As a stay-at-home mom, your resume should highlight the skills and experiences you’ve gained during your time away from the formal workforce. You’ve honed a variety of transferable skills that employers find valuable, such as multi-tasking, time management, and creative problem-solving.
- Start your professional summary with an attention-grabbing statement about your career goals. Mention how your unique background as a stay-at-home mom will contribute to your success in the workforce. For example, you might say, “Dedicated and resourceful individual ready to apply exceptional organizational and leadership skills developed from managing a busy household to a professional environment.”
- Next, list some key skills that you’ve nurtured. You could write, “Adept at coordinating complex schedules and managing a budget,” which showcases your logistical capabilities. Also, include soft skills like, “Excellent communicator with a patient and empathetic approach to conflict resolution,” which are highly applicable in many job scenarios.
- Include specific accomplishments or projects, even if they were not part of a job. If you’ve volunteered, spearheaded a community fundraiser, or coordinated a large family event, these are great examples of your capabilities. Describe these experiences by saying, “Successfully organized a community charity event with over 100 attendees, raising $5,000 for the local food bank.”
Your professional summary is your chance to make a strong first impression. It’s important to portray confidence in your abilities and showcase how your time as a stay-at-home mom has prepared you for the next step in your professional journey.
Related: How to Write a Resume With No Experience (Examples)
1. Professional Experience
Your professional experience can include a wide range of activities that you’ve undertaken during the time you’ve spent as a stay-at-home mom. Whether it’s coordinating events, managing household projects, or contributing to freelance gigs, each role has honed various skills that are valuable in the workplace.
Volunteer Work
You might have engaged in volunteer work that required organization, coordination, and communication. For example:
- “Organized monthly book drives for local schools, leading a team of volunteers.”
- “Coordinated meal prep and distribution at a community kitchen serving over 100 people weekly.”
Project Management
As a stay-at-home mom, you’ve likely spearheaded various projects with efficiency. For example:
- “Managed a complete kitchen remodel, overseeing the budget and coordinating with contractors.”
- “Orchestrated a neighborhood cleanup initiative, scheduling tasks, and tracking progress.”
Freelance Work
Perhaps you’ve taken on freelance opportunities that showcase your professional skills. For example:
- “Provided graphic design services for small businesses, including branding and promotional materials.”
- “Wrote and edited website content for an online retailer, improving their search engine ranking.”
Community Involvement
Your involvement in local community matters demonstrates commitment and leadership. Examples include:
- “Served as PTA President at your child’s school, implementing new fundraising strategies.”
- “Spearheaded a community garden program, from grant writing to volunteer recruitment and garden design.”
Related: Confidently Explain Employment Gaps on Your Resume (Examples)
2. Education
When updating your resume as a stay-at-home mom, your education section plays a significant role, especially if you’re re-entering the workforce. Begin by listing your highest degree or most recent educational achievement first. Include the degree type, your field of study, the institution’s name, and the year of graduation.
For example:
- Bachelor of Science in Marketing, University of (…), 2019
- Associate of Arts in Graphic Design, (…) College, 2015
If you’ve completed relevant coursework or special projects that relate to the job you’re applying for, feel free to include these to showcase your knowledge and dedication to continuing education while at home.
Example:
- Completed comprehensive online course in Social Media Marketing, (…) Academy, 2022
- Undertook a personal project about Early Childhood Education, culminating in a community workshop, 2023
Listing your GPA is optional and typically only recommended if you’ve graduated recently and your GPA is particularly strong. If you participated in clubs, organizations, or extracurricular activities, it’s a good idea to mention those experiences to communicate your teamwork and leadership skills.
Remember, when you attended school or what you studied can demonstrate your commitment to learning and growth, which is attractive to employers. Tailor this section to align with what you are aiming for in your job search, and don’t hesitate to highlight accomplishments that show your ability to manage tasks and excel in academic environments.
3. Certifications and Courses
If you’ve taken time off to raise your children, you might be surprised at how valuable your experience can be when re-entering the workforce. In your resume, it’s important to highlight relevant certifications and courses that can showcase your abilities and knowledge. Here’s how you can format this section:
Example
- First Aid & CPR Certification: Held a valid certification for the past five years, with comprehensive training in emergency response suitable for a workplace.
- Online Marketing Course: Completed a 10-week digital marketing course covering SEO, content marketing, and social media management.
- Nutrition and Wellness Consultant Certification: Gained in-depth understanding of nutrition, wellness, and healthy lifestyle choices, which may be pertinent in roles that require knowledge of wellbeing.
- Project Management Certification: Acquired skills in project planning, execution, and monitoring through a recognized online program which can be applicable in various managerial roles.
- Child Psychology Introduction: A course attended that offers insights into child development stages, useful in educational or child care-related positions.
Remember to include the name of the course provider and the date of completion to provide context for your qualifications. If you’re currently enrolled in any course that’s relevant to the job you’re applying for, make sure to note that as well. This tells potential employers that you are committed to continuous learning and personal development.
Related: How To List Certifications on a Resume (Examples)
4. Technical Skills
When you’re updating your resume, including your technical skills can showcase how you’ve kept up with relevant technology, which is valuable in today’s job market. You might have gained these skills through managing household finances, coordinating schedules, or keeping up with the latest education tech for your kids.
- Time management tools: You’ve likely used apps like Google Calendar or Trello to manage family activities and appointments, showing you can handle scheduling and logistics.
- Financial software: Handling a family budget requires proficiency in software like Microsoft Excel or other budgeting apps – Quicken or Mint for tracking expenses and planning.
- Social media management: If you’ve been coordinating a parent’s group online or running a home-based business, social media tools are familiar to you for organizing posts and engaging audiences.
- Online Research: You’re adept at using search engines effectively, filtering trustworthy sources, and maybe even using academic databases for helping with school projects.
- Word processing and presentation software: Creating documents and presentations for various family-oriented tasks often leads to proficiency in software like Microsoft Word and PowerPoint.
- Email management: Keeping up with school correspondence, extracurricular activities, and even online shopping deals means you’re skilled at managing emails efficiently using clients like Outlook or Gmail.
It’s important to consider all the tasks you do daily and how the skills you’ve acquired can translate into the workplace. Much of what you do as a stay-at-home mom requires the same technological proficiency expected in many job roles.
5. Languages
When updating your resume as a stay-at-home mom, highlighting your language skills can give you a competitive edge. If you’re multilingual, describe the level of fluency in each language you speak. For instance, you could list them as “Native,” “Fluent,” “Proficient,” or “Basic.”
For example:
- English – Native
- Spanish – Fluent
- French – Proficient
- Italian – Basic
When you detail your language proficiency, it’s important to be honest about your level of fluency. This means if you can hold a conversation in a language, you might list yourself as “Proficient.” If you’re able to only understand or use simple phrases, “Basic” would be more appropriate.
Additionally, if you have any language certifications or have done translation work, even informally, you can include this in your language section. Something like “Certified in Business French” or “Volunteer Translator for Community Events” shows practical application of your language skills.
Your language abilities can show potential employers that you have excellent communication skills, a knack for learning, and the ability to engage in diverse environments – all of which are attractive qualities in a candidate.
Related: How to Include Language Skills on Your Resume (Examples)
6. Interests and Hobbies
When constructing your resume as a stay-at-home mom, you may overlook the importance of the “Interests and Hobbies” section. Yet, this can be a window into your personality and transferable skills. Remember, each of your hobbies can reflect on your abilities and character.
For instance, if you enjoy blogging about parenting, this showcases your writing skills and creativity. You might be passionate about running a small online business which indicates your entrepreneurial spirit and knowledge in digital marketing.
- Gardening could suggest you’re patient and attentive to detail.
- Volunteering at your child’s school shows you’re committed and possess organizational skills.
Consider hobbies that have helped you maintain time management; such as managing a book club, which requires you to keep a schedule and coordinate with others. Crafting, such as knitting or painting, can showcase your artistic side and demonstrate persistence and the ability to learn new skills.
Ensure each hobby on your list is presented in a way that can resonate with your potential employer. Align them with the job’s responsibilities and company culture. This can make a significant difference in how your non-professional experience is perceived and illustrates how your time devoted to interests has equipped you with valuable skills.
Related: Top Transferable Skills Every Company Wants
45 Strong Career Change Statement Examples
Frequently Asked Questions
What skills can I include on my resume as a former stay-at-home mom?
You have a wealth of skills from your time as a stay-at-home mom that employers find valuable. Time management, problem-solving, multitasking, and communication are just a few examples. You also might have budgeting experience or skills in conflict resolution. Make sure you list these skills clearly on your resume.
How do I write an appealing resume objective after being a stay-at-home parent?
Your resume objective should reflect your enthusiasm for reentering the workforce and highlight how your skills as a stay-at-home parent will benefit the prospective employer. For instance, you could write, “Eager to apply my extensive multitasking and organizational skills in a dynamic office environment.”
What is an effective way to describe the role of a stay-at-home mom in a professional resume?
Describe your role as a stay-at-home mom professionally by focusing on your organizational, managerial, and educational tasks. You could say, “Managed daily schedules and educational activities for children, developing strong time management and prioritization skills.”
How can I address employment gaps in my resume due to time spent raising a family?
You can address employment gaps by mentioning the skills you developed or maintained while raising your family. Phrase it positively, such as “Took a planned career hiatus to raise a family, during which I honed my organizational and financial management skills.” Related: Confidently Explain Employment Gaps on Your Resume (Examples)
What are some tips for highlighting homemaking responsibilities as transferable job skills?
When highlighting homemaking responsibilities, focus on skills that are applicable to the workplace like budgeting, event planning, or education. For instance, you might write, “Spearheaded a complete home organization project that included budgeting and resource allocation.”
What kind of work experience should I list on my resume if I’ve been out of the formal workforce as a stay-at-home mom?
List any part-time work, volunteer experiences, freelance jobs, or even personal projects that demonstrate your skills and work ethic. You can confidently include positions like “Volunteer Event Coordinator” or “Freelance Social Media Manager” if they’re applicable.