A free resource for the job seeker

As you peruse PhillyJobs.com, you will notice that the site offers much more than Philadelphia area job listings. There are discussion forums where you can share your questions and experiences with fellow job seekers. There are links to educational opportunities that can help you update your career skills or even switch careers. You can take a personality test to determine whether you are indeed in the career that best suits you, you can get professional help in crafting your resume, and much more on top of that.

The best thing about the services offered through PhillyJobs.com is that many of them are free. But not all of them. And if you have been in the job market for a while now without some work to help you get by, it may well be the case that you have gone through your savings and must carefully consider every penny you spend, even if it is on something as valuable as your own future.

If you are a Pennsylvania resident, the Commonwealth may be able to help you obtain some of those services at low or no cost through Pennsylvania CareerLink, part of the Commonwealth Workforce Development System. Through a network of CareerLink offices statewide and the CareerLink website, job seekers can obtain counseling, resume writing assistance, training resources, and other services, including help in applying for public assistance if things have come to that pass.

And contrary to what some might think, CareerLink works with job seekers at every level of the job hierarchy, every level of experience, and every field of employment. Its database of job openings may not rival Beyond.com's, but it is sufficiently broad and diverse to be of value to any job seeker in the Keystone State.

The first step in utilizing CareerLink is to either visit an office in person or create a user profile on the CareerLink website. These days, it pays to leave no stone unturned in finding ways to advance your job search.

By Sandy Smith

Sandy Smith is a veteran freelance writer, editor and public relations professional who lives in Philadelphia. Besides blogging for PhillyJobs.com, he has written for numerous publications and websites, would be happy to do your resume, and is himself actively seeking career opportunities on Beyond.com. Check out his LinkedIn profile and read his other posts on PhillyJobsBlog.com.

Making the Transition from Stay-at-Home Parent to Employee a Little Easier

Finding a good balance between working and still having a happy home life is tough, especially if you are considering going back to work after having a child. When you are the full-time caregiver for a small child or several children, just the idea of adding a full-time job in there is scary and overwhelming. Typically, these are the sorts of decisions that moms face, but I know that there are many stay-at-home dads who are in the same situation as well. In this economic recession, even people who have been out of the workforce for some time are finding themselves faced with the need to go back to work.

So, how can you make the transition easier? It will take a lot of planning ahead, and there will be tough adjustments for everyone involved but with some hard work, it can actually be rewarding. Here are some tips from iVillage for making the transition back to work a little easier:

• Trust that it will be OK – Going back to work after being the primary care-giver for your child causes separation anxiety, not just for the child, but for the parent as well. Trust in the fact that everything will work out. You aren't going to scar your child for life if they have to spend time with a babysitter or in a daycare situation. Spending quality time with your children is the most important thing, so even though you can't be there all the time, you can still maintain a tight bond with your children.
  
  
• Unplug after work – It is tempting to bring your work home with you, or spend a good portion of your home time being online. Plan some time after work to turn off the phone, computers, cell and television and just spend some face time with the ones you love.
  
  
• Start slow – If you can, try to ease into things by working part-time at first. This will give you a chance to “get your feet wet” without having quite as much on your plate. Once you get adjusted to your new routine, you can work on transitioning to full-time hours.
  
  
• Trust your gut – There are plenty of people who say that parents who work full-time are short changing their children. And for every one of them, there are others who think that stay-at-home parents don't really “work”. Both sides are wrong. Raising a child is a full time job, whether you stay home or have a job. You have to do what feels right to you. Don't let other peoples' opinions keep you from doing what you need to do.
  
  
• Quality over quantity – This goes for both work and home time. Even though you may not be able to work as late as you did before you became a parent, it is the quality of the work you do, rather than the number of hours you spend at the office that count. The same is true of family time.

Deciding to go back to work is a tough decision, but it can be rewarding and profitable for your family. The most important thing is to look for creative solutions for the time management problems that are bound to arise. When you do what feels right for you and your family, and you get everyone on board, the transition can be much smoother.

By Melissa Kennedy- Melissa is a 9 year blog veteran and a freelance writer for PhillyJobs and Beyond along with helping others find the job of their dreams, she enjoys computer geekery, raising a teenager, supporting her local library, writing about herself in the third person and working on her next novel. You can read more of her blogs on Phillyjobs blog.