How add full time parent role to CV in a legitimate way?

[mummymummypony]

I'm sure this has been asked before but I have been a full time parent for three years now after leaving higher education. I haven't worked for years! But, I am very confident in my abilities and know that there are many jobs I can do. I would like to know if anyone has used their role as a full time parent on their CV and any suggestions on how to highlight the skills that I have gained from this part of my life as transferable skills for returning to work.

TIA!

[minandensommerhus]

I jyst have a gap. I found that employers have no imagination and can't see how you could have taken anything from parenting. I hadsome sentence on my cv about being in the position now to return to the work place.... so merely alluding to havingbeen a sahp and even that i was advised to take it out!
Im in a job now (boring though) & im looking for a better job. The only call back ive got is from an employer looking for me to do exactly what i claim to do now on my cv. I talked up a minor role. So... ime enployers have zero imagination, so dont put the word parent or mother on your cv.

[queenofthepirates]

Ummm not entirely true we have no imagination....

I'm a mum and an employer. I look for personality on a CV, especially if I want someone working close to me. It's partly experience and qualifications but also partly do you sound interesting? If you can get some personality through in your CV, that may serve you well.

To give you an example, as a much younger recent graduate, I included on my CV 'what I lack in solid work experience, I make up for in great tea making skills'. The employer loved it and I got the job.

[mummymummypony]

I see what you mean sommerhus and that is my fear, but I am hoping to highlight that my skills gained from being a stay at home parent are desirable attributes that I can bring into the workplace. I'm just struggling on how to word things.

I'm right with you on letting my personality shine through pirates and I'm glad you said that because that is a big part of my plan. I'm very confident about my skills irrespective of my years away from a work environment and I'm going to put that across with some levity alongside highlighting my skills gained from full time parenting.

[minandensommerhus]

I agree with you. I gained perspective, time management, and most valuable of all I thought, a renewed enthusiasm to be in the workplace at all!

But I was advised not to put any of this on my CV. I thought I'd worded it beautifully and a career advisor type scored it all out. Handed my cv back to me and told me it explained me it didn't sell me. I'm not sure he was the best in his field mind you, he was one of the free ones you can go to when you're on social welfare (I'm not in the UK btw but I'm sure you have them too).

[minandensommerhus]

oh and interesting story, a friend of mine spent the same length of time I spent parenting on the sofa in a flatshare stoned out of his mind. For about a decade, he got up, went to the shop to get wrappers and a pot noodle and then came back to listen to music. He put something beautiful on his cv about having had an epiphany, only one life, embracing a new healthier more productive lifestyle. We were sendinng out CVs at the same time and he got an offer before I did.

So based on that, I'd rather say i'd been stoned for ten years than at home minding children for ten years.

Pirates, there may be the odd employer out there with imagination but I suspect that only happens when they don't get the deluge of responses they expect. If theyy have to use imagination they are forced to dig deep.

Like the OP I am confident about my abilities, but not confident that I will get a chance to utilise them.

[AlmaMartyr]

I put in an application that I had been out of work raising children and had a new enthusiasm about returning to work (or something like that). In my interview, I was asked about organisation (crucial to my job), gave some examples from work and explained that my time as a SAHM had hugely improved my organisational skills and explained why. I got it so they can't have hated it.

[Alison2to3days]

If an employer tosses your CV because you put 'maternity leave' or 'stay at home parent' on your CV, you really don't want to be working for them!
Biggest thing is honesty on your CV. Don't fudge it, don't get too 'creative', be clear, explain what you have learned e.g. being productive, focussed, disciplines with time, and tell them what you can bring to the job.
Good luck.