Many people choose to stay at home for a short or long period while their families are young or even until the kids get out and on their own. Writing a resume, stay at home mom returning to work, dad caring for the children or even both parents taking time off can be difficult as it does leave a gap. There are some options for writing a resume, stay at home mom returning to work, or other employment gaps, that can highlight the skills that the mom had before taking some time off without accentuating the time that they were out of the workforce.
One of the biggest issues when writing a resume, stay at home moms returning to work in particular miss, is that a lot of the volunteer work that they do within the community and around their children is applicable to many different types of professions and careers. Consider, when writing a resume, stay at home mom returning to work and others that have volunteered, to list these events at the front of the resume rather than at the end. Highlight these skills exactly as you would in an employment situation.
Another important tip is to include the reason for your absence from the workforce in the covering letter when writing a resume, stay at home mom returning to work, in particular. Clearly state that had such and such as position from this year to that, then you chose to stay at home from X year to Y year to care for your children. You may also, when writing a resume, stay at home mom returning to work full or part time, want to indicate any professional development, networking or contract work that you may have completed while you were at home.
Many stay at home moms continue keeping up-to-date on changes within their professional field or career, or even take a few online or college evening courses in preparation for returning to work. Be sure to highlight these self-directed professional development programs that you have completed either on the covering letter or on the educational component of the resume. Consider placing the educational component very close to the top of the resume, especially if the courses are advanced or very specialized to the position your are applying for.
By formatting and carefully writing a resume, stay at home mom returning to work can have a very full, complete and professional looking resume that highlights achievements and strengths rather than highlights the gap in the employment history.