Job Search: Post-SAHM Workplace Re-entry

Are you re-entering the formal workplace after years at home raising children? Several articles published on Associated Content recently were written by women facing that experience with trepidation. They expressed fear that an employer would see their work experience as dated and their stay-at-home-mom (SAHM) experiences as irrelevant. And stories on the national news periodically seem to suggest that they are not alone in their fears. All over America, women have departed from the career track leading to Fortune 500 boardrooms and senior level professional partnerships to spend critical mid-level career years as SAHMs. For those who do return to the workplace, how can they positively explain to prospective employers time spent as SAHMs?

How to Present Your Experience on Your Resume
If you have been out of the formal job market for years, consider not advertising that fact on your resume. Instead of describing your work experience by dates you held each position, describe the number of years you held each position. This will maximize your chances of obtaining an interview.

You may also be able to describe some of your SAHM years as a period of self-employment, depending on what you have done during those years.

Value the Skills You Obtained Outside the Formal Job Market
The fact that you weren't on someone's payroll does not mean that you weren't accumulating valuable workplace skills. You need to identify these skills and determine how to present them attractively to a prospective employer.