Working Mom Wednesday: Jobs and Moms Career Center

It is my pleasure to introduce you to Nancy Collamer, Career Coach and founder of the Jobs and Moms Career Center. Collamer has her M.S. degree in Career Development and has advised millions of women online as the "Jobs and Moms Pro" for Oprah Winfrey's Oxygen Media. She is also the mother of two girls - a junior in high school and a junior in college.

Please give a warm welcome to Nancy Collamer [hint: that means leave a comment with your thoughts or a simple greeting].

ME: What are the best work-from-home jobs for moms?
COLLAMER: There’s so many of them. Rather than think about what are the best options out there, instead think about what you are happiest doing. Find work that you enjoy doing and that you do well. That’s where you want to start. Ask yourself: What are subjects that you are interested in? What are causes that you are excited about? Then, begin to explore the options. The possibilities are really endless. The important thing is to start with your experience and your interests. Go to Barnes & Nobles. Browse the Small Business section. Read Paul & Sarah Edwards' The Best Home Businesses for the 21st Century and Making Money with Your Computer at Home. Subscribe to Entreprenerur Magazine or check out Entreprenereur online.

ME: What is the mission of the Jobs and Moms site?
COLLAMER: As you can tell from looking at the site, the overall theme of the site is to present professional women with ideas and resources around finding a better way to blend work and family.

ME: How does the Job Board section of your site work?
COLLAMER: Moms can post their resumes for free. All the jobs that are listed have some form of flexibility associated with them: work-at-home, part-time, contract, etc. These are not your standard 9-5 jobs. It’s not a huge board, but it’s a good place to just take a look.

ME: How can moms stay connected and engaged professionally if they choose to stay-at-home or work PT during the early years?
COLLAMER: There are a couple of things that every mom should be doing. If you are currently at home, think about what you want to do when you do go back. Do you want to go back to what you did before?

If not, you may want to consider doing targeted volunteer work or you might want to take some classes in a field that interests you. Another idea is to find an entrepreneurer. There are millions of people that are working from home and perhaps you could offer to handle their overflow. For example, perhaps there's a small real estate firm who could use your help a few days a week. Sometimes just by going into someone’s office, you can learn about that industry.

If you would like to stay in the same field, stay informed about developments in your industry. Set up a Google news alert. The other thing is stay in contact with the people who you worked with. It doesn’t mean you have to stay in contact with them on a weekly or even a monthly basis. Once a year, plan a breakfast or lunch. It is also helpful to belong to a professional association. You may only go to a few meetings when your kids are small, but that face-to-face contact is invaluable.

ME: How can moms make the leap back into the workplace seamlessly (whether it be after 5 months, 5 years, or 15 years)?
COLLAMER: You don’t have to do everything at once. You can build your career back in phases. Find in outlet that really interests and, with time, you can build it, expand it, and diversify it to generate more income.

Thanks so much, Nancy! You come across as such a pleasant, intelligent person over the phone and I'm sure your 1-1 Consulting/Coaching sessions are well worth the money.

Readers - Feel free to check out the Jobs and Moms Career Center website. Read helpful articles about flexible work and work/life matters. Post your resume or search for flexible, family-friendly jobs. You may also want to buy one of Nancy's e-books.

Speaking of Nancy's e-books...

WIN IT! I have three prizes today: #1 Flex Jobs: Your Work, Your Life, YOUR WAY! e-book, #2 Online Job Search Simplified: 250+ of The Best Sites for Job Seekers and Career Changers e-book, and #3 The Back-to-Work Toolkit: A Guide for Comeback Moms e-book. To enter, simply leave a comment stating which e-book you would most like to win and why prior to Friday, Feb. 15, at midnight. The winner will be announced and contacted on Saturday, Feb. 16. * This contest is open to readers from around the world.

* UPDATE * The winner of "Flex Jobs: Your Work, Your Life, Your WAY" is #3 Melinda. The winner of "Online Job Search Simplified: 250+ of The Best Sites for Job Seekers and Career Changers" is #6 Anonymous. The winner of "The Back-to-Work Toolkit: A Guide for Comeback Moms" is #25 sassy2. Congratulations!