Jobs and Moms

Recession-Resistant Careers

As this recession chugs along, and fears of layoffs increase, more people are looking for ways to redirect their careers towards "safer" options. While no single career or entrepreneurial venture is one hundred percent recession-proof, certain categories of jobs appear well poised for long term stability:

1) Health care:  Opportunities for doctors, nurses, medical technicians, physical therapists and home health care providers should continue to be very strong for quite some time thanks to the aging population and advances in health care technology.  Click here to learn more about careers in health care.

2) Stimulus recipients: The $787 billion dollar stimulus plan recently passed by Congress should create and protect nearly 3.5 million jobs.  In addition to jobs involving construction and teaching, $350 million of the money has been reserved to ensure oversight, so government auditors, investigators and lawyers who monitor the money being spent on economic recovery will benefit from job opportunities generated by the stimulus package. Click here to learn more about where the stimulus jobs are.

3) Fix-it folks: Car dealers might be suffering but auto mechanics are booming as people sink money into keeping their old cars longer. From cobblers -- to PC repair people -- to folks who recover furniture; people are migrating back to the old mentality of fixing things before replacing them with something new.

4) Caregivers/ Services:  People who help to take care of loved ones -- seniors, children, and even pets, -- will continue to be in demand. 

5)  Number Crunchers:  The demand for accountants, auditors and regulators continues to be strong in both the private and public sectors. Click here to learn more about these fields.

New Media Skills = Higher Salary Potential

Tired of watching your children "waste" time on their computers and cell phones? Well, they might just be getting some needed on-the-job training without even knowing it.

According to a recent survey conducted by Ball State University, the vast majority of employers are willing to pay higher salaries (ranging from 2% - 8% more) to new hires skilled in new media. Regardless of whether they are willing to compensate employees extra for these skills, 93% of the employers polled indicated that it is somewhat or very important for employees to have up-and-coming media skills, including knowledge of e-mail, mobile computing, podcasts, digital audio or media players, mobile communication devices, instant messaging and interactive web applications.

Few of the employers polled indicated that they are offering on-the-job training for these skills, so it will be up to you to secure these skills on your own.

Staying Upbeat During Tough Times

How do you stay optimistic when you are surrounded by a steady drumbeat of troubling news? It's not an easy task these days, especially when you're worried about holding on to your job or your home.

Yet, it is precisely during times like these that must be proactive about managing our emotional well-being. The people most likely to succeed in this economy are not necessarily those with the best resumes or education, but those who develop the "mental muscle" that empowers them with the focus to create opportunities and their own "luck" in spite of the odds. As famed author Stephen Covey notes, "“Opposition is a natural part of life. Just as we develop our physical muscles through overcoming opposition - such as lifting weights - we develop our character muscles by overcoming challenges and adversity.” Fortunately, with hard work and persistence, optimism can be learned.

Thanks to the emerging science of Applied Positive Psychology (not to be confused with positive thinking), a number of excellent tools have been developed to help people build resiliency and mental well-being.

Here are three invaluable resources that I strongly recommend you explore:

Authentic Happiness: This is the website of Dr. Martin Seligman, who is the founder of the University of Pennsylvania's Positive Psychology Center. Outstanding website that contains an array of free assessment tools to help you develop insights into yourself and the world around you through scientifically tested questionnaires, surveys, and scales.

Creating Your Best Life: This book by Caroline Miller is filled with research, worksheets and easy-to-implement strategies for people who want to adopt meaningful life planning and impactful goal-setting tools into their lives.

Emotional Freedom: Liberate Yourself from Negative Emotions and Transform Your Life: Dr. Judith Orloff weaves neuroscience, psychology, and spirituality together to create a new approach for freeing yourself from negative emotions.

Turn Your Expertise into Online Cash

Careerjournal.com has an interesting article about fee-for-service sites such as LivePerson, Mechanical Turk and Associated Content where you can get paid for your professional expertise. While the fees you'll earn are lower than you can typically command on your own, this can be a useful strategy for moms who have limited time and capital to market their professional services.

Job Search Tip: Link into your Target Company

We all know that networking is the best way to find jobs. Fortunately, sites like LinkedIn.com are making it easier all the time to get connected. If you haven't already done so, now is the time to begin building your network on LinkedIn.com. It is free, easy to use, and has a number of very sophisticated features. For example, if you have an upcoming job interview, you can use LinkedIn.com to connect with people in your network (or expanded network) who might be able to help you with your pre-interview research. All you need to do is go to LinkedIn.com, click on the company tab and enter the name of a firm you'd like to work for. A list of people with LinkedIn profiles who work there will pop up and if you're connected to any of them, even with a degree or two of separation, your connections will be noted on the screen. You can then leverage those connections to network your way to helpful information about your target company.

Great Place to Work? Tips for the Interview

As a career coach, I help my clients figure out the best careers for their unique package of experiences, personality traits, skills and interests. But, when it comes to lasting career satisfaction, finding the "right" fit is as much about how you work as it is about what you do. A top-notch boss, a compatible team of co-workers and/or the opportunity to enjoy a healthy work-life balance can turn a mediocre work assignment into a truly enjoyable job.

If you're in the market for a new position, here are three interview questions that might help you to better evaluate prospective employers (without appearing to be overly concerned about work-life and flexibility issues):

1) What do you enjoy most about working here? This can be a deceptively simple way to learn about a company's culture. In general, happy employees are eager to share positive information about their employer and will answer this question with enthusiasm. Disgruntled employees are more likely to answer this with a routine response (e.g. "This is a nice company" or "Management treats us well") without offering examples or elaboration.

2) How does this company compare to other places you've worked before?  Hopefully this answer won't won't be only about profits and products.  Listen for references to work-life benefits, flexibility, teamwork, opportunities for training and development, recognition programs and other features that demonstrate the company's commitment to being both an "employer of choice"  and a profitable company.

3) What makes your company unique? This question gives employers an opportunity to choose what they want to emphasize. Some employers will tailor their response to focus on their products and services. But other employers, particularly those who place a premium on work-life satisfaction, will see this as an opportunity to boast about their unique culture, mission and/or benefits.

Back-to-Work Programs for Moms in the Sciences

As the author of The Back-to-Work-Toolkit: A Guide for Comeback Moms, I am always looking for new resources for professional woman returning to the workplace. Unfortunately, many of the re-entry programs that were started in recent years have been shelved due to the current economic landscape. However, I was heartened to read a CareerJournal.com article stating, "Honeywell, General Electric, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and even the British government have all launched programs to provide women scientists, engineers and technicians the tools they need to jump-start stalled careers." If you are a mom-scientist who is thinking of returning to work, check out the full article by clicking here.