Back to work after 9 years

[Sam12312]

I need help! What do you put on your CV how far back to you go. 9 years is a long time!

I think you need to go back as far as your last educational qualification.

So if you got your degree in 2003 (9 years ago) you need to say what you did in between including having kids.

2000-3003 BA (hons) university of x
2003-2005 admin officer
Jan2006-sept 2006 maternity leave
2006-2007 admin manager
Etcetc

Thanks for that, my CV is very brief!

Same boat here. I'm putting everything otherwise it looks like i've never done anything at all! Remember to account for any blanks in your employment history.

Can I join you? I'm another one trying to re-join the work-force after a 9 year "career break". Have you done any volunteer work? I have been quite involved with DC's pre-school and school, so am hoping to be able to use that experience to fill in the chasm gap in my CV.

I'm attending a CV workshop next week so will be back to pass on any tips.

One way to boost your experience, your CV and your confidence is to volunteer. There are lots of opportunities locally from admin. to school governors to name a couple. Alternatively, If you have business expertise to offer why not use it to help not-for-profit organisations in your area. To find out more in Buckinghamshire please visit www.communityimpactbucks.org.uk/pages/get-involved.html for general volunteering and them move onto the Expert Volunteer page if you would like to offer your business skills. If you live away from this county, visit the Volunteer England website www.do-it.org.uk, type in your paostcade and opportunites closest to you will appear.

I recently got a part time job after 9 years at home (although I did do one evening a week through that time).

I found that expanding things on my cv worked. ie with the last few jobs I included a précis of what the job entailed.

I didn't mention on the cv my period at home but very clearly explained it in my covering letter.

I used thing like running a toddler group/being on the committee of another as "extra curricular" type info rather than in the jobs bit if that makes sense...

Good luck!

For those whom have been out of the workplace for sometime, modern CVs now are not like those of yesteryear. Many candidates still list a string of jobs but as an employer (our family had a SAH Dad!) I want to see a summary of what your skills and personal attributes are - the three Key words that you would use to describe yourself. I am not particularly interested in exactly what you did 9/15 years ago but what you believe you can do now and why you have that motivation to come back into the workplace; what do you want to gain. Even if you are to be regarded in the same bracket as the "young fresh thing", you have a world of experience in that job called life which those bright young things don't yet have. Also be realistic and recognise that you may not be able to just walk back into where you left off, especially if you have not kept yourself uptodate with all the changes in the sector you worked in.