Help! Any Recruiters out there can help me with Job App phrasing?

[Notreallycutoutforthis]

Position is this:

I was freelance in IT for about 8 years, then got pregnant so took a perm job with pretty much the only local employer for IT. Took VR on 3rd or 4th time of asking, earlier this year, as DS started school this Sept, and fancied having time off to work on house and spend more time with DS while he got settled.

Now I need to get back into work, but can't (and don't really want to) go back to local employer, and realise I can't really go back to contracting as can't bring myself to leave DS for a week at a time...

So I'm applying for general admin-y type jobs, pref part-time, and def below previous level so that I have more capacity - head space, energy etc - for family. How do I phrase this?

Don't want to say 'I know I'm over-qualified' as this could be patronising/insulting, but I figure people are looking at my CV and thinking wtf. Also, how do I explain that I want something to pay bills but allow me to concentrate on family without sounding like I'm going to be disappearing every other day because DS had a nosebleed...

Any suggestions from you lovely clever people out there?

I wouldn't mention the bit about family at all, not because of the reasons you've mentioned but because you need to take every opportunity to sell your skills.

I guess one way of putting it at interview might be to say that your previous career took you away from hime for long periods of time, which you found incompatible with other commitments?

Can you think of a career related reason for a change in career, even if it is a load of crap. For example, if these adminy jobs are in a marketing department, you could always say that you are looking to gain some experience in the marketing function, even if it isn't the main part of the role.

It's getting to interview right now... And a lot of these jobs don't have much if any space for a personal statement on the app, and actively discourage sending in full CVs. Apols for lack of coherence - thunk myself into a migraine on this one

I think you need to do a skills based application and concentrate on listing the skills that would be useful to the role you are applying for, rather than a chronological list of your previous experience.

Sorry if you've already thought of that.

Have you consider the public sector? The application process

What about previous salary though? They all ask for a listing and I'm expecting to halve... I know it raises questions and want to address them before I'm written off out of hand...

Sorry if argumentative but this one's getting to me

I work in HR, but haven't worked on the recruitment side for a while, but I can tell you it is pretty common (at least where I work) for people to change careers. I work for local government, by the way, where we get many career changers. There's no stigma.

People often leave off the salary details too, particularly where they've been out of the workplace for a while.

Thank you Llareggub - however you pronounce it! Will get back to the slog 1st thing tomorrow (with a lot of coffee)

Good luck!