How to sell being a SAHM for last 4 years ?

[Hungoverandhangry]

I'm looking to get back into work after 4 years. I have no recent experience and prior to being a SAHM I worked in schools for 7 years. I probably won't be going back to working in schools but also don't have any idea what I do want to do. I'm just going to apply for everything and anything I can find, but how do you sell being a SAHM ?

What sort of skills would employers look for and how do you word it in a professional way ?

I am truly terrible at selling myself at the best of times. Thank you to anyone that replies.

I wouldn't worry too much about being able to 'sell' being a sahm. Just focus on selling your previous work experience.

I've recently gone back to work after almost a decade out and found I needed to spend some time going through my cv, refreshing my memory on different projects and duties. Most employers will ask competency based questions where you will need to run through specific examples, which can be a challenge with so much time having passed since you were last working.

I've had a couple of interviews with the civil service and local council and they didn't even go through my work history, questions were all either behaviour or competency so the fact I hadn't worked in such a long time didn't even come up.

I wouldn’t mention it to be honest if you are going for private sector. In civil service they have to accept examples regardless of context provided you demonstrate the criteria. You would however need to meet with the relevant qualifications and professional skills required.

Don’t try to sell it at all. It’s not relevant to your work CV. It’s just a gap in your working life, not a particularly unusual one.

Don't try and "sell it". Focus on your actual professional career.
As someone who has juggled being a single mum alongside having a career I would find it a bit of a eyeroll moment if someone tried to "sell " me the skills from parenting and running a house . I have recruited several people with big career gaps and they all, rightly, focussed on their professional career before children.

I said something along the lines of having chosen to stay at home while my children were young but now being keen to get back into work. I was positive about it as a personal choice that worked for me at the time but didn't try to say I'd developed time management skills or anything like that.