Shirley Conran on Fame and Fortune for Women

Shirley Conran, superwoman author and women's rights campaigner argues for a simpler tax system and women handling their own finances

Shirley Conran is an internationally-renowned writer and campaigner for women’s rights. Her latest project is to help teenage girls better understand money. Her new book, Money Stuff for Girls, is due to be published this month.

She was married to design tycoon Sir Terence Conran. Their two sons, Sebastian and Jasper, are also designers. She lives on her own in Putney, south-west London.

Conran, 76, is famed for her books including Superwoman (1974), a guide to household management, as well as novels such as Lace, which was an international bestseller in 1983. She became the first women’s editor of The Observer colour magazine and then women’s editor of the Daily Mail.

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Family Influence - How to Become a Jewelry Designer

Perhaps it was inevitable that Elaine-Sarah Comerford would be drawn to the world of jewellery design and production, given that she grew up the youngest child in a creative family.

Her father, Andy, was an important influence on her from an early age. An electrician by trade, he had a passion for leatherwork and encouraged his children to involve themselves in artistic projects.

Comerford remembers her four older brothers and sisters constantly cutting up and refashioning their clothes, adding patches and lace to lend them their own individual look. Last year, father and daughter collaborated on a beautiful leather presentation case with silver clasps, and it was while rooting around in her mother’s sewing box that Comerford was first attracted to the shiny buttons that lay among the spools of thread, scraps of fabric, needles and pins, which influence her distinctive range of button-inspired jewellery.

Comerford initially trained as a goldsmith and jewellery designer with the Craft Council of Ireland, under the tuition of award-winning jewellery designer Jane Huston. On graduation, she approached the Enterprise Board and set up her own business with the assistance of her fiance, Mark.

The couple designed their own home in Waterford, with a workshop and gallery. She has focused her collection around a sterling silver bracelet, adorned initially with one beautiful button. Additional limited-edition buttons can be added to mark an occasion such as a birthday, anniversary or first child.

Following Comerford’s appearance on RTÉs Dragons’ Den, filmed last January, entrepreneur Niall O’Farrell, the man behind the phenomenal success story that is Black Tie, acquired a 35 per cent stake in the business. See www.buttonmemories.com for details.

This article appears in the print edition of the Irish Times

Mom takes position with UN Africa food programme

Working Mom Has to Worry About Pirates

She claims she is a housewife at heart but one of the hazards of her working week is dealing with the threat of pirates taking over her vessels in the Indian Ocean.

Helping the less fortunate is all in a day's work for Arklow woman Mary O'Neill who has recently taken a position with the UN as port captain for its World Food Programme in Africa.

Having lost her husband Michael to illness in 2006 Mary has made a big change in her life swapping South Wicklow for Tanzania and all the risks that come with it.

This, however is not Mary's first time to be involved with aid work and in the last decade, she has also been in charge of aid reaching some of the world's most disadvantaged people in Eritrea and Iraq and victims of the tsunami in Indonesia.

A mother of three, (whose three children are now in university), Mary told the media this week that security is a big issue when crews take to the water and that pirates are a constant problem of which they must always be aware.

While family members at home understandably worry about Mary's safety while she is on the job she says she makes a point of calling her parents in Arklow regularly to let them know how she is doing.

Having worked with the UN in Rome handling aid shipments for more than two years, Mary moved back home to Arklow in 2004 when her husband's health worsened.

Previous to this she worked in the port of Massawa for six months ensuring that food supplies reached people in Ethiopia who were caught up in the conflict there.

How to write a good cv (or resume) and how to look good on paper

Career adviser Liz Leavy gives some handy tips on making your CV stand out from the crowd:

It is important for any job seeker to remember that your CV is a sales document and needs to give the relevant information to the prospective employer in the best possible way. Career adviser Liz Leavy outlines the main things to remember.

Your CV needs to be visually clear – a maximum of two pages, using bullet points to outline the most important and necessary information.

Remember that if you are one of 100 CVs received for a job vacancy, you have to ensure that the employer can, at a glance, find the information that is relevant to the role.

Firstly, consider the role you are applying for. If you are answering a job advertisement looking for a Marketing Executive for example, there is no point sending a CV showing your current role as a Marketing Manager because you will be considered too senior for the role and your CV will be passed over. Ensure that you are applying for a position that suits your experience and make sure your CV clearly expresses this.

If you have had three jobs over ten years, spend the most time and CV space on your most recent job – this is what the employer will be most interested in. For example, do not take half a page to detail your experience working a summer job in McDonald’s ten years ago, and then only give three lines to your most recent role, which you have
held for five years.

Many people write a CV when they leave their first job and then over the years just keep adding bits to it – don’t do this! Create a new, fresh look for your CV, tailored to the job you are applying for.

Finally, always list your achievements. Employers are always interested in these.

Equally, think about what hobbies you are listing, making sure that they are relevant to the job you are applying for.

For more information or a one-to-one consultation, contact Liz Leavy at (01) 863 6901 and invest in yourself. www.thecareerclinic.ie

Vitae statistics: Make sure to put relevant information on your CV