I am so excited about Philosophy's support of Breast Cancer Awareness Month. They have created "She Colors My Day Bubble Bath" (which we are featuring on the Own Your Health segment of the Resource Center).

With each bubble bath purchase, Philosophy donates 100% of the proceeds to the Entertainment Industry Foundation's Women's Cancer Research Fund.

What a great idea! I bought 20 myself to give out for the holidays for teachers, friends... I hope you do too! It's a great gift and even a better cause!

Together Philosophy, Art of Grace, Entertainment Industry Foundation's Woman's Cancer Research Fund and songwriter Amy Grant are collaborating to raise awareness and celebrate the special bond between mothers and daughters. SheColorsMyDay.com is a web site – and now product – designed to join women, mothers, and daughters together in fighting all women's cancers.

The site features a heart-warming new recording by Amy Grant titled "She Colors My Day", which was authored and co-created by Philosophy founder Cristina Carlino, who was inspired by the artwork of her young daughter and the special bond she shares with her as a mother. Visitors to the site also have the option to create their own commemorative slide shows of friends and family to share with others. Click here to learn more! Mom Corps celebrates Philosophy's commitment to support women and promote cancer research – Click here to buy!

Unemployment is at its all time high.

According to the Department of Labor, August unemployment closed out at 6.1%. There were 9.4 million Americans unemployed by the end of August. Not to mention that 810,000 Americans lost their job between May 2008 and August 2008.

There were 7,928,000 Americans seeking full time employment or laid off in August with 1,543,000 seeking part time employment. We can only imagine how bad September was for unemployment as well. People are losing their jobs and companies are cutting budgets. There are fewer jobs available with considerably more people applying for those jobs.

How are YOU going to land a job? There may be thousands of people applying for the same job. What will make YOU get noticed and get the interview?

It may seem like a luxury to spend money on your resume; a luxury that you may not be able to afford. However, ask yourself this question: Can I afford to go one more month or two more months or half a year without a job? Which will cost you more money? Investing money upfront on your resume and interview skills will cost you less in the long run.

The economic situation could possibly get much worse than what we are seeing right now. Are you prepared?

Mom Corps Expert Resumes can help you GET NOTICED. We will pull out the best of who you are and organize it in a powerful resume. We have experience working with professionals changing careers, the unemployed, and moms who are returning back to the workforce after being home raising children – not to mention we work regularly with professionals from the CEO level to the Administrative Assistant level.

Are you ready to invest in securing a job? We can start now. We look forward to working with you and positioning you to be successful in landing that job!

Email expertresumes@momcorps.com or visit our site to learn more and sign up today!

Remember, the seemingly small things do count when it comes to your professional image. For example:

• Ensure your email address is professional. "4kidsthenuthouse@hotmail.com" does not conjure up a professional image in the eyes of HR and hiring managers!

• Keep an email box just for your job search and check it regularly (twice a day at a minimum).

• When designing an email address use your first initial then last name. Or, if this is taken, try first initial.last name. Simple addresses reduce the likelihood of typos.

• Make sure your voice mail greetings at home and on your mobile phones are professional. "This is Jane and I can't find the phone just now. It must be in the back seat because I threw it at my screaming kids," will not do!

• Conduct an online "vanity search" by "Googling" your name. Is there anything you're going to have to explain in an interview? Also check LinkedIn, Facebook, MySpace, Classmates, etc. and ensure your online "presence" is clean and professional.

• Have an "elevator speech" prepared. When you meet networking contacts be prepared to talk about what you're interested in, why you're a good fit and how you'll add value to the company.

• Dress up one notch so that you're professional and polished. Candidates who have been cleaning the house, driving carpools, and making lunches and dinners for years need to throw out their sweats and t-shirts and update their hair and wardrobe to reflect a new professional image!

• Name Drop. Even though your mother told you not to do it, do it anyway! If someone referred you, you should use his or her name. It's okay. HR representatives and hiring managers scan hundreds of resumes and interview many candidates. They will likely give you more consideration if they know someone from within the company put your name forward. (Plus, sometimes those people get cash rewards if their candidate gets hired!)

• Smile during your interview! It's a conversation not an interrogation. Ask questions and talk with your interviewers. Nervousness makes you more tense, but enthusiasm is contagious!

The bottom line: Your physical and cyber images are extremely important! They are a reflection of you! They either say "professional", or they don't. Invest a little time and thought in your appearance and you'll feel great!

Linda Waters is a wife, mother, career coach, and the founder of Back to Business LLC. Back to Business, located in Franklin, Massachusetts, provides a full range of services for women preparing to return to work or seeking a better professional "fit" and more fulfilling career. For more information about Back to Business, the conference and/or career-coaching, please see www.backtobusiness.org.

It may seem difficult to justify the cost of having your resume professionally written – especially if you are not working or seeking a job for financial reasons. However, a vast majority of the resumes received by recruiters and hiring managers miss the mark. This is because most people do not know how to write a resume that will land the job.

The goal of your resume is to GET NOTICED. In most cases you will be applying for a position along with hundreds if not thousands of other candidates. What will get you noticed? How will your resume show that you are the right person for the job? Your resume will need to impress the reader within less than one minute. Most people, (even recruiters and HR professionals), cannot effectively write their own resumes. It truly takes a professional to dig deep into your background and write the details of your capabilities in a way that is a one-to-one match to the job you are applying for.

Smart Software:

A professional will ensure that your resume will get successfully noticed by online recruitment engines (ie. Monster, Career Builder, etc.). Today, a digital resume is the main contact medium for 70% of the nation's employers. Most online recruitment engines have 'smart' software. This software will scan your resume and search for appropriate terms. Your resume will then be given a rating according to how well it matches the job description. When the hiring manager looks through the hundreds of resumes they've received on-line, it will be sorted by the rating (% of how well it matched). Even if you are the most qualified person for the position, if your resume is not written correctly, it may never show up on the recruiter's list.

Launch in Less Than One Minute:

Your resume may be launched into the delete folder in less than a minute. The recruiter will scan your resume quickly, looking for the following:

- Visually professional and well organized

- Trigger words that relate directly with the industry and, more specifically, the open job description

- Accomplishments that give a powerful reflection of your abilities

- Related work experience that is clearly and concisely defined

Resumes from a Book:

There are literally hundreds of books on the market to help you write your own resume. These resources still leave you with the most important work! Again, if you don't know what recruiters are truly looking for then you risk not getting noticed at all.

"Since I started using the services of a professional resume writer I have been called in for an interview for every job I have applied for." Thanks, You Are Your Resume! -Chad Watkins

Having a professional write your resume is an investment into your immediate future. Having a professional write your resume pays BIG dividends!

Before you launch your website or a new version of your old site, be sure to consider these 9 important factors:

1. Branding, Logo, Color, Palette, Design - You should have a compelling logo that looks appealing to the eye, alludes to what your company does and has colors and a shape that your niche market will be attracted to. For example, truckers probably won't look at a webpage that has kitties and flowers with pink and purple all over it.

2. Content - Don't add info your competition shouldn't see. And follow the KISS method and keep it simple, sister. Make sure that at least three sets of eyes look over your content and that between you there are at least five revisions. Your ultimate goal is to get people to call, order, contact you or visit your website.

3. Target an Audience - If you don't know who your target is, how do you expect to market to them? You should know your market inside and out so you can speak to them in their language.

4. Research Web Companies - Ask others about their experiences with web designers/developers to get some tips and hear common issues that they faced. Find samples of sites you like and make sure you know your goals.

5. Budget – Have a surplus amount of money for your website because just like building a house, it usually takes longer than estimated with added expenses.

6. Offerings and Products – On your offerings and product page you should succinctly state what you provide. This should almost be a tagline it is so short. Then there should be another more pages to click through that explain your products/services in more depth.

7. Server/Emails - Ensure that your system doesn't go down. Have a backup plan that you know how to implement in case of disaster or unexpected issue.

8. Capture Information - What kind of customer information do you hope to pull from your site for future marketing? How are you obtaining that information? Do you need a CRM (customer relationship management)? Ask your potential web developer and get specifics so you can capture and use the information your site gathers.

9. Reporting – Know your viewers' point of entry, point of exit and path on the site. This will allow you and/or your developer to see possible roadblocks or issues with navigation. You may need a sitemap to make a complicated website more manageable for viewers.

Elizabeth Gordon is the author of "The Chic Entrepreneur: Put Your Business in Higher Heels".

So often in life we learn by trial and error. It's a method that works, but it can be slow, painful and demoralizing. Oftentimes, we choose to opt out of something we want because of fear of failure or humiliation.

It doesn't have to be that way.

When it comes to learning about how to get back into the workforce, we've got a confidence-building, content-rich, and energizing opportunity for you! Now, is your chance to learn from the seasoned professionals - CEOs, business owners, recruiters, lawyers, and HR professionals- who can tell you not only what they look for in a resume and job candidate, but also what it takes to be a successful employee or entrepreneur in today's workplace.

Back to Business is hosting a groundbreaking, how-to workshop for women on Thursday, September 18th at Gillette Stadium at Patriot Place in Foxborough, Mass. The workshop series is entitled "What You Need to Succeed".

Have you ever attended a workshop on how to be successful in your career? If so, you probably have heard fabulous, motivational success stories. You leave thinking, Hey, if they can do it, so can I! But you get home and find yourself thinking, Hmm, what exactly did they do to become successful? You're no closer to understanding how to achieve your goals than before the conference; you're just more frustrated.

THIS conference is different. We have designed a two-track, high-content, educational workshop designed to bring you actionable items you can take home and begin using immediately. Attendees can pick and choose which workshop to attend based on what is important to them. We've brought in experts who will share relevant, career and business advice. Our goal is to have them inspire and EDUCATE the attendees.

In one of the tracks you will learn exactly HOW TO:

- Network
- Get your resume noticed in today's online job search
- Prepare for and handle tough interview questions
- Ask for flexibility at work
- Successfully and confidently navigate a career fair
- Prepare for time out of work
- Re-enter the workforce after a hiatus
- Create a professional wardrobe on a budget

In the other track of the agenda, attendees WILL LEARN:

- How to Network
- Is entrepreneurship for me?
- About franchise ownership as a career option
- What every entrepreneur should know about the law
- How to write a business plan and why you might need one
- How to do Business-to-Business networking
- How to create a professional wardrobe on a budget

Linda Waters is a wife, mother, career coach, and the founder of Back to Business LLC. Back to Business, located in Franklin, Massachusetts, provides a full range of services for women preparing to return to work or seeking a better professional "fit" and more fulfilling career. For more information about Back to Business, the conference and/or career-coaching, please see www.backtobusiness.org.

I keep running lists of things I never thought I'd say as a parent. You know, things like "Don't lick the microwave" and "Pennies are not for eating" and "No, you can't ride the dog." The other day, as I flaked dried applesauce off of the sleeve of my favorite black blazer, I looked at the "Dora the Explorer" bandage on my cut finger and decided to start another list: My top 10 signs you're a working Mom.

So, with apologies to David Letterman (and possibly Jeff Foxworthy), you know you're a working mom if...

1.) You put things you've already done on your to-do list, just so you have something to cross off immediately.

2.) You've lost weight, and you realize that it's probably because all you're eating is whatever is left on your toddler's plate after dinner.

3.) You've gained weight, and you realize that it's probably because you're eating whatever is left on your toddler's plate after dinner in addition to your own meal.

4.) You've arrived at the office with the dried remains of something your kids ate on your clothes.

5.) You keep two sets of two looped-together ponytail holders in your desk drawer and you know how to use them.

6.) You deliberately remove your contact lenses before you get in the shower because you don't really want to know what it looks like in there and you don't have time to do anything about it before work anyway.

7.) You don't know how NOT to multitask.

8.) You've text-messaged with your teen while in mid-conference call with someone else.

9.) You "dryer-iron" more often than you dry clean.

10.) The first day of kindergarten was emotional and poignant but, overall, you were more psyched than sad about it.

WorkItMom.com is an online community for working mothers. Whether you work outside the home, at home, or run your own business, you can come to Workitmom.com to connect with other moms similar to you and share advice on anything from balancing work and family, finding quick dinner recipes, getting better organized, growing your business, finding time for yourself, reducing stress, and much more.www.workitmom.com

With part-time and consulting work continuing to be seen as "the holy grail" of work/life balance, more and more women are asking how they can make the switch from being an employee to a contractor or consultant. Fortunately for those interested in making this change, more and more companies are open to engaging people, especially former employees, on this basis. This is particularly true today, when many employers need to cut back on FTEs (full time equivalents), but still have work that needs to get done. Readers recently queried us about the ins and outs of building sustainable consulting businesses.

Q. How do I transition myself from a full-time job to a consulting job working part-time and still make a decent paycheck?

A. You can't expect to make the same amount right off the bat, unless you're considered a hot shot and already have a backlog of clients interested in hiring you for projects. Start by talking with your current supervisor(s) about ways you might cut back on your hours and still stay engaged by them. In other words, try to turn them into your first client. In terms of pricing, if you're good at estimating the time it takes you to finish a project, you may do better financially by offering your services on a project basis, rather than an hourly basis. It makes it more difficult for clients to chip away at your pricing if you don't talk in terms of rates and time estimates. Set your prices based on what the client would have to pay someone else to do the same job. Or demonstrate how much money your work will save the client and make your pricing a percentage of those savings. In Back on the Career Track we have a section on consulting pricing which goes into these options in more detail. To build your client list, do the same sort of networking you would do for a job - contacting old work and school acquaintances, etc.

Q. As a contractor paid hourly, when is an appropriate time to ask for a raise? Since I am at home and there is little face time, can I do this over the phone or should I go into the office to ask?

A. After servicing an account for a year, we think you could ask for a raise. We suggest you e-mail your supervisor/contact saying you'd like to schedule a time to come in and discuss on-going arrangements. Ideally, you should approach your client just before or during their budget planning season. Then you can talk about the raise in the context of what their anticipated workload is for you, the kind of work, etc. Don't feel you have to get them to agree to what you want in one meeting. If they express hesitation and say they have to discuss it with higher-ups, don't automatically drop to a compromise position. Let the negotiations take their course and hopefully you'll end up where you want to be.

Q. I have one great client, but I want to grow my business, and I'm also worried that they might drop me. What should I do?

A. To cement your relationship with this client, try to develop relationships throughout the firm, so that you're not dependent on one good contact. That way, if your primary contact leaves or is eclipsed, you have other supporters. Also, be proactive about soliciting assignments. Don't just wait until they call you. Knowing their business as well as you must, periodically suggest projects or tasks you can take on that you think need to be done.

To expand beyond this one client, turn this client into your secret weapon. Don't be shy about asking your current client contacts to introduce you to noncompetitive companies you've identified where they have relationships. If you have a good relationship with your current client contacts, and you assure them that you'll continue to give their account top priority, they should be willing to recommend you to other firms.

Carol Fishman Cohen and Vivian Steir Rabin are the co-authors of the acclaimed career reentry book Back on the Career Track: A Guide for Stay-at-Home Moms Who Want to Return to Work, and the co-founders of iRelaunch, a company providing career reentry programming, events, and information to employers, universities, organizations and to mid-career professionals in all stages of career break. For more information on Relaunching, see iRelaunch and check out Back on the Career Track. Carol and Vivian can be reached at info@iRelaunch.com.

Optimism is a key ingredient to success. Having owned my own successful consulting firm for three years, authored a bestselling book, and coached countless business owners to greater success, I have recognized trends along the way. The nature of a business owner%u219s attitudes and behaviors often dictate their success or failure. Optimism can seem too fleeting to teach, but it has a clear link to achievement. Here are five ways to increase your level of optimism:

1. Take time out each day to let your passion and purpose overwhelm you. This is not something you let happen once, it is something you visualize and let consume you daily. Create some kind of ritualistic way to passionately express and feel your optimism and enthusiasm every single day.

2. Purposefully visualize yourself participating in your own success. By using this technique routinely, you will come to understand that you are closer to achieving the success you desire than you think. You will become more positive, which will have affirmative effects on your presence.

3. Create a mantra. This is one, short sentence that you repeat to yourself throughout the day. It should be stated in the positive and have a meditative quality about it so you can zone in on. Used during meditation, mantras help your mind to focus and relax, thus allowing you to get in a more Zen place that will allow positivity to flow freely.

4. Use optimism as a tool. Being optimistic is also one of the most effective tools you can use to inspire yourself, ward off frustration and feelings of defeat and keep your spirits high. Carrying that energy with you will drive you forward daily to make your life%u219s dreams an enjoyable reality.

5. Write down positive things that happened to you during the day. These are things that you are to be thankful for and writing them down just before bedtime will allow you to ruminate on them during the night and wake up feeling more upbeat the next day.

For more chic success, do one thing every day that will increase your level of optimism. If you have time, do more. A focus on getting your mind in an affirmative place is never a waste of time. With the expectation of a good outcome comes a good outcome. It's that simple and it's that much more important to focus on each day.

Elizabeth Gordon is the author of "The Chic Entrepreneur: Put Your Business in Higher Heels".

As a seeker of solitude in my busy entrepreneurial workday, I use yoga and meditation to calm my nerves, keep my head clear and focus. And I have found that the same principles used in the meditation practiced during yoga can be used to strengthen my business and can be useful for working moms, too.

While meditating during a yoga class several years ago, the instructor told us to feel that every movement is a new beginning. This made me think of my own business, which was just a fledgling startup. In my day-to-day struggle as an entrepreneur, every project and each new contact could potentially take my business in a new direction. After making this connection, I knew that meditation could help my business. Since then, I've learned to apply some of the basic principles of meditation to my work life.

Start employing meditation principles in your work life by viewing work as a living being. Each direction the being goes in is, in fact, a new beginning. View this positively since life, just like work, is ever-changing, and accepting that is a necessary part of enjoying your life and your career.

It is also important to pause throughout your day and feel your body. Yoga has taught me to sit erect with feet planted firmly on the floor, and with hands relaxed in my lap, I breathe diaphragmatically. When I've had a particularly rough day, but cannot leave a project, I take a deep breath and count to four. I breathe in and out counting four or five times to quiet my mind. I remember to breathe normally. I try to relax and let thoughts come and go. As you practice, the interference you feel at first will subside and you will experience only that moment fully. Using these simple acts during the day can clear my mind and keep me focused longer while reducing the physical strain that comes with working long hours.

There's a lot more to meditation than just learning the techniques and motions. Meditation is an entire state of mind and a whole different way of looking at the world and the role you play in it. To help you understand this better, try taking a yoga or meditation class during the week. The time (which might seem considerable for a mom with many responsibilities) is worth it when you weigh the mental, physical and spiritual benefits.

Elizabeth Gordon owns a boutique management consulting firm called Flourishing Business®, headquartered in Atlanta, GA. She is the author of the bestselling, business strategy book for women, The Chic Entrepreneur: Put Your Business in Higher Heels. Receive a free copy of her latest eBook The Seven Secrets to My Success, at her website, www.chicentrepreneur.com when you sign up for her free Chic Tips ezine.