A Friend Writes:
After spending many years at home raising and homeschooling 8 children, I have decided to get a job. I have no “real” work experience, no degree (but I’ve been through high school 5 times with my children!) and no special skills. I am familiar enough with computer programs that I think I would do well in an office setting, but my dilemma is: how do I put together a resume using what I have done at home? I have been watching the employment ads for office positions and they all seem to call for things like strong customer service and communication skills, good organization, detail oriented, and the ability to multi-task. All of these skills are used in the home, but how do I transfer that to a resume? Does anybody have any tips, examples or websites that could help?
Let’s hear it, ladies. We all know mothers at home are highly skilled and dedicated workers. How can this hard-working mom put that kind of experience to paper?
I don’t know if this would help you, but it sure is fun to read!
JUST A MOM?
A woman, renewing her driver’s license at the County Clerk’s office
Was asked by the woman recorder to state her occupation.
She hesitated, uncertain how to classify herself.
"What I mean is," explained the recorder,
"do you have a job or are you just a……?"
"Of course I have a job," snapped the woman.
"I’m a Mom."
"We don’t list ‘Mom’ as an occupation, ‘housewife’ covers it,"
Said the recorder emphatically.
I forgot all about her story until one day I found myself in the
Same situation, this time at our own Town Hall.
The Clerk was obviously a career woman, poised,
Efficient and possessed of a high sounding title like,
"Official Interrogator" or "Town Registrar."
"What is your occupation?" she probed.
What made me say it?
I do not know.
The words simply popped out.
"I’m a Research Associate in the field of
Child Development and Human Relations."
The clerk paused, ball-point pen frozen in midair and
Looked up as though she had not heard right.
I repeated the title slowly emphasizing! The most significant words.
Then I stared with wonder as my pronouncement was written,
In bold, black ink on the official questionnaire.
"Might I ask," said the clerk with new interest,
"just what you do in your field?"
Coolly, without any trace of fluster in my voice,
I heard myself reply,
"I have a continuing program of research,
[what mother doesn’t)
In the laboratory and in the field,
(normally I would have said indoors and out).
I’m working for my Masters, (first the Lord and then the whole family)
And already have four credits (all daughters).
Of course, the job is one of the most demanding in the humanities,
(any mother care to disagree?)
And I often work 14 hours a day, (24 is more like it).
But the job is more challenging than most run-of-the-mill careers and the rewards are
More of a satisfaction rather than just money."
There was an increasing note of respect in the clerk’s voice as she
Completed the form, stood up and personally ushered me to the door.
As I drove into our driveway, buoyed up by my glamorous new career,
I was greeted by my lab assistants — ages 13, 7, and 3.
Upstairs I could hear our new experimental model,
(a 6 month old baby) in the child development program,
Testing out a new vocal pattern.
I felt I had scored a beat on bureaucracy!
And I had gone on the official records as someone more distinguished and indispensable to mankind than
"just another Mom." Motherhood!
What a glorious career!
Ok, I am sure you have honed your negotiation and communication skills with the best of teenagers, Multi taking is one of the definitions of Motherhood. – We you a memeber of the PTO/PTA and hold office? Did you server as a room mother, coordinating cleassroom parties for 25 yougsters with precise timing? Were you a team Mom? Did you run a booth at the fair? … Look at all the volunteer activities you did. Get creative in your resume that would trigger an interviewer to say "tell me more about this". As a hiring manager I’d be delighted to listen to the story of how a Mom shepherded a group of 16 year olds to Washington DC. On your resume, put bullet points: "Was second assistant chairperson for the Language arts fair. Scheduled the performances of 72 group across three days."
Good luck.
Hey. I had a friend in your situation, and she saw a career counselor. You should be able to find one in your yellow pages. A career counselor should be able to help you with transfering your experience to a resume.
I just wrote a recommedation for a friend (8 adult children) for a position as a kindergarten teacher.She had one year experience teaching in a school and that was 32 years ago.
You might volunteer one morning a week in an office setting so you can establish these skills in an institutional setting. Also, equally important is to establish contacts for recommendations or other job openings. This is something you could add to your resume.
Another recommendation is to use two columns
My Skills Your Qualifications
Give examples of how you Strong Customer Service
do this
as home
Third recommendation is to take a business class at the local junior college if nearby. Many businesses utilize the community colleges placement office for employment…since one of the missions of the community college is to support what that particular community needs in terms of types of labor. For example, our city is corporate headquarters to CSX (railroad) and the colleges offer programs pertaining to jobs at CSX.
These are a couple of ways you could "jump start" into the type of work you desire. nancy
I have no practical advice.
I just wanted to add ‘Good Luck’ to this Mom. Don’t let this resume process take away your self-confidence. You are fabulous!
My mother-in-law recently returned to work after 25 years out of the workforce. She was able to get her job through a peronal connection – all those years of making and serving people through church and school paid off. Generally, I think this is the best way to go. Network with friends, family, parishioners, etc. who may know of specific positions available and who can provide a strong recommendation. For anyone, in or out of the workforce, generally people find jobs based on who they know, not their resume.
I wouldn’t bother worrying about a resume at this point. Ask everyone you know if they know of any job openings and start with that. You can also contact an office temp agency and set up an interview. After you get your feet wet working in an office setting, then you can create your resume. Remember that most kids graduating from college have no "real" work experience, and they are able to get hired. Good luck.
Funny how society has taken the importance out of motherhood. Oh! They all say that it is important. Funny how we often get "Oh. You’re just a mom." though.
I recommend that you take a job ad that you would like to apply for and tailor her CV to that. CV. Curriculum Vitae – A running life or the story of a life…
Your experiences should state that between 1995-2005 you homeschooled 8 children. That includes lesson planning, arranging field trips, meeting with state/provincial officials (if required), evaluation, record keeping… just to list a few things that a homeschooling mom does. There is a lot of organization that goes into that. You were a teacher. If any of your kids are in university or college, you have done your job well and deserve recognition.
You should say that you were a SAHM between 1990-2007. Your qualifications there included maintaining a budget, budget planning, menu planning, filing, keeping track of apointments, making schedules, planning parties and get togethers, emergency care… To name but just a very few…
Today though, just mentionning on your CV that you have 8 children, most people will see that you must have the ability to multi-task, be well organized, and have strong communication skills.
Did you volunteer during your time at home? For church or your local homescool association? Your volunteer work should also take an important part in your CV.
It may be an advantage to you though to take a few night classes on computer software and typing if you want to return to work in an office setting. Where I’m from typing at a minimum of 65wpm is required (with no mistakes), and a good ins-and-outs knowledge of some software (not necessarily all), is handy because then you can more easily figure out the other software programs out there…
Most important though would be to talk to a career councelor. I know that it seems counter-productive since you already have an idea of what you would like to do. At the same time though he/she would be able to help solve little hitches now that could become real problems later. A meeting or two sometimes can make a big difference in your job satisfaction.
In any case – Good Luck!
Note: All dates are fictional, if anyway shape or form accurate, it is purely coincidence.
I loved what Johane wrote. I just wanted to add one little idea with the career counselor. A good counselor should tell you and help you prepare for an interview. If a business asked something like "Tell me about your last place of employment."…the counselor should be able to give you specific ideas on how guide that line of questioning to your advantage. There will be many questions similar to that one.
I am excited for you! GO FOR IT!!
http://www.career.vt.edu/JOBSEARC/interview/questions.htm
This site is more geared to college grads…but still helpful!
In 1990, I decided to go to work outside the home after being a SAHM since we married in 1962. I had one year of job experience before marriage. However, as an Army wife, I had many years of volunteer experience. When I filled out the application, my husband said no one will hire you, you have no recent experience, so I typed up a resume of all the many varying volunteer jobs I had done. I was there early the day applications were taken and was asked to come in and talk with the store manager and was the first person hired. He said you are a real "people person", I can see from your volunteer experience, you are just what we want. Go for it, you probably can fill up a resume with all the things you have done over the years that are very marketable skills. Good luck.
You should check out your local library. I know ours had a couple of computer courses, basically they were night courses (for free, I think, but I could be wrong), at any rate, they can get you a piece of paper to say that you have proven your computer skills (even though you probably already have them). Also, you can ask the course instructor (aka…librarian most likely lol) if you can put her down as a reference of these skills. Good luck!
I agree with Maria; it’s been my experience that it’s not what you know, but who you know. I’ve never had luck (nor known anyone who did) by dropping off resumes and hoping for a call. If you can find an opening at an office where you know someone, stop by, drop a name, and ask for an application.
Instead of focusing on a resume, a "cover letter" will do a better job detailing the personal skills you developed as a home educator. This also shows that you know how to write well, which is more important than you might think! A brief resume would highlight your competence and familiarity with office equipment, computer programs, etc. Be sure to include any volunteer positions that highlight your personal and office skills. The more recent, the better (i.e. find a volunteer position to work at while you’re searching for a job that pays!) Good luck!
When my sister needed a little extra cash she put in for a couple waitressing jobs— no call. So she went in and asked for the manager. She explained she understood her application showed little work experience but with 8 children to be fed 3 times a day plus she really did know how to take orders and set and clear table. She was hired on the spot.
Sometimes you just have to sell yourself.
The resume concept is changing lately. My husband is really good at resume tweeking, and he says that the "job application" style is out, and the "career building" model is in. So instead of just trying to account for your time year by year, you want to build almost an artwork highlighting your skills, milestones, volunteers works, accolades of any kind. The only thing you’d be missing is salary information, which doesn’t go on a resume anyway. I suggest sitting down and brainstorming. Write down anything you’ve ever done, from winning the strawberry preserves contest to attending the homeschooling conferences: anything that builds you up. Especially include the things that might relate to life in an office and customer service. A good resume counselor, as others have recommended, will help you with the phraseology and with sort out the relevant from the irrelevant. Oh, and bust out your novena to St. Joseph!
My brother in law just started a new business and needed an office manager. He told me he wanted to hire someone like me- a SAHM whose kids were in school and had a good chunk of the middle of the day to work, but wouldn’t be looking for full-time. He knows how organized and faithful moms are. People are out there looking for someone like you.
Also at our church we have a "Needs and Blessings" column. You can post that you are looking for work and what skills you have.
You might want to call a local temporary agency. If there’s more than one around, interview them. Find out about training – maybe you can learn some software from them. Call them frequently (once a week?) to ask if they have any jobs you can go out on. When you get a job, work hard. Ask around if there’s anything else you can do. If there isn’t, look for tutorials for other software on their computers. Look at the manuals to the copier and fax machine, etc.
If someone you temped for offers you a job so many months after you temped for them, the agency probably will want a large fee, so you may not get a job directly. Some companies do hire this way – they think it cheaper than firing a new hire. But you’ll be getting valuable experience. If people compliment your preformance, ask them if they’ll serve as your reference in your job hunt. Ask them if they know of anyone who is hiring. Impress people with your competence and a job will come your way.
Marie
Please go to your local community college. They will have a "carer exploration" type of class that is either free or a nominal cost, and it will allow you to look at both skills and interests, and how to use them in employment. They can also show you how to write your resume.
You may qualify for a variety of programs to assist you into or back into the work force (if you worked in the past, even in high school, you might qualify for programs like the "Displaced Worker Program" which is technically for folks whose jobs are disappearing as their company closes. Speak with folks at the Department of Vocational Rehabilitation in your state (that may not be the exact name but there absolutely is one in your area). If you don’t have a disability they can’t provide you services, but they tend to be really nice people and they will give you information about places who may be able to help. Check at the Dept. of Employment (or whatever it’s called where you are). Again, they may be able to point you towards others who can help.
There is something you can do called "informational Interviews". Basically you call a business that hires what you want to do and ask them to talk to you about it…in person. Find out from them what they want in an employee, what they look for in a resume, what the job is really like, pay scale, benefits anything you want to know. Lots of times this can lead to a hire weven if you aren’t applying at that time. Does your church have its own directory that includes parishioners businesses? They may be a source of people with whom you can interview, but cold calling also works. Look at web sites for professional organizations for folks who are active in the kinds of work you want and when you call tell them that’s where you found them. Do your homework and go into the interviews with as much info (the internet again!) as you can about the company and the job so you can come up with the best questions and impress the heck out of them that you did the work.
In the meantime, put together a list of your skills, like multitasking, organizational skills, customer service skills, plus volunteer experience. Ask your friends what skills you have, they’ll likely be able to come with a better list than yours (we’re our own worst critics). You’ll be surprised what you can do. Check out books like "What Color Is Your Parachute" for ideas of how to put those skills together. Look on line for examples, there are zillions of free sites and you can pick the styles that make the most sense for the kind of work at which you’ll be looking.
For info on tasks associated with jobs go to http://online.onetcenter.org/ Actually, if you try the skills search, you can put in your skills and it will suggest jobs for you to explore, and if you click on a job it will give you tasks, or you can use find occupations, look put in a job title, and pick the closest match to see tasks. For a better description (ie more readable) go to http://www.bls.gov/oco/ and put in the job title. To see job openings you can go to http://www.americasjobexchange.com/# or your state’s website. In either you can check for openings by zip code and job title, but you might have to play with that a bit. For example, most secretarial jobs these days are listed under Administrative Assistant. Look also under General Clerical.
Tell everyone you know that you’re looking and ask them to let you know about openings. Most jobs come through referrals and not the papers.
If all the "free" stuff doesn’t pan out, then consider going to an agency or career placement agency, preferably one that isn’t going to charge you, but if they do make sure you are clear on what they will do for you and what recourse you have if they don’t.
And, don’t get discouraged, even when things are tough. There is a job out there with your name on it, you have to believe it and pray that God leads you to it.
Good luck with your hunt.
I think that you need to write something that grabs the attention of the person reading the resume’. A mother does many jobs and you are an "expert" in many fields. Household Manager, Domestic Engineer, or something else that gives "stay-at-home mom" a better title should do. List all the jobs that you have done in your career as a mother such as chef, nanny, nurse, teacher, counseler, etc. and it WILL grab someone’s attention. Some employers honestly think that stay-at-home moms are worthless and will chuck your application no matter what you write but if you make an orignal and funny resume’ you will get noticed. Of course, I would only do the "less than professional resume’" if you aren’t desperate for a job at the moment. We live in a small town and ye there are plenty of jobs such as office cleaning, teacher aides, dietery positions and plenty others that don’t require a lot of experience but something that you, as a stay-at-home mom, have plenty of experience in. A resume’ that jumps out at someone should help.
Network…who you know, not what. You have plenty of life experience as a mother and any sane person knows this. Your friends and their friends have friends who have friends that are looking for a person that is responsible, intelligent (degreed or not), and trustable. These are things not found nowadays. My wife is a great example. People are willing to train those that have untrainable qualitites like those stated above. St. Josemaria Escriva BYW landed me a position on the 3rd day of a novena to him.
Just another idea…our public school hires substitute teachers and office workers for a very reasonable pay. I think here it is $60-70 per school day. If you have a teacher’s certification or get hired for a longer term (like when a teacher has a baby) you make a little more. You are MORE than qualified for this job and it would help you meet more people in your community! God bless you in your search!
20 years ago I was in your situation. How about: Supv. of __
number of people, mentoring organization, teaching and encouraging daily tasks, set up appointments, schedules, trips, conferences, dinners. List computer skills, maybe take a Boces or refresher course at a local high school. I took a Boces refresher computer course…got a part time job at a doctors office through teacher knowing the manager. Also, ask God where He wants you…next pt. job was a receptionist at a church for 4 years, then He helped me have to learn newer computers, and I did so, and ended up at the college working in the Admissions office, as receptionist for 10 years. This got my kids to be able to go to two year college FREE as a benefit for my job. May God be with you..
Gail
I can’t really give you specific resume advice. But I do know if you pray for opportunitiesand seek you will find open doors. God has a way of connecting people and providing the right opportunity at the right time.
I think the first step is the hardest. Just getting that first job will be big and I am sure the opportunities grow form there. I found it to be an adjustment going from being a SAHM to being in a professional setting.
I know so many people say today’s society does not value motherhood as some have said here. I don’t find that to be true. I think it is valued and I think there are alot of women who put there "careers" on hold to be at home with their kids or have flexible works hours compatible with family life.