Business and Family: Moms Can Have It All

Stay-at-home mom? How about stay-at-home CEO?

"Mompreneurs" are part of a trend that's becoming more and more prevalent, as millions of business-minded mothers are starting online companies and operating them from home.

Providers of Internet services are taking note of this increasing number of enterprising mothers. Network Solutions, for example, recently partnered with Victoria Colligan, mother of two and co-founder of a women's networking company called Ladies Who Launch.

The partnership combines Colligan's entrepreneurial know-how with Network Solutions' business-building tools, such as Do-It-For-Me Web sites, easy-to-use templates and flexible e-commerce packages.

But even with such helpful resources, starting a business can be tough, especially when being a mom is top priority. If you're looking to build a Web site and start your own business, Colligan offers the following tips:

Brand your company. Ask yourself: What kind of style do I want for my business? Serious or whimsical? Sophisticated or youthful? Your type of branding could be any of these things, but having a consistent style can grant your company a sense of personality.

Words are key. Carefully determine a handful of keywords that describe your company, and then incorporate these words into your site's URL, page titles and content. This tells Internet search engines what your site is about, so people using these keywords can find your site more easily.

Sell, sell, sell. Don't overlook conventional marketing. Include detailed product descriptions and quality photos of merchandise on your site. A satisfaction guarantee is a great way to exemplify confidence in your product.

Keep it fresh. Give your customers a reason to come back to your Web site. Be sure to add new content whenever it's appropriate and monitor your site to ensure that the content is relevant.

Don't be afraid to ask for help. Do your research and find a Web solutions provider that will be available when you need help. Companies like Network Solutions have professional Web designers and search analysts that can help you design and optimize your Web site to attract more customers.

Important Interview Tips For Success

Have you ever wondered that why some people always qualify for any interview they face?  It is very well said that practice make a man perfect, similarly interviews can also be defined as a skill set requiring a perfect practice. Present scenario of recession, global meltdown, reduced job rates had made things even worse and more difficult.

A high rate of professionalism is what impresses an employer to a great extent. Moreover, all employers expect their employees to posses good communication skills, leadership qualities, intelligence ( intellectual and emotional ), competent, imaginative etc.

This list could be endless, so we land up in a confused state where what exactly is required is not always known to us. Thus leading to stressed and tensed moments before facing a interview. The key is to relax,  stay clam and confident.

Important Interview Tips

Know your employer :
Research your employer, known their goals, what they are doing etc. You can do this by simply visiting their website or discussing with your friends who know the company or may have worked their before.

Know Yourself :
Remember in a interview you have to sell yourself. The employer knows only your resume, so always remember to highlight your performance at previous jobs, community services, school activities etc in such a manner that the interviewer develops an positive attitude about your personality.

Stay Confident:
Don’t get nervous, be confident. Confidence is reflected by your voice, body language and gestures. So always be cautious. Develop an habit of sitting with straight back, talking with strong and clear voice, avoid nervous signs( playing with hairs, playing with finger, shaking legs etc ) to win the race.

Dress to Impress:
Your attire helps to develop a first impression and always remembered, First Impression is the Last Impression. Be very cautious, be careful your are dressing for an interview, if you wish to be taken seriously you have to look serious. . In general for Mens , the minimum will be dress shirt, slacks, and dress shoes. A tie depends on the job position, but you can’t go wrong with one. For women, business casual, which is a collared shirt and dress pants or skirt, a light day makeup would be appropriated. Avoid using high heels or strong perfumes.

Prepare For Pointed question:
Pointed questions like What is your weakness, In which area do you need improvement are frequently asked. Don’t panic stay clam and confident and answer the questions diplomatically and smartly. For ex- Your weakness should e shown in such a manner that it becomes a strength for the organization.

Tips for the Interview:

- Reach half an hour before the interview timings.
- Offer a warm handshake.
- Sit straight.
- Make an eye contact.
- Always thank before sitting.
- Always wear a slight smile.
- Accept gracefully, if drink is offered.
- Don’t hassle, if you don’t know any answer say politely and respectfully you don’t know the answer. Illogical wrong answer will ruin your impression.
- Always thank before leaving.
- Aline your chair before leaving the interview room.
- Don’t bang the door. Close the door gently without making any noise .

Frequently asked Interview Questions :

There is no set pattern of interview or interview questions. In general frequently asked question are listed below. Be prepared with answers before facing an interview :

- Why should we hire you?
- Tell us about yourself?
- Why are you interested in this position?
- What do you know about the company?
- What salary are you expecting/ drawing?
- What specific set of abilities and skills would you bring to the organization?
- What is your greatest strength/weakness?
- What would your co-worker will say to describe you?
- Describe any leadership experience you ever had?
- Do you have offers from other companies?

Most of the time the interviewer will ask, do you have any questions to ask. Be prepared and ask questions like your role and responsibility if hired etc. This will show your interest in the job. Don’t ask any salary/package related questions.

Does Smoking Break Affects Women’s Productivity At Work

Smoking breaks are a common phenomena to most working people who smoke, be it men or women. Till sometime back the issue of smoking breaks affecting men and women’s productivity at work was common but with the rise in the amount of women who smoke, the issue is growing heavy on working women.

Take a look outside any organization. A batch of employees smoking every few minutes is a common sight. Are you seeing more woman gathering while a smoke? Human resources find this a hard battle to win as smokers can’t really work without smoking breaks.

The stereotype attached to women is that they gossip, which isn’t exactly wrong but may vary from the type of woman she is. A half hour break or an hour’s break at work is given by any organization for a meal. If you work around 12 hours, two meals are substituted in between. Addition to this, smokers make it a point to take a couple or more breaks to catch a fag.

The trend which really bothers organizations is that, a girlfriend going for a smoke can cajole her friend to come along or a girl group can make it a point to gather together, regardless of the work needing attention. A few minutes can stretch to an hour easily.

The same trend was seen is men but is now being even further stretched by women. So do smoking breaks affect women’s productivity at work? Definitely! Stress levels when it comes to women who smoke are high and to boost their morale or get a good gossip along with their cigarette, women seems to be milling together.

Another thing that makes smoking breaks an even bigger distraction from productivity is that women find it easier to talk than men. Hence, a small chat can go on to become a discussion what can be discussed outside office hours.
The point of this discussion is not to say women are bad at their jobs with smoking added to it but to instead understand why smoking breaks are bigger distraction from work for women than men.

Being a woman, you will surely understand that stress levels and emotional feelings of a woman tend to shared with friends at colleagues at work in between breaks. Hence, rather than pour it out at work, keep it for later in the evening.

The line between men and women at work gets drawn to who acts more professional and practical. While a smoking break can be tolerated, gossip and times spent chit chatting can really send a wrong message to the organization as well your client.

Make no mistake of chit chatting and letting a client wait or get your story over with and then attend to a mail. Keep your work a high priority and try to balance your personal life or social life on a low profile around your organization.

I would love to hear your experiences of smoking break and productivity loss. Please leave me a comment and let me know.

How To Dress For An Interview – Women’s Interview Attire

When you are going for an interview you have to be very cautious about your dress. Interview is a formal introduction with your perspective employer so wearing flashy or sexy clothes won’t do the trick. It is always wise to leave good impression on your employer by talking and behaving nicely without leaving bad impression.

As per a saying, your clothing tells a lot  about your professionalism and helps in obtaining a job easily. In this article I am going to give you few interview dressing tips which will help you in securing a good job by leaving a nice impression on your employer.

1. Do not wear a strong perfume. Your employer or the HR might be allergic to strong perfume and would not like to indulge in long conversation.
2. Wearing proper business shoes will always be a good idea. Do not wear fancy or flashy shoes. Make sure your socks color matches with your dress and shoes.
3. Avoid wearing casual clothes while going for an interview. It would be nice to wear proper business suit to leave a big impact on the business community. Idea is to look closer to their culture and not to look alien in their world.
4. Some women find it very difficult to wear business suit because their body doesn’t allow them to wear such tight suits but believe me it will always be wise to wear nice business suit than any other casual suit. If business suit of good color is worn with dignity it will look good and leave a very nice impact. Do not choose colors which you wear for parties.
5. Business community and your employer is not interested in jewelry so avoid them as much as you can. Still, you can wear a very light pendant which matches with your business suit.
6. Do not wear heavy makeup and avoid any kind of hair sparkles. You are not getting ready for a party so just avoid all those and wear a very light and bright makeup.
7. Do not style your hairs in a vogue fashion; just tie them in a professional manner.
8. Display excellent hygiene by cleaning your nails, teeth’s. Personal hygiene counts as much as any other characteristics.
9. It is a common misconception that wearing sexy and short clothes will help in securing a job but its nothing but a myth. No organization will hire just because you wear short clothes, they would rather prefer decent clothing.
10. Sport a nice smile on your face and look relaxed even when you are asked a tough or complicated question.

Please leave me a comment and let me know whether these tips helped you in getting a job.