Going back to work after bringing up kids, what do you put on your CV?

[hamsterballs]

Need to find a job now my youngest is starting reception. What do I put on my CV where there is a big gap? Or just leave the gap and expect them to assume? I have had a brief job in the last year, and done a course.

I’d put something simple like “ I took a career break to start a family and raise my children”

Of course you have measurable targets. If you do not meet certain levels of care looking after a child, maintaining a house for them then social services will take your child off you.
If you do net get your child to school /late then again you have not met a target. You will be reprimanded by the school/local authority.
There are targets everyday. Even more so if you have children with additional needs/disabilities.
But as usual Stay at Home Mums are looked down upon.

That's a pretty low bar to reach before external targets hit in! Every working parent has to ensure their child is in school on time and they have a house clean enough for social services not to come round, even if that means employing a cleaner! They are not externally and objectively measurable every day and are not the same as working.

Uhhh, you know working parents do all of this, right?

Only if they try to pretend that SAHMs have special skills that working parents do not.

Do not write on your CV "I looked after my children well enough that social services did not remove them"

Is this a joke?

I never said that working parents do not have the same skills as stay at home mums.
I'm saying that stay at home mums also have skills and work full time. Just because they are at home it does not mean that they are not working full time.
If I went to somebody else's house to do all the work I do then it would be viewed as 'work' and valid.

@WeWereInParis why would I write that? You are being rude.

You need to take your personal feelings about SAHM = 'work' out of your CV (if you apply for a job) and learn to take instruction and advice from people who know more who are trying to help you (also a workplace skill).

It is an invaluable trait for an employee to have a learning and growth mindset, especially if coming from a place of zero experience (I know you will disagree). If you get defensive or awkward, then no good employer is going to take the chance to invest in your training.

Every adult cooks and cleans and organises their home and books their own freaking dentist appointments.

Just put - jobs and qualifications before kids then break from employment for taking care of kids - (+ any volunteer roles/ courses/ part time jobs done).

Do not put "skills gained as a mum". It's patronising, ( do other people not have those skills? do you think the person interviewing you knows nothing about having a home life?). Millions of people take breaks for caring (kids, or other reasons), it's no big deal.

I should add - good luck OP

Absolutely this! Keep it simple and factual so there isn't an unexplained gap but that's it.

I thinks caring responsibilities rather than Stay at home parent.

It also depends on the role, if I’m looking for a developer a five year break with not keeping up with skills would probably be passed, but some roles can be take a career break. The only time I didn’t consider a person was at the interview they wanted a manager role after not working for 10 years stating they’ve managed a house as skill - never been a manager in the previous role.

Two of my friends who were both teachers for example, both had long career breaks but returned initially as temporary teachers (a to ensure they wanted to and b it gave them the initial flexibility). Another friend was a social worker, her career break was caring for her Mum, she did some online training for Project management and returned to work as a project manager.

Nothing makes me cringe more than reading a CV where the author tries to paint parenting as being some high-flying project manager, event planner, mentor and logistic expert all rolled into one. We all know what parenting involves. Just state for that period that you took a career break to focus on raising your children. Anything more just reeks of desperate bullshit.

Yes, was just coming on to say the same! Cooking for a living is not the same work as cooking tea, it is disingenuous to pretend otherwise

I did this and found a job after being a home nearly two decades! The right place will see your potential 😁

Its fine to state a career break/caring responsibilities. But its daft to assume employers are hiring you because of your parenting/housekeeping skills (unless you are looking for a job as a childcarer or housekeeper!)

More importantly, if you have an employment gap then show that you have current/relevant knowledge which you will apply in the job they are hiring for.

E.g. you're applying for a bookkeeping job and you've developed bookkeeping skills via a volunteer role as treasurer of a local charity. Or you've done a relevant training course that shows your knowledge is up-to-date.

I have hired returners and had mixed results. The successful ones have come into it with a growth mindset and been highly motivated to learn. They have been strong communicators and worked hard to build a personal network in the company. The unsuccessful ones have struggled to balance the demands of paid work with their family commitments or have not been able to work or communicate as part of a team.

Wishing you good luck OP!

OP, a good way to regain relevant work experience on your CV after a career break is to go for maternity cover roles or short term contract roles. These can be harder for companies to fill because very few permanent employees with the relevant skills will resign a permanent job to take a temporary one.

The difference even just one year of relevant experience will make to the attractiveness of your CV will be encouraging.

All the best.

No they don't. So if i did all of this for someone else at someone else's house and got paid for it can I then can say I've been working?

Stay at home mum is a full time job and should be recognised as such

@LovelyAutumndays most people do book their own dentist tbf. Being employed as a PA is not the same as being a SAHM. This is not to say that child rearing is not hard, useful work. But it's not a job. A job has a paycheck attached, set hours to work within, clients or service users, minimum qualifications required, an employer, performance reviews and opportunities for advancement. Homemaking has none of these!

SAHP is an occupation. Your CV is about employment. This is not the same thing.

The analogy for doing it for your family v doing it for an employer at their home does not work.

If you decide not to cook and clean in your own home for a week, nothing will happen. If you don't turn up for work as a cleaner/housekeeper for a week, doubt you will get to keep your job. If you turn up and do a rubbish job (I am sure many SAHMs (and WOHPs) are not great cleaners or cooks), you will also not stay long in that job but your family will still live with you.

That is why a paying job is a better barometer of the quality and consistency of your work and work ethic, than being an SAHM doing exactly the same job but to nobody's measurable standards.

Cooking and cleaning is quite irrelevant for a lot of jobs anyway, so why mention it in a CV. It is like interviewing for an IT job and saying you have experience of grooming horses.

Going to guess you don’t have a food hygiene safety certificate up in your kitchen, or get inspected by Ofsted. Why is that?