Please give me tips on my next dilemma..

[Mom2Deacon]

Okay my next dilemma is finding a job. I guess this is where I have the most doubt in myself. I haven't worked in over ten years when I was 20. I do not have a degree (even associates) even though I am currently in school. I have no clothes for an interview but yet I need an interview too. I have tons skills but no outside of the home experience. So does anyone have any tips or encouraging words?

--Sara

[StillMamamia]

Okay my next dilemma is finding a job. I guess this is where I have the most doubt in myself. I haven't worked in over ten years when I was 20. I do not have a degree (even associates) even though I am currently in school. I have no clothes for an interview but yet I need an interview too. I have tons skills but no outside of the home experience. So does anyone have any tips or encouraging words?

--Sara


You're a MOM...meaning : managing, delegating, conflict resolving, decision making, dilemma-solving, etc etc etc
so
you've got what it takes! You've been working for the past 10 or so years, you just been doing it in a different location ;).
Being in school should be enough confirmation for any future employer that a mom, which is a FULL-TIME job (for lack of a better word), who is lacking sleep, lacking family help for the most part (correct me if I'm wrong) still manages to go to school!
As for clothes, can a friend lend you some? Or maybe get your best outfit and see how it looks? I'm sure you can find something decent to wear.
Last, why not make a list of all the skills you know you have. And practice (in front or a mirror or with a friend) saying them out loud and convincingly?

Good luck!

[Lee]

Oh goody - this is the kinda stuff I love!!!! My mom just went through this, and she found this info very helpful.

MY advice is - a) make a list of what your have learned in school, b) make a list of any volunteer work you may have done, with the schools, library, etc... and C) make a list of skills you use at home

Things to include are organizational skills, leadership roles, budgeting, etc. Also, make sure you download a good list of Action Verbs to start your resume off with- not I was the president of the PTA; but effectively led the PTA through reorganization blah, blah, blah...

Also, once you have your resume created, try getting in at some temp positions until something full time comes through - that way you will be earning money, gaining experience, and learning what kind of work you like, and or do...

I would be happy to proofread and offer suggestions on your Resume - as long as you don't mind constructive criticism!

Good luck!

JobStar Central
what where

job title, keywords or company
city, state or zip jobs by job search


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You ASKED Electra

Dear Electra,

I am a 46 year old wife, mother of three, grandmother to three and soon, four. That is what I have been for 25 + years! I am not complaining...I have loved doing it, but now it is time to get a paying job and I am stuck. I can't seem to figure out how to write a resume and everyone wants to know if you have experience in 'Excel' or 'Word'.

How does a housewife/mom write a resume? Any advice will be so appreciated!!!!!

Ready to Start

Dear Ready,

Yours is a question I get all the time. In fact, it's a variation on the world's OLDEST job search question: How do I get experience when I don't have experience????

The good news is that this seemingly impossible problem is really a trick question. Whether you're 18 or 46, you already HAVE experience. For the 18 year old that experience would come from school, volunteer work, hobbies, sports, special interests. For the 46 year old you can add a lifetime of day to day accomplishments, problem solving, project management (buying school clothes for 3 kids on a budget, planning a camping trip for 10 pre-teens, refinancing your house.) What you need to learn is how to translate those experiences into the kinds of skills and accomplishments required by a specific job.

Here's Susan Ireland's advice on taking that first step.
[You can see some of Susan's resume samples on JobStar or visit her website for more samples and advice.]

The first step is for you to make a list of the types of jobs you want to apply for. That can be done by working with a career counselor, browsing through job listings online, or circling newspaper help wanted ads that look good to you. Prioritize the jobs in your list, making #1 your most favorite. Then create a functional resume for your #1 job, leaving all the other jobs aside for now.

Look at the requirements for #1. You may need to do some research to know what skills and experience are required and desired. Then look at your experience as a mother, grandmother, volunteer, student (even if it was ages ago) to see where you have demonstrated those skills. If you're missing a particular skill (such as Excel), find out how much Excel will be required on the job and, based on that, decide if the job is realistic for you. If Excel isn't a big part of the job, perhaps you could start taking a class in Excel or get a volunteer position where you would learn Excel starting tomorrow in order to get enough experience to perform on the job. Then maybe you could get your foot in the door with a functional resume that lists the new volunteer work or class where you're learning Excel. In your Summary of Qualifications you could express your ability to learn new skills.

Most important--know that your experience as a mom and grandmother has given you valuable skills in organization, financial management, crisis management, and many other areas that will interest an employer. How you write it on your resume depends upon what your job objective is. So start with determining your #1 job objective. Create a resume for that objective. Then tailor that resume to suit your #2 objective. Then go on to your #3, and so on.

Yana Parker, of Damn Good Resume fame, has some excellent advice on How to Uncover Your Special Skills and Talents. You can download her workbook for Adults Entering the Workforce and get started on your first job: identifying the skills and experience you offer an employer.

http://jobstar.org/tools/resume/res-func.php

[MysticSisters]

A tip I was once given for an interview is put money in your pocket...even if it's just 5 bucks. It gives you the idea that "I don't need this job I want it and here's why."

An interview outfit does not have to be a suit. It can be clean (non-jean) pants or a skirt and a clean blouse that matches. Nothing fancy, just simple and clean.

Don't forget a nice looking resume. I don't mean just words either. In the case of a resume blank space is a good thing. You don't need borders, just want you want your future boss to know about you. Why they need you. Also on an application, use a blue or black pen (or type) and don't mis-spell every other word. I can't tell you how many applications I have filed in the back of the drawer that had so many spelling errors on them I got a headache!

[Mom2Deacon]

You're a MOM...meaning : managing, delegating, conflict resolving, decision making, dilemma-solving, etc etc etc
so
you've got what it takes! You've been working for the past 10 or so years, you just been doing it in a different location ;).
Being in school should be enough confirmation for any future employer that a mom, which is a FULL-TIME job (for lack of a better word), who is lacking sleep, lacking family help for the most part (correct me if I'm wrong) still manages to go to school!
As for clothes, can a friend lend you some? Or maybe get your best outfit and see how it looks? I'm sure you can find something decent to wear.
Last, why not make a list of all the skills you know you have. And practice (in front or a mirror or with a friend) saying them out loud and convincingly?

Good luck!

I actually have some help. My parents take care of the kids when needed but the majority of the time, I get homework done on my own time. We go to my folks for dinners and some lunches.

--Sara

[StillMamamia]

I actually have some help. My parents take care of the kids when needed but the majority of the time, I get homework done on my own time. We go to my folks for dinners and some lunches.

--Sara

That's awesome you have family support!!
Didn't mean to offend you by my previous comment...I just thought you didn't, but now I stand corrected:cwds: