Yahoo Finance Are you a full-time parent looking to return to work? Here’s what to put on your resume
You’ve had a child, or two, and now you’re ready to get back into paid work.
It’s exciting, but it’s also tricky – how do you describe this period on your resume? Can you include your home budgeting and organisation skills? What about your references?
We spoke to SEEK Australia HR director, Rebecca Supierz to find out.
How do I describe that period on my resume?
Honesty is the best policy, is Supierz’ advice.
“Don’t leave an employer guessing about why you’ve been out of the workforce for five years, because they’re going to make their own assumptions,” she said.
“Being really open and honest about it; that you were being a parent over that time, that you took a break out of the paid workforce.”
She said she’s seen resumes with unexplained gaps, and warned that employers will generally consider it strange when it isn’t addressed.
Can I use old references?
If all of your references are from before you took time out of the paid workforce, don’t stress.
In reality, people who are in the same jobs for several years will have a similar experience in that they rely on older references to avoid alerting their current employers to the fact they’re job-hunting.
“More broadly, make sure you’re giving references that are relevant to the role you’re applying for,” Supierz added.
“So if you’re applying for a leadership role but the reference you’re providing is from a time when you weren’t a leader, then that’s a bit hard for the employer to really properly take a quality reference based on leadership skills.”
I was on the parent-teacher committee. Can I include references from there?
“If you are working in your community, absolutely provide a reference for that time,” Supierz said.
If it was a worthy skillset you were building or demonstrating then it’s always worthwhile to refer to it.
Do employers respect the budgeting, organisation, persuasion, creativity etc. skills I developed while raising my children?
“It depends on the employer and the role that you’re going for,” Supierz said.
As with any skill, it needs to be matched with the job you’re applying for.
“My advice would be for people to think about, how do I align the skills that I either had before I went on leave or the skills that I feel like I built or developed while I was on leave.”
Is it better to go back part-time at first?
Again, it depends on the individual, the job and the employer.
But, Supierz noted, a staged transition can be helpful for you and your family.
“I do think a staged transition back helps both you as the individual get used to what it feels like to be back in a workplace, it helps your family and your support networks outside of work, and children transition back as well as the team around you.”
What’s one piece of advice you’d give parents re-entering the paid workforce?
Be kind to yourself.
“Don’t put too much pressure on yourself. Don’t put too much pressure on your child,” Supierz said.
“It’s going to be a big life change for everybody and so making sure you’re taking the time and giving yourself some compassion is really important.”
And, she added, have a plan and talk to your employer about it and the support you’ll need.
This gives your employer something to work off and also helps you feel in control.
“Where I’ve seen transitions go wrong is where conversations haven’t happened up front and then you’ve got a person transitioning back to the workforce who doesn’t feel comfortable.”
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