Saturday, September 29, 2007

How to describe the 'stay at home' section in your resume

The biggest mistake you can make in your resume is to refer to the time you have spent at home as ‘stay-at-home mum’. It is a true statement, but let’s face it – it is probably the toughest and most hard working time in your life so far! Cleaning bottoms, experiencing toddler tantrums in a shopping centre, and being on-call for an infant 24 hours a day probably won’t cut it in a resume. Start thinking about the unpaid activities you have been doing and turn these into work speak. For example, raising money for a charity involves communication, business development, and marketing skills. If you’ve been doing the bookkeeping for your family business, instantly you will find employers who are willing to pay for your services. Tuck shop work involves money-handling, customer service, and the ability to work in a team. Make sure you research job ads and see the skills that employers are looking for. If you need to improve your skills and improve your confidence, look at doing a short course.

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

I started my own business selling babies shoes at local markets - how should I put that down in my resume?

CareerMums said...

What a great addition to your resume! You showed initiative in starting your own business - this involves business development, selling, money handling, building relationships with customers and suppliers, doing the books, and more. You may want to mention the growth in your sales over a period of a specified period of time.

Anonymous said...

The biggest hurdle with mothers attaining an education and achieveing their career goals is lack of time and the financial burden it may place on the family. Distance education courses such as those provided by Thomson Education http://www.thomson.edu.au/ is an attractive option because it saves travel time, the hiring of babysitters for your children, and simplifies class attendance. Furthermore, the course can be undertaken part time.