cv help.. what succint descriptions did you use to describe your time as sahp?

[AuraofDora]

need to organise myself really asap and need work now dh is not
so
what do you say to cover period of bringing up child for 4.6 years,
all erudite suggestions purlease this way..

tia

Oooo sorry no help but would be very interested in replies

what job would you be doing? sahm are chief cook and bottle washers but might not be wise to phrase it quite like that lol

a-ha! mrsmh that is sort of the problem too

was hoping to do career change, some work with children leading to teaching certificate in future
but dh made redundant suddenly, i feel i should scout around and cast as wide as possible (basically if it covers ours bills i will do it )

am coming from artsy/publishing background reluctant to return as was self employed so not very stable and been gone a long time not many contacts left..

crikey this aint gonna be easy

would several cv's be an idea?

help!!

no one?

am thinking something simple..

2004 - 2008 'Mum'

nah, that is never gonna cut it, is it??

Career break as sahm. Noone is interested in that in itself but other things you nmay ahve doen incidentally are worth a mention

How about something like
"sole full-time carer of 1/2/3/4 small children. This taught me patience, organisation skills and how to prioritise workloads and gave me fantastic experience with kids. It has lead me to realise that I would like a career with children" Sorry only had 10 secs as in the middle of messy supper

Full time parent?

Career break. You could just leave it at that or put career break to raise children, or have family, or similar.

If you want/need to 'sell' aspects of that time for a job you are applying for, do it in a covering letter, or possibly in a profile at the beginning.

Your cv should be rewritten or at least altered/reviewed for each job you are applying for. One size fits all won't work, particularly when your net is being cast this wide.

Write your cv with the job description/ad for the job you are applying for in front of you, and make sure it is very very easy for someone skim reading it to 'tick' all the requirements. Emphasise will and should change for each job.

thanks guys

fbb i think you are right i have to make a general tenplate and adjust and tinker as i go

crikey i preferred being self employed, they came to you, i dont interview well, one of the those faces i fear ...this aint gonna be good for the ol ego is it!

Ugh - I recently had to do a CV.

Remember, it's only supposed to be 2 pages, so they won't want a life history.

I put the basics, including education (highest level), post grad stuff, job history for past 10 years.

But my volunteer work was what was relevant, which is what I highlighted including 'achievements..'

If you are returning to same field, could you highlight your past?

I think career break as suggested by fbb sounds good. Alternatively you could write 'full time cleaner,carer,nanny,emotional councillor, teacher, nurse, painter and decorator, personal shopper, general dogsbody, personal secretary, need i go on????1!!!! I'd rather employ someone with children for their maturity and oraganisational skills, so I personally wouldn't hide it on my cv

I'm going to copy and paste my standard cv advice...

-------

Put personal information at the top (name, address, contact number only, not 'married 3 kids age 37 favourite colour blue').

You could put a personal profile-type statement after that, just a couple of lines summing up what experience/skills you have to offer and the type of position/company you are looking for. Obviously make sure these tie in with the job you are applying for.

For each job/contract you've had list them in date order starting with most recent, give job title and company plus one line about what the job actually was. Put a list of bullet points of main responsibilites and/or achievements for the most recent/relevant jobs. Do this with the job description for the job you want in front of you so you can emphasise relevant stuff.

Then qualifications/training. List in most recent order, include relevant training courses and higher education if you have it. Don't put Home Ec O Level. Everything on your cv should help you get the job you are looking for, and school exams usually won't unless you are a school leaver or very early in your career.

Don't put photos or anything else annoying and irrelevant, don't put it in a folder or on pink paper, don't staple it. It needs to be easy to read and easy to copy. Put page numbers and your name in the footer of each page in case of mishaps with photocopying.

I wouldn't mention it except VERY BRIEFLY in a covering letter. I would not make gags about the skills you have learnt. Because I'm afraid IME employers see it as a cop-out are think it saps your skills rather than adds to them (even though WE know that isn't true) and unless your CV/letter is being read by a sympathetic female then you will get short shrift.

Have you done any voluntary work / self-employed contracts during the last 4.6 years ... ?

Write your CV and normal and then in your covering letter explain the absence e.g. "I have X years experience in this field. I left my last employment to take a sabbatical to raise my family. I believe that my skills in my years working for X will enable me to meet the criteria for the position of X blah blah blah"

and make sure it is very very easy for someone skim reading it to 'tick' all the requirements

This is the main thing - you just have to be shortlisted - TBH you could have a 20 year gap and I bet most people wouldn't notice!

Have you not paid any NI as self-employed for the last 5 years? Can't you say 2003-date Self employed... (with details) ?

mp
strangely enough i have paid all my NI to date and have just discovered i needn't have! they say they will refund me sometime

i havent done any volunteer work or contracts (dh worked long hours no relatives nor help for me and couldnt afford childcare in any form)
and feel a chasm bit out of touch, esp as the two folks i hoped would give me references have gone off and retired!
am thinking of volunteering now, just to get back into swing of things

i worked in publishing, only as good as your last book, and my last one was 2004!
i kinda dont want to fib cause i will never remember it and might end up looking dodgy iyswim

fbb thanks for the cv advice, will keep it simple adaptable dh is good for proof reading

cheers folks mucho appreciated

Make sure you get proper advice re. repaying the N.I. - it might be worth keeping it in if it buys you more years in the system (I've no idea who will advise you on this though)

Good luck!

i know, was worried about that as i have no private pension provision nor likelyhood of

dh recently made redundant and when i realised they were going to pay his NI i asked him to ask about mine (joint claim) they stated that if i was getting child benefit then my NI was being paid ..i was uber sceptical but when i spoke to them (NI people), they said that the state had been paying my contributions as well as me and should not affect me later..

to be honest we have had no money since late sept and the thought of a rebate on anything just about gets me out of bed keeps me going somedays

thanks for help ..ever so 'umble