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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:
BossyBitch · 01/06/2017 20:42

Agree with everyone (almost). I'm not a recruiter but sometimes a hiring manager at my job and it makes me cringe.

Also yes to the listing motherhood skills. I consider myself a feminist and I hate saying this but: getting three kids to nursery/school doesn't make you a great time manager. Juggling three simultaneous client projects with concurrent milestones might (unless you screw it up). Dealing with a child's repeated meltdowns doesn't mean you're a strong crisis manager. Leading your team out of utter disaster and hand holding panicking upper management all the while does.

I actually like hiring mothers. All the ones that have worked for me have been competent, reliable employees. But that was because of their skills and experience and, in some cases, personality, not because feeding a child teaches you anything at all about being a professional dietician (not my actual field).

jelliebelly · 01/06/2017 20:42

It would most definitely put me off recruiting anybody including that in their cv - itcsiunds twee and too try-hard tbh

Elendon · 01/06/2017 20:43

But if she's going to piss off everyone trying to hire her, getting on her (or your) ideological high horse isn't going to help. To quote you LRD

I'm not on an ideological high horse. She is a young woman with a child who is a university student. She had a break to look after that child. So if any woman has a child, with maternity leave, would they put this as a break in career? No they wouldn't. It's every woman's right to go on maternity leave and look after a baby. Why be embarrassed to say that? It's a huge achievement in a woman's life to become pregnant and give birth. Yet they pay the price.

JustHereForThePooStories · 01/06/2017 20:45

It's a huge achievement in a woman's life to become pregnant and give birth

Learning to wipe your own arse is also an achievement but doesn't belong on a CV either.

LRDtheFeministDragon · 01/06/2017 20:47

Um ... yes, surely, you put maternity leave down as a career break?

FWIW, I'm currently unemployed, looking after my 9 week old daughter, and looking for work. I'm not remotely embarrassed about it, and nor should the OP be.

But I'm also not living in cloud cuckoo land, and I think it is morally dubious to assume that the people who should bear the brunt of your (or my) feminist principles are women already disadvantaged in the workplace.

Spare your campaigning for the bosses.

TinselTwins · 01/06/2017 20:47

And if looking after children is seen as not work then why are nursery fees so expensive?

Oh please! What nursery nurses do is COMPLETELY different to parents minding their own kids! I could never work as a nursery nurse mainly because of the parents but I love being a mum, they're incomparable!

It's like saying that if you have a pet you can be a vet or if you wear clothes you could be a clothing designer or seamstress!

LRDtheFeministDragon · 01/06/2017 20:47

Oh, and btw, elen, I have failed in the 'huge achievement' of becoming pregnant - someone else did that for me. I am clearly a shit woman on account of the multiple miscarriages, the PCOS and the ovarian inadequacy.

QueenMortificado · 01/06/2017 20:49

No-ones arguing about putting the break on your cv.

Just not labelling it with the very-twee "full-time mother" label

YoloSwaggins · 01/06/2017 20:49

And if looking after children is seen as not work then why are nursery fees so expensive?

@Elendon, what is your problem? It IS a career break. It is a break in your career. If I take a year out of my job to work at Costa, it is a break in my career, because my career is in Statistics and working in Costa/travelling/being a mum/painting/becoming an athlete is a break in my Statistics career! Because it's unrelated! Nothing to do with "devaluing womens work" or whatever other bollox.

The cup of coffee I make myself in the morning isn't "work", but I'd have to pay someone else to make it for me! So what? Just like looking after your own kid isn't "work" as such (it's your own kid), but looking after 20 other kids and reporting to a management structure is!

TinselTwins · 01/06/2017 20:49

Why be embarrassed to say that? It's a huge achievement in a woman's life to become pregnant and give birth.

um… theres loads of things that I'm not embarrassed to talk about which I would not put on my CV!

It's a job application not drinks with the girls!

YoloSwaggins · 01/06/2017 20:50

*It's a huge achievement in a woman's life to become pregnant and give birth

Learning to wipe your own arse is also an achievement but doesn't belong on a CV either.*

LOL

QueenMortificado · 01/06/2017 20:51

'It's a huge achievement in a woman's life to become pregnant and give birth'

Learning to wipe your own arse is also an achievement but doesn't belong on a CV either.

Grin I'm adding this to my CV first thing tomorrow

LiviaDrusillaAugusta · 01/06/2017 20:53

No it's a biological process - people who can conceive and give birth are no cleverer or more skilled than those who can't...

soapboxqueen · 01/06/2017 20:53

If I ever dust off my CV I'm listing 'pushed a baby out of my foof' under greatest achievements.

StatisticallyChallenged · 01/06/2017 20:53

If you've not left your job (just been on maternity leave from it) then I'd say the norm is to not mention it at all.

I had my DD between 3rd and 4th year, with a gap - I just put my degree dates with no explanation (i.e. university of X, 2008-2012). Most of the time I wasn't asked, if I was every asked why it was a year too long then I'd say I'd had a year out for maternity leave. But I think I was only asked once.

My mat leave (which was also from my FT job) does not appear on my CV at all.

Elendon · 01/06/2017 20:54

I have at least five CVs all tailored to work that I might get. BUT. I have been a carer. A carer for my son. But due to disability cut backs I have to get work. I filled my time in with voluntary work in several sectors and council work all unpaid. I do have a very part time job which I like doing and have been doing this for 10 years, but still, I've not progressed my 'career' because I happened to have a son who has a disability.

YoloSwaggins · 01/06/2017 20:54

Maybe I should add all the "life skills" I've picked up from life too
-can call for a taxi in Chinese
-can get into a club with no shoes on
-can catch 4 toasts when they jump out of the toaster

Babbitywabbit · 01/06/2017 20:54

LRD Flowers

Being a good parent, however that comes about, is a huge achievement (if not relevant on a cv!) Physically being able to get pregnant is not an achievement.

LRDtheFeministDragon · 01/06/2017 20:56

elen, that's absolutely rotten, and I completely agree you should not be discriminated against because of your son's disability. And I completely see that you will have been.

But that isn't something the OP can change. And wishing that employers worked differently, isn't going to make it so. It's just going to make things harder for her.

babbity - thank you. Smile

Elendon · 01/06/2017 20:58

If it's not an achievement to have a baby then why celebrate birthdays? Or children?

LRD this isn't about not being able to conceive, it's about those who do conceive and give birth and the impact it has on their career progression. I'm sorry about your infertility problems.

QueenMortificado · 01/06/2017 21:01

Having children has absolutely zero to do with your ability to do your job. That's why it's irrelevant in this context.

Elendon · 01/06/2017 21:03

Sorry but how many threads are there on here on Mumsnet about women going through fertility problems and then becoming pregnant? That's an achievement and all are congratulated for it.

OlennasWimple · 01/06/2017 21:04

I've got loads of achievements that I don't include on my CV, because they aren't relevant.

A CV isn't "tell us everything you have ever done in your life", it's "demonstrate that you have the skills [and sometimes, qualifications and experience] necessary to do this job"

Doesthissoundsensible · 01/06/2017 21:04

Hi OP. I was going to post asking for CV advice but after hours of fucking form filling I'm losing the will.

Fwiw I've gone for a career break as a stay at home parent. No details of skills etc. Looking at the mess of my house multi tasking claims would be a huge lie!

I have many years to account for. From what you say I don't think you need to account for that time.

I haven't bothered with hobbies stuff.

As there are CV/hr people here, if anyone wants a diversion from the full-time mum debate, any advice or thoughts on how an entirely public sector career presents outside the public sector? Like would anyone non civil service appreciate briefing ministers etc?

Good luck OP Smile

Elendon · 01/06/2017 21:05

Having children means you get asked at interviews who will look after them when they are sick?

So it has all to do with the ability to do your job.

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