Work It Mom’s blog

Complete our Breadwinner Mom Survey and Win a Sony Reader Prize Pack!

Are you the sole or primary breadwinner in your household? Complete our 10-question survey and you will be automatically entered to win a Sony Reader Prize Pack worth $500!

How to Enter: Click here to complete our quick 10-question survey about being a breadwinner mom.

Prize: We're thrilled to offer the Sony Reader Prize Pack to our winner! It contains:

• Sony Reader

• Autographed Embossed Cover

• James Patterson Skin

• 6 Popular Titles from America's Best Selling Author James Patterson (6 books in the Women’s Murder club series)

• Special pre-loaded excerpt from Patterson’s new book Sunday’s at Tiffany’s)

To enter you must complete the Breadwinner Mom Survey by July 7th, 2008. We will choose one winner at random on or about July 8th and notify them by email.

General contest rules: To enter, you must be a U. S. resident, and at least 18 years of age. No purchase necessary. Employees, contractors, and the families of employees and contractors of Work It, Mom! LLC are not eligible to enter. Cash value of the prize is approximately $500. Winner will be contacted by email. If the winner cannot be reached after 3 attempts, a new winner will be selected by a random drawing. Void where prohibited.

Win a working moms rock! T-shirt from honestbaby.com!

We're thrilled to have partnered with HonestBaby.com for this great contest. Every day this week we will give away a working moms rock! T-shirt from honestbaby.com to one lucky Work It, Mom! member.

To enter, all you have to do is post a comment here:  http://www.workitmom.com/contest describing an imperfect parenting experience you've had recently. Did you plant your kids in front of the TV so you could finish a conference call? Leave work early and get a manicure instead of immediately rushing to get home? Forget to bring your kids' lunch to daycare? Share your imperfect parent story -- we promise we won't tell.

We will select one winner daily. The contest starts on Tuesday, June 10th and ends on Saturday, June 14th. You can enter as many times as you like -- each of your entries functions like a raffle ticket, increasing your chances of winning. Once you've won, you can't win again (sorry!)

Winners will be contacted through their Workitmom.com member profiles. You will be able to pick a color and size for your T-shirt (sizes available from 3 months to 6T).

Share your imperfect parenting experience now!

The original article can be found on Work It, Mom! A Community for Working Moms

As the Better Business Bureau notes, the Internet may be changing how scammers get ads and messages before a wide audience fast, but their targets have not changed. "Work-at-home con artists have always preyed most heavily upon senior citizens, the disabled, mothers who want to stay at home with their children, people with low income and few job skills, and people who just want to get rich quick," the BBB warns.

The too-good-to-be-true offers seem to be everywhere, even in the comments on Shine. So to separate true work-from-home opportunities from scams, follow your instincts and this advice:

Lesley Spencer Pyle, who founded Homebased Working Moms in 1995, says they research companies that place ads on the site with the Better Business Bureau, "but it's not foolproof." So good judgment reins. She does suggest if after you do your research and decide to pay money up front for materials or business kits (which I'm not convinced is ever a good idea), use a credit card so you can dispute the charges with the credit card company if a refund is necessary.

If you do seek a work-from-home opportunity, make sure you get paid what your experience and time is worth. You'll find some pointers on how to negotiate pay for a flexible job here.

About the Author: Dory Devlin is the Work+Money editor on Yahoo! Shine. Check out Shine Work+Money here.

The original article can be found on Work It, Mom! A Community for Working Moms

The contest can be found on Work It, Mom! A Community for Working Moms

Write about your day and win a copy of Water Cooler Diaries and a gorgeous new Botanic Filofax!

We were inspired by the authors of the Water Cooler Diaries to invite all of you to pick one day from your busy life and chronicle it in a Member Note. What a great way to see how the many different working mom members spend their days and what everyone's jobs are like!

How to enter: Pick one work-day and chronicle it in a Member Note. You choose how much detail to include and the format you like -- and if you just want to include a few things that's fine (we know you're busy.)

Winner selction: We will select one grandprize winner at random on May 31st and she will recieve a copy of the Water Cooler Diaries and the new Botanic Filofax (pocket size). 3 other winners will each receive a copy of the Water Cooler Diaries.

Click here to chronicle your day now!

(And check out our interview with one of the book's authors!)

General contest rules: To enter, you must be a member of workitmom.com, a U. S. resident, and at least 18 years of age. No purchase necessary. Limit 1 entry per person. Employees, contractors, and the families of employees and contractors of Work It, Mom! LLC are not eligible to enter. Cash value of the prize is approximately $50 for grandprize and $20 for other prizes. Winner will be contacted through her Workitmom.com profile and her workitmom.com profile name displayed here in the Contest area of the site. If the winner cannot be reached after 3 attempts, a new winner will be selected by a random drawing.

The original article can be found on Work It, Mom! A Community for Working Moms

The original article can be found on Work It, Mom! A Community for Working Moms

So there I was -- a control freak, a perfectionist, on the brink of 40 and the room parent for my children's classrooms. So it was the perfect storm -- desire for change and a need to solve a pressing problem.

Some people get the courage and desire to start companies much younger -- KUDOS to you! But for me, I have been the worker bee for "The Man" for longer than I can remember. Working for "The Man" (or "The Woman") isn't so bad -- good salaries, good perks, good benefits. So it was often a 50- to 60-hour per week job, but it was predictable, secure, and boring. At the end of the day, there was no real ownership, no ability to make my own destiny. With 15 years of corporate experience behind me, I finally became confident in my ability to do run my own show, which leads me to why I started my own company.

1.) I found myself. I know this is cliche, but it is true. As I approach 40, I am much more comfortable in my own skin, much more knowledgeable about my own strengths and weaknesses, and much more confident in my abilities to go after what I want. I don't really care what other people think, I know what I can do, and I am certainly not going to defer to people with less experience and less success. It took a long time to get to this state, but it feels great.

2.) Working like a dog for peanuts. I have spent my working years in both investment banking and high-tech startups. I love the excitement of high-tech startups, but at the end of the day, I was working extremely hard for the founders and the investors. The risk and hours I put in did not match the minority equity stake I received. So, I began thinking, "If I am going to work this hard, why not for something that I want to do, where I have a more significant ownership, that I enjoy?"

3.) Flexibility. I work harder than I ever have -- even when I was in investment banking. I think about my company, Qlubb, every single waking moment (which is about 19 hours a day). I even dream about it in my sleep. That being said, I am still my children's classrooms' room parent and I still volunteer in my community. Though I rely on my wonderful carpool parents to help drop off and pick my children up from school, I can ocassionally drop in to talk to the teachers, attend an event, or help out at school. This was nearly impossible in the corporate world -- no matter how "flexible" they said my job could be. My most productive hours? 10 p.m. to 3 a.m. It's quiet, cable broadband is EXTRA fast, there is mindless night-time talk show chatter, and I can interact with my Indian development team in real-time.

4.) Role model. Last year, as I was about to attend an evening meeting, my daugther asked me, "Why are you going to a meeting? Mommies don't work. Stay home." Wow. That really hit home hard. As the mother of a "waiting for a knight-in-shining-armor princess," the last thing I wanted to hear was that she, at 4, had already developed her own gender stereotypes of what I can and was able to do. I had to be my daughter's role model, and show her that women can be moms and that some also want to work.

5.) Satisfaction of making the world just a little brighter. I started Qlubb with the admittedly self-serving goal of designing a system that could help me manage the responsibiltiies of being a room parent and community volunteer. However, the benefits of building this company have expanded. I love it when it when I log onto my system and see new users and Qlubbs being created. I love when users send me notes thanking me or suggesting new features. It's a great feeling when something you do can make positive change in someone else's life, no matter how small. It could be a smile on a kid's face when they bite into your cupcake, the oohs and aahs from a client after your great massage, the customer who wears the shoes/clothing you have designed...

I know it is hard to get all the things in place to start a company. Believe me, I know. But companies can be of all sizes and shapes -- from the small local flower shop to designing shoes that are worn on Sex in the City. It's all about finding your passion, finding yourself, and taking the plunge.

We may not all succeed, but the journey will be incredible.

About the Author: Sophia is the mother of 2 young children and also a full-time Web2.0 entrepreneur. In addition to being Qlubb's CEO, she also finds time to be a room parent for both her children's classrooms and be a community volunteer. Sophia just got back from a 24-hour round-trip to NYC and lived to tell about it.

The original article can be found on Work It, Mom! A Community for Working Moms

11.) Do the claims ignore differences among individuals or groups?

If the answer is "yes" to any of these questions, then you are probably dealing with a fad diet. The website in the question, above, offers quick-fix promises, claims that sound too good to be true, and very little information related to the science behind why the plan works.

The original article can be found on Work It, Mom! A Community for Working Moms

You put together the perfect resume and emailed copies to five or 10 of your target companies. That was several weeks ago and you haven't heard a thing. Why haven't any of your potential employers called?

Of course, there could be any number of reasons, especially in a highly-competitive job market. However, if you are feeling stalled in your job search, it is a good time to be proactive and take steps to become a Top Job Candidate^TM. Let's start with an honest self-check surrounding three ways you can turn off potential employers through the use of technology.

1.) Email addresses that aren't strictly business. Email is much more than just a method of delivering messages between yourself and potential employers. Your email address can say a lot about who you are. After all, people use their email addresses as an expression of their personalities. They declare their affiliations with political or social groups, express their love of nature or the environment, show their devilish side with a feeling a slight anonymity. All of which is fine, for the most part. However, when it comes to an active job search, less is definitely more -- as in tell potential employers a lot less about your personal life and you'll get a lot more interest.

Your email address should not include:

• References to body parts.
• Religious or political affiliations.
• Obscenities.
• Slang.
• Street or nicknames.
• Anything that will generally creep out potential employers.

The email address used in your job search should:

• Be professional.
• Include your full name or something close to it.
• Be checked regularly.

Recruiters and potential employers see the use of inappropriate email addresses every single day. It brings the job candidate's judgment into question; offends potential employers or recruiters; and subjects the candidate to potential bias - intentionally or not.

2.) Hitting a sour note with ringtones and ringback tones. Cell phone technology allows users to show our individual style, personality, and flair. From customized ring tones to ringback tones. The ringback tone is what you hear when you call someone. Traditionally, it is a simple ring. But, thanks to recent technology, cell phone users can select a ringback that suits their personality. Most commonly the selected ringback is a popular song, a quote from a movie or television personality, or a short comedic dialogue.

The use of ringbacks can be precarious for job seekers. Potential employers and recruiters can be turned off, shocked, or offended by ringbacks featuring edgy, controversial music or objectionable comedy routines. Even ringbacks that you might consider safe -- orchestral music, standard classics, or inspirational music -- could be a turn off for some.

Don't take a chance on jeopardizing your chance of landing your dream job. Forego cutesy or edgy ringbacks and stick to the traditional ring, at least during an active job search. You can always go back to your favorite tones after you've secured your new dream job.

3.) De-valuing voicemail. Imagine that you are a recruiter or potential employer. You are overloaded with resumes, in addition to your usual duties. A potential job candidate's resume catches your attention and you give her a call, only to discover that she doesn't have voicemail. Will you call her again later? How many times will you call, hoping to catch the candidate before you move on to the next?

Don't risk missing out on your dream job because a potential employer can't reach you. Utilize voicemail during an active job search and be sure to check your messages regularly.

The mistake that job seekers typically make regarding voicemail is the use of a less than professional voicemail message. Think of your voicemail message as an audition tape for potential employers. Give them a sample of how you will sound on the phone with their customers. Keep your message simple and eliminate background noise or music and slang.

Technology plays a large role in our everyday lives. The use of email, mobile phones, and text messaging make communications easier, more casual. Use technology strategically during your job search. It will give you a definite edge over the competition and keep you from making three sure-fire mistakes that scare off potential employers.

About the Author: Roxanne is the Job Search Coach at Urban Career Coach. She is passionate about helping job seekers to improve their job search skills, raise their confidence levels, and achieve their career goals.  http://www.urbancareercoach.com/