Writing a resume can be intimidating at any stage of your career. But what if you went a while without working? Where can you start? How can you consider yourself qualified if you were at home with your children for the past five years? Chances are that you have developed skills that you don’t even know you had and that you are more qualified than before having your children. The secret is to think beyond what you did within the four walls of the office and take into account the experiences you had while volunteering and educating your children. You may be surprised at the candidate you will discover when doing so.
Resume for Stay-at-home Mom: tips & templates for the re-entry
People who have interrupted their job to look after their family and then want to return to work often find it difficult to do so. With a successful application, however, this can be achieved – we give tips.
For those who have been out of work for years because they had to look after children and the household, returning to work is often a major hurdle – at least psychologically. Often this leads to the fact that the persons concerned present themselves in their applications with little self-confidence because they do not have any current professional qualifications. The experience gained in the family can be used profitably in a regular job. The following tips explain how to get back on track. Resume templates can also be downloaded.
The time out is often longer than expected
When the baby comes, almost every mother takes a break from work. Fathers are also increasingly taking parental leave. However, those affected often stay away from their original job longer than they wanted – especially if the other partner provides the family with sufficient income and there is, therefore, no financial pressure on two earners.
Working as a stay-at-home mom is a full-time job; in terms of its scope, it is usually significantly higher than a regular job with a 40-hour week. The only thing that is recognized insufficiently in society. Accordingly, this activity can affect the self-confidence of those who sacrifice care for children, families, and the household.
Curriculum vitae as a stay-at-home mom: highlighting family experiences as strengths
Anyone who has spent the past years or months as a stay-at-home mom and mother should not put his light under the bushel in an application for a job, but rather deal openly with his experiences during this time – and present them as strengths. On the other hand, anyone who tries to sweep housework as a stay-at-home mom will not be successful, after all, the HR manager is aware that the applicant is currently not pursuing a profession.
Whoever leads a family, for example, has organizational talent – and, especially when dealing with children, flexibility. Resilience is undoubtedly one of the strengths of a stay-at-home mom with children. All of these qualities, which are undoubtedly desirable for any “right” job, should be mentioned as strengths in the application letter. It can also make sense to start the cover letter openly and honestly and to point out that you are a stay-at-home mom – in order to explain why you would still be a valuable addition to the team or precisely because of this.
Perhaps the person concerned could even use the time-out with the family to improve their personal skills. This could mean that the stay-at-home mom taught herself a foreign language with an app or improved her existing language skills. Other types of personal training are also conceivable – and should definitely be highlighted in the application. If certificates are available that demonstrate these qualifications, they should be added in the appendix.
A possible voluntary activity can also work well on your resume. In order to show the commitment of the person, this should always be mentioned. If it even has something to do with the desired job in terms of content, it can become a major plus for the applicant – this activity shows that the applicant himself was engaged in job-related activities during the “break” from work.
In the cover letter, it is also important to make it clear why you want to return to work.
Make basic qualifications clear on your resume
When a stay-at-home mom applies for a job again after a long break, the curriculum vitae initially looks similar to that of other applicants. Personal data including contact options, marital status and nationality, date, and place of birth, professional experience, school, and possible vocational or academic education, possible internships, further knowledge and skills including language skills and personal interests are absolutely essential.
In particular, people who have been out of their profession for a few years should consider whether they should not list their professional experience chronologically. Actually, an anti-chronological list of activities has become established in the case of resumes. The most up-to-date experience is given top priority here, followed by further activities.
With a stay-at-home mom, however, the disadvantage of this approach is evident: your last regular job may have been a long time ago. However, the aim of a curriculum vitae is to present the applicant’s qualifications optimally. Therefore, it can make sense, in this case, to start with the first professional experience that underlines the basic training of the person concerned. This way, the “gap” in the resume is less noticeable, even if it is of course still visible.
It can also be useful to note the age of the children when entering the marital status. If these are older, the potential employer can see that there is probably professional no further risk of the child losing their potential workforce. The goal is to present yourself as fully operational.
Self-confidence can be damaged after a long break
Many people who have been out of their jobs for a long time – be it because of family planning or because they have looked after a family member – find it difficult to get back into their old jobs. Their self-confidence in their work is often low. Many do not even expect to be invited to an interview. The lack of self-esteem is often reflected in the application.
That is why it is all the more important to emphasize your own performance before the break and to emphasize the experience during your time as a stay-at-home mom as positive for the desired position.
It is often also useful to first look for a part-time or temporary job. Although this brings less money and is not necessarily in the professional field in which the person concerned previously worked, it can significantly improve the person’s self-confidence. It is also easier to get a part-time job. Many rejections – like many people who do not have a “career break” due to working as a stay-at-home mom or husband – are demotivating for many. In addition to the part-time job, there is still time to apply for regular (full-time) jobs. Often applicants can then approach them in a more motivated and positive way – which is usually reflected in the applications and increases the chances of the desired position.
Nevertheless, applicants who have not worked in their original job for a long time should make it clear that they will probably not be able to re-enter the same level as before the break. However, if you get a job and show commitment, you can often work your way up quickly.
Resume template for stay-at-home Mom
A sample resume of a stay-at-home mom or a househusband who wants to return to work after a long break may look like the following examples. It should be noted that these templates only represent patterns that are to be understood as suggestions. These patterns should definitely be personalized and changed according to individual ideas. Key steps to follow:
Step 1
Choose an attractive and easy-to-read format for your resume. Use an appropriate size and font style. Most word processors include several default formats from which you can choose.
Step 2
Make a list of your previous work experience and skills. Be sure to include your volunteer experiences as well as the skills you developed while you were a stay at home mom.
Step 3
Organize your experience and skills in a logical order, but don’t feel compelled to mention them in chronological order. You can group your scores into specific sets and in naming your experiences within each set. For example, if you have leadership capacity, include in that section work experiences that highlight this capacity as well as experiences in PTA, as a hostess or as a fundraiser in your community. Write a separate title for each set of skills.
Step 4
Include a short summary of your work experience, in chronological order, at the end of the curriculum, after listing your skills. This type of organization highlights the most important thing, your skills, instead of highlighting the fact that you spent several years without working outside your home. You should not lie or hide the fact that you have been a stay-at-home mom, but it is important to emphasize how qualified you are for the job. Listing your skills first will help the employer understand how those years when you did not work outside the home enriched you.
Thank You!
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