Resume Tips for Stay-at-Home Moms
You’ve been at home with your kids for a few years, but it may be time to return to the workforce. You’re ready to start applying to jobs, and pull out the old resume. If you haven’t worked for a few years, you notice your resume has a large gap. How do you handle that?
There are so many ways a stay-at-home mom can fill in her resume with her time away from the workforce. A stay-at-home mom is always busy, and we know you’re not just sitting around the house all day. It can sometimes be tough when thinking about things to add to your resume to show future employers what you’ve been doing while away from the workforce.
Here are a few ideas of things you can add to your resume:
Find some ways to fill the gaps in your resume with new skills you’ve learned or experiences you’ve had. Have you taken any online classes or attended any conferences/seminars?
Volunteering is a great thing to add to the resume. This shows you’re proactive. Include details where possible - did you organize a party at your child’s school? Raise a lot of money? It’s especially important to include any leadership roles you help while volunteering.
Add any freelance projects you took on during this time. This is a great time to pick up any freelance projects if it makes sense for your line of work. Whether it was a quick project for your previous job, or you had a friend that needed some help, include this on your resume.
Professional and leadership development. If you are a member of any professional organizations or you’ve recently attending a conference pertaining to leadership development, including this on your resume gives it a big boost. It shows you’re not only working on your skills, but becoming a better leader as well.
How you phrase your experience on your resume during this transitional time will be key throughout your new job search.
You don’t want to lie, but you do want to use professional words when explaining your duties during your time away from the workforce. For example, rather than just saying you created some jewelry and sold to friends, you can say you were a business owner. Give yourself the credit and don’t sell yourself short!
Be upfront in your interviews that you wanted to stay home with kids and don’t sell yourself short. Be confident and show what you’ve done and learned in this time. You’ve got this!