Stay-at-home mom resume: Tips & Examples

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Being a stay-at-home mom provides you with more marketable skills than you think. From providing academic assistance and emotional support to delegating chores and budgeting, there are plenty of things to include in your stay-at-home mom resume to cover up for your career break.

To create an effective stay-at-home mom resume, think about where you are headed in your career, what skills you'd like to emphasize, and what job title you're targeting. Read our guide below to write a resume that meets the expectations of the hiring manager and gets you hired faster.

Should you list being a stay-at-home mom on a resume?

The biggest issue that puzzles a stay-at-home mom returning to the workforce is explaining the time off work that you took to raise children. Employment gaps always raise red flags with employers, so it is best to indicate that you left your job to be a stay-at-home parent. You can add being a stay-at-home mom to the Experience section and describe it just like a paid job.

If you worked part-time or studied at the university while raising children, then you needn't put "Stay-at-home mom" as experience on your resume. However, it might be an asset if you work in customer service, office administration, or another industry that requires multitasking, communication skills, and organizational skills. Anyway, be honest about it during the interview and explain that you raised kids, among other things.

How to describe your experience as a stay-at-home mom?

When writing a stay-at-home mom resume, you have two goals. Firstly, you need to explain that you took the time off work to raise a child to avoid raising red flags. Secondly, you should showcase that you kept your skills fresh and developed professionally during your career break.

Let's start with listing your stay-at-home mom resume experience.

Add it to your Experience section

Put your stay-at-home mom experience at the top of your Experience section. Even though it might not relate to your target job, this is where recruiters will immediately see it. Add start and end dates and format it like other jobs in the list.

List it like a full-time job

Describe your parenting experience and skills as if it were a paid job. Use Stay-at-Home Mom or Household Manager as a job title and add your physical location. Use bullet points to describe your primary duties and qualification highlights, such as managing a household budget, child development and tutoring, scheduling and planning, and other mom skills.

Remember that many of these valuable skills can be helpful in the workplace, so use the language that will resonate with hiring managers.

Be concise

The main goal of adding your parenting experience to your professional resume is to explain the employment gap and show you've learned some skills. So, keep the job description concise - 3-4 bullets will be enough to show your transferable skills.

Example of stay-at-home mom resume experience

Stay-At-Home Mom May 2022 - July 2024

Austin, TX

• Fostered a positive learning environment for 2 pre-schoolers, contributing to their cognitive and social development
• Implemented a structured daily routine, and organized household activities including cleaning and cooking meals
• Successfully negotiated and managed household finances, maintaining a balanced budget
• Operated a parenting video blog receiving 3,500+ visitors per month.

Tips to write a stay-at-home mom resume

In addition to adding your parenting experience, it is essential to update all sections of your resume so that it positions you for your dream job. Here's how to write a stay-at-home mom or stay-at-home dad resume that wins more interviews.

Choose the appropriate resume format

What resume format to choose depends on your career goals. As an experienced professional, you should use a chronological resume and list all your jobs and degrees backward starting with the most recent one.

If you are starting a new career path or have little relevant experience, then a functional resume is your best choice. This type of resume focuses on your hard and soft skills over work experience. Or, use a hybrid resume that is detailed about both skills and work history and is suitable for all types of stay-at-home moms.

Adapt it to the job description

Since most companies use an applicant tracking system (ATS), it is essential to insert relevant keywords into the resume. Without keywords, your application will get tossed as irrelevant. You can find keywords in the job posting - pay attention to the skills and credentials that the employer demands. Add to your resume just what the job ad focuses on.

A certified professional resume writer recommends that you insert keywords in the top third of your resume where they are most valuable for the system.

List relevant education

Use the Education section to list your degrees, certifications, and ongoing professional development. Organize your degrees in reverse chronological order, including the school name, major, and achievements.

If you used your time off work to go back to school, put the Education section above experience and add the details about your new degree.

Expand on professional experience

Your Professional Experience section is your biggest asset, so keep it informative and concise. Focus on relevant experience and, if possible, emphasize your career growth and achievements before taking a long parental leave. Your goal is to prove your professional competencies and position yourself as a knowledgeable, achievement-driven professional.

Format your existing resume using bulleted lists, not paragraphs. Write no more than 5-7 bullets for each job you had to keep your resume short and sweet.

Consider a resume objective

If you have a long career gap, adding the Objective section can help in your job search. Write 2-3 sentences at the top of the resume to summarize your biggest strengths and current career goals. Use it as an elevator pitch to impress an HR manager.

Discuss your key skills

Being a stay-at-home parent has equipped you with valuable skills that you can add to your resume without hesitation. Examples of such skills are project management, time management, coordination, negotiation, mediation, research, problem solving, and conflict resolution.

Don't forget to list relevant professional skills as well. As a seasoned professional, specify both hard and transferable skills. For example, if you are a copywriter, you can add such skills as writing, copyediting, SEO optimization, and hard skills like CMS, WordPress, or Photoshop. Exclude the irrelevant skills from the table to keep your resume concise.

Emphasize professional development

In the resume of a stay-at-home parent, employers want to see that you developed professionally while unemployed. Ideally, you should add trainings, courses, or workshops you attended while raising children. If you completed projects as a freelancer, you may add these projects too. Employers value professionals who constantly work to improve their skills.

Listing unpaid experience or volunteer work can increase your chances for employment, too. If you fundraised for a charity organization, organized local garage sales, or worked in community development, mention this experience on your homemaker resume.

List achievements

As a stay-at-home parent returning to work force, you'll want to mention a few achievements on a resume. Read the job descriptions and recall your experience that aligns with them. These can be academic or professional achievements.

Examples of achievements are completing multiple projects on time, increasing sales, speaking at the conference, exceeding expectations, or winning the Employee of the Year title. Your goal is to impress the potential employer and show that you are willing to deliver results for an employer and outperform.

Don't stretch the truth

Your communication with the future employer should be based on trust. Even if you suspect that being a mom can affect your interview chances, don't hide this fact from the employer. Don't try to hide your career gap by adjusting the dates of previous employment. A quick background check will reveal the truth, and you will lose the career opportunity.

Add a matching cover letter

About 60% of employers expect cover letters with your resume. Remember that a good cover letter should be personalized and reflect your fit for the particular company and role. Keep your letter short - between 3 and 4 paragraphs - and focus on the most important experiences and achievements.

For stay-at-home moms, a cover letter is a place where they can explain the reason for an extended gap and what they did to keep their skills current.

Want to know how to update and perfect your resume so that it brings more results? Read our guide on how to perfect your resume in just 30 minutes.

2 Resume examples of stay-at-home parents

Are you here for a stay-at-home mom resume template? Pay attention to these stay-at-home mom resume examples:

Experienced stay-at-home mom resume sample

Why is this a good resume?

• It is professionally formatted. The resume uses a creative yet neat design which is easy to skim through. It is one page long, which is the recommended length.
• This resume has the objective section. It works as a professional summary, presenting the candidate's key strengths and the type of role they're looking for (staff development and customer service positions).
• It emphasizes work history. This candidate includes their experience as a stay-at-home mom with duties such as housekeeping and child development.
• It features educational background, relevant certifications and skills, among other things.

Once you are done with resume writing, update your online profile after a long break. Read our ultimate LinkedIn guide and prepare your profile for a successful job search.

Entry-level stay-at-home mom resume example

Why is this a good resume?

• It has the right format. This job-seeker uses a functional resume format which is best for someone with limited work experience. The resume features key competencies in social media and email marketing, as well as measurable achievement.
• Objective statement. The candidate uses the resume objective to summarize key skills and relevant experience, and aligns them with skills acquired while being a stay-at-home parent.
• Work experience is listed briefly and showcases marketing background along with being a stay-at-home mom.
• Effective formatting. The document has a plain formatting which is optimized for ATS software.

Adding your stay-at-home mom experience to the resume can emphasize valuable soft skills and build credibility with the potential employer. Be sure to list skills you developed while taking care of your kids, as they can be a valuable asset for many employers. Add parenting experience to your resume naturally, but be sure to focus on your job-related competencies in the first place.

In need of a standout resume?

A good resume can skyrocket your chances for employment even if you have a significant career gap. At ResumePerk, we write custom resumes for career switchers, parents returning to the workforce, experienced professionals, and more. You'll work directly with a qualified writer who will take all your requirements and expectations into account. Chat with us to learn more about our services!