A couple of weeks ago, a producer from “The Oprah Winfrey Show” found Sarah Auerswald through her blog, Mar Vista Mom, as a potential guest on an upcoming show (which she did end up being on and which airs on April 27th).

It was a validation, to say the least, of the path she has been on for the last year, but for Sarah, the mother of two elementary school-aged boys, Charlie and Oscar, the journey started twenty years ago, in a world before blogs. Dare I say it– in a world before The Oprah Winfrey Show.

We caught up with Sarah recently to ask her about her two careers, before and after motherhood.

What was your pre-motherhood career?

I was a script supervisor, mostly on episodic TV, some movies.

Describe a typical work day at that time.

Arrive at work at 6am, assemble the day’s scenes for note-taking. Start prepping camera roll numbers and sound roll numbers with those departments. Watch rehearsals with the director and actors, do camera blocking. Make sure all departments know the scene numbers and take numbers as we progress through the day. Keep continuity on the actors’ movements and wardrobe and props. Relay all information regarding printed takes to the camera and sound departments and to the editors. And all the while paying rapt attention to the scenes as they are filmed.

We worked minimum six hours before a lunch break and then another six or more after that lunch break was over. There were moments of downtime, where I could get up and stretch, but mostly I sat in a chair and wrote down notes on what we filmed all day.

At times, I would have to negotiate personal politics when I performed my job duties, as some actors preferred not to hear when they had said a line wrong, and some directors preferred not to hear when what they shot wouldn’t cut together.

At the end of the day, I filed a report with the production staff to let them know how much work we completed and then I turned in all my notes to be copied for the editors.

Were you happy with it when you left?

No. Would you be? Did you read that list??? But seriously, no. I had become very burned out. I loved it when I started out, but by the end of 14 years, I was really done.

When & why did you leave?

I left in 1999 when I was pregnant with my first son. The hours were just too long for me to stay away from my son, and at the time I got pregnant, I didn’t actually have a job, so since my husband did, it made sense for me to stay home, on many levels.

When & why did you decide to return to the world of work outside the home?

Well, I started trying to make a business a few years ago, I guess about 6 years ago. I wanted a creative outlet and some income. We needed the money, as it had been a hard transition from 2 to 1 incomes. But that business limped along and I had another baby as well, so it didn’t get off the ground in the way I needed it to. It also needed so much hands-on time from me — I couldn’t keep up.

What do you do now?

So now I’m a blogger and a Virtual Assistant. I am so happy with them! I am so flexible now. I can do so much of my work whenever I can fit it in, the computer is very portable, not like a sewing machine. Much better! So actually, I mostly still work IN the home. I love blogging and the community I’ve joined on mom bloggers on the internet.

How, if at all, is it related to what you did in your previous career?

Not related at all.

Describe a typical day.

Get up, start the computer, check emails, see what needs to be done today. Get the kids off to school, then write and make calls, then I’m available for the kids in the afternoon for snacks and homework and hanging out and making dinner. I love being there for my kids AND being able to get blogging done. We all do our homework together now!

What’s the best thing about what you do now?

The flexibility.

What’s the worst thing about what you do now?

I guess it’s the fact that I have so much to learn about the internet and computers that I’m constantly being challenged to learn a new skill, like installing google analytics code, sometimes it hurts my brain. But a challenge is good. It’s better than being bored by it.

Where do you hope to go with your current career?

Writing can lead so many places. I haven’t seen that far in the future yet, but I do know I hope to make more money as I go. I’d love to be able to support the family with my writing.

Click on the logo below to visit Mar Vista Mom:

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1. Lessons Learned From Being on the Oprah Show
2. Are You in the Middle of a Career Transition?

Secrets of Six-Figure Women: Surprising Strategies to Up Your Earnings and Change Your Life by Barbara Stanny is not just for women, but it’s well-established that women are more likely than men to fall into the trap of working in jobs with low pay ceilings OR working in jobs where they allow a low-pay ceiling to exist because they are too scared, for whatever reason, to ask (demand) to be paid what they are worth.

This book is for any chronic underearner, as Barbara Stanny terms herself (at the time) and anyone making well below their earning potential. She interviewed over 150 women and identified the issues and road-blocks they had (or did not have) to making over $100,000 (and often a lot more).

She names the “must-haves” for busting through a low earning ceiling: a profit motive, audacity, resilience, and encouragement, and provides relevant stories from the interviewees lives in their own voices. In some of the cases, the women had a transformation that took them from an anemic paycheck to big bucks and in others, the women knew they wanted to make a lot of money from the beginning of their careers and went for it. Both types are instructional.

The book has a very readable, conversational format. Barbara’s own story of financial transformation, depicted along with those of the interviewees, gives the book an intimate, personal tone, and there is something for anyone looking to break through any barrier to six figure (or seven figure) success.

Related posts:

1. Recommended: The Dip
2. Make a Career-forward Move in the New Year
3. What’s Your Passion?

One of the cliche interview questions that recent grads are told to prepare for is “Where do you see yourself in five years?” When I was a recent grad, I found that type of question a puzzle, if not a trick. Though I don’t remember actually answering it, if I did, it was some lame “best guess” I presented because honestly, I had no idea where the next five years would lead me. Plus, five years seemed an eternity.

After the first few years of ones’ career and certainly when one is well into mid-career (and perhaps middle age, for that matter), I firmly believe one can and should should have an idea of where they want the next five years to take them. Creating financial, professional, and personal growth benchmarks are key for making progress in the long run and making decisions day-to-day based on overall priorities and desired direction.

So if you don’t have one, get a notebook out and start working on your five year plan and interim goals. It will be a roadmap to get where you want to go. After all, at the end of that time, wouldn’t you rather get where you intended to go than get nowhere at all?

Photo by brain_farts.

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1. Get: A Whole New Mind
2. Make a Career-forward Move in the New Year
3. Recommended: The Dip

There are jobs out there.

I say it a lot lately in person to clients, friends, unhappy grocery store checkers. I’m going to say it again with emphasis.

There are jobs out there.

Good jobs. Jobs you want. Better jobs, even, then the one you have or the one you are losing or have already lost.

And I am not saying this to make those who have been looking without success so far feel bad. Depending upon what you do, this can be a challenging market- but for others, there will be a brief period of un- or under-employment and then you will find something else. Something good. Something that maybe even pays more or gives you more responsibility or more fun or even all three.

Let’s get crazy while we’re talking here- it’s just us, right?- if you are unhappy with you current job, you can find another one. Even if you have a decent, secure job, you can actually hunt for a new job RIGHT NOW (well, wait until after the holidays– everyone is scrambling to get where they need to be with the appropriate gifts in hand) and be SUCCESSFUL in relocating to a position that is more fulfilling.

NO, you are not STUCK. YES, you have OPTIONS.

Take an honest look at your resume and call me if you need help with it. Think about what you want to do next and call me if you need help with that.

Let me help you make a plan to make a move in 2009 and then successfully execute that plan.

In the meantime, I am wishing you & your family happy, healthy holidays!

Related posts:

1. Career Resolutions for 2009, Anyone?
2. Rule #1- A Resume is a Marketing Tool, not a Career History
3. Putting it All Together and Writing the Resume

This is your place to really express who you are in your career. Yes, you can (should) use colorful words (if you are a colorful person). Be bold on paper if you are bold in real life. There is even room for a little gentle humor (if that is who you are). Be creative. Be proud.

In short: Let yourself shine.

Related posts:

1. Rule #1- A Resume is a Marketing Tool, not a Career History
2. Putting it All Together and Writing the Resume
3. Rule #2- Your Resume Should Have a Compelling Narrative

But sometimes you need to try to do it yourself first. I get that. So here is my best practical advice for the actual process of writing the resume.

1. Take advantage of the free consultation. I mean it. It’s free. As a veteran hiring professional, I have spent many years of my life looking at the bad (or just not as good as they could be) resumes of job candidates and not being able to give feedback because of the situation. I am happy to be able to now. Email me your current resume and then we’ll have a short conversation wherein you will most likely get either three to five usable tidbits or high praise for an already-perfect resume (it could happen).

2. Get samples off the web. Google “marketing resumes” or whatever your field is. Hopefully, you’ll get some good examples of resumes for people at your level in your field which you can use for formatting guidance.

3. Pretend you are writing about someone else. If you have a hard time confidently conveying your own talents and accomplishments, try to remove yourself from the process. Otherwise, you are likely to undersell yourself or disregard information that should be included.

4. Use an actual job desciption for a position you would want. Your target job is out there and your resume should be geared toward getting you that job. Go on the web again and find an example of a job you would want and write your resume as an ad for you in that specific job.

5. Break it down. If the idea of actually writing the whole resume is too daunting, take it, as Anne Lamott would say, Bird by Bird. Commit yourself to writing the description of your current job, for instance, or setting up the format. Hopefully, that will trick you into starting the process and you will find yourself feeling more at ease once you have begun.

6. See Resume Rules #1, #2, and #3. Read the resume advice I have provided on this blog, keep it in mind when writing, and then reread it when you are done and make necessary revisions.

7. Show and tell. When you have finished writing your resume, send it to your five smartest, most career-savvy friends along with an explanation of what job you’re looking for. Ask them, “Would you call me in for an interview?” If the answer from more than one of them is anything other than a confident, “YES,” get detailed feedback and do a rewrite.

And then, of course, when all else fails, there is surrender…

8. Know when to get help. Lots of perfectly lovely, talented, and intelligent people lack either the aptitude or the inclination to write a really good resume. If what is keeping you from getting a more satisfying new job is the lack of a good resume, admit it and reach out. A half-written resume or a resume that gets you no replies when submitted for jobs you know you are qualified is not going to get you where you want to go.

Hopefully, you find all of this advice helpful. Regardless of how you get it, an expertly-written resume is the key to getting you that job you’d wake up in the morning happy to go to. Even in this wobbly economy, good jobs are out there. Give yourself the best chance to get one.

Related posts:

1. Rule #3- Your Resume Should Be Easy to Digest
2. Rule #1- A Resume is a Marketing Tool, not a Career History
3. Rule #2- Your Resume Should Have a Compelling Narrative

The MAYBE pile is for resumes that are comprised of huge blocks of text, that have over five bullet points for each job, that use the same nine words over and over again, that have no headlines at the top briefly describing key qualifications so the reader knows something about the candidate as they skim through the professional experience section.

“I’ll read that later,” the hiring professional will say when faced with having to decode a resume with these characteristics. Too much time, too much work. But here’s the thing…

Most hiring professionals NEVER get to the MAYBE pile.

Related posts:

1. Rule #1- A Resume is a Marketing Tool, not a Career History
2. Rule #2- Your Resume Should Have a Compelling Narrative
3. Putting it All Together and Writing the Resume

Let me explain. When someone is reading your resume, they are telling themselves a story about who you are. “This is a woman who gets bored easily and bounces around a lot,” they will think when they see a page with six different jobs on it that all last about 18 months. That might not be the truth, but unless something on the page (or at least in the attached cover letter) says otherwise, that’s the conclusion. Maybe three of those jobs were in the same company, just different divisions. Maybe one exit was a due to a non-profit shuttering it’s doors. You’d better make sure these parts of the story are conveyed in your resume.

What story does your resume tell about you?

Related posts:

1. Rule #1- A Resume is a Marketing Tool, not a Career History
2. Rule #3- Your Resume Should Be Easy to Digest
3. Putting it All Together and Writing the Resume

Don’t tell me everything, just tell me the things I need to know that will convince me that you are the right person for the position you are seeking. And I’m not talking just about the words- although of course they are key. There is also font, the layout, how the jobs are positioned, what is bold and what is not… everything adds up. If you are looking for a creative position, don’t use a resume that looks like you are seeking a job in a bank. Everything counts.

As far as your career history, highlight the skills and the most valuable experience you have for the job you want. You take out or push to the background anything that isn’t relevant. It can be done. I do it all the time for people wanting to redirect their careers or even just jump to the next level.

I have turned a graphic designer resume into an event planner resume for someone who used it to make a complete career change. I have made different versions of a resume for a school director with a big-time business background who wasn’t sure which path he wanted to follow next. I have taken several administrative or junior executive resumes to the next level, positioning them for a move up the ladder.

Everything on that page will either rule you in or rule you out as a candidate for the job. Give yourself the best advantage with a resume that sells you properly.

Related posts:

1. Rule #3- Your Resume Should Be Easy to Digest
2. Rule #2- Your Resume Should Have a Compelling Narrative
3. Putting it All Together and Writing the Resume

Regardless of what a candidate said in an interview, I could smell ambivalence from a mile away. From anyone, not just moms returning to the work force. The seasoned executive assistant who was over the job, for instance. Or the recent grad who thought he was too good for clerical work (though he wasn’t qualified to do anything else- but that’s another story). Or the woman who looked like she might burst into tears at the thought of showing up at the office. Whether she told me she had a baby at home or not, I could see it wasn’t a job she wanted. And I was no more likely to give her a job than the kid with the ‘tude or the been-there-done-that assistant. No HR person wants to set themselves up for that kind of headache.

On my mommy board, I said I felt that this mom should go ahead and mention her baby if not mentioning it was going to make her uncomfortable or appear shifty, but, more importantly, that she should make sure to convey that she was ready to work and would happily show up every day and get the job done.

Ideally, rather than trying to fake it, that meant that she would “process” any ambivalence and find a way to be happy about getting a job- some family-oriented upside, like having less stress about money or more outside stimulation. I know, easier said than done, but there has to be a reason why working outside the home will benefit her little one and, even if her first choice is spending all day with them, if she keeps in mind that motivation, she will feel like a good mom for going out and getting a job. And she may just ace the interview.

Related posts:

1. Rule #2- Your Resume Should Have a Compelling Narrative
2. Google Yourself
3. Rule #3- Your Resume Should Be Easy to Digest