Sharon Reed Abboud, a Loudoun County resident, has written a new book, All Moms Work: Short-Term Career Strategies for Long- Range Success. A mom of four children, Sharon is a freelance writer specializing in careers and higher education.

How can working moms balance work with their family lives? In All Moms Work, I discuss many different work options, including the possibility of working part-time, telecommuting, owning a business, consulting or working full-time with flexible hours. It is important for working moms to assess the different work alternatives to decide what would be best for them and for their particular family.

Who were your main sources of research for this book? I interviewed many national career experts and working moms from across the US and Canada including Loudoun residents: Jane Braumann, who works as a part-time legal administrator; Jennifer Mangum & Suzan Meredith, co-owners of Redecorate Today; and Lisa Svendsen, a direct sales professional for Tastefully Simple.

I also interviewed some other Northern Virginia moms who work at companies located in the area: Amy Cropper (Accenture); Victoria Dipalo, Marie Risser and Kerri Westburg (Booz Allen Hamilton); and Nadine Monaco and Lillian Zarreli Ryals (Mitre).

What recommendations do you have for a stay-at-home mom who wants to return to work? In All Moms Work, I provide advice on how to transition back into the workforce by using a number of strategies for landing a job including the critical importance of networking, searching for jobs and creating a “gapfree” resume.

I advise stay-at-home moms to keep their resume current by volunteering and keeping up-to-date with their industry and to not just “drop off the professional horizon” during their time at home. They need to keep their network and skills current so they can have the option of re-entering the professional workforce at a future date.
How do stay-at-home moms bridge their resume gap? They can do so by volunteering strategically, maintaining their professional affiliations, and, in some cases, by taking continuing education coursework. In terms of volunteering, it is important for moms to take on some volunteer jobs that use the skills that they used in their former job or skills that they hope to use when they re-enter the workforce. Volunteering strategically will enable the stayat- home mom to make a difference in her community, keep her skills fresh, allow her to meet new people and expand her professional network.

What is the most important career strategy that stay-at-home moms need to use? Stay-at-home moms can keep their network current by setting up an online business networking profile on sites such as LinkedIn. They should continue to network in person by remaining active in or joining professional organizations in their career field and by going to networking meetings whenever possible. This will keep building their network so that it will be in place when they are ready to transition back in to the workforce.

These tips are great to prepare for a future transition, but what about a mom who needs to go back to work now? This question is relevant to many moms because of the economy. I suggest that they consider temping. There are many diverse temping opportunities that range from graphic arts to legal to IT and other career fields. It’s a great way to have an opportunity to work at a company on a short-term basis. Many temps are offered permanent jobs. An added benefit is that many temp companies offer computer training which can enable a mom to update her office skills if necessary.

Can a working mom really “have it all”? It depends on how you define it and the question is highly personal for each individual. In the book, I talk about how to design a worklife set up that is best for each particular individual and their situation. For some moms, it’s working full-time; for other moms, it’s working part-time, telecommuting, and/or starting a business. The important point is that working parents have many different work options, and should carefully consider the different alternatives before deciding which option to pursue.

For more information about Sharon and her book, visit the website www.allmomswork.com.