Moms who decide to stay home with their children for a number of years usually never regret that decision. It is rewarding in a different way than a career. However, when it comes time to re-enter the workforce, knowing what to put on a resume can be challenging. It's true that you've used specific skills keeping a home, but how do you word that so an employer will be impressed?
Sample Resume for Moms Going Back to Work
Download the sample resume template by clicking the image below. If you need help with the document, check out these helpful tips.
The resume sample provided features volunteer activities, education, past work experience and professional affiliations. The PDF is editable, so you can replace the information in the document with your own information and print right from your desktop. In order to keep the formatting of the document you will need to download and save it first before making your adjustments. Remember to use a heavy bond, resume paper for a professional appearance.
Using the Sample Resume
When customizing this sample resume for your own use, you will need to adjust each section to match your unique situation.
Order of Information
The order of information in this sample resume is created to highlight important skills. Some of these skills you've likely learned as a homemaker, but you'll want to focus on the skill and not highlight the fact that you learned these skills running a household.
While some employers may admire and appreciate the work involved in keeping a household running, others will feel that it isn't as pertinent as actual workplace experience.
Contact Information
At the very top of your resume, you'll want to include your name and contact information. Some people prefer to put their name as a header in a bold, dark font. This can come in handy when the employer is looking back through candidates coming in for a second interview as they can locate your resume quickly and do a fast review.
Stick to basic fonts, such as Arial or Calibri. Although a script might look pretty, it can be difficult to read and doesn't look as professional as industry standard type. Also, if you are emailing the resume as a .doc, .docx or rich text format, it might not translate well if the person on the other end doesn't have that exact font installed on his computer.
Check and double check that your contact information is correct. The phone number should be current and include the area code. If you have an email, include that as well as many employers communicate online.
Objective
The objective should tie into the job you are seeking. If you're trying to land a job as an executive assistant, then the objective should tie into the role an assistant plays.
- For example, you might write: To obtain a position as an assistant for a busy executive where my management skills and organization can help the office run more efficiently.
- You wouldn't write: To obtain a position where I can help others learn to cook.
It might seem obvious, but it is easy to forget to tailor the objective when applying to different companies. Take the time to read the job description and make sure your objective ties into it.
Skills
This is where you can list all of those wonderful skills you've picked up as a homemaker. Not only have you had to manage daily household tasks, you've likely scheduled vacations, been in charge of shopping, created budgets and many other tasks that can translate well to an office environment. Here are a few of the different skills you could list here:
- Adept at creating and maintaining a budget
- Making detailed schedules for multiple parties
- Keeping financial statements and filing annual reports
- Conflict resolution expert
- Managed fundraising activities
Keep in mind skills you've picked up through volunteer work or participating in team sports with your children as well. You may have even used some of your time at home to learn Microsoft Office suite or basic web design skills. This is the place to list those skills or other skills you have.
Keep the descriptions short and to the point. A bulleted list is an excellent way to highlight your marketable skills.
Education
This section of the resume is a place to list your higher education. Even if you did not complete your degree, you should list where you went to school, how long you attended and the skills you learned. You can also include certifications and specialized training in this section.
Skimmable Format
There are different ways you can format the education section. For example, you can format it like our sample, with your degree, school and year graduated or years attended on one line and any special awards or honors just under. Another way to format the education section is to list the degree on the top line with the year graduated and then the school directly under that with additional information in bullet points.
The main thing you need to keep in mind is whether your resume is skimmable. Those doing the hiring tend to be busy executives or human resources managers who want to glance at your resume quickly and make a determination if they'd like to proceed with an interview.
Work History
If you've been at home for a number of years, your work history may be lacking or show a big gap in time. One of the reasons for listing the work history further down on the resume is to keep from highlighting this fact. If you worked before staying at home, list these work experiences and the skills you learned while there. If you have a very sparse work history, you may want to focus on the next section instead.
Homemaker Description
It can be hard to know whether you should include your time as a homemaker in this section. It is probably best not to list a homemaker description here or try to be cute and call yourself an 'executive decision maker' or 'head diaper purchaser.' Instead, if the employer questions the time you've been out of the marketplace during an interview, you can just answer with a simple explanation that you stayed home with your children until they started school, entered high school, etc.
Then, go right into highlighting the skills you learned through volunteer work or other activities during this time. That will put a positive spin on the time out of the workforce. Many employers appreciate the skills needed to run a home and care for children, but some will not understand the myriad responsibilities required to stay at home with children.
Volunteer Experience
Volunteer experience can be just as valuable for learning skill sets as career experiences. Some of the things you might include here:
- Serving as secretary of the local PTA
- Creating a newsletter for the softball league
- Maintaining the church website
- Starting a mommies' day out with the local preschool organization
- Doing public relations work and creating flyers for the local animal rescue shelter
Your volunteer experience is likely as unique as you are, but whatever type of volunteering you've done, it can help highlight your skills and work ethic for potential employers.
Professional Affiliations
If you belong to organizations that are related to the type of work you're applying for, this is a good place to list them. Using the example of an executive assistant, you might include a membership in the International Association of Administrative Professionals or the Professional Association of United Methodist Church Secretaries.
If the affiliation is more social in nature, then it probably doesn't belong here. You may be able to utilize work you've done for that organization under volunteer experience or skills, though.
References
This is another place where you need to pay attention to what the job description states. Some companies request references upfront. If that is the case, you should include a second sheet with a list of professional references. This doesn't mean your mom or best friend; you'll want to include references from people like:
- Former employers
- Professors
- Organization directors for whom you've volunteered
- Former clients
- People you've volunteered with
- Pastor of your church
- Others who can vouch for your dedication and work ethic
Before you list anyone as a reference, check with that person that it is okay to use them as a reference while you seek employment. You'll obviously want to use only people who will give you a positive review.
If the job description does not ask for references, then you should use the standard that is on the sample, which is "References available upon request."
From Home to Work Again
Transitioning into the career world after being home for months or years can be a challenge. No matter what your education, previous work experience or skills, using this sample resume can help get you started on your path back into the work force. If you find that you need additional assistance, consider hiring a professional resume writing service.
