As a stay-at-home mom willing to return to work, you must be attentive, flexible, and most of all, patient. Getting a job after spending several years away from the workforce is far from impossible, but you need to present yourself to the potential employers the right way first.
When it comes to (re)writing your resume, here is what you should do to make sure your application gets noticed for the right reasons alone.
Address the experience gap
The time you spent caring your family was both challenging and beautiful. Now that the time has come to get back to work, you might be worried if this gap is going to cost you some great job opportunities. Should you somehow try to conceal it and focus on your previous work experience instead? The answer to these questions is a resounding “no”.
Recruiters will always find ways to get the information they need, whether you try to hide it or not. Trying to conceal the employment gap can present you in a way that your potential employers are probably not going to like.
Besides, raising a family isn’t something that just happened to you. It was a personal choice you made, and the one you are very proud of. Let the Summary of your resume represent you as you are: A reliable, hardworking professional dedicated to their loving family.
Adapt the resume format
Essay shark review content experts remind us that the way previous work experience is traditionally presented in resumes is this: You start off with your latest job and lead the way to the positions you held in the past. For stay-at-home moms, however, this might not be the best way to showcase a job history.
Although you should never try to hide the employment gap in your resume, you don’t want it to be highlighted either. The solution can be listing your work experience chronologically, ending the list with your latest engagement. This way you can show your professional growth and development, delaying the moment when a recruiter notices the gap.
Be careful with this approach, though: Your resume should only showcase relevant experiences you developed in the last ten years tops. Starting with unrelated experiences or positions you held more than ten years ago can do your application more harm than good.
List the skills developed while raising kids
The time you spent away from work wasn’t a vacation. It was an active period that taught you a lot about yourself, managing family needs, and life. You had to do a lot during these nurturing years, and you have a lot to show for it. Now it’s essential to learn how to present your newly-acquired skills in a way that lets recruiters know you are a valuable player their team can benefit from.
Remember and list all of the things you needed to do as a stay-at-home mom. Which of these responsibilities should make their way to your resume? Managing family finances and active involvement in your community (organizing schedules, volunteering, being a member of any boards) will look good on your curriculum, so make sure to include everything that seems relevant.
Add freelance work
Some stay-at-home moms like to stay busy, taking on some freelance work while raising their children. Many of the best essay writing service contributors who landed their current jobs after dedicating time to their families did this, and recruiters often appreciate when candidates think this way.
Even if you haven’t had a steady pay from your freelance gigs, listing them on your resume shows that you were active even in the childcaring years. If you have any freelance experience to present, don’t be shy to do so.
Early bird gets the worm
Last but not least, according to Australia writings and buy an essay researches, there’s one more powerful thing you can do to make sure your resume gets the attention it deserves.
If you fear that jobs slip from under you because active workforce members out there might be too strong of a competition, here is what you should do. Don’t wait for job ads to appear to start applying. Make a list of organizations that look like good matches for your skills and experience, collect their contact information, and start getting yourself out there.
This way, you will present yourself as a proactive, confident candidate any recruiter should keep an eye on, while avoiding immediate comparison with other potential candidates you’d surely compete against when simply applying for an open position.
Conclusion
If you’ve taken time from work to dedicate yourself to raising your children, the thought of getting back to the office might feel strange at first. On the other hand, as the little ones grow older, it leaves more time for you to discover what your next challenge in life might be.
Getting back into the professional arena isn’t for the faint at heart, but after successfully managing your family for years, you are surely ready for this challenge, too. Create a resume that exudes professionalism, reliability, and confidence, and your job search will surely be a success.
