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Selling yourself

Translate your non-working years into marketable skills

by Michelle Lederman | 687 views | 0 comments | Rate this now!

If none of this rings a bell with you, then think about what you would like to do and get some life experience to launch yourself into that next career. Working for free is a great way in the door of your next employer.

Need more ideas? Here are some everyday tasks the marketable skills they exemplify.

1.) Communication and interpersonal skills: Teaching about sharing, telling a parent their child misbehaved, dealing with other parents and teachers, managing family emotions and priorities.

2.) Conflict resolution, decision making, problem solving, and negotiation skills: Resolving fights over a toy, settling sibling rivalry, coordinating attendance at conflicting events, selecting a school or doctor or after school activity, deciding who gets to choose which TV show to watch, keeping the peace.

3.) Leadership skills: Volunteering your time (girl scouts, sports team, PTA), chaperoning school field trips.

4.) Multi-tasking, efficiency, and time management skills: Dealing with every moment of every day with grace, getting everyone up and out each morning, completing an exhaustive list, determining the order in which to accomplish tasks.

5.) Technology and design skills: Using QuickBooks to prepare taxes, creating an online family photo or web page, designing and printing party invitations, using Microsoft Word to write letters, using software to maintain a calendar.

6.) Finance and budgeting skills. Managing family finances, stretching a dollar, using coupons, paying bills online, buying a car.

7.) Creative skills: Helping with art and school projects, planning birthday parties and fun learning assignments, being constantly on the go, multi-tasking daily.

8.) Flexibility: Adjusting priorities when a child is sick, handling with sick days and school holidays

9.) Being organized, punctual, and detail oriented. Ensuring everyone is in the right place at the right time, managing the family calendar and to do lists, picking up kids from school, attending after school programs, navigating the every day.

10.) Being a team player: Working with spouse to share responsibility, sharing load with other parents.

11.) Being responsible: You’re a mom -- enough said.

About the Author

Michelle Tillis Lederman is the founder of Executive Essentials, which provides customized communications and leadership workshops. She has delivered seminars internationally for corporations, universities, high schools, and non profit organizations including; JPMorgan Chase, Morgan Stanley, Deutsche Bank, Columbia Business School, and The Museum of Modern Art. Michelle is an Adjunct Professor at NYU’s Stern School of Business and serves on the faculty of the American Management Association.