Ever since my third child was born, it has been a challenge to find a job that I wanted and could do that raised good money and at the same time allowing me to keep my integrity around my kids intact.

Instead of focusing on how I would have preferred to have been born wealthy, I’ve opted to identify and thrive on jobs for busy moms. Here are key strategies when seeking for a job that works with being a mom:

Jobs for Busy Moms Strategy No. 1: Stay clear on the outcomes you want to achieve.
Jobs for Busy Moms Strategy No. 2: Be up front with employers about your desire for some flexibility in the schedule. Especially if you are going to attempt a 40-hour work week.
Jobs for Busy Moms Strategy No. 3: If you choose to become an entrepreneur, model your business after those who make a full-time salary on 10 hours per week. Don’t trade time for money, leverage your time investment.
Jobs for Busy Moms Strategy No. 4: Don’t underestimate your value or your power.
Jobs for Busy Moms Strategy No. 5: Create a home office environment that supports your business efforts.
Jobs for Busy Moms Strategy No. 6: When searching online for openings, identify key words connected with higher paying opportunities. Avoid tiny amounts of money.
Jobs for Busy Moms Strategy No. 7: If you choose to run a business, find something you are passionate about.
Jobs for Busy Moms Strategy No. 8: Cover the gap (if you choose). When creating your resume following several years of being a mommy, focus on your accomplishments in bullet point and provide a job summary on page 1 devoid of dates. On page 2, you can place all of the dates of your past careers.
Jobs for Busy Moms Strategy No. 9: Become an affiliate of products that you personally use as a mom. It’s free!
Jobs for Busy Moms Strategy No. 10: When in doubt, know the love you share with your children is worth more than any full-time position that does not give you flexibility could ever be worth.

More on Jobs for Busy Moms Strategy No. 1: Make a picture in your mind. Imagine yourself working easily, with good income, and still being there for your family to nurture and grow your children in the manner you believe is best. See it all being in harmony. See it so you can achieve it. Every mom is an individual.
More on Jobs for Busy Moms Strategy No. 2: If you need a job to feed the kids, it is OK to take on a full-time non-kid-friendly position for the short term. But if you aspire to be in a place of harmony and good will for all, be open with employers and discover a way to get the job done with daytime flexibility for doctor and dentist appointments and occasional school performances. Many employers understand the value of giving an employee the freedom to be a good parent, without losing the quality of a job well done.
More on Jobs for Busy Moms Strategy No. 3: Be smarter. Be more intense. Work differently. It’s so different now that you are a parent. Make the most out of every single moment of opportunity. Grow your business with focus, intensity, purpose, and with knowledge that milestones may take you twice as many months as before you had children. One brilliant idea is worth six months in the trenches.
More on Jobs for Busy Moms Strategy No. 4: Believe in your value. Understand that you come to the table now with more experience than before you could juggle all of the responsibilities of parenting. You also have a better perspective. Your management skills have actually improved. Make a list of your parenting accomplishments if you don’t believe how much you can now get done in any given day!
More on Jobs for Busy Moms Strategy No. 5: An operational computer, printer, phone and scanner that is in its own dedicated space is a must for a work at home mom. Create a filing system and keep your home bills and your business paperwork separate.
More on Jobs for Busy Moms Strategy No. 6: Lift your expectations. Work at home positions can take advantage of how low people will go, especially when you factor in people in different parts of the country or world where the cost of living may not be the same as where you live. Learning this the hard way will have you spinning your wheels and feeling badly because making $9 to spend three hours on a mystery shopping expedition (where you spy on a company’s employees) can be beat. Even in mystery shopping, some gigs pay $50 per shop. So, take time to sort out your highest and best skills and focus on compensation that is fair and higher than you were settling to receive. You’ll appreciate yourself more when your standards are higher. Take a moment and appreciate yourself!
More on Jobs for Busy Moms Strategy No. 7: When you are passionate about what you do, it does not feel so much like work. It becomes something that you can talk about easily with others, grow your business naturally, and find new clients easily. Get passionate about it!
More on Jobs for Busy Moms Strategy No. 8: If you’re not happy with how the gap looks on your resume, create a two-page resume. On the first page, don’t let the gap show. Focus with bullet points on achievements, accomplishments, and professional summary as well as possibly a mention of your education. On the second page, you can go through your history more chronologically. This gives the person reading your resume a full page of connecting with your background before finding out about the gap, and softens the impact of it.
More on Jobs for Busy Moms Strategy No. 9: There are more than 25,000 affiliate opportunities. It is free to choose a product or series of products or vendor that you admire and represent them. Write about the products, review them, or post advertisements for them on a web or blog site. Link to the affiliate link and you will earn income from it. It’s easy and enjoyable.
More on Jobs for Busy Moms Strategy No. 10: The light in your child’s eyes is worth more than money could ever buy.

Erica M Nelson is the author of the weekly job list “Jobs for Busy Moms” available at www.JobsforBusyMoms.com. Her book “Prospect When You Are Happy” was written in 2007 on a camping trip with her three children, all under age 5 at the time. To contact Erica, email her at AuthorEricaNelson@gmail.com.