How to win the job war against young, cheaper graduates
Posted inA mix How to look for a job

How to win the job war against young, cheaper graduates

When you’ve spent time out of work making the decision to return to work can be a daunting prospect. You may have tackled the demands of being a parent, a 24-hour job – but the office is a different game.

You may be worried that there are younger, cheaper,  ‘more employable’ competitors out there fighting for the same jobs. Someone who’s fresh out of university and up to date on the industry news and trends is unbeatable, right? That’s not technically true.

How to explain gaps in employment during a job interview
Posted inHow to look for a job

How to explain gaps in employment during a job interview

Job interviews are an opportunity for you to prove that you’re the best person for the job – and it’s also an opportunity for recruiters to check anything that doesn’t add up. And for many mums, this may be a gap in your employment history.

Many people get anxious when a job interviewer starts checking the dates on your CV and asking questions about any gaps in employment. For mums, this is almost inevitable because so many choose to take time out to raise young children before returning to work later.

Health and safety advice for work at home mums
Posted inA mix Work and career tips and advice

Health and safety advice for work at home mums

Working from home is a great option for many mums. It tends to be a lot more flexible than a typical nine-to-five job and allows parents to spend more time with their little ones.

If you do want to go it alone, however, it’s important to create an adequate workspace and make health and safety a top priority. You might not have an office manager to whip you into shape, but there are plenty of things you can do to stay safe – and even improve your wellbeing.

Posted inWork and career tips and advice

How to effectively manage a member of staff who works from home without being resentful

Despite recent changes at Yahoo! By the hands of CEO Marissa Mayer requiring remote workers to come in house or leave, and further comments by Vogue Head Alexandra Shulman, flexible working can be successful, and if you’re a manager who is managing someone who doesn’t work in the office all the time, or at all, it isn’t always easy and it requires advance planning.

Here are some tips to make it as successful as possible:

How every working mum can make returning to work after maternity leave as easy and stress-free as possible
Posted inCareers Coach Blog Family life

How every working mum can make returning to work after maternity leave as easy and stress-free as possible

No one said it was going to be easy, but if you want to have your cake and eat it as a working mum, you need to dust yourself off and prepare yourself emotionally, mentally and financially because there may be a few hiccups along the way when you return to work after taking maternity leave.

Being a working mum can be fulfilling and if you can get everything in place before going back to work, it will be a much easier transition that you probably thought.

Here are some tips for a stress and tear free transition (or as close to one as possible!):

Five mistakes even smart working mums make and how to a avoid them
Posted inFamily life What's in the news? Work and career tips and advice

Five mistakes even smart working mums make and how to a avoid them

Every mum tries their best, but sometimes circumstances can seem to take over our lives and then caps sets in.

Here are five red flags to watch out for, and tips to change their impact on your life:

A new manager at work doesn’t have to spell doom – learn how to break them in
Posted inCareers Coach Blog

A new manager at work doesn’t have to spell doom – learn how to break them in

Having a new boss at work can bring a mix of emotions. If you had a good working relationship with their predecessor, you may be a bit anxious about establishing a similar rapport with someone new who does know and understand you. Maybe you had your old boss wrapped around your little finger, and that made coming into a job you didn’t like all that much ever easier and now things are bound the change…

If you couldn’t wait to see the back of an irritating or incompetent line manager, anyone else will do, and you could come across as a bit too eager with a new boss who doesn’t know the history!

Whichever side you sit on, most people feel a little nervous, but if you play your cards right, a new boss can be a very positive thing. Here’s how:

Is going to work making you broke? Find out how with this infograph
Posted inCareers Coach Blog Money - how to keep it and how to make it

Is going to work making you broke? Find out how with this infograph

Do you feel like a dog who’s chasing its tail when it comes to work and money? Working all the available hours and still come short in the money stakes?

Eeek! half term is here again! How to work at home with the kids during school holidays
Posted inChildren & Relationships Family life Work and career tips and advice

Eeek! half term is here again! How to work at home with the kids during school holidays

Every mumpreneur or mum who works from home is thinking about how they’ll better juggle work and the kids. And half term is only a few days away for many!

Here are some surefire tips to make sure you get as much work done as possible – while making sure you spend some quality time with the kids…and have fun:

social media spy
Posted inHow to look for a job

Struggling to get a job interview? Your social media profiles could be to blame

Pictures of your wild party days (even if they are before you got all sensibly married and became a mum), inappropriate language and ‘I hate xxx’ groups you support…they may seem like a good idea at the time, but when you’re looking for a new job they could be lethal.

According to a recent survey of recruiters and those in recruiting positions by Reppler, 91% of respondants use social networking sites to screen prospective employees.

Are you a victim of deskfest-ing (eating meals at your desk a work)?
Posted inHow to cope with problems at work Work and career tips and advice

Are you a victim of deskfest-ing (eating meals at your desk a work)?

A study of 2,000 employees has found that more than a third now eat at least one meal at their desk each day, while one in six tucks into two meals a
day.

These days, it’s not uncommon tomget to the office to the smell of toast, or porridge and its become the norm. According to the survey, women in particular favoured eating breakfast at work, over male colleagues, with one in three saying they regularly ate at their desk compared to one in five men.

How to manage a boss who is a draconian bully
Posted inA mix Careers Coach Blog Work and career tips and advice

How to manage a boss who is a draconian bully

You’re blessed if you have a boss who is rational and fair minded. But every so often, you’ll come across one who may be so difficult to work with you literally want to throw the towel in every morning – and that’s before you’ve even left for the daily commute!

If that sounds like your sorry state of affairs, here are some tips on managing your boss when they have the personality and tact of a goldfish:

Three simple ways working mums can boost their profile at work
Posted inWork and career tips and advice

Three simple ways working mums can boost their profile at work

The saying “empty barrels make the most noise” is one that’s often said in non complimentary way, but if you’ve been working for a li g time, you’ll soon start to see a pattern – those who shout about their achievement (even the smallest and non significant) often seem to get the promotions.

Four jobs you (probably) didn’t think you could do from home
Posted inWork and career tips and advice Work from home tips and advice

Four jobs you (probably) didn’t think you could do from home

Working from home doesn’t always have to mean selling other people’s products or setting up a craft-based business…you can actually use your skills, experience and knowledge in your current profession without changing much other than where you work.

Here are just four examples of doing just that to get you thinking about the possibilities…there are many more ideas, including our feature ‘10 hobbies that can become a business‘ for even more:

How to stay sane when you working from home starts to take a toll
Posted inA mix Work and career tips and advice

How to stay sane when you working from home starts to take a toll

For many mums the ability to work from home would be a dream! being able to take the kids to school and pick them up, put a load and dinner on, and all while making enough money to live the lifestyle of choice…

But for many mums who work from home, it just doesn’t always seem to be all it’s supposed to be. The stress and pressure of trying to juggle everything with not a soul around to ask if you want a cuppa can be too much.

How to make returning to work after maternity leave tear-free
Posted inA mix Careers Coach Blog Parenting tips Work and career tips and advice

How to make returning to work after maternity leave tear-free

If I had a tenner for all the stories I’ve heard working mums share about crying the first day they left young Johnny at nursery or with a childminder…

No one said it was going to be easy, but if you want to have your cake and eat it as a working mum, you need to dust yourself off and prepare yourself emotionally, mentally and financially because there may be a few hiccups along the way.

Is a fear of failure stopping you achieve more in your career, business or life in general?
Posted inCareers Coach Blog

Is a fear of failure stopping you achieve more in your career, business or life in general?

Are you someone who always has the “what if it doesn’t work?” question at the back of your mind? Do you sometimes want to bite the bullet and go on a particular course, or start a part-time business from home but don’t know why you keep holding yourself back?

5 ways working mums with new babies can get more sleep when you return to work
Posted inFamily life Mothers' rights at work Parenting tips What's in the news? Work and career tips and advice

5 ways working mums with new babies can get more sleep when you return to work

The joy of a new baby is certainly special and something that all new parents experience. However, not getting enough sleep is also part of having a new baby and new parents notoriously get very little sleep, if any at all.

For new mums on maternity leave, it can be gruelling enough, but if you’re self-employed or have to go back to work before your child is sleeping through the night it can be tough.

Posted inA mix Work and career tips and advice

Accidents at work are on the rise – do you know what to do if you have a workplace mishap?

During April 2011 to March 2012, 173 workers were killed at work, according to provisional figures from the Health and Safety Executive (HSE).