Now Hiring: Making Yourself a Marketable Mom(TM)
May 02 2007 - 3:31PM
Business Wire
Salary.com, Inc. (NASDAQ: SLRY), a leading provider of on-demand
compensation management solutions, today announced the results of
its 7th annual Mom Salary Survey for working and stay-at-home moms.
If paid the salary of the equivalent jobs mom performs,
stay-at-home moms would earn $138,095 and working moms would earn
$85,939 per year. At some point, many stay-at-home moms will seek
to re-enter the workforce. This year, Salary.com�s survey also
highlights those skills moms have honed that employers value and
provides tips to help moms make their stay-at-home time attractive
to prospective employers�defining the �Marketable Mom.� �When a mom
decides to return to work, she often experiences a crisis in
confidence and is overwhelmed by how much time has passed since her
last job,� said Meredith Hanrahan, chief marketing officer at
Salary.com. �Many mothers think their skills aren�t transferable or
that the work world has passed them by. They�re not alone. Many
capable, educated, stay-at-home caregivers share this doubt about
going back to work. In fact, it is similar to the self doubt
employed people experience when negotiating a raise.� �The first
step is to acknowledge it and then get it out of your head,�
recommends Hanrahan. �Don�t let doubt discourage you from getting
back in the game. Change the paradigm and start thinking of
yourself as possessing many marketable skills that employers seek.�
Generally, moms expand their qualifications for a job through
raising children. In their time away from paying work, mothers have
developed transferable skills such as mature decision-making,
multi-tasking, organization, project management, patience, conflict
resolution and the ability to align various people with different
agendas to complete a task. The proof is in the hiring. Salary.com
found that over 95 percent of employers do hire former stay-at-home
moms and over 80 percent are actively recruiting moms re-entering
the workforce. As the available talent pool shrinks, employers are
finding increasing value in the transferable skills mothers can
bring to the workforce. In the Salary.com survey, employers cited
the following as the skills they value most in moms returning to
work: Skills Employers Believe Mother's Excel At Multi-Tasking
Capabilities 58.8 percent Compassion/Empathy 48.5 percent
Dependability 44.3 percent Work Ethic 39.2 percent Relevant Life
Experience 36.1 percent Management and People Skills 24.7 percent
�Mom skills will become more desirable in the workplace and moms�
employment opportunities will become more abundant as companies
seek to capture talent from outside the traditional channels,� adds
Bill Coleman, senior vice president of compensation at Salary.com.
�Mothers are not only talented; they�re experienced managers,
motivators, decision makers and client specialists after spending
time in both the workforce and as a mother.� Marketable Mom Tips 1.
Be Confident Many mothers re-entering the workforce convince
themselves that it�s been too long or their skills are too out of
date for an employer to be interested in hiring them. The best
thing any mother can do when considering going back to work, is to
understand the value their parenting skills will offer to potential
employers. 2. Stay Connected Seventy-eight percent of employers use
employee referrals as a primary method of recruitment. It is
important to maintain relations with colleagues and to network with
peers through lunches, associations, clubs and alumni events. Many
of these outlets have online newsletters, communities, job boards
and web conferences � all of which can be done on your time. 3.
Know What You Want to Do Narrowing the fields you wish to enter
will help you focus your efforts on securing a desirable job in a
field that interests you. 4. Stay Current Being knowledgeable of
current trends allows you to talk intelligently with any
prospective employer. Keep tabs on the top websites, blogs and
trade publications relevant to your field or industry. Quick reads
of key publications will keep you on top of major companies,
players and developments and will give you the confidence to talk
about work issues even though you haven�t been in the workforce. 5.
Make Your Volunteer Work Count Be selective with the type of
volunteer work you commit to. Select jobs or tasks that will
enhance your workplace skills, such as payroll, project management
and fund raising. Volunteer work will help keep your skills sharp
and can be a strong resume builder. 6. Get Smart, Take Classes
Taking courses online, at the local college or community center
will help you land a fulfilling job when you re-enter the
workforce. By keeping your mind active with relevant coursework and
certifications, you also increase your market value and exhibit
dedication to your career. 7. Update Your Resume Don�t be daunted
by gaps in employment. List the skills you have acquired through
volunteer and past work experience. Make sure you have references
available who can speak to your skills. 8. Redefine Success Don�t
raise the bar so high that you feel like you�re missing it. As a
mom, you have different requirements and expectations of work than
before you entered motherhood. Things like flexible work hours,
short commute and good benefits are now more important than the
prestigious job title. Additionally, women should consider what
they value in a job and whether their interests have changed since
their previous jobs. According to recent survey responses, the
workplace rewards mothers cite as the most important are: 1.
Flexible Schedule (manage own time) 2. Passion for the Work 3.
Mental Stimulation and Challenge 4. Skill Enhancement (on job
experience) 5. Promotion and Advancement Considering a mothers
workplace needs and the skills valued by employers, Salary.com
identified the following jobs as good matches for moms re-entering
the workforce: Job Title Median Salary Marketing Manager $89,200�
Executive Recruiter $77,000� Sales Representative $62,500�
Financial Analyst $58,500� Marketing Analyst $56,900� Non-Profit
Manager $55,100� Accountant $41,100� Bookkeeper $37,400� Claims
Examiner $35,400� Community Organizer $30,900� For additional tips
and advice for mothers returning to work, please visit
http://mom.salary.com. About Salary.com, Inc. Salary.com is a
leading provider of on-demand compensation management solutions
helping businesses and individuals manage pay and performance.
Salary.com provides companies of all sizes comprehensive on-demand
software applications that are tightly integrated with its own
proprietary compensation data sets, thereby automating the
essential elements of the compensation management process and
significantly improving the effectiveness of its client�s
compensation spend. For more information, visit www.salary.com.
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