If you are looking to get a new job as a nanny or expand your babysitting client list, you would be wise to polish up your resume. A professional resume that is clean, succinct, and well written increases your chances to land an interview with prospective families. There is always a lot of healthy competition for babysitting gigs, so be sure to make you as attractive as possible to land the job.

Posting your resume on the Internet is one of the best ways you can get your services noticed. Babysitters use a variety of methods to get the attention of prospective clients, including mega-classifieds site Craigslist and niche registries like Sittercity.com. Social networking on Facebook and Twitter is another way to let the world know you're ready to work.

If you're trying to attract attention the old fashioned way, it's a great idea to start by posting a flyer in your local community center, coffee shops, or going door-to-door to introduce yourself. In this case, design something eye-catching with your phone or e-mail address, and save your paper resume to fax or e-mail when you get a response.

One of the advantages to crafting a resume for a job like babysitting is that it can be "fun." Most people want a vivacious and happy person to care for their child, so showing your sense of fun and personality in a resume is to your benefit. The centerpiece of your resume should be your qualifications and work experience, including references.

Under your qualifications heading, be sure to list your experience with children and which ages you're comfortable watching. This is also where you'd list babysitting certification classes, as well as your CPR and First Aid training.

You'll want to list your education and hobbies. If you're a student, parents are often interested to know your area of study and where you're studying. In addition, you might include other things you find fun and fulfilling. Whether you like to sew, dance, practice yoga, or volunteer in the community, letting your potential employers know what makes you unique and special. They'll appreciate knowing more about the person caring for their children.

Be sure to mention if you speak any languages other than English. It's possible that parents may pay you extra if you can be a conversation partner for their bilingual child!

Putting together a good resume is the key to getting attention from potential employers. Babysitting is just as challenging and fulfilling as any other kind of job, so present yourself with professionalism and you're sure to get noticed.

My husband and I have had a bit too much "family time" this winter. The walls .. and the kids … are closing in on us. We feel like all we do is go to work, come home and make dinner and get the kids bathed and to bed. We need some time as a couple. So, I went online and signed up for Sittercity.com to find some babysitters in our area. I've lined up three different high school and college students for the next three Saturdays. We're going to try each of them out and have a date with just the two of us. Hopefully they all work out well… but even ending up with one good babysitter will get my husband and I through this winter without going insane.

The easiest gift to give is jewelry. What better way to make your gift stand out from the crowd than to personalize it? There are several choices to personalize.

-Birthstone Jewelry-This jewelry can be as simple as containing the intended recipent's birthstone or it can be a gift for mothers. Mothers jewelry is very popular. It usually is a piece that contains the birthstones for all of her children in a necklace or bracelet. You can also get the birthstones set in a ring and give to Mother for Mothers Day.

- Personalized Jewelry - this is jewelry that you can have a name engraved upon the back. If it is beaded or a charmed piece you can also buy the appropriate lettering in charms or beads to have the name spelled out. If you are engraving you may also choose to have a personalized message put on the piece. Personalized jewelry is excellent for gift choices.

- Date Jewelry – Do you want your gift to stand out from the crowd? Do you want to include a significant date you are celebrating? Have the date engraved or added to the piece of your wedding, birthday, graduation, confirmation. This type of jewelry will remind the user of you for a long time as the fond memories of the date will remind them of you.

Personalizing jewelry is worth the extra effort because it gives the wearer so many memories. A personalized piece will stand out in a lifetime of giving and receiving presents. It is so easy to personalize any piece before giving it away. Ask your jeweler about what personalization choices they offer.

Know what you want the jewelry or gift to say to the person you are giving it to. Then set about personalizing the gift so that they will be overjoyed to receive the item. For Mothers Day consider a birthstone or Mothers jewelry. Grandmothers may love something like this with several charms for their children and grandchildren. For your anniversary, engrave the date of your wedding upon the back of the piece. Or thread the date into the design. The only extra effort you put into giving a personalized piece over purchasing a ready made piece is knowing what style you are looking for. Everything else is done for you by the jeweler unless you are stringing or crafting the jewelry yourself.

There is nothing like enjoying something with a bit of sentiment attached for years. It becomes a family treasure and heirloom.

Students headed to the University of Michigan for their education typically choose to study there for their stellar academic reputation.  With dozens of high quality academic programs, the University of Michigan is one of the top public universities in the country.  However, prospective students are as interested – if not more interested – in the social life, culture, and sports opportunities in town.  They are not going to be disappointed!

Velesco Pharmaceutical Services Expands Core Scientific and Quality Team

(Plymouth, MI; September 21, 2010) – Velesco Pharmaceutical Services, located in state-of-the-art facilities in Plymouth and Kalamazoo, Michigan, is proud to announce enhanced quality and scientific capabilities with the addition of Shirley Smith as Director of Quality and Yuan Chen as Senior Pharmaceutical Scientist. Ms. Smith and Ms. Chen recently joined Velesco, a contract research organization supporting early stage product development work for pharmaceutical companies. These new colleagues will increase the level of expertise at Velesco through their extensive work experiences and educational backgrounds.

Shirley Smith is the Director of Quality at Velesco Pharmaceutical Services. Prior to joining Velesco, Shirley was the Quality Assurance Manager for Richard-Allan Scientific (aka Thermo Fisher Scientific) and the Senior Quality Assurance Manager for Pfizer’s Drug Product and Device Research Group in Kalamazoo, MI. In conjunction with her role at Velesco, Shirley will continue her leadership role of PharmaMed Resources, a quality assurance and regulatory affairs consulting business that services the Medical Device and Pharmaceutical Industries.

Shirley has more than twenty-five years of experience in the Pharmaceutical (human and animal health) and Medical Device Industries. She has in-depth knowledge of the pharmaceutical and medical device GMP’s (US and EU) along with strong organization, team, and leadership skills. She has performed as a lead GMP auditor of contract vendors (manufacturing, packaging, laboratories, devices, suppliers, etc.)

Shirley is an ISO 13485:2003 certified lead auditor and holds a Bachelor of Science in Chemistry. She is a member of the Regulatory Affairs Professionals Society (RAPS) and the American Society of Quality (ASQ).

With nearly a decade of experience in cGMP and GLP environments, Yuan Chen, M.S., serves as Senior Pharmaceutical Scientist at Velesco Pharmaceutical Services. Yuan has extensive experience in analytical method development and validation, cleaning verification and validation, and drug release testing.

Before joining Velesco, Yuan served in the Pharmaceutical Sciences Division of Pfizer Global R&D as a Senior Associate Scientist for eight years and the Analytical Development Department of Caraco Pharmaceutical Laboratories for two years. Yuan's responsibilities and projects spanned the drug development spectrum from early stage development and validation of stability-indicating methods for the release of drug substance and drug product, to later stage projects focused on the detection of residual drugs on manufacturing equipment.

Yuan holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Chemical Engineering from the Beijing Institute of Light Industry and a Master of Science degree in Chemistry from Eastern Michigan University. She is a member of the American Association of Pharmaceutical Scientists.

“Shirley and Yuan bring the experience and industry knowledge needed as we increase the services offered to our growing client base,” commented Dave Barnes, Ph.D., CEO and co-founder of Velesco. “Velesco’s ability to provide the highest quality formulation and analytical services along with cGMP clinical supplies is driven by the depth of experience of our team.”

About Velesco Pharmaceutical Services

Velesco Pharmaceutical Services (www.velescopharma.com) was formed by former pharmaceutical R&D colleagues and focuses on supporting early stage drug development. Velesco’s founders, analytical chemists and drug formulation experts are pharmaceutical industry veterans working in the highest-quality facilities. Velesco delivers on time high quality products and services along with insightful consultation.