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October 31, 2016 0 Comments

HireMyMom Employer Success Story: Kiri Masters

www.bobsledmarketing.com

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

Toward the end of my career in banking I started a side-business in the e-commerce space and learned how to launch products & grow revenue on Amazon. When I sought to leave my banking job, I started freelancing for other brands who needed help with Amazon. As we brought more clients on board, I started hiring smart people who were interested in learning new skills and today, just 18 months later, Bobsled Marketing is a full-blown online marketing agency serving 7 & 8 figure consumer brands.

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

Get your team on an asynchronous chat program like Slack, Glip, or the all-new Facebook For Work. When folks are working across timezones and on flexible schedules, it gets everyone on the same page without endless email chains or scheduling meetings.

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

Hire help as early as you can afford it, because it can take months to fully onboard a new person into your company. And for that reason, choosing the right person is incredibly important. Don’t scrimp on reference checks – insist on talking with past supervisors and validating what the candidate told you during interviews & on their resume.

What’s your favorite thing about HireMyMom.com?

The jobseekers on hiremymom.com are very motivated and make a great first impression. It’s rare to get cookie-cutter, copy-and-paste applications. I’ve been delighted to find an enormous range of talent and experience on the platform – everyone from basic administrative support right through to experienced executives are looking for flexible jobs where they can work from home.

What’s one fun fact about you?

I have a weird Australian-American accent after only being in the US for 5 years. As a kid, my Barbie dolls always had American accents though 🙂

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If you would like to be featured as one of our Success Stories, please contact us!

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October 24, 2016 0 Comments

Top Resume Tips from HireMyMom.com Employers

Your resume is likely the most important document in your job search! We’ve compiled tips from HireMyMom.com employers to help you create your best resume.  Read along for tips and advice to make your resume stand out and land the job.

Hook with a Benefit to the Person Hiring!

Business owners are so busy and often get 30 – 100 resumes. The resumes that get read are the ones with something that HOOKS the CEO fast!  Something like:  Let me Take More Off Your Plate!

Don’t be afraid to BOLD

Resumes are boring to read and most business owners have some level of ADD.  They are visionary’s so ADD serves them but doesn’t get your resume read through.  BOLD important items that highlight your strengths and experience!

PS Your Attitude

There are many applicants in today’s market.  It’s not hard to find people to plug hole in a company but it is hard to find GOOD people.  Business owners are looking for a GO GETTER.. The P.S. is the most read part of ANY email or letter.  PS Your Go Getter Attitude so that you stand out

– Shanda Sumpter at HeartcoreBusiness.com

Be Careful

Proofread your resume carefully.  As an employer, I don’t know how many times I’ve received resumes with spelling errors, punctuation errors, etc.

Put yourself out there

Don’t shortchange yourself in talking about your skills, however be succinct and to the point.

Be honest

Be clear on your level of expertise with technology.  For example, if you have used Google Drive once or twice, then say that you’ve had minimal experience.

– Nancy Hoopes, Onboarding Consultant at ProfitFactory.com

 

Thank you to our wonderful employees for their expert advice!

 

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October 17, 2016 0 Comments

HireMyMom Success Story: Beth Rodgers

What’s your success story with HireMyMom.com?

I had been looking for legitimate opportunities for me to be able to work and still be home with my kids.  I wasn’t impressed with what I had been finding on my own.  I heard about hiremymom.com and went back and forth on whether or not to pay for a membership.  After checking out the reviews on the hire my mom website I decided to give it a try.  I hadn’t been a member long when I came across a listing that I knew would be perfect for me!  Me and the Mouse Travel was looking for a vacation planner specializing in Disney travel!  I had a series of telephone interviews with the companies owner and was offered a position!  I have been with Me and the Mouse Travel for 3 years now!

What’s your educational and experiential background?

As soon as I seen the listing from Me and the Mouse Travel I became so excited! I had worked for Walt Disney World and studied tourism in college I knew that I would be perfect for this job!  I graduated in 2003 from Central Michigan University with a bachelors degree in business management with a concentration in Human Resources and Travel and Tourism.

Check the site daily new listings get posted daily.  Brush up on your phone and facetime interview skills as most of the time you won’t meet your employer face to face.  Also, make sure to follow up on resume’s and applications you send!

What’s your favorite thing about HireMyMom.com?

My favorite thing about having a membership with HireMyMom.com is that they did the leg work weeding out any job opportunities that I wouldn’t have considered legitimate, professional job opportunities.

What’s one fun fact about you?

I LOVE my job!  Just like HireMyMom helps you to find a perfect job to fit your life circumstances I help families plan magical vacations to fit their desires!  My planning services are free to use!  For more information about my Disney vacation planning services please visit  http://meandthemouse.com/vacations/beth-rodgers/ or email me at beth@meandthemouse.com.

If you’d like to be featured as one of our Success Stories, please contact us!

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October 10, 2016 0 Comments

5 Tips for Successful Work From Home Meetings

Even though home based employees don’t work in a traditional office, they typically still have meetings just like everyone else.  Whether meeting with co-workers or your boss, clients or potential customers, meetings will still be a key component to your days or weeks.

Working from home can present challenges that aren’t present in a normal office, so read along for some best practices for work from home meetings.

Eliminate distractions

When working from home, there can be noise from kids, dogs, or people knocking on your door, just to name a few.  While these things happen and most people understand, it’s important to do your best to eliminate these distractions.

Can you set up a playdate for your kids during an important meeting?  Is it possible to give your dog a treat outside or in the crate while you chat?  It’s crucial to have some time and space carved out for a quiet, productive meeting when the time comes.

Check technology

There’s nothing worse than a meeting ruined by technology!  While sometimes there’s absolutely nothing you can do with a chosen software service, do your best to access the technology ahead of time.

If you’re going to be using a webinar or conference phone line or software package, try it beforehand and make sure everything has been installed correctly.  This way, you’re able to join the meeting on time and without errors.  If you’re unsure if you’ve been hooked up correctly, ask a friend or coworker to test it out with you.

Have an agenda

Agendas are important for all meetings, not just home based ones.  Especially if you’re the one in charge of the meeting, make it a point to map out a brief agenda of topics to cover.  The typical opinion of meetings can be that they’re a waste of time; don’t let this happen to you!  Ensure that your meetings are productive, to the point, and involve a schedule that can be easily navigated.

Not only will your other meeting attendants be grateful for something to keep them on track, you’ll get out of the meeting much quicker than you would if you went into it blindly.

Take notes

Notes are key to remembering what went on and who is assigned to what tasks.  Whether you’re the note-taker or designate someone else to do so, make sure this is in place before the meeting begins.  When deciding on who should take the notes, it can be helpful to choose the person who might be in more of an assistant role, or someone who doesn’t need to be 100% focused on the conversation at hand.

Treat it normally

Working from home can be an excuse to fall into lazy work habits, but that’s not productive or professional to your employers or coworkers. Treat every single home based meeting just as you would in an office; it might even help to dress up if it’s a very important one.

Set your office for success, eliminate distractions, have everything in place ahead of time, and your meeting will be productive and efficient – the hallmark of a great meeting!

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October 3, 2016 0 Comments

3 Tips to Fall Into Organization

As the season changes into fall, the routine of life gets back into gear.  It’s also a prime time to consider organization as a work from home employee.  When your home is also your workplace, it’s important that organization is a key component to your daily life.  In a home office, you don’t have a cleaning crew to keep your office nice and neat on a daily basis, so it’s up to you to establish this routine.

Read along for some best practices for “falling” into organization this season!

Manage your environment

A disorganized office or home can set you up for overwhelm and failure from the get go.  Make it a point to keep your spaces neat and tidy, which is known for boosting productivity.  This also keeps you from wanting to spend your day cleaning and organizing, which can be avoided with a cleaning schedule.

A cluttered space is often a cluttered mind, so do your best to organize your desk, home, and general living space so that you can give as much productivity as possible to your home based job.

Make it a daily habit

All you need is 10 minutes per day!  Once your system of organization is set up, simply spend at least 10 minutes per day staying that way.  Whether you choose a detailed filing system, color-coded documents, or just very well organized computer files, be sure that you’re taking the time every single day to look at these items.

When organization becomes a habit, it becomes part of our life.  Research suggests that it takes 21 days to make a new habit, so do your best to stick it out for at least 3-4 weeks, especially if organization isn’t your thing!  You might just find that you’re more productive, your mind is more clear, and you’re much more able to find needed items and files when they’re needed.

Keep it separate

Although this is more of a mental organization tip, it can also do wonders for your physical space – an office or a computer organizational system.  Make sure all your clients, employees, and employers are kept separate, as to clear up space in your head.  When you’re constantly putting everything together, you have to take the time to decipher which item, email, or request is from which client.

Since many work from home employees hold numerous freelance positions, organization here is more important than ever.  If you want to keep everything in one place, such as a master to do list, organize your clients or employers by color-coding them.  This will allow you to quickly see which tasks are for which person, leaving your brain power for the important items – your work!

Organization doesn’t need to be difficult or time consuming – it just has to become part of your life.  When you’re organized as a home based employee, your productivity is much higher and you’re able to produce more accurate and efficient work for your clients.

Think of how much easier it will be to find those folders or emails once everything is set!  Organization frees up time and mental space from the clutter – the clutter of seeking items you can’t find, and the clutter of a disorganized workspace that generally brings down your workday.  Put in the time now and reap the rewards daily!

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September 19, 2016 0 Comments

HireMyMom Success Story: Leslie Hawkes

What’s your success story with HireMyMom.com?

I first heard of HireMyMom in 2008. My youngest was just 1 at the time but I had been out of the workforce for 3 years by then. We had moved to a new state where I didn’t have a work history or any contacts so I thought it would be a good idea to start laying a foundation for future work by taking on a few freelance projects. I honestly can’t remember how I first heard of HireMyMom. It may have been a Google search for work from home jobs. I found my first project through the site within a week of subscribing in 2009. It may have even been on the first day that I searched the listings. I’m a writer and I found a short-term project that was just enough to get my feet wet and still have time for my kids and home responsibilities. My subscription cost was paid for with the first article I wrote.

I took some time off once that 8-month project was finished since my daughter was needing more of my attention but once she started preschool I looked again and, again, found a position the day I looked at the site. This one has turned out to be a wonderful, long-term work situation.

It was for a content marketing firm and they needed SEO (search engine optimization) content writers. I had never done that particular kind of writing before but they were willing to train me. We spoke on the phone once and I was hired as a freelance writer. I’m still working with them today in 2016! That position has resulted in me writing for 2 other content marketing firms as well.

It’s an ideal situation for me. I run my own business, make my own hours, and work from home, but I do not have to market myself or find clients. The companies I work with keep me so busy I don’t need to! I can just focus on writing.

What I especially love about these companies I work for is that they are owned and managed by SAHMs themselves so they understand all the obligations I have outside of work. I’ve developed some great virtual friendships through the jobs too, which really helps minimize any SAHM loneliness I might experience. I feel like part of a team even though we are all freelancers.

What’s your educational and experiential background?

I have a pretty varied background. I have a Bachelors in Political Science and a Masters in Public Administration. Before we had kids I worked in local government (municipalities) and non-profits where I’d always end up managing the PR function, even if it wasn’t my actual job description. Writing comes naturally to me and it lends itself really well to working from home so it made sense that writing jobs are where I’d focus my efforts.

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

I would say be honest about yourself from the start. The employers on HireMyMom already know they are marketing towards SAHMs. Don’t feel bad or try to hide your gap in work experience and don’t worry so much about your availability and if it will be enough for an employer. For the right employer it will be enough. Be honest about your capabilities and time commitment and you’ll find a better fit.

I would also say, don’t undervalue yourself. It’s really easy to fall into the trap of thinking you’re not “worth” a certain rate because you work from home, or you’re only going to be part-time, or you’ve been out of the workforce for X number of years. That’s not true. If you have valuable experience that can help an employer, then there is no shame in being adequately compensated for it. You’re giving up time with your family to work. Make sure it pays off for you.

What’s your favorite thing about HireMyMom.com?

I LOVE that so many employers are SAHMs themselves. It’s like a little community of support even if you don’t know the person on the other end of the email. I also love that it’s a trustworthy site. You aren’t going to find junk jobs here or any scam work from home jobs. As a writer it’s hard to find jobs that will pay a decent rate, but you don’t see any of those low-paying junk jobs on HireMyMom. I tell every mom I know about the site.

What’s one fun fact about you?

I used to be a forest ranger! I worked for a county forest preserve system right before I had kids. In fact, I was pregnant with my first one as a ranger. I loved it.

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September 12, 2016 0 Comments

5 Best Practices for LinkedIn Success

As most of us know, LinkedIn is the social media site for professionals.  If you’ve been shying away from the site, now is the time to join! While the world is becoming more and more social media savvy, it’s important to have a place on the site made for employees, employers, and professionals in general.

LinkedIn does far more than allow you to add connections and show off your work experience; it can be a place to search for new jobs and applicants, as well as offer value to your followers and potential connections.  Read along for some simple best practices to start using LinkedIn to its fullest.

Solid Summary

Do you have a Professional Summary that really stands out? While it can be tempting to just put a sentence or two about what you do or what you’re looking for in a career, truly take some time to make it special.

In addition to writing a few key paragraphs that may include information such as: how you can assist those who work with you or hire you, what measurable results you’ve produced, and how to get in contact with you, you can also add media such as video, photos, presentations and audio.  By taking the time to add a solid, well-written summary (and bonus points for media additions!), you will be well on your way to standing out on LinkedIn.

Adding Value

How can you help those who come to your profile?  If you’re searching for a job, how can you show that you’re the best fit?  You can add value by posting daily or weekly posts, publishing longer blogs or articles in the Publishing section, or simply by posting helpful items of interest for your followers.

If someone is following you, what kind of information would they like to know?  What is your expertise and how can you give some of that away?

Value also comes in the form of showing potential employers, investors, and so on what you can do for them, if applicable.  Measurable results always sell, so be sure to include data, Recommendations, and other information as solid proof of your skills.

Contact Information

Don’t forget your contact information! It may seem obvious, but you’d be surprised how many people forget this.  Yes, you can contact someone through Linkedin direct mail, but someone may want to place an inquiry via email or by phone. Contact information also includes any and all websites that you’re a part of – make it easy for those clients, customers, and potential employers to find you and get in touch!

Professional Photo

While you don’t need to go so far as to hire a professional photographer just for a LinkedIn photo, it isn’t a bad idea.  If a professional photo isn’t in the budget, have a friend stage a nice area, put on a nice, professional outfit, and take a few photos.  LinkedIn photos should be headshots that are done in nice lighting, appropriate for the professional world, and include a smile.

Use it

LinkedIn won’t be much help to you if it’s never used.  Utilize the capabilities included on the site, add connections, and use it as your professional face to the world. Business people – whether that’s a potential client, employer, or employee – will look at your profile, so it’s important to put your best face and experience forward.

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September 6, 2016 0 Comments

5 Ways to Add Style to Your Home Office

When you work from home, you’re bound to spend a lot of time in your home office.  We’ve already discussed the importance of having a separate space just for work, but does it inspire you?

While your office doesn’t need to look like it came from the pages of a home design magazine, you can add small trinkets or design elements that make it feel fun and like home.  After all, you want to be comfortable (and inspired) while you work!  Read along for some easy tips and tricks to make your home office into a comfortable, beautiful space that’s all your own.

Add some color

Color can change an entire room! Think beyond basic white or beige and add some bright, fun paint or simply incorporate colorful items.  Another idea is to do one or two basic colors with one bright pop of color incorporated gently throughout.  A little bit of color adds a lot of style, as your eye will be drawn to that and it will make the room seem more complete.

If you’re a bit afraid of color, start by thinking of your favorite one and add it sparingly among more earthy, basic tones.

Here are some expert tips to help with color in your workspace.

Organization

Storage can be fun! There are so many unique and innovative boxes, bins, and shelves to use for purpose and style.  Did you know that floating wall shelves come in a ton of different patterns and colors?  Start somewhere like The Container Store or Target for accessible options in price and style.

Another avenue of organization can come in the form of desk organizers, planners, and fun touches like chalkboards and white boards.  Take what you love about organization – and what works for you – and put a stylish spin on it.  Make it part of the room, instead of having to tuck it away because it doesn’t go with the color scheme.

Decor Items

There are so many decor and design elements that you can consider in a home office.  From lighting to rugs to fun knick knacks (just avoid overcluttering!) and organization items, there’s never a lack of ideas for adding fun to your office space.

Start with lighting – there are floor lamps, desk lamps, table lamps, and more.  With rugs, you can choose small area rugs with bright pops of color or a large area rug that’s more functional.  The options are truly limitless, but they are all areas to look into if you want to bump your style game up a notch.

A Stylish Desk

A desk and a nice chair can go a long way to adding style to your home office.  It often seems that these items are just typical fare and aren’t very exciting, but you can certainly find desks and chairs in unique colors and styles.  Desks come in a variety of weights and woods, and these days, can even be made in acrylic or lucite.  Chairs can be made to be stylish but ergonomic, padded, or simply fashionable.  Take your pick and use these items as ways to incorporate the color, theme and style of your other office items.

Personal Touch

Add some of your favorite items that showcase your personality and favorite colors. You can also feature your children’s artwork, awards or diplomas, and other things that just make your space feel like home.   Personal style is a major part of overall style and look, so don’t be afraid to incorporate items that are meaningful to you.

Creating a warm, personal home office is a lot of fun and can add a lot of style to your day.  When our offices are well styled and feel like us, it’s easier and more inviting to spend time in them – increasing productivity and efficiency in our daily work lives.

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August 29, 2016 0 Comments

4 Fun Planners to Get & Stay Organized

Let’s face it, planning your day is a lot more fun with a beautiful calendar!  Not only do the planners below help to keep you organized and on track, some even offer motivational tools and self-improvement options to help you grow.

Read along for some of the best and most fun planners to make organization more exciting!

The Happiness Planner

The Happiness Planner is “designed to help you live a happier and more fulfilling life by mastering the art of positive thinking, mindfulness, gratitude, and self-development,” according to their website.

Some of the tools in the planner include encouragement to: integrate more of what makes you happy in your daily life, end each day with gratitude, set goals that you want to achieve and write down action plans, set goals for improvement, and much more.  The Happiness Planner has a 100-day planner, a 52-week journal, standard year planners, as well as interesting features such as planners that resemble clutch purses.

This planner is a great option for you if you’re looking to incorporate positive thinking, affirmations, self-development, and specific goals into your daily calendar.

Click here to learn more about The Happiness Planner.

Erin Condren Planners

Erin Condren’s Lifeplanner is a “stylized organizer” that comes in a variety of designs, sizes and shapes.  The planners are fully customizable and feature options like coil colors, leather-like covers, floral designs and much more.

These planners also allow you to customize the layout and color theme, as well as adding personal photos and your name.  There’s also a focus on goal setting and journaling, with pages adding prompts for you to fill in. An inspirational section with notes and quotes is also featured, as well as blank space for creativity, notes and doodles that we all love so much!

Click here to learn more about Erin Condren Lifeplanners.

Passion Planner

The Passion Planner is another planner that does more than just keep track of your day-to-day life.  It has benefits such as: customization, positivity, creating keepsakes, managing time, following passions, decluttering, challenging yourself and more.  It sets you up on a Passion Roadmap, which includes 3 year goals, lifetime goals, one year goals, 3 months goals, and so on.  This is a great feature, as it’s commonly known that written down and progressive goals are more likely to happen!

There are also focuses for each day, week and month, as well as space for to-do lists, good things that happened, and drawing space.  As a bonus, for every planner purchased, one is given to a stranger in need, which has resulted in thousands of planners given to various non-profits all over the country.

Click here to learn more about the Passion Planner.

The Happy Planner

The Happy Planner is “an expandable, disc-bound planner system that combines your love for creatively with your need to organize,” according to their website.  It is full of bright colors and a lot of inspiration! It comes in 1-12 month, undated options, along with sheets of stickers, pocket folders, and sticky note pads with 20 sheets each.  This allows you to organize your life, keep items with you, and dress up your planner to make it more your own.

They have various beautiful cover images to choose from, as well as month box kits that allow you to customize and use a specific theme. If getting a little crafty and being inspired by inspirational sayings helps you to pursue your goals, this planner would be a great fit for you.

Click here to learn more about The Happy Planner.

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August 22, 2016 0 Comments

7 Top Tips for Time Management

Time management is a hot topic these days.  Between family, a social life, and a career, it can be tough to make it all work.  When you work from home, you’re also balancing home activities, chores, and possibly kids as well, making it a delicate balancing act!

Read along for some tips and best practices to ensure that you’re being as productive as possible – while staying sane and making time for what’s important.

Organize your computer

When you work at a computer all day, you want it to look nice! Just as we keep our houses clean to keep mental clutter limited, your workspace is the same way.  Be sure to close unused tabs and try not to keep things running in the background.  While this can be convenient, it  slows you down by distracting you and slows down your computer with all the processing power.

One at a time

Settle into one task at a time! It’s tempting to open numerous tabs and begin flying through your work, task by task, but it’s not overly efficient.  Take the time to do one task at a time and you’ll find that you’re giving it much more focus and attention.

Set intervals

It’s been said again and again that working on a task for more than 90 minutes at a time is futile.  Work on one task for a set time, such as 15-90 minutes before taking a break or moving on to something else.

It’s also important to set intervals to get up and take a break! Time management is also closely tied to productivity, and you’re much more productive after taking a short break and coming back refreshed.

Multitask mindfully

It’s fine to throw in a load of laundry during the day – it’s one of the perks of working from home! However, if you do housework every few minutes, you’ll never accomplish your work. Take breaks throughout the day and schedule chores as needed.  For example, toss in a load of laundry in the morning, do the dishes on your lunch break, and take your pup for a walk during your afternoon break.  Not only do you get more done this way, but you aren’t disrupting your work time and you’re taking mini-breaks – a great mental management tool!

Say your schedule

Put your weekly schedule on your family calendars and let your friends and family know when you’re working.  It can be tempting to get out of the house at every chance when you’re a home based worker, but it’s important to get your work done too.

Another way to “say your schedule” is to know when to say no and be able to prioritize accordingly.  While it can be tempting to accept every role, event, and project possible, it’s not always in the best interest of your bigger goals or family life.

Get the right tools

Whether it’s client management system or a simple to-do list in Google Docs, figure out what works for you and stick to it.  Another important feature is a calendar that’s kept up to date and synced to your phone as well. This is also important for mapping out deadlines, staying on task, and prioritizing what’s most important.

Eliminate distractions

While it’s not always possible to eliminate each and every distraction if you have a house of kids and/or pets, you should have a plan in place for keeping them occupied during work hours. Whether you hire a babysitter, choose daycare or play dates for a part-time schedule, do whatever is needed to stay on task during work hours.

If you have an important call, be sure to arrange childcare and/or go to a quiet place so that dog barking and other noises won’t interrupt important business.  Of course this is not possible 100% of the time and most clients and employers know this, but do your best to establish boundaries and arrange for quiet working time when you need it the most.

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