Re-entering the Workforce: 5 Resume Writing Tips for Stay at Home Moms
According
to Pew Research Center data, three out of ten American moms with
children younger than 18 are stay at home moms. It's a tough job, to take care
of a brand new person through their earliest and most fragile years. It's also
a job that can't go on forever.
Your kids
can start going to kindergarten, or school, or even college, and they might not
need you as much as they did before. Or you can decide that juggling a career
and childcare is something you might try. Or you might have financial troubles
that will nudge you towards giving up full-time childcare.
There are
many reasons why stay at home mothers might consider reentering the workforce
after a long absence. Regardless of the reasons, moms re-entering the workforce
will find that they can do a lot of the re-entry work online, from applying
to jobs to using LinkedIn for networking. They'll also find that writing a reentering the
workforce resume has its challenges, which is why we're sharing these resume
writing tips for stay at home moms.
Brush Up on General Resume Writing
Writing a
resume for a homemaker returning to workforce has its difficulties. But writing
a resume, in general, isn't easy. Before you sit down and take stock of your
skills, activities, and experience, brush up on the general rules of resume
writing.
There are
a couple of things you should pay special attention to. Bullet points are your
friends on a resume, and you should know how to use them effectively. Today, recruitment
relies heavily on applicant tracking systems, which means you'll have to learn
a thing or two about using
keywords in your resume. And it
wouldn't hurt to check a list of common resume mistakes.
Choose the Right Format
There are
three types of resume formats. A chronological resume is used to emphasize work
history by listing employment, in chronological order, from the most recent. A
functional resume focuses on your skills and abilities, and it's mostly used by
people who have gaps in employment. And there's also a combination resume,
which is used to outline skills and also provide a well-documented work
history.
You
probably shouldn't write a resume for mom returning to workforce in a
chronological format. Instead, you should consider either a functional or a
combination resume because the two will make your employment gap less striking.
Include the Work You've Done at Home or in the Community
Stay at
home moms can do a lot of things besides taking
care of the kids. They
can get involved with their community, or with the school, and do a lot of
unpaid work in those functions. They can also freelance or do some other type
of work from home as a side job to their full-time childcare work.
The work
and the activities you did while you were a stay at home count. Make sure that
you include them, as long as they're relevant to the position you're applying
for. Include your accomplishments as well, and write about them in the same way
you would if you were writing about employment experience — with strong words
and action verbs.
Include the Skills You've Developed During Your Absence from the
Workforce
Just like
you're including the work you've done while being a stay at home mom in your
reentering the workforce resume, you should also include the skills you've
developed.
There is
a lot you can learn while freelancing, or doing community work, or helping the
school organize and run events. And the fact that you developed those skills
while freelancing or volunteering has nothing to do with how useful they could
be in your new workplace. Everything from event planning to time management and
personal finance can be a relevant skill, and if it is, you shouldn't leave it
out.
Carefully Consider How and Whether to Include Childcare
Activities and Skills
One of
the most important resume tips for stay at home moms is to avoid giving your
child care duties a title. So no "upbringing
manager" or "household
CEO". If you really want to include the years you've spent as a stay
at home mom as an item on your resume, you should just say that you were a stay
at home mom.
The
childcare skills you have developed can be useful in your resume if you're
applying for a position that will require you to work with children. If that is
the case, list them like you would any other skills that are relevant to the
job. Between cutesy and professional, always pick professional.