Happy Mother’s Day, Motherhood and Careers – May 2017

Brand Career Management Monthly Tip Sheet

My Mother is such an inspiration not only to me, but to many others, and a great role model for what a woman can accomplish with focus and energy. Celebrate “the Mommas” in your life this month and let them know who much they mean to you!

Thank you to all of the moms in the world (literally and figuratively)!

Paula

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Working moms should be on LinkedIn!
Managing your career while also being a mother might make things more complicated, but it doesn’t mean you should skip being on LinkedIn. Mid-career mothers should get on LinkedIn and maintain a presence. You can “hide” your profile for periods of time (see tip #2 below) if you would rather, but you still need to get back to it at some point. Better yet, open your account, stay on it and keep it updated. If you stay on the site, you can continue to build your network, so it’s already there when you want to go back to work.

If you have been on a career path and are taking an extended leave from work, don’t forget to keep your profile updated with activities. Many mothers I know take on volunteer roles in their child’s school or spend many hours involved with community organizations. These roles can enhance your skill set, even if you’re not getting paid to do them. You are still utilizing and building useful talents that can be recorded on your profile.

If you have been out of the workforce raising children for some years, you may not be on LinkedIn yet. However, if you are planning to go back to work anytime in the near future, you need to begin creating a presence.

Here are two useful tips for moms (and others) about LinkedIn:

• When you first open up an account, don’t give LinkedIn permission to access your e-mail address book. If you share this information, it’s likely that the system will send invitations to others on your behalf. This can be a nuisance and there may be people in your address book that you don’t want to be connected with on LinkedIn.
• If you are worried about people seeing your profile (before you have finished completing it or while you are on extended leave from work), you can hide your profile from others (without deleting your account). However, if you use this option, set a date to finalize changes and make it visible to others. Remember, if your profile is not viewable to anyone, it’s not helping you build your visibility and grow your network. Both of these are essential components for successful career management.

To find out how to temporarily “hide” your profile, go to this link from the LinkedIn HelpCenter.

The posts below deal with motherhood, working moms and careers. Some provide comparative data and benchmarks, while others offer a source of inspiration.

This older post shares a timeless message to guilt ridden mothers. Some of her statistics are outdated but the debate of motherhood versus career continues.

Laurie Hollman PhD. shares conclusions from her research and offers advice to working mothers in the Huffington Post.

This post shares research suggesting that women are having their cake and eating it too (when it comes to going to school and having children).

These related posts suggest that women lose out in pay after having children. One article is focused on women in the UK, and another article widens the implications beyond the UK to include France.

Patagonia is a role model for how companies can handle on-site day care and maternity leave to promote better work-life balance and increase employee retention. The company has an impressive 100% return rate for female employees going out on maternity leave. This post explains more about their family-friendly programs and other statistics related to issues facing working moms in the US.

Finally, in this 18-minute TED Talk with Shonda Rimes, she explains how motherhood taught her to slow down and have fun. I can relate because I am not very good at playing around. Ironically, it can sometimes feel like work to me (and I don’t have children to help me along).

”LinkedIn – What’s New, What’s Gone and What You Need to Know”
Friday, May 5 at 3:30 pm (for UMD MBA students only)
at the University of Maryland Robert H. Smith School of Business

Creating an Effective Profile on LinkedIn, aka . . .
”What’s New, What’s Gone and What You Need to Know”
Monday, May 15 at 7 pm (free and open to the public)
at the Broadneck Branch of the Anne Arundel County Public Library (AACPL).
Please R.S.V.P. by calling 410-222-1905.

The Essential Guide to Career Certifications is now available! – This 2017 electronic publication features 50+ career industry credentials. Each entry includes the certification name and area of focus, a verified link to the training provider’s website, costs involved, program length, eligibility criteria and renewal requirements. This spring, get 30% off and only pay $17.47! Purchase yours at theessentialguidetocareercertifications.com!