using them.

The following four work from home apps are perfect work-at-home-moms who are ready to start 2015 with a boost in digital organization.

Evernote

Being a WAHM involves lists—lots and lots of lists. Thanks to Evernote, WAHMs can access to-do lists, notes, schedules and all of the other mom stuff from any smart device. Evernote allows users to manage expenses, including those omnipresent piles of bills, receipts and invoices, and it can even help plan a trip to see the in-laws next summer. Available on both Android and iOS, the basic Evernote app is free, and upgraded versions with more bells and whistles can be purchased. Plus, since it is available for all devices, anything done on one device can then be accessed on another simply through the app.

Imagine that: she can be in line at the grocery store and planning an upcoming project on the new iPhone 6 Plus, Samsung Galaxy S4 or Windows phone she got over the holidays, and in the afternoon, she can continue planning from a tablet or laptop while she’s using her phone to schedule dentist appointments.

Dropbox

When it comes to must-have apps for WAHMs, Dropbox is definitely top pick. This amazing and innovative program lets users upload important work files, photos and documents and then share them easily with co-workers, employers, clients and more. Everyone who signs up for Dropbox automatically gets 2GB of space for free, and the app can be accessed from computers, tablets and mobile phones. Because who has the time to sift through piles of paper?

Google Calendar

For WAHMs who have relied on a huge white board calendar with different colored dry erase markers, Google Calendar is a terrific replacement. The Android app has more than 132,000 5-star ratings and allows busy work-at-home-moms to see daily, weekly and monthly schedules all in one easy to read place, and even includes maps to where they might be going to a meeting with a client, or to drop off their son or daughter for band practice. Once reservations are made for date night with hubby at a local restaurant or trip plans are finalized, they will be added to the calendar automatically through Gmail. The app also allows WAHMs to flip back and forth between different types of calendars including daily or several days at once.

Cozi Family Organizer

The Cozi Family Organizer has an average rating of 4.5 stars from more than 30,000 reviewers, and for good reason. The free app was winner of the Appy Award for the Best Family App and the BMA Gold for Best Mobile Calendar. This awesome program features a color-coded calendar that a WAHM can use to expertly keep tabs on her kiddos’ play dates alongside her own upcoming work deadlines, to-do lists and shopping lists. Just give each child or task a color and see at a glance what “teal Tommy” or “red Rachel” will be doing that day. For those who wish to do away with the ads that are part of the free version, they can upgrade for $29.99 to a premium version with additional features called Cozi Gold.

Let us know more work from home apps that you find useful in your home-based business. We are always looking for ways to make our workday more productive.

Check out these other great articles about productivity / time management as a work from home professional. Also check out our current job postings for mom professionals.

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June 20, 2024 0 Comments

Take Your Work-at-Home Productivity to New Levels

Have you ever asked yourself? “How productive am I? Am I using my time wisely to get the most accomplished in the time I am working? Where is my time going?” All these questions deal with work-at-home productivity.

Working at home is often seen as a luxury to many moms. It is the best of both worlds. You still get to work and earn an income but you do not have to sacrifice your family time to do it. Many moms have made the transition, and many more are in the process of making the transition. The downfall is that many inexperienced business moms lose of a lot of time, money and energy in the process due to inefficiency and inexperience.

Causes for Loss of Productivity

Unprepared for the journey ahead of them, the following daily occurrences often cause a loss in productivity while working from home:

  • Personal phone calls,
  • Emails coming in,
  • Children and infant responsibilities interrupting schedules,
  • Neighbors knocking on the door,
  • Fly-by-the-seat-of-your-pants mentality,
  • Lack of organization and planning,
  • Unfinished household chores creating an eyesore to your peripheral vision, and much, much, more.

I believe my success, like other thriving home-based working moms, lies in mastering my own System. If you don’t have a structured system laying the foundation of your at home business; your productivity and profitability are at stake.

Ask yourself:

  • What systems do I have in place to organize my business and personal life?
  • What daily routines do I need to ensure are done?
  • Do I have reliable child care arrangements?
  • Do I have any weekly assignments, tasks or chores that I need to plan for?
  • What are my monthly to-dos and when should I schedule them?

How to Be Productive at Home

Setting your system can be as easy as:

  • Checking emails only twice a day, or during particular hours of each day.
  • Allowing voicemail to pick up your personal calls and kindly asking your neighbors to come back when you are finished with your work day,
  • Setting a work schedule and working solely on your business while your children are tended to and not on household chores.
  • Picking one day a week for laundry and ironing, or running business errands out of the house.
  • Taking advantage of weekday shopping while traffic and crowds are at a minimum.
  • Sending monthly invoices and accounts payables on one particular date each month.
  • Establishing an annual calendar based on your anniversary date, to review and report your progress, and find ways to improve your weak areas.

While working at home does give you lots of flexibility, you do still have to know your limitations and when to simply say “no”. Let go of the guilt and know that you cannot possibly do everything. Whether you need to hire a housekeeper, order take out or say no to a volunteer request, know that you are doing what’s best for you and your family but not overextending yourself and putting unnecessary burdens and expectations on yourself.

Create Necessary Boundaries and Stick to Them

Remember: profitability is only one sign of your business success.

Success lies more in your work-at-home productivity, because it ensures all your roles as a home-based working mom are met.

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Lesley Pyle is the founder and president of HBWM.com Inc. which includes the national association of Home-Based Working Moms helping moms network, learn and grow in their role as a Home-Based Working Mom and HireMyMom.com connecting at-home Mom Professionals with home-based jobs and projects in virtually every career field. Pyle has been featured in numerous publications including Forbes, Entrepreneur, Wall Street Journal, USA Today, Home Office Computing, and many others. Twitter @lesleypyle and @hiremymom

Check out these other great articles about productivity / time management as a work from home professional. Also check out our current job postings for mom professionals.

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June 20, 2020

Challenging Times Call for Creative Hiring Solutions

In today’s economy, many businesses are having to downsize and cut back expenses every place possible in order to survive. This includes letting valued employees go – often times with much regret. And unfortunately some believe our economy will not improve for a couple of years. So what are businesses to do? How do you support and grow a business if your employee pool is or will be dwindling? Are there creative hiring solutions?

Outsourcing is a Creative Hiring Solution

The good news is that many businesses are finding a perfect solution in outsourcing to independent professionals. These professionals offer the same skills and experience as an on-site employee yet they work as an independent, not requiring employee benefits or office space. One of the largest pools of independent professionals is mom professionals who have left the workforce voluntarily or involuntarily.

Many of them are looking for ways especially now to help supplement their families’ income. And in some cases support their family altogether if their spouse has been laid off. These professionals are experienced and educated but are seeking the freedom and flexibility to work hours that are more conducive to having a family. Some of them work part time and some work full time. Some of them work on an hourly basis and others work on a salary or by the project. What’s great for them and for the company is that studies have proven that a person’s productivity actually goes up when working from a home office. This is at least partly due to the fact that independent workers want to prove themselves and go above and beyond expectations to ensure the work keeps flowing to them.

A Win-Win Solutions

The beauty of it is that these creative hiring solutions is a win-win for the company and the professional. In the majority of cases the company saves on payroll and employee benefits and the professional is pleased to have flexible work and puts forth his or her best effort to make sure the work keeps coming in. For more information on hiring at home professionals, visit www.HireMyMom.com.

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Lesley Pyle is the founder and president of HBWM.com Inc. which includes the national association of Home-Based Working Moms helping moms network, learn and grow in their role as a Home-Based Working Mom and HireMyMom.com connecting at-home Mom Professionals with home-based jobs and projects in virtually every career field.  Pyle has been featured in numerous publications including Forbes, Entrepreneur, Wall Street Journal, USA Today, Home Office Computing, and many others.  Twitter @lesleypyle and @hiremymom

Check out these other great articles about tips for mom as a work from home professional.Also check out our current job postings for mom professionals.

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June 20, 2016 0 Comments

Redbook Magazine Features HireMyMom

Lesley Pyle Redbook Magazine Feature

Hot Mama – Netpreneur Lesley Spencer Pyle

Hiremymom.com is the kind of business idea that’s so timely and practical that, naturally, it took a mom to think it up. The site, which connects companies looking to outsource projects with work-from-home moms who are eager for part-time work, was launched last May by Lesley Spencer Pyle, a mother of four in Spring, TX.

“I got pregnant right after I started my first job doing PR for a golf school,” says Pyle. “I hated being away from my baby, but my employer wasn’t open to flextime, so I quit.” Since her family was dependent on Pyle’s income, she began scrambling for freelance work.

“I knew there were other moms out there in the same position – I thought we could really learn from each other,” Pyle says. In 1995, she founded the online community Home-Based Working Moms (hbwm.com) which has evolved into a mini-empire, including a home-based business directory, a start-your-own-business kit, and a newsletter. Pyle loved connecting with moms online and figured employers might want to access this vast pool of talent. Enter hiremymom.com. For a small fee, moms who do everything from graphic design to sales can get listings for hundreds of long- and short-term projects that can be completed from the comfort of their kitchen table – uh, we mean home office.

 

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December 20, 2010 0 Comments

Top Ten Things Moms Want For Christmas

10. Santa’s elf to help entertain the children so we can get some work done.

9. Another elf to help get all the Christmas shopping done.

8. One more elf to decorate the tree, and one to keep watch so the kids don’t knock it over.

7. And just one elf to wrap all those gifts.

6. An elf would be nice to put those lights up that honey just hasn’t gotten to yet. (“No dear, I’m not nagging!”)

5. What about an elf to clean up this place? What a mess! And that laundry… oh please say you will.

4. It would be great if we could borrow Mrs. Claus just to do some Christmas baking.

3. And Santa, can you send a personal trainer elf to get rid of some of these extra holiday pounds?

2. Oh and an extra wonderful, loving elf to watch these lil sweet angels so honey & I can attend a holiday party would just be great.

 

And Santa, number ONE of the 10 top Christmas gifts for Mom is……

1. Some of that magical dust for more hours in the day!

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Lesley Pyle is the founder and president of HBWM.com Inc. which includes the national association of Home-Based Working Moms helping moms network, learn and grow in their role as a Home-Based Working Mom and HireMyMom.com connecting at-home Mom Professionals with home-based jobs and projects in virtually every career field.  Pyle has been featured in numerous publications including Forbes, Entrepreneur, Wall Street Journal, USA Today, Home Office Computing, and many others.  Twitter @lesleypyle and @hiremymom

Check out these other great articles about tips for mom as a work from home professional. Also check out our current job postings for mom professionals.

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