Thinking About Going Back To Work (Paid Employment) After Kids? Get Help From Mom Corps YOU #MC #Sponsored

Disclosure:  I participated in a campaign on behalf of Mom Central Consulting (#MC) for Mom Corps YOU. I received a free trial to facilitate my review and a promotional item as a thank you for participating.

When we adopted my daughter, I had every intention of continuing to work.  I was blessed to have a job where my boss would consider a work-from-home, flexible arrangement.  I had been there for about five years, so they knew me, knew my work and it was worth it to them to be accommodating of my new family situation.  But…..  could you hear a “but” coming?  It’s challenging to be a new mom and I found that it was very difficult to be what amounted to two full-time-people.  I found myself trying to juggle and my balls weren’t staying in the air, if you know what I mean.  I had to choose, and my daughter won.  It would mean financial changes for us, but it was doable and I quit working – for money, anyway.

I put “(Paid Employment)” in the headline of this post, because as every stay-at-home mom knows, you work at home, you just don’t get paid in money.  Your compensation is now slobbery kisses, chubby-armed hugs, an “I wub you, Mommy” and the amazing joy in your heart that comes from watching your child grow up.  I think you can tell what my favorite job was!

Fast forward, Rosie is in second grade now and I often get the question, even from her, “What do you do all day?”  And I defensively, weakly, stumblingly, answer something or other.  I start with first of all, “all day” is actually 8:30 to 2:30, four days a week and 8:30 to 1:00 on Wednesdays.  See, I already sound defensive and like I’m making excuses.  Then I want to be able to say, I shower, get dressed, clean the house, grocery shop, do laundry and cook.  But realistically?  I never have a clean house, polished nails, great hair, clean clothes and a homemade meal on the table all at the same time.  Hey, I’m lucky to get two out of whatever.  So, I really don’t do all that stay-at-home mom stuff.  Instead I kind of keep up.  Okay, no one really understands what blogging is, so I say, “I work on my website.”  Or if I really want to confuse people, I say, “Social Media Consulting”.  With capital letters, it’s really impressively confusing.

Financially, we’re doing okay without me working, but we’re not saving for Rosie’s college.  That worries me, it’s going to be here sooner than we think.  The last eight years has flown by and the next eight will go even faster.  Maybe it’s time for me to get a “real job”?  That’s scary….  I haven’t been in an office for a l-o-n-g time.  I don’t even know where to start.  When I had the chance to review  Mom Corps YOU, I thought, “You need this!! This sounds like exactly what will help you get back into the world of the working.

What is Mom Corps YOU? Mom Corps YOU is an online resource for Moms interested in finding a more flexible job, re-joining the work force or simply achieving greater work-life satisfaction.  Mom Corps YOU offers weekly informational sessions, industry insights, tips from recruiters, and more. With direct access to Mom Corps’ team of recruiting professionals, Mom Corps YOU offers resources in career, health and wellness, personal finance and business ownership. Mom Corps YOU’s weekly programming and frequently added content equips you with a variety of tools to help you achieve your professional and personal goals.

One of the things I particularly like about Mom Corps YOU is they offer information in various forms to fit each individual’s preferences to learn.  For example, Mom Corps YOU offers webinars – we don’t have to pay to travel and attend conferences to get the information we need.  Then, because Mom Corps YOU knows we are moms and we need time flexibility, you can attend the “live” webinar and participate OR you can see a recorded webinar.  One of my first interests is how to prepare a resume.  I haven’t done that for a long, long time.  I don’t even want to say how long.  Things have changed, I’ve forgotten…  so I’m instantly drawn to the webinar, “Resumes That Get Results:  A Three-Step Resume Workshop”.  And something, I LOVE, is that they have also taken notes for you, so you can pay attention and not have to worry about writing down notes.  What I did was open the notes in one window and the webinar in another window so I could flip back between the two.  Having an expert like the recruiters at Mom Corps to help you, means you get tips for making your resume stand out.  Do you know how long the average hiring manager spends on the initial reading of a resume?

Here are just some of the things that I saw on Mom Corps YOU that caught my interest:

Specific Job Search Tools

• Recorded Webinar:  Resumes That Get Results:  A Three-Step Resume Workshop
• 4 Social Resume Strategies To Help You Get Noticed And Get Hired
• Relaunching Your Career - Experts share their tips delivered at a recent return to work conference
• Sample Interview Questions

Getting My Head Into The Game

• How to Explain Your Career Transition
• The Comeback: Resuming a Career

General Financial Issues

• 5 Smart Investing Tips for Women
• The Complete Guide to Planning a Yearly Budget
• Easy Savings Tips
• Money 101:  Saving for College

Teaching Your Kids About Money

• Practical Tips for Raising Money Smart Kids
• Parents Guide to Kids and Money
• What Stay At Home Parents Need To Know Before Returning To The Workforce

Health and Wellness

• A Diet For Better Energy
• What Doctors Don’t Tell You, But Should
• Tips To Convert Your Picky Eaters Into Fruit and Vegetable Fans

Do I have you wanting to read more about those?

Another feature of Mom Corps YOU that was beneficial for me was the Discussion Forums.  I love reading other people’s questions and replies.  Sometimes I have questions that I haven’t completely formulated and by reading other people’s concerns, I can better understand my own feeling.  Mom Corps YOU is fairly new, so the forums will grow as more and more users participate.

One benefit of Mom Corps YOU is priceless, in my estimation – you have the ability to ask a recruiter your career questions in a Live Chat.  I logged in today to ask about whether when I return to the workplace, should I look at returning at the same level, or lower my sights because I have been out for so long.  Here’s excerpts from how it went.

I liked that she didn’t just give me a “pat” answer but asked for more information.  I told her about my last job and she replied,

I felt confidence in the answer because it was specific to me and my field.  Then she gave me some specific advice to help me out.

That makes so much sense for my particular case to focus on skills not dates.  It’s extremely beneficial to have the Mom Corps YOU online chat in my toolbox!

Mom Corps, a national award-winning professional talent acquisition and career development firm, has launched Mom Corps YOU to help moms like me better integrate their professional and personal lives.  They believe that work-life satisfaction is best achieved when you can take ownership of key areas of your life including career, finances and health/wellness.  The online community, Mom Corps YOU gives you the tools and resources to do just that.  Mom Corps YOU is available via an online subscription for an introductory annual price of $99.99 (regularly $149.99) or $19.99 a month.

Are you a blogger, too?  Mom Corps is also accepting applications for the Mom Corp YOU affiliate program.  If you are interested, visit http://www.momcorpsyou.com/login/affiliates for more information.