Congratulations to Julia Gillard on becoming the first female Prime Minister of Australia. Put politics aside and celebrate a wonderful milestone in our country's history. Talk to your children about the importance of this occasion and reinforce gender equality.
Read Natasha Stott Despoja's article on 'Are we ready for Julia?'
http://www.businessspectator.com.au/bs.nsf/Article/Are-we-ready-for-Julia-pd20100624-6PVQL?OpenDocument&src=spb
Thursday, June 24, 2010
Wednesday, June 23, 2010
Start owning the role of being a parent
Raising and caring for the future of Australia can attract strange comments and inuendo at times. Apparently we don't take work seriously anymore, we shouldn't be working now because we have children, and while at home we are having coffee with friends all day.
What a load of crap. Personally, I have never worked harder and been more tired in my life but I am happy. We need to start changing these perceptions and turning them on their head. This means communicating to people around you about how much you do in your day (both at work and at home).
Stop accepting pathetic comments about it being your choice to be a parent... and the one about it being unfair that tax payers have to foot the bill for childcare subsidies and a paid parental leave scheme. What these people will contribute in tax is minimal compared to what you will pay to raise a child (at least $1 million I believe!). In monetary terms, non-parents are contributing to a blue-chip investment (your children) who will eventually be paying taxes towards their health and retirement funds.
So stop apologising for leaving on time to be with your children. Stop accepting more junior roles because you are now a parent. Stop saying that you do nothing because you are a stay-at-home parent. Take pride in how much you can achieve in your day, including raising responsible and well adjusted little human beings. And take time out for yourself.
What a load of crap. Personally, I have never worked harder and been more tired in my life but I am happy. We need to start changing these perceptions and turning them on their head. This means communicating to people around you about how much you do in your day (both at work and at home).
Stop accepting pathetic comments about it being your choice to be a parent... and the one about it being unfair that tax payers have to foot the bill for childcare subsidies and a paid parental leave scheme. What these people will contribute in tax is minimal compared to what you will pay to raise a child (at least $1 million I believe!). In monetary terms, non-parents are contributing to a blue-chip investment (your children) who will eventually be paying taxes towards their health and retirement funds.
So stop apologising for leaving on time to be with your children. Stop accepting more junior roles because you are now a parent. Stop saying that you do nothing because you are a stay-at-home parent. Take pride in how much you can achieve in your day, including raising responsible and well adjusted little human beings. And take time out for yourself.
Friday, June 18, 2010
Returning to work after 10 years
Louise's story is inspiring. After 10 years caring for her 2 children, Louise took on another challenge - returning to work. Eventually, she found a great role and wishes she returned years ago.
"I am currently working for a building inspection company. I am based in the office managing the diary and liaising with owners & tenants 3 days a week. For the past 10 years I have been at home ( my children are 10 & 7 years ).
It was always the plan to return to work when the youngest started school. Easier said than done! I suddenly realised, that in the blink of an eye, it was 20 years since I had applied for a job. Writing an application & dropping it in the mailbox had now been replaced by technology. There was no human contact – everything was done by e-mail & online IQ tests. I was totally lost. My skills were less than none, my self confidence was below zero. Throughout 2009 I did my best to answer ads but to no avail.
Then one day I accidently met a woman around my age who runs her own business. She happened to be looking for a “part-timer” & asked if I was interested. Of course I was, but had to admit my skill level was extremely low. She offered me a casual position for 6 months. I have been there since February and I can’t believe how much I have learnt. I am thoroughly enjoying it & my confidence is rising by the day. It also works for my children as they can walk home from school & I am there 20 minutes later.
I think we mothers bring an abundance of attributes to the workplace - as we all know raising children is the most demanding job ever. I can honestly say I am more focused, more organised & more accepting than ever & that’s a bonus for any employer. I am delighted to be part of the work force again & my children feel the same. Now I am like “everyone else’s Mum”. I wish I had done years ago."
"I am currently working for a building inspection company. I am based in the office managing the diary and liaising with owners & tenants 3 days a week. For the past 10 years I have been at home ( my children are 10 & 7 years ).
It was always the plan to return to work when the youngest started school. Easier said than done! I suddenly realised, that in the blink of an eye, it was 20 years since I had applied for a job. Writing an application & dropping it in the mailbox had now been replaced by technology. There was no human contact – everything was done by e-mail & online IQ tests. I was totally lost. My skills were less than none, my self confidence was below zero. Throughout 2009 I did my best to answer ads but to no avail.
Then one day I accidently met a woman around my age who runs her own business. She happened to be looking for a “part-timer” & asked if I was interested. Of course I was, but had to admit my skill level was extremely low. She offered me a casual position for 6 months. I have been there since February and I can’t believe how much I have learnt. I am thoroughly enjoying it & my confidence is rising by the day. It also works for my children as they can walk home from school & I am there 20 minutes later.
I think we mothers bring an abundance of attributes to the workplace - as we all know raising children is the most demanding job ever. I can honestly say I am more focused, more organised & more accepting than ever & that’s a bonus for any employer. I am delighted to be part of the work force again & my children feel the same. Now I am like “everyone else’s Mum”. I wish I had done years ago."
Sunday, June 6, 2010
CareerMums Webinars
CareerMums understands the challenges you face as a working parent. We are dedicated to helping mums return to the workforce with confidence. How do you start building that confidence? With the best information.
This week, we have 2 webinars:
Webinar 1: Adjusting to motherhood
Time: 8.00pm-9.00pm | Date: Wednesday 9 June 2010 | Free | Email: info@careermums.com.au to register
This webinar is for mums who are adjusting to motherhood for the first time (or even second or third time around!). It can be a big transition moving from work into motherhood and sometimes the experience of having a new baby is overwhelming. Postnatal depression is more common than people think and affects 16% of Australian women in the first year. This session will be interactive and provide opportunities for women to share their experiences, if they wish to. Strategies for coping will be discussed in detail. It will be facilitated by Dr Mataji Kennedy, a Clinical Psychologist who specialises in helping women transition into motherhood.
Webinar 2: TechTalk
Time: 8.00pm-9.00pm | Date: Wednesday 9 June 2010 | Cost: $49
TechTalk – Love it or hate it, technology is here to stay! In this 60 minute, unplugged TechTalk class, you’ll learn about current technologies used in business today. Learn about Facebook, the web, online marketing, blogs, VOIP, remote set-up, LinkedIn, YouTube, podcasts, twitter, RSS, Microsoft Office, Goggle Docs and more.
As part of our updated TechTalk series we will also be looking at how to setup your Facebook profile to keep your personal information private.
To register for this webinar: http://inspecht.com.au/store/products/CareerMums-TechTalks-%252d-9-June-2010-Evening-Session!.html
This week, we have 2 webinars:
Webinar 1: Adjusting to motherhood
Time: 8.00pm-9.00pm | Date: Wednesday 9 June 2010 | Free | Email: info@careermums.com.au to register
This webinar is for mums who are adjusting to motherhood for the first time (or even second or third time around!). It can be a big transition moving from work into motherhood and sometimes the experience of having a new baby is overwhelming. Postnatal depression is more common than people think and affects 16% of Australian women in the first year. This session will be interactive and provide opportunities for women to share their experiences, if they wish to. Strategies for coping will be discussed in detail. It will be facilitated by Dr Mataji Kennedy, a Clinical Psychologist who specialises in helping women transition into motherhood.
Webinar 2: TechTalk
Time: 8.00pm-9.00pm | Date: Wednesday 9 June 2010 | Cost: $49
TechTalk – Love it or hate it, technology is here to stay! In this 60 minute, unplugged TechTalk class, you’ll learn about current technologies used in business today. Learn about Facebook, the web, online marketing, blogs, VOIP, remote set-up, LinkedIn, YouTube, podcasts, twitter, RSS, Microsoft Office, Goggle Docs and more.
As part of our updated TechTalk series we will also be looking at how to setup your Facebook profile to keep your personal information private.
To register for this webinar: http://inspecht.com.au/store/products/CareerMums-TechTalks-%252d-9-June-2010-Evening-Session!.html
Wednesday, May 26, 2010
Career resilience
Today I spoke to two separate women on the issue of self confidence. Their stories are very different but there were parallels; their self confidence was damaged and they have made personal decisions to start to re-build it. More examples of career and personal resilience!
The first woman I spoke has been out of the workplace for 16 years. She called to talk to me about how to re-skill herself to get back to work again. Asking for help and seeking a game plan is such an important step to make. We spoke about the issue of self confidence and she acknowledged that this was her biggest barrier in getting back to work. I offered the following guidance:
- Work out what you want to do. Only you can. This means assessing your core skills, what you love, what you are good at etc. Talk about it with a trusted friend or spouse and write it down.
- Do some charity or volunteer work. Get used to working with adults again while using a computer, email, and phone.
- Talk to friends and family about possible job options. The greatest leads come from close to home.
- No negative talk. Practice being nice about yourself in front of a mirror.
- Google 'Productivity Places Program' and find a suitable course to complete. The Federal Government is currently offering job seekers the opportunity to skill-up. The discounts available on courses offered by Registered Training Organisations is worthewhile investigating.
The other woman I spoke to had a completely different story to tell. She had a successful career in senior management positions until recently when she requested to come back to work flexibly after having a baby. This request was met with a redundancy payment. Her self confidence was shot but her ability to be career resilient (a common characteristic shared by parents) has enabled her to hold her head high and attract some wonderful consulting work that will not only challenge her but also give her flexibility.
The first woman I spoke has been out of the workplace for 16 years. She called to talk to me about how to re-skill herself to get back to work again. Asking for help and seeking a game plan is such an important step to make. We spoke about the issue of self confidence and she acknowledged that this was her biggest barrier in getting back to work. I offered the following guidance:
- Work out what you want to do. Only you can. This means assessing your core skills, what you love, what you are good at etc. Talk about it with a trusted friend or spouse and write it down.
- Do some charity or volunteer work. Get used to working with adults again while using a computer, email, and phone.
- Talk to friends and family about possible job options. The greatest leads come from close to home.
- No negative talk. Practice being nice about yourself in front of a mirror.
- Google 'Productivity Places Program' and find a suitable course to complete. The Federal Government is currently offering job seekers the opportunity to skill-up. The discounts available on courses offered by Registered Training Organisations is worthewhile investigating.
The other woman I spoke to had a completely different story to tell. She had a successful career in senior management positions until recently when she requested to come back to work flexibly after having a baby. This request was met with a redundancy payment. Her self confidence was shot but her ability to be career resilient (a common characteristic shared by parents) has enabled her to hold her head high and attract some wonderful consulting work that will not only challenge her but also give her flexibility.
Wednesday, May 12, 2010
Stay-at-home mum extract from a great resume
Yesterday I received a resume to review for a CareerMums user. I was blown away. It was perfect. It highlighted her career objective, and for her previous roles she included both duties and achievements. It was under 4 pages, well presented, and had no spelling or grammatical errors. Probably the most impressive part of the resume was how she handled her stay-at-home period which was for 3.5 years. See below:
Oct 2006-Apr 2010: Parent and voluntary worker
During this time I have been proactive in seeking opportunities to exercise my skills, volunteering my time to various organisations as well as ongoing and extensive reading to ensure I maintain up-to-date awareness of developments and practices in marketing and communications.
Achievements
- Currently researching opportunities in the x energy market for a major energy consultancy targeting large commercial and industrial clients.
- Currently discussing with major charity my suggestion and operational strategy for the launch of x to increase revenue and market awareness of its cause.
- Developed strategic internal communications plan framework, internal communications audit plan and ‘communications planner’ proforma to assist x business in improving communications with their 200+ staff and 2000+ volunteers.
- Developed comprehensive and creative marketing plan for a local portraiture photographer seeking to increase her client base on a tight budget, then assisted with implementation.
- Wrote a series of x books designed to encourage x development in young children, endorsed by x speech pathologist.
She has kept herself in touch with the workplace, and has on occasions, utilised her skills to gain further experience.
The key to the stay-at-home mum section is to transform non-paid work into 'work speak'. The most basic example to work from is tuck shop duty. This involves customer service, handling money, and workng in a team. Make it all count. In addition, bring to life the new skills you have acquired from being a parent.
Oct 2006-Apr 2010: Parent and voluntary worker
During this time I have been proactive in seeking opportunities to exercise my skills, volunteering my time to various organisations as well as ongoing and extensive reading to ensure I maintain up-to-date awareness of developments and practices in marketing and communications.
Achievements
- Currently researching opportunities in the x energy market for a major energy consultancy targeting large commercial and industrial clients.
- Currently discussing with major charity my suggestion and operational strategy for the launch of x to increase revenue and market awareness of its cause.
- Developed strategic internal communications plan framework, internal communications audit plan and ‘communications planner’ proforma to assist x business in improving communications with their 200+ staff and 2000+ volunteers.
- Developed comprehensive and creative marketing plan for a local portraiture photographer seeking to increase her client base on a tight budget, then assisted with implementation.
- Wrote a series of x books designed to encourage x development in young children, endorsed by x speech pathologist.
She has kept herself in touch with the workplace, and has on occasions, utilised her skills to gain further experience.
The key to the stay-at-home mum section is to transform non-paid work into 'work speak'. The most basic example to work from is tuck shop duty. This involves customer service, handling money, and workng in a team. Make it all count. In addition, bring to life the new skills you have acquired from being a parent.
Friday, May 7, 2010
Tips for handling telecommuting requests
With the introduction of the 'right to request flexibility' National Employment Standard in January 2010, employers have been paying closer attention to their policies and procedures for handling flexible work requests.
The ability to telecommute or work from home is a popular choice for flexible working, but many employers understandably become nervous about creating a benchmark for others to follow.
How should you deal with telecommuting requests?
* Firstly, ensure you have the following policies: a Flexible Work Policy, Telecommuting Policy and an OH&S Policy.
* Create a procedure for employees to follow to have the requests reviewed appropriately.
Considerations:
* What percentage of their work time are they wanting to work from home? Is it half the time, a quarter of the time, or all the time? This will impact on your decision.
* What is their role? Is it feasible? Break the role down into different components and tasks. What could be done outside of office hours from home? What can be done by accessing the work system and using a telephone during the day?
* Does the employee have an adequate work space at home?
* Is the employee working from home to save on childcare costs? Distractions can be an issue if the employee has to be 'on call' during the day. This should be addressed in the Telecommuting Policy.
* Can staff members login from home easily? The key to to working from home effectively is to ensure employees can just as productive outside of the office, and be able to communicate with other employees easily.
* Does the employee have a track record for working either at home or flexibly? Is the employee the right style of person to work from home. Ask the question to the employee.
* Implement a communication plan to keep tabs on productivity.
* Offer a trial period so you don't lock yourself into a long term arrangement if it doesn't work out.
* Ensure everything is reviewed on a case-by-case basis. If you have procedures and paperwork to back up your decision, it will make it easier to be transparent when you are making decisions for other requests.
* In general, people who request flexibility are at a point where the current status quo is not working for them. Be careful not to dismiss the idea quickly or you may be looking at recruitment costs and training for a new starter.
For assistance in creating telecommuting procedures and a flexible work handbook, ask us about our Flexible Work Proposal Toolkit.
The ability to telecommute or work from home is a popular choice for flexible working, but many employers understandably become nervous about creating a benchmark for others to follow.
How should you deal with telecommuting requests?
* Firstly, ensure you have the following policies: a Flexible Work Policy, Telecommuting Policy and an OH&S Policy.
* Create a procedure for employees to follow to have the requests reviewed appropriately.
Considerations:
* What percentage of their work time are they wanting to work from home? Is it half the time, a quarter of the time, or all the time? This will impact on your decision.
* What is their role? Is it feasible? Break the role down into different components and tasks. What could be done outside of office hours from home? What can be done by accessing the work system and using a telephone during the day?
* Does the employee have an adequate work space at home?
* Is the employee working from home to save on childcare costs? Distractions can be an issue if the employee has to be 'on call' during the day. This should be addressed in the Telecommuting Policy.
* Can staff members login from home easily? The key to to working from home effectively is to ensure employees can just as productive outside of the office, and be able to communicate with other employees easily.
* Does the employee have a track record for working either at home or flexibly? Is the employee the right style of person to work from home. Ask the question to the employee.
* Implement a communication plan to keep tabs on productivity.
* Offer a trial period so you don't lock yourself into a long term arrangement if it doesn't work out.
* Ensure everything is reviewed on a case-by-case basis. If you have procedures and paperwork to back up your decision, it will make it easier to be transparent when you are making decisions for other requests.
* In general, people who request flexibility are at a point where the current status quo is not working for them. Be careful not to dismiss the idea quickly or you may be looking at recruitment costs and training for a new starter.
For assistance in creating telecommuting procedures and a flexible work handbook, ask us about our Flexible Work Proposal Toolkit.
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