A Stay-at-Home-Mom-CV, Homemaker Resume CV Success Analysis
Are you a stay-at-home-mom who now wants to (or has to) return to work? Tough situation. And you may be wondering how the heck to write your CV / resume. You’re going around in circles, right? Tearing your hair out, maybe? Okay, let’s get this sorted.
Below is an example I wrote for a client in Sydney, Australia recently (I’ve changed the picture and name and details for the sake of privacy, of course). (Scroll down for the image)
Today I got a message from her, here’s what she said:
“Hi Gerard, thanks for your interest. I found 3 jobs in 2 weeks.
Your CV was a dream!”
So, here’s the CV we used. I’m going to provide comments on key elements that are core to this stay-at-home-mom’s CV / resume’s success. Everyone’s CV will be different, but the same principles apply.
1) Stay-at-Home-Mom-CV #1: Suitable Picture
Suitable picture – show that you’ll be suitable for the role. In Tanya’s case, her role is customer facing. It’s therefore key for her to show she’ll be a professional representative of the company. A friendly face. Warm. Respectable.
This picture is of course just a free stock picture. But the real stay-at-home-mom’s picture was really quite similar. She’s over 50 now, but she’s kept in shape. Sometimes one needs a little makeover. Hey, it happens! And sometimes with a bit of attention, you can make yourself look great.
Call me superficial. But the reality is you will be judged on your appearance. It’s part of living in this world. I’m a big fan of MakeOverGuy on YouTube for this reason. (See here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KBPIPmaK5fY).
A good image helps you counter the stay-at-home-mom return-to-work blues!
2) Overall Presentation for your Homemaker Resume
Overall presentation, ‘look and feel’ – we used a pretty modern look. Not the old black and white, ‘look like a million others’ CV look for this stay-at-home-mom resume! Bold, modern, Up-to-date for this homemakers-CV. Only the best after years and years spent dedicated to putting her family first!
3) Clear Focus
One of the key principles in any CV is clarity and focus. Being clear about what you’re looking for. And then why you’d be worth interviewing as a Mom who’s been out of the workforce for some time. Get straight to the point. State clearly and confidently why you’d be good.
4) Accolades & Testimonials
Drag out all those old accolades and testimonials! Using clips like these are great! They really have an impact as presenting your strengths. It’s so much better than you just listing your “strengths”. That’s old. Much more credible and effective this way. Right? And it adds to the idea of being ‘with it’, confident and up-to-date.
If you don’t have any, get some. Seriously. Contact those old business owners or managers you worked for. Or get one from your family accountant (you collect all the slips and paperwork and submit it every year, right?). Or from your school committee you served on. Or from that Animal Welfare NGO you volunteer for.
5) You Have Skills – “Mom” is Not All You Are!
List your skills. But be aware. The world has moved. There are probably many relevant and transferrable skills you have. Communication, organization, admin, etc. Okay. But get up-to-date: do some short courses in office management, in MS Word and Excel, in modern PABX systems, in project management over at www.UDEMY.com. Some are free. Put them on your CV, add the skills. Look up-to-date. It all serves as a stay-at-home-mom CV makeover.
6) Tell it Like it is on Your Stay-at-Home-Mom-Resume
Just be honest with what you’ve been up to the last number of years. It’s nothing to be ashamed of. Don’t try to manipulate it. Cover it up. It is what it is. Some companies will not hire you because of it. Others will hire you because of it. Just one line is all you need.
7) Listing Past Work Experience
With work experience, just concise like this. Don’t feel forced to provide a long story with a 20-bullet point list of ‘duties’. That’s boring. Rather go for this approach. Provide a well rounded description of what you did. Be specific. But concise.
Okay, so those are some quick ideas. What are you facing? Let’s find solution. For Tanya, this approach worked.
Additional Stay-at-Home-Mom-CV Idea
One additional idea is this: include any work you did – volunteering, school committees, home projects you managed. Like my wife. She does a great job as a project manager including a home build, several renovations – all proof she’s a very competent manager and organizer. Include that stuff. Tanya had some of this stuff too, but she had done some relevant recent part-time work, so we didn’t need to add it.
What do you think? Could work for you, right? I’m here to help if you need it. Contact me anytime. I’m on Whatsapp: +27 83 744 5454, or email: gerard@wowcv.net
