Return to Work

Time out of the workforce can dampen the desire for senior-level jobs.  During my recruiting years I met so many returning professional women who wanted to work—but without the big responsibility and extensive travel required for jobs they held in their 20s and 30s.  A perhaps surprising number of these women had decided to pursue…

Here’s the definition of finding a job:  filling a gap for an employer.  Employers have needs that aren’t being taken care of by current employees.  Your resume has to fill the gap and show an employer where you would fit on their team. The summary statement is the most important way to show employers the…

In today’s job market landing an interview can be as difficult as getting an audience with the Pope.  When you’re lucky enough to get this opportunity to sell your fit for a job face-to-face, you need to prepare as carefully and professionally as you would for any major business presentation. Though scheduling an interview can…

Work or not work?   It’s a decision that many women struggle with—or ponder hardly at all.  Though some women declare they will never work again—I’ve seen many return to the workforce out of unanticipated necessity, fate or unfinished business. Unfinished business definitely played a role in Monica Kridler’s return to work.  From the ages of…

Many times I’ve been asked to speak to women’s groups about how to return to the workforce.  After focusing on this phenomenon for the last decade, I’ve got a list of 10 fail-proof tips. HERE GOES: BE READY TO TAKE THE PLUNGE…GET FAMILY BUY-IN:  Women itching to return to the work force underestimate the importance of having the…

Wondering why you aren’t being called for interviews?  Your cover letter could be the culprit. In tandem with your resume, a cover letter is a very important sales tool.  In this economy–or any economy—you need to actively and emphatically sell your fit for a job.  A resume alone does not do the trick. As quick…

One of my blog readers from the Philadelphia area sent me these two  questions that other women may be wondering about as well:“I have begun to make steady gains in the networking process through LinkedIn, and I signed up for a Networking function with Meeting Planners International.  Now that I’m making lots of connections, I…

One of my dearest friends has had many interesting life experiences both in and out of the workforce.  She’s a mother and grandmother who has moved through multiple careers in state government, on Wall Street, at interesting non-profits, newspapers, and more.  Though her resume is quite impressive, there was a time several decades ago when…

The scene is a psychiatrist’s office.  Your son or daughter at age 40 is recounting an unfortunate childhood—one that did not include you opening the door when they got home from school.  You did not serve milk and cookies and oversee every minute of their homework.  You did not drive them to multiple after-school activities. …

My daughter and her college friends have many a chuckle with the “Damn You Auto Correct” web site that chronicles the weird text messages people inadvertently send.  They are indeed funny, and the fact that people write things like “typos thanks to i-phone” in their signature line, suggest that errors are more acceptable in today’s…