SAHM needs LinkedIn advice

[SAHRum]

So, I might be putting myself forward for a WOH position and due to the nature of the job it would be a good idea to get myself on LinkedIn. However I've been a SAHM for the last 6 years and my last job was in 2007. How do I word this on a site like this or should I just leave it and have them wondering why I haven't worked since 2007??

One way would be to set the privacy settings so that previous experience isn't visible on LinkedIn to anyone (or anyone but your contacts). You need a "current job title" but can put a description there, e.g. "Science Graduate" or "Champion Networker" or "Chartered Accountant" or whatever (truthful) description suits your purpose best. Then focus on skills & building a contact network.

For the period 2007-13, maybe put a title of "Career break" and describe briefly as follows: "Caring responsibilities for family members. Involved in X group and Y network." where X and Y relate to your professional skills in a clear way if possible. But then have a "more recent job" which has title as in the previous paragraph.

I'm a manager and involved in recruitment for various administrative and managerial positions, and the main questions I would ask when looking at any application would be:

1. Does the application convey enthuasiasm for doing the job?
2. Does the application demonstrate ability to do the job?

If the job specification has a list of essential/desirable criteria then I would want to see a concise application which lets me tick of every essential criterion and as many desirable criteria as possible.

If your LinkedIn site mirrors this, all the better.

Edit: tick off

thanks Scatterplot that's really helpful. I'll keep this on file as I've had a crisis of confidence, decided not to go for the job as other applicants have more experience than me and so I've deleted my account.