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February 26, 2018 0 Comments

Hire My Mom Success Story: Shannon Culp

What’s your success story with HireMyMom.com?

I cannot stop shouting HireMyMom.com from the rooftops! I’ve enjoyed introducing it to so many moms out there looking for exactly what I found through hiremymom…my DREAM JOB. It’s hard for people to believe there’s a site out there focused on helping moms. When in fact,  the companies who advertise jobs here have a strong understanding of what career moms like myself are looking for. I wanted to find inner peace and perfect work/life balance that allows me to put my family first and not lose sight of my career goals.

I joined the website and actually got two awesome jobs in the span of 6 months!

For me, my career aspirations included finding the “diamond in the rough” position I just knew was out there. I wanted something I could be passionate about and proud of. I found BestSelf.Co’s posting for a Project Manager and instantly fell in love with this company and everything it stands for. Their post told me I could work 100% remotely, have fun at my job, and be a part of something truly amazing?!? Was this company for real? So, I checked out the website and learned all about Cathryn and Allen. They created an insanely successful business out of a need for organization and accountability. Not only was I going to focus 100% of my efforts towards landing this DREAM JOB with a company that was clearly cooler than I was, I found myself actually wanting to buy and try the products!

I got the job with BestSelf.Co. around the middle of September and less than a month later I joined my new team in Key West for my first (of hopefully many) bi-annual team retreats!

HireMyMom.com fatefully connected me with a company and a job I didn’t even know existed! Never in my life have I truly gotten to tell people about what I do with such amazing passion and pride. I have so much gratitude and thanks towards HireMyMom.com. What a perfect season it is to reflect on that!

What’s your educational and experiential background?

My education is in Business Management & Accounting, and up until very recently the majority of my work experience was in Property Management.

What is your top tip for landing a gig on HireMyMom.com?

  • Set your career search goals high and thoroughly read each career posting that intrigues you.
  • Take the time to learn what they are looking for and promote yourself in a unique way that will make you memorable over hundreds if not thousands of other applicants:
  • Tell a short, yet intriguing story about yourself.
  • Find a way to relate reading and/or education that you’ve completed in a way that will make you shine in that position.
  • Bottom line, in your cover letter, don’t repeat your resume. Find a new and interesting way to tell your prospective employer about yourself.
  • Take care in every. single. application you submit. Don’t phone this in. If you expect to land an amazing job – you have to put amazing effort towards achieving it.
  • Don’t copy/paste for multiple positions. Research each company and reflect on that in your application.
  • Many of the jobs on HireMyMom are with aspiring startup companies who embrace the “work productively from home” mantra. If you want to be part of something amazing from the ground up, HireMyMom.com is an awesome place to find that!

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February 12, 2018 0 Comments

5 Ways to Achieve Success

Success looks different for everyone, but it’s something we all strive for.  Whether success is a career goal, or a certain way of flexible living for you and your family, you can take specific steps to get there.  With a clear plan and a few tips, you can achieve the success you’re seeking.

Define it

What does success look like to you? Just because someone you know feels successful in their life, doesn’t mean you ought to achieve the same things just because.  This can lead you down a path of striving for things that truly don’t mean much to you.

How do you enjoy spending your time?  What would a successful life look like to you? Take some time to write these thoughts down.  Once you know what you’re striving for, it makes it easier to prioritize and eliminate those things that don’t fit on your path to success.

Set goals

Goals are always very important and very motivating! Start by breaking down your vision of success into achievable goals.  For example, if one of your definitions of success is more flexibility in your workday, you might strive to work from home.  Goal #1 would be finding work from home sites, Goal #2 could be applying to at least 3 jobs per week, and so on.

Work on yourself

Working on yourself first is the best way to gain momentum and improve your outlook.  A positive outlook is always conducive to greater success! Start by doing what you really want to be doing, as much as possible, even if it’s on the side at first.  For example, you could start a side job or business, or paint or do another hobby on the side.

Another way to work on yourself and make yourself happy first is to work on self improvement, if that’s your thing.  This can look like a spiritual practice, getting deeper in your faith, meditation, etc.

Make time for social

According to Time.com, “socially isolated people are more than twice as likely to die from heart disease as those with a solid social circle.”  Despite your outlook on what success means, maintaining a healthy social life is key.

When you’re focusing heavily on your goals and successes – career or personal – you can start to neglect your social world.  It’s a really important part of health and life, and may even be another key to success.  Socializing is another part of networking as well, which can lead to job opportunities, business ventures, and so on.

Always keep learning

The smartest, most successful people are lifelong learners.  You can start a book habit – one new book per week (or month), depending on what works in your schedule.

Take time to read news or pursue an interesting hobby on a daily basis.  Take interest in new things.  Subscribe to information magazines and publications.  Take a local course.  Always work to grow your knowledge base! You never know what will strike a cord, change your path, or simply boost your perspective on your way to success.

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February 5, 2018 0 Comments

3 Ways to Set Expectations in a Home Based Career

Working from home affords a lot of flexibility and often improves quality of life, but it brings into focus the question of work life balance.  If you’re always in your “office,” does work ever stop?

One way to ensure that working from home is, in fact, working from home, it’s important to set expectations – and boundaries. You can still be there for friends and family on a more flexible basis while still having time to complete your tasks.

Set office hours and a schedule

Even though you aren’t going to an office, it’s still important to have fairly consistent office hours.  Not only does this set an expectation for friends and family, it keeps you on a schedule.  We typically get more done when we’re on a daily schedule, so it’s a great method for productivity.

Just because you set office hours doesn’t mean they have to be 9 AM to 5 PM.  If it works better for your family to start earlier or later, go for it.  It might be helpful to carve out an hour or two for kids’ obligations, car pool, or anything else that you typically need to get done.

Create a family calendar and fill it in.  You can create a schedule around this, giving yourself time off, extra days of work, and so on.

Have a conversation

If you work from home, you might find that more of the house work and kid responsibilities are your job. This can be a great benefit of working from home, but it can also become overwhelming.

If you feel that the home obligations are out of balance, or you aren’t able to complete your work, it’s time to have a conversation.  Delegate some tasks to a babysitter or family member, and simply make it known that you’re only available at certain times.

Make it a real job

Working from home is still working, and it should be treated as such.  Create an office space that you enjoy, keep housework to breaks only, and work as you would in a traditional office.

The benefits of working from home include flexibility and comfort, but it’s easier to take it seriously and work successfully as an independent employee when you work in a more traditional way.  When you, as well as others, see your job as more “real,” the balance of work and the boundaries of time are more likely to be adhered to.

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January 29, 2018 0 Comments

3 Ways to Make Your Resume Stand Out

Resumes are crucial parts of our application process.  We typically can’t get a job without one!  While they’re very important, they can also be tedious and frustrating for your potential employers. In addition to that, they often have an enormous amount of resumes to sift through.  Whether it’s too much text, ancient job positions, or any combination of both, it’s important to stand out among these resumes.

When you stand out, you become memorable to the employer or hiring manager. When a job position is popular, it can hundreds – or even thousands – of positions. Check out our tips to make sure you’re standing out among the crowd!

Change the look

Boring is out! The standard black text on white paper can be tiresome and even hard to read after so many resumes. If you have some design experience, take a stab at a unique layout.  Or, you could experiment with fun colors.

Although standing out is important, your resume still must be readable and professional.  You can inject personality and uniqueness while still staying true to yourself, the job position, and the work environment.

Keep it short and sweet

Long resumes are often the least fun part of a hiring manager’s job.  Make it easy on them! Keep your resume to one page if possible, two at the absolute max.  Remove any old information, fluff words, and information that isn’t pertinent to the exact job positions you’re applying for.

Get very specific with your qualifications, achievements, and job positions.  Keep only the most important information in your resume, and leave any lengthy job descriptions for interview questions.

Pack it with the good stuff

Remove as much general information as you can.  For example, “I produced $30,000 of additional revenue for the charity event,” not “i.e. I successfully planned a local event.”

Hiring managers and employers want to know, as specifically as possible, what you’ve accomplished.  Data and numbers really stand out more than “fluff” terms, and they help you to get noticed.  It’s very impressive that you increased attendance, saved money, made more money for a charity event, and so on.  It’s not as impressive that you created “outstanding marketing pieces,” since that information cannot be qualified or verified.

Creating a stand out resume removes unnecessary information, making it easy on those who are potentially hiring you.  A great resume is one that was given time and attention, making it unique and fun to look at.  Spend some time making the resume reflect you – in a professional way.

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January 8, 2018 0 Comments

HireMyMom Employer Success Story: Ralph Massetti

www.thefranchisebuilders.com

Tell us a little about your business and how you got started.

We began 17 years ago as a franchise industry technology company. Then, about 11 years ago began offering a suite of complete franchise development and consulting services to existing and aspiring franchisors.

What advice do you have for entrepreneurs and home business owners?

Control costs, grow strategically and hire the best talent you can afford.

What is your top tip for hiring great talent? And when should one consider outsourcing or hiring additional help?

We like to outsource when we are developing new positions, and either hire the early performers direct, or learn the scope of the position(s) before making permanent offerings and job descriptions.

What’s your favorite thing about HireMyMom.com?

The quality of the respondents and the flexibility of the workforce.

What’s one fun fact about you?

I’m a passionate animal rights advocate and often refer to myself as “the fattest Vegan you will ever meet”, as I still love fun and food, despite my no longer eating the animals I cherish.

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January 2, 2018 0 Comments

3 Ways to Secure Work From Home Jobs

Working from home is a noble goal for many moms, parents and people who are seeking more flexibility in their lives.

Between long commutes, wasted time in an office, and the lack of freedom to attend important things, it’s no wonder that more and more people are looking for a job that gives them something more.  As a work from home job site, we have some tips and advice to secure a work from home job that will work for you and your family.

Tune into the application process

You can’t get a job if you’re never applying! Just like applying for a traditional office job, you have to apply often, thoroughly, and carefully.

Businesses seeking home based employees are no longer just scammy companies who will take anyone; they’re seeking highly qualified, experienced, and professional workers.

Do your best to apply to as many jobs as possible that truly fit your skill set.  Don’t waste your time with the rest! It’s not ideal to apply for positions just to work from home.  Eventually, this will not be fulfilling.  Find the good ones and go to town with making those applications the absolute best you can.

Use the right sites

As you’ve probably noticed, there are tons of job search sites out there.  Some of these traditional sites will even feature work from home jobs once in a while, and you can find a job there!

While this is true, it’s like finding a needle in a haystack.  Even if you see work from home jobs, they’re often scams, sales-only jobs, or other questionable positions that aren’t legitimate for home based work.

Sites like HireMyMom.com are created for the sole purpose of work from home jobs.  Utilize these sites as your first points of searching, and you’ll have far more luck.  It’s as if everyone rounded up the “legitimate” jobs from those other sites and put them into one place!  Use the right resources, and the right job will likely come to you.

Watch your presence

Make sure your materials and online presence are top notch. Resumes are just as important online as offline!  Between your online resume, cover letter, and other application materials, make sure that these are in good shape online.  We often submit these materials to several application sites, which can sometimes be searched via Google.

Additionally, it’s important to watch your social media presence.  This is true for every job, but especially work from home jobs.  You employers are likely to be a bit more tech savvy, and it’s easy for them to check you out.  These days, many employers even ask for your social media URLs in the job application itself!

Do your best to keep things professional, and present yourself as if your employer is watching.

Working from home is a great way to do more in life while still earning an income.  It’s not as simple as logging into a basic job search site and pressing a few buttons, but with the right tools, sites, and attitude, you can find a job that fits you and your family’s lifestyle.

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December 26, 2017 0 Comments

5 Tips for Goal Setting in the New Year

We’re coming up on the new year, which means we’re likely being inundated with ways to achieve our resolutions.  This is a perfect time to reflect on how we’re living our lives – personally and professionally – and make any necessary changes.

We all talk about setting goals, but how do we actually achieve them and keep the momentum going well into the new year?

Read along for some best tips and advice for achieving your goals.

Choose a reason

It helps to keep your motivation high when you know why you’re doing something.  If your goal is to make more money, is there a specific item you’re looking to purchase that you can envision?  If you want to make more time in your schedule, will you fill it with more fun with your kids or friends?

Find something inspiring to use to visualize your goals, which will make follow through much easier!

Make it realistic

It will only lower your confidence if your goal is completely unlikely to happen. You can always start small and build from there.

If you’re looking to achieve a certain position in your organization, and you’re quite a few positions away from this, make small goals to keep achieving the next position up.  It’s much more fulfilling to meet and achieve your goals, versus spending a long time without the satisfaction of meeting them.

When your goals are realistic, they also push you to do real things, versus picking a very “out there” goal that you won’t even attempt to truly achieve.

Stretch yourself

While setting realistic goals is very important, you should also stretch yourself a bit.  If your goals are much too easy, you’re really not achieving anything beyond the norm.

Pick a goal that is realistically achievable – but also scares you a bit. A little bit of apprehension can be a great kick start towards action.

Change the timing

Often times, people set goals that can only be achieved in many months or even years.  Pick a few goals and set time limits to keep you going.  You can even break your goals into categories of short term and long term, or by days, weeks, months, and years.

By setting goal dates and setting them incrementally, you stay in the mindset of thinking about them on a regular basis.  Plug these into your calendar for more accountability, reminder, and visual aid.

Create a plan

A famous quote says that “A goal without a plan is just a wish.”  A plan is a very crucial component of a goal!

Start by writing out what you want, then proceed to determining your “why” for your goals, as explained in our first tip.  From here, create your timing – short or long term goals, or by days, weeks, months and years.  Then, you’ll want to put these goals into your calendar and/or schedule.  To really take things up a notch, you can include visualization and meditation practices to truly solidify your process.

Achieving your goals takes work, but it should also be uplifting, fun and inspiring.  Determine what process works best for you, and do your best to stick with it as you achieve your goals in the new year!

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December 18, 2017 0 Comments

4 Reasons Working From Home Boosts Productivity

We’ve all heard it – working from home results in greater productivity! This is great news, but have you ever stopped to ask why this is?

Sure, you eliminate the commute and probably a few meetings, but there are other reasons that work from home productivity seems to be a common theme.  You would think that being home would make it easier to be distracted! However, this doesn’t seem to be the case.

Less distractions

Yes, you’re actually less distracted working from home, as long as you establish a clear schedule and good boundaries from the beginning.  For one, there’s far less workplace chatter! It takes a concentrated effort to speak to your employer and coworkers from home, and those conversations tend to be more task-focused and less random.

Additionally, communicating is quicker.  You don’t have the meetings that take a lot of time to gather everyone up.  Impromptu meetings and chats are also more rare, so you’re more likely to only meet up when it’s really necessary.

Lastly, most work from home jobs require a person with a lot of work independence.  In most cases, no one managing you too much, so you’re responsible for completing your work on your own, and on your own time.  This is great for productivity, as you don’t have the distraction – and slowdown – of being constantly managed.

Less sickness

No need for sick days when you work from home! That’s probably not 100% true, as there might be some sicknesses that really do not allow you to work – at all. Either way, sick days will be greatly reduced.

Whether you’re a little under the weather or need to care for a sick child, you likely won’t need to take a day off to do this.

You can stay

If your child gets sick at school or a need pops up in the family, you can stay and handle it.  You might have to run out briefly, but it doesn’t require leaving work, covering your projects, informing bosses, and so on.

You have the ability to complete mundane and emergency tasks in between your workload, making it much easier to pick back up where you left off.

More time

You simply have more time to get work done when you work from home. First of all, there’s no commute.  Even if you choose to work at a coffee shop or co-working space, it’s not necessary and it’s likely much closer to home than a traditional office would be.

This obviously allows you more time to be actually working, and those 2 hours when everyone else is commuting?  You’re able to get work done!

Lastly, one of the downsides and benefits to working from home is the lack of interruption and lingering breaks.  It requires a schedule to set up a lunch meeting with friends, versus simply running out of the office for a lingering lunch.  This is great for productivity, but be sure to continue to schedule in social activities to stay social.

Working from home truly boosts productivity in so many positive ways.  If you’re a strong, independent worker who likes some flexibility, working from home might be for you.  Just be sure to schedule in social activities to keep yourself out once in a while, and continue to communicate with friends, coworkers and employers as much as possible.

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December 11, 2017 0 Comments

5 Tips for a Successful Blog

Running a successful blog is a very important part of running a business.   How can blogging help you?  It can boost SEO, help you establish yourself as the expert in your field, and provide content for social media posting.

We’ve all heard that blogging is important, but how do we achieve success with our blog?  Read along for some best tips and tricks to make blogging painless and effective!

Post consistently

Consistency is key! If you only blog once or twice per year, you’re not accomplishing any of the goals of blogging.  You need to get on a consistent schedule, whether it’s once per week, 3 times per week, or once per month. Decide what you can commit to and stick with it! It will take some time to see results, but it’s worth sticking it out.

Create a content calendar of topics and blog post ideas and work from there.  Once you lay out your schedule, make it easy on yourself and have everything ready to go. From here, you can simply start writing and let the words flow.

Share it

Once you create blog content, you have to share it! Start by sharing on your business Facebook page – and even your personal page if it’s a widely relevant topic.  From there, you can share to Twitter, LinkedIn, and anywhere else that your business has a presence.  This allows for more eyes on your blog post, which makes the effort even more worth it.

Another thing you can do is add the blog post to your LinkedIn page.  There’s the “Publisher” or “Write an Article” feature at the top of the page, and it’s useful to share your content there as well.

Use the content

Use the content that you worked so hard to create! You can break down your blog post into little tips and advice, which you can then share on social media.

Find a central topic and create an eye-catching graphic around it.  You can simply copy and paste the information into the graphic, making it very shareable and beneficial, since you’re reusing the content for social media content purposes.

Write about what matters

Write about things that people would want to know most in your industry! When people come to your blog, they want to know more about your expert topic.  Show your skill set! Provide answers to common questions, show the benefits of your business or service, or simply write on a topic that’s also relevant to your specific audience. When people are connected to your blog posts, they’re more likely to keep reading and to share with others.

Search it out

Try the Google Keyword Planner! It’s a great place to test searches and see what people are searching within your industry and knowledge base.  You can test keywords and see how they perform, as well as the competition around certain keywords.  This is a great way to stay above the competition; it’s like you’re reading the minds of your audience!

When you know what people want to see, it’s easier to come up with a content calendar.  Create a content calendar with post topics, titles, and blog graphics at least 4-8+ weeks out, which will make it all the easier for you to blog on a consistent basis.

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December 4, 2017 0 Comments

3 Ways to Update Your Resume

Your resume is one of the first things that a potential employer sees from you. It comes before you meet in person, and is often opened before the cover letter.

Prospective employers want to know what you’re all about – and quickly.  It’s a great time of year to update your resume before the new year and get it in great shape as you revamp your materials. These are some of our best tips to update an already established resume.

The most recent

Are the most recent items on your resume? Sometimes we only update them every few years, so your most recent job positions might need some care and expansion.  Be sure to include everything you’ve done since the last update – and don’t leave any blank time unless you truly weren’t working.

On the other side of the most recent are the old items.  If you’ve been out of high school and/or college for 10+ years with a substantial resume since then, you don’t need to include clubs, memberships, and so on, unless they’re extremely relevant to the job position for which you’re applying.  A simple note of the name, city and state of your high school, along with the name, city, state, grade point average, and major/minor from college is just fine.

Do your best to keep your resume to one page, maximum two pages.  Employers want to see quick, efficient information that will help them move quickly through the application process.  Make this easy on them!

Add some data

In keeping with giving your potential employer a break, include some data that truly stands out easily.  Saying that you “helped with the marketing” is fine, but saying that you “designed and distributed 10,000 flyers” and “helped grow attendance by 35%” is more impressive and quantitative.

Additionally, this makes your accomplishments much more concrete and easily measurable.  If you can’t find hard numbers and figures to present, get more specific about what you did at your jobs and skip the generalities.

Check for errors

Now is a great time to make sure your resume is free from errors! Nothing is worse than spending all your time on your resume materials, sending them in, only to realize that you had an error or two.

This will automatically diminish credibility in the eyes of your potential employer, so do your absolute best to eliminate errors now.  Have friends and family members review your resume for errors too.  Sometimes, all we need is a fresh set of eyes to point out something wrong – or something that can enhance your resume.

 

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