Recent grad returning from Large work gap from being SAHM

Question

I recently graduated with a B.S. in Organizational Leadership and am looking to get back into the workforce. I haven’t worked in about 9 years because I was a Stay at home mom who home schooled my kids while completing my degree online. I don’t know the best way to frame this large gap on my resume . I’m in my early thirties, and I want to start working remotely . Any advice?

Jennifer A · Answer

I agree that you should own it.  I would ask a recruiter about whether to do that on your resume or as a part of your cover letter.

Additionally, consider reaching out to temporary companies for a little bit of work.  When I was laid off after 17 years, most companies didn't want to hire me because they felt I was entrenched and didn't think I could adapt to a new culture.  Because I was working in a field I didn't have a degree in (IT), I took a scary leap and got my Masters in IT to validate that my knowledge in the industry.  In addition, while studying, I took a couple of 1-2 month temp jobs.  These two things together showed potential employers that I wasn't entrenched and the degree proved that I was knowledgeable in my field.

Good Luck!

Erika Parker Price · Answer

Congrats on your graduation!

Companies are really starting to come around in terms of understanding the gap, but I think you're in a unique position because you have a recent degree which is excellent because it also tells employers that your knowledge is recent and relevant.

I've found two options that work well for the resume/LinkedIn. 
1) Just own it. Put 'Career Pause to Raise Children' or something similar down and the years. You might also choose to list the soft skills that you mastered - multi-tasking, budget management, project management - if they seem relevant to your future career.
2) Highlight the side hustles and volunteer work that you did during this time. Whether the work was paid or not, was there anything you did that could fill this space? Did you help a friend hire people for her business? Did you manage the volunteers for the school auction? PTA? Sunday school teacher? soccer coach? fundraiser? Look through all that you've done and see if there's any way to package it in a way that would be helpful for someone trying to understand how your skills and experience relate to the job you want.

In my experience, working from home is a perk that is great to earn from a company, but hard to look for at the outset. I worked nearly 5 years from home for Intel, but that was because I had an established position, and an understanding boss that wanted to keep me even as my husband's career moved us twice. The tradeoff was high travel which in the end was unmanageable.

A couple questions for you... Do you have flexibility to work a few days a week in an office or are you looking for exclusively remote?

I host the Ready Pause Go podcast for women who take a career pause and I'm trying to think back on all my guests who have true work from home jobs. The ones that come to mind are an editor, a florist, a college counselor, a non-profit manager, a resume writer, and an entrepreneur/podcaster. Each of them took a different path, but found a way to turn their own skills into businesses.

I've just opened one of the very first private groups for Fairygodboss and I'd love for you to come join us. This conversation is perfect! Click the link below... 
https://fairygodboss.com/groups/HJnT7CYNS/ready-pause-go

Recent grad returning from Large work gap from being SAHM

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