You are here: Home / 2007 / Archives for May 2007

Résumé Tips – for Women Re-entering Work

By 5 Comments

First thing you must know when writing your resume – It is alright if you have a conspicuous employment gap in your resume.

Your resume must focus on how best you would serve the requirements for the job you aspire for. Your resume should talk about what abilities and skills you have to fill in for the lack of experience on your resume.
A well written is resume is a forward-looking resume. A resume that tells the hiring managers or the recruiters what you shall be able to do for them. Even if you have no experience to show what you have done in your past – as an example of work experience, try to weave in your experience form day-to-day life to showcase your abilities.

Answer this question: Why should they hire you?

When you know how to market yourself and how to present yourself in the best light, the person on the other side of the table will know as well. But first – you must know how to most effectively present your skills and abilities to others.

Make your resume precise, no beating round the bush or adding those non-relevant experiences which have no connection to the position you are applying for. No one is looking for loads and loads of experience or words on your resume, they want to see how best you would fit in the company and the job requirements. A to-the-point resume even though it is half a page long is better than 3-4 pages of irrelevant information.

Go hi-tech, go with the trends. Since you have to make an extra effort to shine above the rest of the competition, try out the video resumes, podcasts and having your own website to showcase your skills.

Also don’t feel shy to send your resume draft to friends you know are in similar industry, they would be glad to critique or provide constructive feedback on your resume if you ask them to. Seek professional help and advice; you can only gain from advice from mentors and experts.

Note: the emphasis is on showcasing your abilities and skills not your experience.

 What other questions do you have as you think about rewriting your resume after an employment history gap?
Share
Filed Under: Career Woman, Job Search Tagged With: , , , , , , ,

Healthy Lunch for a Working Mother

By 1 Comment

The family and the world needs a healthy mother. With the working mother already stressed out with taking care of the family and work, she must do her best to find time to care for herself and maintaining a healthy diet all through the year. You very well know, mothers just cannot afford to get sick.

Breakfast on the Go
No time for breakfast? How about peeling / cutting a few oranges and a banana in the evening and making a quick orange, banana yogurt smoothie in the morning. Your vitamin C and Calcium on the go!

Are you getting a free lunch at the office or the canteen at the office keeps you well fed? Well-fed is one aspect and well-balanced lunch is another. For a working mother who hardly finds time in the morning to pack her kids lunch what would be the best and healthy lunch that she can take her herself at work? Morning rush – packing lunch – tough job but can be easy-smeezy if planned well – either the day before or even for the whole week.

Salad and More
How about a healthy salad with nuts as toppings which you can prepare and keep in the refrigerator in the night ready to go in the morning – the healthy greens and nuts give your body the great antioxidant vitamin E and the fiber you need to feel energetic the whole day. Add a couple of healthy whole wheat dinner rolls with low cal spread or dressing and you have a refreshing summer lunch to keep you going the whole day.

Hot Lunch Tips
Another quick recipe that can be done the evening before or a left over from the previous night or before – a hearty soup, vegan or not, can be extremely filling and healthy and keep you alert and full at your work day. Again, add a whole wheat bread or roll along and you have the required calories for the day.

Recipe Idea — Brown Rice Jambalaya

Benefits: Lots of fiber, low fat 
This is my personal favorite (my own recipe as well).
To be prepared the night before – or if you have 20 minutes in the morning can be ready as you get in the shower and get ready and this “jambalaya” would be waiting in the kitchen to be packed and enjoyed at lunch time.
– Preparation beforehand – prepare brown rice the night before
– In a pan add little oil and add cut frozen veggies and chopped celery (add chopped onions and green chillies if you like them)
– Add salt and pepper to taste
– Close the lid, turn to low heat or simmer and let the veggies get done while you take a shower and get dressed
– When done, add the pre-cooked brown rice to the pan and mix well – garnish with lime juice and other herbs of your choice
It is ready to be packed for a hot nourishing lunch at the office!

Recipe Idea — Stir Fry Noodles

Benefits: Easy to pack and eat, veggies make the recipe healthy
Get some veggies in your lunch routine. Simple stir fry noodles can be ready in as short time as 15 minutes. Prepare at night or if you can spare a few minutes before you get ready for work.
– Boil your favorite packet noodles (how about some healthy whole wheat noodles?)
– While your noodles are boiling, stir fry some frozen veggies in a skillet, season with some salt, pepper and herbs – if you have to the time. Add light soya sauce or any of your favorite sauce for more flavor.
– While your veggies were getting nice and crisp the noodles are nice and soft. Mix them together, add a few drops of lemon and pack your lunch!

Left-over Delight


Got some great left-overs? Wrap them with some greens in a whole wheat tortilla, a few sprinkles of your favorite dressing and spices and there you have a healthy burrito ready in 2-minutes.

 

Recipe Idea — Healthy Wrap


Tips: Cut some salad (few tomatoes, greens, cucumber etc.) in the night and keep them covered in the refrigerator. In the morning rush to pack lunch, prepare a wrap or a sandwich using the cut salad, your favorite spread, light cheese – garnish with salt and pepper, wrap it or keep in a sandwich box and you are ready to go. Add more zest and energy to your wrap or sandwich with your favorite add-on – slice a few portabella mushrooms the night before and quickly saute in light soya sauce. Use them all in your lunch today or store the rest in refrigerator to use it another day.

And don’t forget that important mid-afternoon snack – take with you a fruit or grab from the office pantry instead of getting attracted towards the few pieces of donuts or cake left at the office kitchen counter. A handful of nuts would do great too!

Please note: these are just suggestions, I am no expert nutritionist.

On Similar thoughts and ideas I found a post on thatsfit website.

 

Would you love to share your ideas on how you manage to snack and lunch healthy? Please add to the Comments, what are your tips for a healthy lunch for a busy working mother?

 

Share
Filed Under: Career Woman Tagged With: , , , ,

Gen Y, Gen X and the Baby Boomers – @ Work Together

By 8 Comments

With the Millennial generation being the newcomers to the workplace, the 21st century is witnessing the coming together of these three generation at workplace. How different would it be working with different generations?

Should the new Generation @ Work be treated differently by the Employers?
A recent report cited that excessive workload and poor promotion policies at workplace are making the younger employees most dissatisfied. It says, “These days, the lowest levels of job satisfaction are among younger workers, the survey found. Only 39 percent of respondents aged 25 and younger said they liked their current jobs — the lowest level in the survey’s 20-year history — compared to 45 percent for workers between 45 and 54.”
What is reason for this dissatisfaction? Is it only amongst the younger age group workers or trickles down to the generation X and baby boomers? Interestingly, this report says, “By contrast, job-satisfaction levels are highest among older workers, with nearly half of all respondents between 55 and 64, and 65 and over, feeling satisfied by their employment situation.”

The employers have to change and evolve with the demands and work requirements of the newcomers to the workforce to help increase their retention rate. The new generation at work seeks challenges and a place that encourages growth and experimentation. They are risk takers and would tend to move on fast if they do not see much value in their present work. They’ll be walking out of the door more often as has been seen before if they do not see value in their work or are being recognized enough, for sure employee retention would be a big problem in future that the present employers have to be proactive about.

The Millennial generation has to work in tandem with the generations Xers and the baby boomer generation, also with a diverse working environment that the present organizations have worldwide, the tolerant side of all working generations are to test. The new generation needs to be introduced to accept mentoring and information exchange with the generation Xers and baby boomers. Corporate career coaching and mentoring process can be beneficial in the short and long run in retaining the multi-faceted talent of the Millennials.

I feel so positive about this new generation Y at work, they will herald a new era of impressive tech and financial growth for all economies and since the present generation has begun on the tasks for healing our planet after all this damage done, also the new generation at work will have a major contribution towards creating and implementing ideas around the global issues concerning environment and alternative energy solutions.

What should the employers do to retain you (happily) at the workplace?

Organization

If you enjoy reading this blog, Subscribe to my feed to get notified of my new posts.

Share
Filed Under: Career Self-Help, Communication@Work Tagged With: , , , ,

What does a Working Mother want?

By 1 Comment

What does mom want on Mother’s Day?
As we approach the mother’s day, you could be wondering what your mother wants or how you can make her day by gifting her what she will truly cherish.
Material gifts apart, I am thinking about a list of for working mothers, giving her some of these could make her life easier everyday!

A working mother wants:

  • Flexible working hours so she can be home with kids and enjoy her life more by being part of their lives more than just truly getting involved with their activities on the weekends.
  • A working mother wants more parental leave. She is the one who has to take time off from work when a child is sick or for other family members, she would be much happier if the employers offered extra leaves when a child or a family member is sick.
  • She wants less stress in life. The multitasking and juggling family and work takes a serious toll on her day in and day out. She would do better with some support at household chores or having some house cleaning help. She wants your contribution and a helping hand at day to day activities.
  • Working mothers need a support group. She needs friends and family members who could help in picking up their kids from school in case she is in a meeting. She needs to talk about her problems and work related issues. She needs her spouse support which would enable her to work stress-free and manage her family responsibilities with ease.
  • She needs an occasional meaningful ‘thank you’ from spouse and family, or if and when you feel generous enough frequent acts of acknowledgement and praise are most welcome! Let her know that she matters a lot and is not someone taken for granted. A heartfelt acknowledgement and a hug will make her day for sure!

What else can you think of? What would you do to make your mom’s / spouses’ day?

Share
Filed Under: Career Woman Tagged With: , , , ,
Newer Posts »