Successfully Re-entering the Workforce After Being a Stay at Home Mom

Depositphotos_26307173_m

The thought of re-entering the workforce after having the title of stay-at-home mom can be intimidating and daunting. But many women do it, and they do it successfully.

When I worked in staffing, I talked to many women who had a great education and good work experience from years prior, but were having trouble getting back into the workforce after being a stay at home mom. Often times, their resumes were outdated and didn’t showcase the same experience and skills that they expressed to me over the phone.

Whether you are job hunting now or planning to get back in the game at some point, it helps to prepare and think of ways to stay relevant. Thanks to industry leader Mark Esfeld, owner of Top Notch Personnel, here are some things to think about that will help keep you marketable and relevant :

1) Acknowledge your time as a stay-at-home mom. When you have a gap on your resume, it raises questions for a potential employer that you might not get the opportunity to explain if you do not move forward with an interview. When there is a time gap that isn’t addressed on the resume, the interviewers often overlook the resume because they aren’t sure WHAT you’ve been up to. Esfeld says, “acknowledge the time gap and use the opportunity to really sell yourself.” And it always help to have a resume that stands out.

2) Volunteer. If you aren’t currently volunteering for your child’s school or your community, taking on a project can be beneficial in many ways. It not only helps people you know and care for, but it also gives you valuable experience working with and/or leading a group, fundraising and organizing.

3) Network. Now is the time to start reaching out to friends that you used to work with, former bosses and college friends. Schedule a lunch or happy hour meet up to let them know you are going to be back in the market and you would love for them to keep you in mind if they hear of upcoming positions. Be sure to talk about what you’ve been up to as a SAHM.

4) Really sell yourself! Sometimes as moms, we tend to undersell ourselves because we are so used to focusing our time and energy on our kids and family as opposed to ourselves. “Employers want to hear that you were active and engaged, so show them that on your resume. Include all networking and volunteer activities that you did, including fundraising and board or officer positions you held in your kids’ extracurricular groups,” says Esfeld.

5) Create more opportunities for yourself to be marketable. A few ideas include:

  • Taking on bigger volunteer projects (officer in PTO or church board)
  • Fitting in part-time work if your schedule allows it
  • Figure out what line of work you want to go into and take extra schooling to be current
  • Start networking with friends and people in the working world that can open doors for yo

Esfeld’s final thoughts were “Employers really want someone who can show up to work on time, work hard while they are there, communicate clearly and plan ahead. Moms do all of those things in spades.”

Do you plan to re-enter the workforce after staying home? 

Lacey Mills
Lacey is mom to her one and only kiddo, an ornery, adorable 5 year old named Easton and has been married for 10 years to her husband, Justin. Originally from Hutchinson, she moved to Wichita to finish her bachelor's degree in marketing from Wichita State University. Her husband's job took them to Maine for a few years until they settled down just north of Wichita for a quiet, small town life. Lacey works full-time as the Director for a non-profit foundation and balances career with family, friends and all things craft-related. She loves to scrapbook, quilt (yes, she said quilt), craft, throw parties, drink wine and spend a conceivably, unhealthy amount of time on Pinterest.