I voluntarily demoted myself as I transitioned back to my home state to care for my elderly mother.

6 Comments

1. Cara GardnerMarch 22,2024 at 1:45PM UTC

   My first thought - Look at it positively in that you gave yourself time and opportunity to care for family. Let this be the only time you describe yourself as having been demoted.

   If it's a good amount of time 6mo-year+, I would suggest listing it as a Career Break on the resume. Note that it was for family leave.

   You can list the role as a line on your resume...or not... I would suggest under the Career Break section, mention that you did some work and detail any skills used and accomplishments. So it shows you were caregiving and also keeping busy and maintaining your skillsets.

   During interviews you want to acknowledge the time and career break and then quickly bring the conversation back to your skillsets and the role you are applying to.

2. Pamela BaptisteMarch 22,2024 at 1:48PM UTC

   I would not use term demoted.

3. AnonymousMarch 22,2024 at 2:45PM UTC

   I would tell them just what you told us. You needed to take care of your mother and it would not have been fair for you or your employer to stay in the leadership position. The mental toll that would have taken on you would probably have cost you the position overall.

   The situation has changed and now you are ready to take on more responsibility. You have proven that you are a leader in the fact that you knew what you could and could not handle.

   If anything, I think it would look better than you are thinking. I would definitely make sure to point that out to a potential employer.

4. Susan Grant-SuttieMarch 22,2024 at 2:46PM UTC

   If explained, this shows an incredible personal value system. Well done! As someone who would be hiring, I would take you in a heartbeat. But I suppose you can always keep it confidential and just say, "It was due to family personal business, but I am glad to be back in my hometown." That way it leans towards something to do with parents without stating as such.

5. AnonymousMarch 22,2024 at 5:11PM UTC

   Wow! God bless you. I know you'll land something solid in leadership again soon. Your story alone speaks to your character and your ability to exude patience, sacrifice, compassion and empathy (all great leadership skills). We need more of that these days!

   As others have said, you can list this time period as taking a career break (it's more common on folks to have this gap in their resume). It's up to you how detailed you want to go into your story but I believe most employers would understand. If you acquired any news skills or just used to the time to casually stay connected to your industry, it still counts as doing some form of professional development to keep you sharp and connected to the workforce.

   Don't overthink it! Just be you and speak to your experience as a leader. Caregiving is a whole leadership effort in itself so you've definitely developed a lot personally too; don't forget that part.

   Good luck to you!!

6. Joan Williams, Senior Talent Acquisition SpecialistMarch 25,2024 at 2:33AM UTC

   I would not use the word demoted. I would put something like "temporarily stepped back from a leadership position to care for elderly parent".

   This will say it was voluntary, it was meant to be temporary and why you did it in one short sentence. Many people are dealing with the same issue.

   Please don't act like this is something you have to apologize for. Family comes first. And if it doesn't for someone looking at your resume, consider that a bullet dodged.