AIBU to think SAHMs shouldn't put this nonsense on a CV/job application

[windygallows]

In the last year I've recruited for numerous part-time jobs, receiving applications from many women who took time out to be with family and are now returning to work.

Many of the applicants have been straightforward and simply noted on their CV that they have been SAHM - simple.

But increasingly applicants, perhaps based on some guidance from career counsellors or MN, are finding more creative ways to describe their absence from the workforce.

One, we'll call her Mrs Jones, wrote that for 10 years she was employed by the 'Jones family' and that her work involved 'organizing international travel for her family.' Because organizing a holiday is similar to the tasks led by senior executives.

Another wrote a list of every task she did at home from getting groceries to cleaning the house which, while impressive as an exhaustive list, doesn't really mean much when applying to an office-based role. Especially as it's basically a list of everything most employees have to fit in outside of work.

More galling are the claims that women make about the critical role they played - with my favourite being the one who 'Spent 7 years looking after my two children who needed and deserved my attention.'

There is huge value in the work that SAHMs do but please, please don't put this kind of waffle on your CV. You never know if your interview panel will consist of a FT working, single mom like me who finds it pretty insulting that working means her children apparently lost out on 'the attention they needed and deserved.' Urgh.

There was a thread about this a couple of months ago - the consensus from the posters who recruit people was to absolutely not do this. Most said they hated it.

There was also a lot of discussion about phrases like full time mum - things like putting "my children needed and deserved my attention" is just a fast way to puss of a working parent who might be reviewing the cv

Where I live it's job centre advice to include any gaps in your career in as much detail as possible, and to list the skills you've required or expanded whilst being at home.
For example I was told to list that I've expanded my ability to effectively budget, improved my domestic and housekeeping abilities, etc.

I'd never list it as an actual job though. I put it in the "about me" section because an employer always asks anyway.

it should just be a line saying the candidate has been at home
Saying you've "been at home" doesn't really explain what you've been doing though. "Caring for children full time" Maybe?

Whoever is giving this advice - it is horrendous advice. I have never seen this on a CV, thank god, and could never imagine hiring someone who puts something so unprofessional on their CV. I have hired a returning mother, I think they explained the gap on their CV on the cover letter/at interview, I can't remember. Obviously didn't put me off. I can only imagine that whoever is giving this advice is assuming that it will be men, rather than a working mum on the panel who will have done all the "tasks" listed during maternity leave, and after work/on weekends without feeling the need to list it on a CV (mainly, I know there are SAHDs, but not many!)

They call it transferable skills. It is highly recommended and I do see that for some women that have never worked and have just been at home with the children this would bump up their cv and look better to an employer rather than no previous work experience

You don't have to justify a gap in work, you just have to have an explanation.

Raising a family - fine.
In prison for money laundering - probably not fine.

Don't you just gain lifeskills though at home? If they are transferable skills then they're transferable skills that every person can claim?

I think that's terrible advice madlittlelulu - apart from anything the cv should be tailored to the role so unless you are applying for roles which involve cleaning then your domestic and household abilities aren't really relevant. Not your fault but I think the job centre are way off for most roles with this advice

I wrote 'Career break' on mine and mentioned my kids at interview when they said 'Tell us about yourself'. Job done.

I find it really cringey too

But you saying You never know if your interview panel will consist of a FT working, single mom like me who finds it pretty insulting that working means her children apparently lost out on 'the attention they needed and deserved.' Urgh

Well that kind of makes it more about your own insecurities, rather than how cringey and unprofessional the applicants sound.

I find your post a bit sneery tbh.

It depends on the sector. For most professional jobs you just would not do this if you wanted the job. However if you were applying to work in a care home care of chidlren does help. My granny got a job looking after children (in India) in the 1920s because she'd helped bring up seven younger siblings in England.

The older thread mentioned above made the valid point that many of the women who are hiring you have worked full time whilst having small children (as I did) so suggesting to them that they were not full time parents or are deficient is not exactly going to endear the stay at home mother to that person hiring them.

Ecadia - who is highly recommended by? I am telling you, it is terrible advice, certainly in my field of work!

Statements like that though dial straight jnto channel 1 - ft working mum guilt complex. Making anyone feel like poo is undesirable whether they're hiring you or not.

I hate this nonsense on cvs or applications. Just put stay at home parent or similar.
The people who put on fb or LinkedIn stay at home mummy/taxi driver/nurse etc is just cringey. LinkedIn is for networking for goodness sake,who is going to headhunt someone to replace their wife/mum?!

But Ecadia it won't look better. It'll look like what it is - filling a bare-bones CV with 'transferable skills' that the rest of us have to find time to do outside of work hours.

Unless you're going for a nanny/childminder job in which case it's highly relevant

I think it's more about not insulting your potential recruiter tbh. Anything in your cv which implies judgement of someone who may have chosen a different family setup is a bad idea.

I think if you want to see time out of work raising children as experience for the workplace, then you should do some voluntary stuff such as preschool committee etc.

FrLukeDuke They can say they were home caring for kids. But personally if I am reviewing a CV a career break is a career break. If it's for a sabbatical, to be at home with children, care for an elderly relative - makes no difference to me.

I think for me it just shows poor judgment and I would worry about what else they may have poor judgment about.

Breaks in CVs due to childcare responsibilities don't worry me.

A lot of sahm's I know returning to work have been told to use this, one has just graduated from university and looking at working in social care and was told by numerous different people cv advisers etc to use this in her cv. I'm not saying it is highly recommended by normal people but the people that are supposed to be helping people get back into work

Caring for an elderly relative/children is the same on a CV to you as someone sitting home watching tv? Oh right.

It is very depressing how useless some of the help to get people back into work can be (absolutely not anyone on this thread).

My uncle is a long haul lorry driver and had to submit a CV which he needed help with as he was barely literate. He paid a significant amount of money for the CV to be drafted. It didn't mention any of his driving experience or additional driving qualifications and almost every word (including his name and the words "curriculum vitae") was spelt incorrectly.

I find it quite insulting that you think sahm's are sitting around watching tv all day! I am a sahm and I can assure that other than a five minute tea break when the children are napping I do not sit down