First, you must rewrite your resume a bit differently than you normally might. It must start with a strong and well defined objective, and showcase past achievements using bullet points. This style makes your resume easy to read and allows you to better sell your skill set to employers. If you are pursuing several career paths at once, you will need a well-written and separate resume for each career you target. Focus on past achievements and offer relevant experience.

Unless it is beyond your control do not remain idle during your career break. Consider taking a course or seminar to increase your skills and knowledge. Volunteer and give back to the community. Add community service and all courses to your resume, because employers love this stuff. This shows prospective employers that you can multi-task and that you are serious about staying current in your field, even when unemployed.

Getting back to work after being away for a long period of time requires you develop and embrace the proper attitude. A mentor can go a long way to preparing and getting into the proper mindset. Mentors can bring you up to speed and keep you abreast of what is happening in your chosen career path, and makes the transition from being unemployed to employed far easier.

One of the biggest mistakes unemployed individuals do is to not stay in contact with their former work colleagues. Drop by the old office from time to time, and network through social media. If your former boss was pleased with your work stay in contact, because you might find yourself getting an interview in another department or perhaps another company. Networking and developing relationships and connections can help you land that next job faster.

We all know the economy is sluggish. This means you might not be able to land the exact job you want. You must be flexible. Consider being a consultant, or working part-time. This gets you into the workplace and gives you the ability to network with professionals, which means you are offered additional career choices. Use part-time endeavours as a launch pad to bigger and better things. Volunteer work is a great way to network with professionals, too, and this could open the employment door in ways you might not have imagined.

There are many reasons for a break in one’s career. Whether it is intentional or circumstances forced you to become unemployed, preparing your comeback makes it less stressful. Stay in contact with former colleagues, do volunteer work, and call your old boss from time to time. Doing so keeps you in the game. Be flexible by considering consultant and part-time work, and network with other professionals every chance you can.

Richard McMunn, is the founder and director of the UK’s leading career website How2become helps people prepare for and pass recruitment process in order to acquire their dream job. The website offers a wide range of books, dvds and courses for those who want to take their preparation to the next stage. You can also connect with How2become on YouTube

Social Media Moms

How often do moms discuss the election, candidates or political issues with other moms? More importantly, where and how are the conversations taking place? While traditional media remain a top choice as a source of information, Facebook and social media are the top choices for discussing politics and sharing opinions. The survey responses point to the increasing influence of social media on moms who love to communicate with each other.

Moms mainly communicate via Facebook; an overwhelming 56% of moms ranked Facebook as the top choice, followed by blogs at 30% and Twitter at 25%.

Forty-six percent of moms say they talk about politics on the phone, with another 44% of moms saying they talk politics at offline events, such as children’s birthday parties, sporting events and other group activities.

Almost 41% of moms “Like” a candidate or political organization on Facebook.

Most moms talk politics with their peers on a weekly basis (41%).

To educate themselves on candidates and issues, moms like television over other media outlets. Over 74% of moms surveyed rely on television, followed by newspapers (66%) and online forums/websites (56%) as sources of information.

More than 61% of moms responded yes when asked if they encourage another person to get involved or educate themselves on the issues of the November election
Issues Important to Moms

Whether on Facebook or on the playground, Moms have specific issues that resonate with them when deciding who gets their votes. Not surprisingly, the majority of moms – 53% – responded that once they have children, they start paying more attention to issues that affect their families.

Ranking issues that resonate with moms, education and health care tie for the top spot. Almost 45% of moms rank each as their most important issue

Jobs rank a close second with 43% with women’s health issues at 37%

The choice of running mate ranks higher in importance (4 out of 5) than the choice of First Lady (3 out of 5)

Close to 58% of moms appreciated the references that Ann Romney and Michelle Obama made to their roles as mothers during their convention speeches
For Better or Worse

What do Moms think about current politics, their personal situation and the future?

In the current administration, moms ranked gay marriage and health care as the top areas of improvement.

A majority of survey respondents ranked “jobs” as the area needing the most improvement during the next administration.

When asked about the last four years, 19% of moms responded that they are faring better, 37% about the same and 44% worse for their families.
With an almost even split of Democrat and Republican moms (31% each), 20% Independent and 18% swing voters who vote across party lines, most moms already know their November choice. Over 88% of moms surveyed intend to vote in the election, with 74% indicating that they have decided who will receive their vote.

And, finally, on the lighter side of the issues, the attire of Michelle Obama and Ann Romney became the much-talked-about topic after the convention speeches. Just over 52% of moms would choose to wear Obama’s dress and 48% would wear Romney’s dress. Almost 37% of moms relate more to Michelle Obama, while 22% relate to Ann Romney.

No one can accurately predict the outcome of November’s election however one thing is for sure, U.S. moms will play a major part in who wins the campaign.

Read more: http://www.mediapost.com/publications/article/184230/will-facebook-decide-election-moms-vote-yes.html#ixzz28R1htqLI

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There are so many options for when selecting the right performing arts program,” says Melissa Caolo, managing director of Camp Broadway.  “Before making any choices, parents and their kids should look at a variety of factors to help make an informed choice.”

Camp Broadway’s 7 key tips are:

1. Safety first. Make sure the program is taught in a clean and secure environment with clearly defined child safety procedures in place such as background checks for staff, adult supervision of children, medical protocols and meal/snack plan.

2. Credentials matter. Your first call should be to the local performing arts center to inquire about their youth and community programs. Read the biographies of the teachers to ensure that every member of the teaching staff is an experienced professional. Make use of media that may post reviews about programs that are of interest to you. A social networking site pertaining to the program is a reliable way to connect with parents and past participants who may be willing to share information about their own child’s experience.

3. Class size is important. Ask about the student/teacher ratio. As you may have discovered from your child’s educational experience, different ages require different ratios. To provide an optimal learning environment, a typical performing arts program will offer one teacher and one assistant to no more than 25 students.

4. Attitude is everything. Understand the mission and goals of the organization to determine if they complement your child’s age, ability and interests. Ask yourself if your child would be best served by a program that uses the performing arts to teach life skills or a program that teaches performing arts skills to aspiring professionals. Both approaches are equally valid, but the program experience can be very different.

5. Value vs Price. Weigh the reputation of the organization, the location of the program, the expertise of the staff and guest artists, the authenticity and quality of the content. It is also important to understand what is and is not included in the program including meals, merchandise, theatre tickets, etc. Prices vary greatly. However, as is often the case, an exceptional experience may be well worth a greater investment. Don’t forget to inquire about scholarship opportunities!

6. No guarantees. Be realistic and avoid promises of stardom or future employment.

7. Camp is fun. Many programs feature photos collections and videos on their website that will help you envision your child at camp. Participation in the performing arts as a child should be a joyful experience that produces happy memories, which will last a lifetime.

About Camp Broadway

Founded in 1995, CAMP BROADWAY® is Broadway’s Original Summer Program for theatre-loving kids. Proclaimed “The Camp of Dreams” by Live Magazine, Camp Broadway has hosted nearly 20,000 children at its annual summer programs in New York City, as well as cities such as Atlanta, Buffalo, Jacksonville, Providence and Tempe. Camp Broadway has been featured on the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade® telecast; performed with the New York Pops at Carnegie Hall; and appeared in Broadway on Broadway®. Camp Broadway has worked with dozens of Broadway productions, estates and authors to develop interactive workshops that have enabled over 350,000 children to attend Broadway shows.   For more information, please visit www.campbroadway.com.

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