Stay-At-Home-Mom Resume Tips

Stay-At-Home-Mom Resume Tips Resume tips for full-time parents returning to workUse these resume tips when re-entering the workforce. Wondering what a stay-at-home-mom resume looks like? Are you a dad returning to the workforce after extended paternity leave? Youre bound to have questions about the job searchand youre in good company.Approximately one-in-five parents in the U.S. is a stay-at-home mom or dad, according to a study released by Pew Research Center. What happens when its time to venture back to the workplace? Research suggests its not so easy Employers are more likely to hire unemployed people returning to work after a layoff than parents who took time off to raise children.Dont be discouragedfollow these tips to create a resume that opens doors.Highlight related activitiesStepping away from your career to raise children left a dreaded employment gap on your resume, but there are ways to compensate. If you dig deep, youll find a wealth of activities you can add to fill in the gap.Most women who stay at home for a period of time are not just doing laundry and homework oversight, says Kathryn Sollmann,author, speaker, coach, and founder of 9 Lives for Women, a career-advisory firm that helps professionals re-enterthe workforce. Sollmann, a flexible-work advocate and author of Ambition Redefined Why the ecksto Office Doesnt Work for Every Woman What to Do Instead, returned to the workforce by leveraging her volunteer and freelance experience.Here are activities you can include on your resumeVolunteer work (PTA, charity work, fundraisers) Just because you werent paid, doesnt make the experience any less valuable, so treat volunteer work like you would a paid position on your resume. If you held leadership roles or made a difference to your organizations, tout your accomplishments and skills developed. You can even include volunteer work in your resumes experience section to cover the employment gap.Continuing education Show that youve kep t your skills refreshed through courses, online learning, and/or independent study. If you havent kept your skills updated, now is the time to pursue continuing education or certification opportunities.Freelance projects If youve done consulting or freelance work thats related to your job target, include project highlights in your experience section.Professional memberships Demonstrate your commitment to the field by including membership in professional organizations and participation in conferences.If youve been out of the loop, research professional organizations you can join now. As an added benefit, your participation could result in job leads.Work-at-home/self-employment If you worked part-time for yourself or your partner while staying at home, that counts. Include the experience on your resumebut keep the descriptions of work unrelated to your career goal brief.Should you give yourself a job title?Theres conflicting advice about whether to give yourself a job title and job de scription for your role as a parent. If your stay-at-home-mom resume listshomemaker activities that are related to your job target, it makes sense to draw attention to your parenting activities and accomplishments. For example, if youre looking for a job teaching or working for an organization serving children, you could emphasize the relevant experience of child care and incidental teaching as a stay-at-home parent. Examples of job titles parents have used include household manager, managerJones family, and family CEO.For most people, though, its best to avoid including parenting as an actual job on the resume. We, personally, feel that there is no need to dress up time at home with silly titles like domestic engineer, says Sollmann. The important thing is to identify how you have continued to use your geschftliches miteinander skills in the time you have been out of the workforce. If you truly have had nothing but child care and household responsibilities, it would be a good idea to get involved in some volunteer activities that require business skillsmanaging committees, writing newsletters, handling budgets, etc.Select the best resume formatAccording to Linda Matias, nationally certified resume writer and president of CareerStrides, an executive resume-writing firm, the right resume format is critical to getting noticed. Matias suggests that parents avoid chronological resumes and consider using a combination resume format. By not addressing profil red flags such as employment gaps, a chronological resume can eliminate a stay-at-home mom or dads candidacy in seconds, she says.The power of the combination resume is the qualifications summary, allowing you to pick and choose what to highlight at the top of the resume. By the time the reader realizes youve been a stay-at-home parent, they should already be sold on interviewing you.As a last resort, parents who have been out of the workforce for many years and have minimal experience or activitiessuch as volun teer workmay need a functional resume. Although functional resumes are not preferred by hiring managers, this format allows you to emphasize your skills while downplaying employment history.Be honest about your time as a stay-at-home parentWhile you might be fretting about your employment gap, many employers will be understanding. Use your cover letter to briefly explain your recent gap, emphasizing that youve kept your skills up to date and are energized to return to the workforce.Get your resume checked outAs a parent looking to re-enter the workforce, you want to make sure your resume is strongand contemporary, and focuses on your skills rather than any employment gaps. Could you use some reassurance that your resume is ready for a job search?Get a free resume evaluation today from the experts atMonsters Resume Writing Service. Youll get detailed feedback in two business days, including a review ofyour resumes appearance and content, and a prediction of a recruiters first impress ion. Its a quick and easy way to help you hit the ground running and get back in the workforce.