How to Write Stay at Home Mom on Your Resume: Highlighting Your Value in 2023

Facebook Tweet Pin

When I got my first big girl job working for AT&T in sales, I remember thinking about how easily my mom could work as a manager over the sales team.

How to write stay at home mom on your resume

After 27 years of being a mom, raising and homeschooling 11 kids, and keeping our home managed and taken care of, managing and training a sales team of real life adults seemed like a walk in the park.

Being a stay-at-home mom is a full-time job that requires a unique set of skills and responsibilities that you may not think of initially, but let’s break down some of these skills and learn how to write stay at home mom on your resume.

From managing household tasks to caring for children, being a stay-at-home parent is a demanding job that requires organization, multitasking skills, and emotional intelligence.

When it comes time to re-enter the workforce, it’s important to highlight these skills on your resume in a way that showcases your value as a potential employee. With a little creativity, you can showcase your skills and experiences from your time at home in a way that highlights your value to any hiring manager.

How to Build a Stay-at-Home Mom Resume

Here are the steps to build a resume from scratch:

Determine Your Resume Objective

What type of job are you applying for and what are your career goals? What are you hoping to get out of your job search? This will help you determine the type of resume you should create and what information you should include.

Gather Information

Collect information about your work history, education, skills, and accomplishments. This will be the foundation of your resume.

Choose a Resume Format

You can choose your favorite resume format: chronological resume, functional resume, and combination. Consider which format will best showcase your skills and experiences. I also recommend using an ATS friendly template, which I will talk more about later.

Write a Professional Summary

This is a brief statement that highlights your career goals and what you bring to the job.

List Your Professional Experience

Start with your most recent job and work backwards, in chronological order. Include job titles, dates, and a brief description of your responsibilities and accomplishments.

List Your Education

Include your highest degree or certification, the name of the institution, and the date you received it in your education section.

Include Your Skills

In the skills section, list any relevant skills or certifications that you have. These include soft skills such as communication skills, and also other key skills that are related to the job title. Break these up into bullet points.

Highlight Your Achievements

Include any awards, publications, or notable accomplishments that you’ve achieved in your career.

Edit and Proofread

Review your resume for accuracy, grammar, and typos. Have someone else review it for you, as well. A fresh set of eyes can often catch mistakes that you may have missed. I worked as a recruiter, and let me tell you. I threw out so many resumes for typos. If you can’t even submit an error-free resume to a potential employer, then that worries me.

Customize Your Resume

Tailor your resume to the specific job you are applying for by highlighting the skills and experiences that are most relevant to the position.

These are the basic steps to build a resume from scratch. Remember to keep your resume concise, professional, and focused on what you can bring to the job.

Your Resume Header

This is the top section of your resume that includes relevant personal information such as your full name, your phone number, email address, and contact information so that a recruiter or HR manager knows exactly how to get into contact with you.

Start with a Professional Summary Statement

This is basically a short paragraph at the top of your resume that gives an overview of who you are and what you bring to the table. This is just a short blurb that a potential employer reads as your resume summary.

Here’s what you can include in your professional summary:

Briefly mention that you were a stay-at-home mom
Talk about your relevant skills and experience, including any volunteer work or personal projects
Highlight how your time as a stay-at-home mom has made you a better candidate for the role you’re seeking
Be confident and show enthusiasm for returning to the workforce

Reframe Your Stay-at-Home Mom Experience

Think about the skills and responsibilities you had as a full-time parent and how they relate to the job you are applying for. For example, managing a household budget and coordinating schedules can demonstrate your ability to manage time and resources effectively.

Parenting skills, such as nurturing and developing children, can demonstrate your ability to lead, motivate and communicate effectively with others. Taking a career break isn’t something to be punished for. We just need to find creative ways to communicate your career gaps.

Budget and Financial Management

If you manage the household budget, you can reframe this experience as financial management and budgeting experience. This demonstrates your ability to manage resources effectively and make smart financial decisions.

Project Management

If you coordinate schedules, appointments, and activities for your family, you can reframe this experience as project management experience. This shows your ability to prioritize tasks, meet deadlines, and work effectively under pressure.

Leadership and Mentorship

If you nurtured and developed your children, you can reframe this experience as leadership and mentorship experience. This demonstrates your ability to lead, motivate, and communicate effectively with others.

Time Management

If you manage household tasks, appointments, and errands while balancing the needs of your family, you can reframe this experience as time management experience. This shows your ability to prioritize tasks, manage multiple responsibilities, and work efficiently.

Conflict Resolution

If you resolve disputes between your children or other family members, you can reframe this experience as conflict resolution. This demonstrates your ability to manage conflict, find solutions, and maintain positive relationships.

These are just a few examples of how a stay-at-home mom can reframe her experience to showcase her skills and abilities to potential employers. By reframing your experiences, you can demonstrate that your time as a stay-at-home mom has given you valuable skills that are transferable to the workforce.

Include Relevant Volunteer Work or Personal Projects

If you volunteered during your time at home, include it on your resume. Volunteer work or extracurricular activities can provide valuable experience and help bridge the gap in your employment history. Additionally, if you pursue any personal projects, such as starting a small business or taking online courses, be sure to include them on your resume.

Volunteer Experience

If you volunteered at a local school, church, or non-profit organization, you can highlight this experience as relevant volunteer work. This is a great way to demonstrate your commitment to your community and your ability to work effectively with others.

Personal Business

If you started a small business during your time at home, you can highlight this experience as a personal business. This shows your entrepreneurial spirit, your ability to manage resources and finances, and your drive to succeed.

Online Courses

If you took online courses to develop new skills or improve existing ones, you can highlight this experience as relevant coursework. This demonstrates your commitment to personal and professional growth and your ability to learn and adapt. These don’t have to be formal education, it can be a course you took on HubSpot or Udemy.

Community Involvement

If you were active in your community, such as participating in neighborhood meetings or volunteer events, you can highlight this experience as community involvement. This demonstrates your ability to work effectively with others and your commitment to making a positive impact.

Personal Projects

If you pursued personal projects during your time at home, such as starting a blog, writing a book, or creating a podcast, you can highlight this experience as personal projects. This shows your creativity, your ability to pursue your passions, and your drive to succeed.

These are just a few examples of relevant volunteer work or personal projects that a stay-at-home mom can highlight on her resume to demonstrate her skills and abilities. By highlighting these experiences, you can show that you stayed active and engaged during your employment gap and that you have valuable skills and experiences that make you a strong candidate for the role you’re seeking.

Highlight Transferable Skills

During your time at home, you may have developed transferable skills such as problem solving, multitasking, and communication. Be sure to highlight these skills on your resume.

Stay-at-home moms typically develop a wide range of transferable skills that are valuable in the workplace. Here are some examples:

Time Management

Stay-at-home moms often have to balance multiple responsibilities and meet tight deadlines. This experience demonstrates their ability to prioritize tasks, manage their time efficiently, and handle multiple projects simultaneously.

Organization

Stay-at-home moms are often responsible for organizing household tasks, appointments, and schedules. This experience demonstrates their ability to plan, coordinate, and prioritize effectively.

Communication

Stay-at-home moms often have to communicate effectively with children, family members, and other caregivers. This experience demonstrates their ability to listen, speak, and write clearly, as well as their ability to negotiate and resolve conflicts.

Leadership

Stay-at-home moms often take on leadership roles within their families, guiding and mentoring their children. This experience demonstrates their ability to lead, motivate, and develop others. You are a chief home officer!

Financial Management

Stay-at-home moms may be responsible for managing household budgets and finances. This experience demonstrates their ability to manage resources, make smart financial decisions, and stay within a budget.

Adaptability

Stay-at-home moms often have to adapt to changing circumstances and adjust their schedules and priorities accordingly. This experience demonstrates their ability to work effectively under pressure and in changing environments.

Attention to Detail

Stay-at-home moms often have to pay close attention to the needs of their children and the details of household tasks. This experience demonstrates their attention to detail and their ability to follow through on tasks.

These are just a few examples of transferable skills that stay-at-home moms possess. By highlighting these skills on your resume and in job interviews, you can demonstrate your value and experience to potential employers.

Be Honest and Confident

It’s important to be honest and open about your employment gap when you’ve taken time off to be a stay-at-home mom. There is absolutely no shame in taking time to care for your family and be present in your children’s lives.

In fact, many employers recognize the value of a candidate who has taken the time to focus on their family, as it can indicate a strong work-life balance and a dedication to personal responsibilities.

When you’re honest about your employment gap, you demonstrate integrity and a commitment to transparency. It also gives you the opportunity to highlight the transferable skills you developed during that time, such as time management, communication, and leadership.

You can build trust with potential employers and show that you’re a confident and capable candidate who is ready to bring your skills and experiences to their organization.

Other Pro Tips

When applying for jobs through places like LinkedIn and other job application systems, your resume is run through a software system that is looking for certain resume keywords that relate to the job posting.

If you don’t have these keywords in your resume, you’re going to be filtered out before a human ever sees your application. This is called an applicant tracking system, and you can even find resume formats that are created to successfully pass through these systems.

So how do you avoid getting tossed out? Work backwards. Look at the job you’re applying for and rephrase anything on your resume to match the wording they’re looking for.

I wasn’t getting leads on my first several applications, so I looked at a job description to then write my resume, and now I’m currently sitting on 6 offers to choose from. A great resume will be tailored for each position you’re applying for.

What are Some Good Jobs for Stay-at-Home Moms to Transition Into?

Here are some examples of good jobs for stay-at-home moms to transition into:

Freelancing

This one is my favorite because you can use your current skills and take on contract work with companies that need your expertise. Freelancing also allows you to work your own hours, set your own pay rates, and be picky about who you decide to work with.

Remote Work

With the rise of remote work, there are many opportunities for stay-at-home moms to work from home. Examples include customer service, data entry, writing, and virtual assistance.

Part-Time Work

Stay-at-home moms may want to consider part-time work that offers flexibility and allows them to balance work and family responsibilities. Examples include retail sales, administrative work, or tutoring.

Education and Training

If you have a passion for education and training, you may consider careers in teaching, coaching, or training and development. Many of these jobs can be done on a part-time or flexible schedule.

Healthcare

If you have a background in healthcare or are passionate about helping others, you may consider careers in nursing, home health care, or medical administrative support.

Social Services

If you’re passionate about helping others and making a difference in your community, you may consider careers in social work, counseling, or non-profit work.

Marketing and Communications

If you have a background or interest in marketing and communications, you may consider careers in marketing, public relations, or social media management.

These are just a few examples of good jobs for stay-at-home moms to transition into. When considering a career change, it’s important to think about your skills, interests, and experience, and to consider jobs that offer flexibility and allow you to balance work and family responsibilities.