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Original poster

"Ful time mum" on CV- yes or no?

492 replies

likeababyelephant · 01/06/2017 18:57

I just received a rejection from a job a spent ages tailoring my CV for and writing a very good cover letter for. Only to be told there were others with better skills/more experience. This is for an HR entry level job btw.

I can't help but think that it's because I put "full time mother" on my CV. But I would expect recruiters to seek to diversify their workforce, especially as it's an HR job. Are they discriminating against mothers or something?

Should I omit this information from my CV. I feel like I have better/more skills as a mother than I did before I had DD.

OP posts:
Flamingoprincess1212 · 01/06/2017 22:08

But as Epip said, would it really be that hard to believe that there were people better suited to the job than you?

PenguinTattoo · 01/06/2017 22:10

No, no, no! I am ex-HR and a manager fielding lots of cvs now. When I returned to work, I put "career break" and explained briefly what I had done during that time eg. Raised a family, voluntary work, any additional skills gained such as first aid, social media skills, etc. Definitely emphasise the skills that are job relevant. Full time Mum sounds twee. Think of it as a gap year and evidence why the gap makes you a better employee for them.

Good luck. Your educational boost will make a real difference if you can match the skills you have learnt to the job description.

WinBigly · 01/06/2017 22:17

I can't add to all the good advice already given but I'm sticking around to see how many times Elendon can be triggered. Bonkers.

LedaP · 01/06/2017 22:23

I'm angry that women cannot be validated for having children and that it's seen as something to hide.

No one has said that. As usual you are reading what you want in peoples posts.

Taking time off to care for your child is not a career. So it shouldnt be on your cv.

Besides which 'full time mum' is anyone who is a mum. It doesnt account for a cv gap.

Beanimum · 01/06/2017 22:26

Thanks MaisyPops, it's been an interesting thread. I totally see why a CV that goes into detail about skills gained as a parent would be inappropriate. But it seems harsh if a CV is binned just because some-one puts "2007-2010 full time parent" say rather than "2007-2010 career break, raising family". It's very unlikely to be intended offensively, and it's not a sensitivity everyone is aware of.

MaisyPops · 01/06/2017 22:33

bean
It's been an interesting thread.

I can see why people might bin CVs that make a big fuss e.g. I have shown I am a cook, teacher, first aider etc.

I wonder if the reason it gets binned for saying 'full time mum' is because of the message it sends out about the writer. I know that's harsh because as you said, you'd not seen the issue before.

But if I was going to sum up the people I know who say they are a 'full time mammy' it would be: kind of people theory love sharing things on Facebook about how busy life is as a full time mammy, but spend lots of time on Facebook. Get very defensive about what they do all day (according to their Facebook updates, Jack shit because they spend a lot of time asking questions that could be Googled & sharing things from other mammy pages). Sometimes they are MLM bots selling life improving make up as a momtrepreneur. They tend to be martyrs about how they've been busy all day (but really they've done a bit of housework and done a lots of Facebook stuff that talks about how much housework they do). They are also quick to talk about how hey put their children first and before a career.

As I say, totally NOT what most stay at home parents are. But representative of the people I see who use phrases like 'full time mum', they night be getting binned because of that association (plus lack of experience eyc)

Beanimum · 01/06/2017 22:47

Ah, I don't use facebook so that might explain why I'm a bit behind on this!

YoloSwaggins · 01/06/2017 22:48

@MaisyPops, I've seen so many of those cringey "Full time mammy to my 2 boys #blessed #family #mostimportantjobintheworld #lucky"

.....instant unfollow.

Sometimes I wish those hackers would shut down Facebook and then we can all get a life Sad

BellyDancer124 · 01/06/2017 22:52

Cringe!! Shock what was your career advisor thinking!

WyfOfBathe · 01/06/2017 22:54

One of the best achievements in my life was changing the tyres on my dad's car when I was about 16. My dad was faffing about, talking about how it was too complicated, and getting annoyed that the RAC would take 3 hours to arrive. I told him to go away and did it myself, much to the shock of everyone who knew me as a quiet, nerdy "girly" teenager.

When applying for a job as a teacher, I didn't include this. Not because I'm hiding it, but because it's not relevant. If I wanted to become a car mechanic I might mention it.

steff13 · 01/06/2017 22:55

Equating having DC with passing a driving test and moving house.

Not to be rude, but I've seen quite a few people on this message board comment about their inability to learn to drive for one reason or another. Presumably most of those people are parents. So one might conclude that passing a driving test is more difficult than having a child.

MaisyPops · 01/06/2017 22:56

Or the other way round. People who passed first time but have tried to conceive for years.

That said, I get their sentiment. It's something great you've done in life but it's not CVS material.

YoloSwaggins · 01/06/2017 23:04

So one might conclude that passing a driving test is more difficult than having a child.

Well, seeing as a fair few people have sex once and then have a baby, whereas driving takes hundreds of hours of practise and stress - yes.

WellThisIsShit · 01/06/2017 23:46

Humm, some good advice here. Hope it's useful for someone out there trying to write their cv.

I am wondering why the OP has completely ignored the key thrust of most people's advice re the phrase 'full time mum'?

Not interested or enjoying the bunfight I wonder?

BadLad · 02/06/2017 03:45

I wouldn't be particularly bothered by the use of the phrase "full-time mother" but I would cringe at it being described as an achievement, or a list of skills like diet management or crisis solving from your time bringing up your children.

StealthPolarBear · 02/06/2017 06:27

" on any CV she wrote that her favourite film was The Sound of Music. If they didn't appreciate that, they weren't worth working for, is what she told me."

Very senior/respected people can get away with this sort of "quirky" crap. The rest of us strive to appear professional at all times.

TheLuminaries · 02/06/2017 06:55

An entry level role at my organisation attracted over 100 applications. A professional role advertised at the same time received less than 20 application. It is the first foot on the ladder that is hardest and when there are high number of applications the first sift will be swift and brutal, so anything that could potentially irritate (such as full time mother) provides an excuse to weed out at the first cut.

As PP said, the further up the ladder the lower the numbers you are up against to get to interview and a bit of 'quirkiness' may be tolerated (but senior/respected person was not trying to get mileage out of skills learned as a parent, so it is a slightly irrelevant point in any case).

HowamIgoingtocope · 02/06/2017 07:00

If just out gap in employment due to raising family. However during this time you learnt financial management , time management, conflict resolution etc. There are so many skills you learn ad a mum. Just learn to out them in at the appropriate time

AwaywiththePixies27 · 02/06/2017 07:28

I'm angry that women cannot be validated for having children and that it's seen as something to hide.

It's not that it's seen as something to hide. It's that it's seen as not relevant.

For example, if going for a job in a legal field, quoting that you're able to negotiate a squabble between three toddlers is not the same as having the diplomatic skills needed in an employment negotiation.

TurquoiseDress · 02/06/2017 07:39

Definitely do NOT write full time mum on your CV! Please

It really does not come across as professional (and implies that mothers who work/in employment are somehow part-timers)

Your CV is a professional document used to sell yourself, your skills and attributes as best as you can.

With all due respect, full time mum/mummy is like something you'd read on someone's Facebook profile.
Personally, this makes me cringe!

Mupflup · 02/06/2017 07:40

I recruit a lot and it would irritate me, if I had plenty of other CVs to choose from it would go in the no pile. I would also generally be looking for a candidate with up to date knowledge and skills in my industry, and someone who had been out of the game for a few years, whatever the reason, would be a far less appealing candidate than others unless they had something amazing on their CV prior to the break that interested me. I work in a professional industry with a lot of women who have children, and interestingly off the top of my head I can't think of anyone I've worked with who has taken more than normal maternity leave, presumably at least partly because it means a step off the career ladder and the risk of not getting back on.

HowamIgoingtocope · 02/06/2017 07:41

^^
"For example, if going for a job in a legal field, quoting that you're able to negotiate a squabble between three toddlers is not the same as having the diplomatic skills needed in an employment negotiation"
You havnt lived in my house hahaha

nooka · 02/06/2017 07:44

The OP said very early on that she agreed that it was a mistake to include the phrase but she was following the advice she was given by her university adviser:

likeababyelephant Thu 01-Jun-17 20:19:39

Thanks for all the advice so far. I knew it wasn't a good idea to put it on.

StealthPolarBear · 02/06/2017 07:45

Well spotted nooka

GavelRavel · 02/06/2017 07:46

This thread really made me laugh yesterday when I was at work and my 12 year old phoned me 14 times to ask me various questions about his social life. I didn't have time to post as, as well as work, I was busy buying a present for a birthday party one of the dc is going to today, ordering new trainers for the dc, speaking to a decorator, checking what apps dc had downloaded, paying for a school trip, ordering some star wars figures one of them wanted off eBay and facetiming youngest child (dc at home with their father) so he could show me his sore finger. Part time mother ha!

OP I can only second what everyone else said. I work in IT and the ONE rule I have when applying for jobs (every couple of years in IT) is never, ever mention children until you're actually at the new job and someone mentions theirs first. Not the way it should be really but, trust me, it's the way it is. Take all mention of children of your CV, it's not considered relevant to the workplace. Anyone with full time mother on a CV I was reviewing at work, juggling all the above, would go on the reject pile for me too. Good luck with your hunt for an internship.