Traditional wisdom holds that women must choose between careers or being with their children when they are young. Either stay home or put the kids in daycare, but either way, a choice is necessary. As more families look for flexible work arrangements, and as all careers become more accessible to women, stay-at-home moms now can make that decision a temporary one and then return to the workforce.
A workforce re-entry resume is tricky but can be done by adhering to a few simple guidelines.
Do Not Use “Home Manager” Terminology
In the 1990s, many books came out with writers using cute names for stay-at-home moms. In fact, the term housewife was more common before that time. Putting these phrases on a resume is not a good idea, however. Using “home manager” or “household CEO” or a similar term can turn off potential employers. Some may view these women as less serious job candidates, and others may be annoyed because they do not like stay-at-home moms or because they would like to stay home but cannot. Overall the potential to inhibit workforce re-entry is greater than any potential benefit.
Focus on Job Skills
Staying at home with children does teach certain skills that translate into the job, though putting these skills on the resume is questionable. A housewife returning to the workforce should focus her resume on hard skills. Some skills, such as budgeting on one income, can be useful if the job calls for similar skills. A stay-at-home mom who is looking to return to work as a bookkeeper for a small non-profit organization, for example, would have useful job skills to put on her resume. Unless there is a direct correlation, however, the resume should reflect only experiences gained through actual work or volunteer commitments.
Outline Volunteer Commitments
Whether people should or not, many view the housewife role as one of luxury. Showing a future employer experience as a volunteer will suggest to that employer that you did something valuable to the outside world with your time. Quality volunteer positions also bolster your chances of getting a workforce re-entry job because the job skills you learned in your previous life can be continued in a volunteer spot. If you worked in public relations and did similar work for a nonprofit, then you are showing that you are committed to PR work, which makes employers more likely to give you a chance.
The biggest fear employers have with the housewife returning to the workforce is that she will find herself unable to transition back to a work environment. The key to getting past this viewpoint is to show through a quality resume and cover letter the commitment to working and mothering at the same time.
Brandi Rhoades - Brandi Rhoades is a freelance writer working on articles for the web, ranging from blog posts to marketing letters to keyword-driven ...
