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How to Write a Stay at Home Mother Resume

Your stay at home mother resume format is as important as how you write your resume. This sample resume demonstrates the best resume layout to follow: 1-inch margins, bullet points and clear resume headings for each of the following sections.

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  • Professional header and contact info

    • Include your name, contact information and a professional email address.
  • Compelling summary statement

    • A brief resume summary or objective highlighting two or three childcare-relevant skills, experience or accomplishments.
  • Highlight your skills

    • Create a dedicated section to showcase hard and soft skills specific to child-care work, like communication, time management or adaptability.
  • Emphasize your work history

    • List your work experience in reverse-chronological order. Include job titles, company names, dates of employment and key responsibilities and achievements for each role in a bullet list.
  • Supporting education section

    • Detail your educational background, mentioning any relevant degrees, diplomas or certifications obtained.
  • Additional sections

    • You can add resume sections for licenses, certifications, industry memberships or unions, awards, volunteer experience or spoken languages.

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How to Write a Stay at Home Mother Resume Summary

As a stay-at-home mother re-entering the workforce, your resume summary is a powerful tool to showcase your skills and experiences to potential employers. See how to incorporate parenting responsibilities to write a job-focused summary statement:

Concise and impactful

Keep the summary brief, ideally two to three sentences, to maintain its impact and hold the reader’s attention.

Highlight transferable skills

Emphasize the transferable skills you gained as a stay-at-home mother, such as adaptability, time management, problem-solving and communication.

Showcase relevant achievements

Highlight any accomplishments or projects you undertook during your career breaks, such as volunteering, freelance work or self-improvement through online courses.

Tailor to the job

Customize the summary for each job application, focusing on skills and experiences that align with the specific requirements of the desired role.

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Good stay at home mother resume example

“Resourceful stay-at-home mother with strong organizational and time management skills. Managed household responsibilities while volunteering as a PTA event coordinator, successfully organizing fundraisers that raised over $10,000 for local schools. Eager to leverage my interpersonal abilities and dedication to excel in a project management role.”

This stay-at-home mother resume summary effectively showcases transferable organizational and time management skills. It highlights specific achievements, such as volunteer work and event coordination, demonstrating leadership and project management skills. The candidate also expresses enthusiasm and readiness to transition into a new role.

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Poor stay at home mother resume example

“Stay-at-home mom seeking a job. I have good communication and time management skills. I want to find a job where I can use my abilities and contribute to the company.”

This stay-at-home mother resume summary needs more specific details and quantifiable achievements. It must be more specific, demonstrate the candidate’s value or highlight any unique qualifications. Using generic terms weakens the overall impact, making it less compelling to potential employers.

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PRO TIP:

A resume summary works best if you’re moving from one job to another. As a parent returning to the formal work force, try the resume objective. This alternative introduction pitches your transferable skills and downplays your lack of relatively recent work experience.

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How to Add Your Stay at Home Mother Work History

The work history section of your resume provides potential employers with insights into your previous experiences and career journey as a stay-at-home mother. As you re-enter the workforce, you must showcase your transferable skills and any relevant activities during your career break. Follow these guidelines to create an impactful stay-at-home mother work history resume section:

Focus on transferable skills

Highlight transferable skills gained as a stay-at-home mother, such as multitasking, problem-solving, time management and communication.

Include relevant activities

Mention any volunteering, freelance work or projects you undertook during your career break pertinent to the job you’re applying for.

Quantify achievements (where applicable)

Use quantifiable measures or examples to demonstrate the impact of your work, such as the success of a fundraiser you organized or the number of clients you managed.

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Good stay at home mother work history sample

Freelance Graphic Designer and Event Coordinator Volunteer PTA, Oakland, CA March 2018 – Present

  • Organized and executed fundraising events, raising over $15,000 for school initiatives.
  • Designed marketing materials for school events and initiatives, ensuring consistent branding and visual appeal.
  • Collaborated with teachers, parents and local businesses to coordinate successful community engagement events.

This stay-at-home mom work history effectively showcases the candidate’s relevant experiences and transferable skills. It includes quantifiable achievements, such as the funds raised in fundraising events and successful website projects for clients. The candidate also emphasizes their role as an event coordinator and graphic designer, providing evidence of their abilities in these areas.

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Poor stay at home mother work history sample

Stay-at-Home Mom March 2015 – Present

  • Managed household responsibilities and child care duties.
  • Created mailers for a nonprofit organization.

This stay-at-home mom work history must include specific details and provide quantifiable achievements or transferable skills. It does not effectively showcase the candidate’s value or highlight relevant activities during the career break. The lack of specificity weakens the impact, making it less compelling to potential employers.

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How to Write a Stay at Home Mother Education Section

The education section of your resume is a crucial component that highlights your academic qualifications and any relevant training or certifications as a stay-at-home mother re-entering the workforce. This section gives potential employers insights into your formal education and continuous learning. Follow these guidelines to create an impactful stay-at-home mother education resume section:

1Start with your highest degree

Begin with your highest level of education attained. Include the degree earned, the name of the educational institution, location and graduation year.

Education formatting example:

Bachelor of Science in Business Administration Sacramento State University, Sacramento, CA Graduated: May 2012

2Include relevant certifications

Mention any certifications you have obtained during your career break pertinent to the job you’re applying for.

Certifications formatting example:

Project Management Professional (PMP) Issued by Project Management Institute, 2020

3Highlight relevant training programs

Include any relevant training programs or workshops you attended during your career break, especially those related to your desired field.

Training formatting example:

Web Design and Development Training Offered by Online Learning Academy, 2019

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PRO TIP:

Tailor your education section with relevant education and training that directly align with the skills and requirements of the factory worker position you are applying for.

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15 Skills For Your SQL Analyst Resume

Your resume’s skills section is a great spot to highlight your abilities and competencies as a stay-at-home mother re-entering the workforce. Here are 15 soft, hard and technical skills that will help you create an impactful stay-at-home mother skills resume section:

soft skills

Soft skills

  • Communication
  • Time Management
  • Adaptability
  • Problem-solving
  • Teamwork
hard skills

Hard skills

  • Project Management
  • Event Planning
  • Budget Management
  • Graphic Design
  • Marketing
technical-skills

Technical skills

  • Microsoft Office Suite
  • Social Media Management
  • Content Management Systems (CMS) proficiency
  • Web Design Tools
  • Data Analysis and Reporting
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PRO TIP:

Opting for a skills-based resume like the functional format gives you more places to highlight your transferable resume skills and competencies, demonstrating your potential value to prospective employers.

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20 Stay at Home Mother Action Verbs

As a stay-at-home mother returning to the workforce, compellingly showcasing your skills and experiences is essential. Here, we give you 20 resume action verbs specifically curated for stay-at-home mothers. These power words will invigorate your resume, highlighting your active contributions and demonstrating your readiness to thrive in any professional environment.

  • Adapt
  • Collaborate
  • Communicate
  • Create
  • Delegate
  • Excel
  • Facilitate
  • Initiate
  • Lead
  • Manage
  • Organize
  • Plan
  • Prioritize
  • Resolve
  • Respond
  • Strengthen
  • Succeed
  • Transform
  • Unify
  • Validate

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Additional Resume Sections

Consider adding the following sections to your stay-at-home mother resume based on your specific circumstances and to enhance your qualifications:

  • Certifications: Include a separate section to showcase relevant credentials, such as Project Management Professional (PMP), Marketing by Ahrefs certification or Social Media Marketing Certification by HubSpot.
  • Professional Development: Use a professional development section featuring workshops, seminars or child care programs to replace or supplement your education section.
  • Awards and Achievements: If you have received recognition or awards for your performance, productivity, or safety record, include a section to showcase these accomplishments.
  • Volunteer Experience: Replace your work history section with a volunteer section if you have less than three years of experience. Use this space to demonstrate relevant skills or attributes, such as project management, event planning and budget management.
  • Language Proficiency: Since child care work can include a diverse range of employees, advertise your fluency in other languages as a workplace boon!
  • Memberships: Let hiring managers know about your membership to industry-specific organizations or unions.

Use a Cover Letter to Express Yourself

A resume is a concise overview of your skills and experience — a cover letter expands on this foundation. Add a cover letter to share one or two examples of how you excelled in similar roles or how your skills match a company’s needs. Use this sample as a guide or visit our helpful resources to boost your application.

Stay at Home Mother Resume FAQ

How do I address the employment gap on my resume as a stay-at-home mother?

Be transparent but positive about your career break. Focus on relevant skills gained as a parent, highlight any freelance work or volunteering, and demonstrate your eagerness to re-enter the workforce with enthusiasm.

Should I include my stay-at-home responsibilities in the work history section?

While showcasing transferable skills is essential, keeping the work history section concise is best. Highlight relevant activities like event planning or freelance projects, and consider including domestic responsibilities briefly if they align with the job.

How do I tailor my resume for a specific job after being a stay-at-home mother?

Review the job description and identify skills and experiences that match your background. Emphasize relevant achievements, skills and training related to the desired position. Customize your resume summary and skills section to align with the job requirements.

Should I include references on my stay-at-home mom resume?

No, it's not necessary to include references on your resume. Instead, create a separate reference page with names, titles, contact information and a brief description of your relationship with each reference. Provide this page when requested during the interview process.

How can I showcase my skills as a stay-at-home mother when I don't have formal work experience?

Use the skills section to highlight transferable abilities gained during your career break, such as communication, multitasking, organization and problem-solving. Showcase any volunteering, freelancing or personal projects demonstrating your talents and commitment to continuous learning.