Question: My wife has been out of the workplace, caring for our two daughters and home-schooling them for about seven years. Now that the kids are enrolled in school, my wife is ready to pick up her career in the finance field. I’m helping to create her resume, and we aren’t sure how to deal with this employment gap. Should she include her talents in teaching and time management? Should she mention our daughters’ achievements? How can we present her at-home experience in a positive way?
M.N., HeraldNet reader in Roanoke, Virginia
Answer: When they are ready to return to the workplace, many parents worry that their personal choices (home schooling, taking time off from work) will get in the way of their careers. However, if they highlight their key selling points in a compelling resume, stay-at-home moms and dads can soar ahead of other job candidates despite long breaks in employment.
Your wife’s document needs to draw attention away from the break in her work history and instead focus on details that make her stand out for finance roles. And she has to do it quickly. Bam! She must capture an employer’s interest right away, and then hold it long enough to land an interview.
Employers tend to look over resumes halfheartedly at first. They flip through the pile to determine which ones deserve more concentration and which do not. Each resume gets about ten seconds of face time. That’s all.
The good ones — resumes that show promise — receive a second, more thoughtful review. At this stage, hiring managers take the time to read through the text and consider each candidate’s unique qualifications for the job.
When preparing your wife’s document, use bullets or another eye-catching format to present her most valuable attributes at the top of the page. Develop strong, well-crafted statements about her qualifications, such as this: “Proven industry knowledge obtained during five years as a respected commodity compliance officer.” And this: “Tireless work ethic that translates to a highly efficient and profitable workplace.”
If she has relevant training, list them in the next section, leaving off graduation years. Then, develop her work experience with a spotlight on her accomplishments. Tuck the dates into the text so they are evident, but not too obvious at first glance.
Your wife can explain the employment gap in her cover letter, as long as she does it with professionalism and tact, and focuses on her enthusiasm for returning to her field. Or she can add a line at the end of the document that says, “Details about current experience (2001 to 2008) will be provided on request.”
In recent years, I have seen several resumes in which job candidates invent a position title (“Family Manager” or “In-home Finance and Operations Director”) and describe their parenting duties using corporate language. To me, this strategy serves as a distraction. Everyone knows that parenting requires tremendous patience, keen judgment and solid skills in problem solving and financial management. Why waste limited space with a phony job description?
Speaking of which, your wife’s resume is not the place to show off your kids’ achievements. Sing your wife’s praises for a while. Employers need to see her as a professional, not as a mom.
Send your job search questions to Eve.GetAJob@gmail.com.
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