I did a survey in our group this week, and we learned that about half of the moms who are homeschooling in our group are also working (or want to work). When returning to the workforce, it can be hard to know what experience to include and how to show how your experience transfers. I owned an employment agency for 25 years, and now I am putting that experience to work for you! If you have not read the first Mom Resume article, you can find it here: Part One – Mom Resume Article.
Mom Resume – What Are Transferable Skills?
Transferable skills are skills you have obtained that are relevant or transferable to the career opportunity you are applying for. Once you have identified those skills, you can develop them into a skill section for your resume and create a skills statement that you can use in an interview to show a potential employer that you meet the job qualifications.
Mom Resume – Skills Statement Examples
Skill Statement 1
Budget money: “I can keep financial records.”
Example: “As a full-time homemaker, I handled all of the family finances including savings, checking, and investments without ever bouncing a check or failing to pay a bill on time.”
Connection: “If I could handle the family finances so well for twenty years while taking care of all of the other household and homeschool chores, I will be a great account clerk for you.”
Skill Statement 2
Organize tasks: “I am a well-organized person.”
Example: “At the homeschool co-op I created and managed, I had to assign students and teachers to classes and schedules.”
Connection: “I am competent at controlling chaos and creating great working relationships with all participants of the project. I excel at bringing together different skills and personalities and helping keep the focus on the job at hand. I feel sure I will be able to handle the customer service aspects of this position.”
Skill Statement 3
Teach and Explain: “I can explain information clearly.”
Example: “As a homeschool teacher, I had to be able to explain ideas and concepts at a child’s level.”
Connection: “I am great at taking a complex topic and breaking it into manageable, bite-size segments for other to be able to quickly understand and implement.”
Mom Resume – Identify Your Soft Skills
Soft skills are traits that help a potential employer determine if your personality and temperament fit a particular job. They are personality clues that show how well you might adapt to that environment. The skills I found to be most sought-after are below:
Problem-Solving
Employers are always looking for employees who can effectively solve problems. If you are someone who can identify the best course of action to take in any given situation, you need to state that on your resume. Save the specific examples for the cover letter and the interview. Be sure to state how you identify the problem, how you clarify it by asking for input from others, and how you solve it. Of course being open to working with others and discussing different solutions is important.
Organization
Being organized is vital in almost every job. It shows you work efficiently and effectively. If you are an organized person, be sure to list this on your resume. Again, save the examples for the interview.
Time Management
Time management helps you maximize the work hours you have to give. It helps you stay focused on what you need to accomplish daily. Time management involves prioritizing your workload, organizing information, and being a self-starter.
Teamwork
Effective teamwork in the workplace benefits the organization by increasing productivity and morale. If you have been part of a team in the time you have been out of the workforce, be sure to list this skill. Be ready to give examples of how you cooperate, communicate, collaborate, and even compromise to get the job done.
As a homemaker, you may have many skills that are transferable. Homemaking is very similar to a professional job. Add in the homeschooling aspect, and you have a complex day with components requiring sound managerial skills and a consistent vision of desired end results. Multitasking, budgeting, logistics coordination, and project management are only a few of the many activities that you’ll tackle both at home, in your homeschool, and in the office. When detailing your skills on your resume, be sure to show how your activities transfer to the skills listed.
Most of us have been involved in other activities that might apply. Here are some that might fit your situation:
Volunteerism
Community Involvement
Fund Raisers
Co-op Coordination and Management
Teaching
Management of Extracurricular Clubs
Church Work
Serving on a Committee
Professionally Relevant Hobbies
A Non-Profit Cause That Is Relevant
Continuing Education
Graduate Studies
Mom Resume – What Job Title?
There are many opinions about whether to give yourself a title… and they are just that: opinion. I’m going to encourage you to consider the position you are applying for and what other skills you have. If your homemaker and homeschooling activities can transfer easily to the position you are applying for, then add a title. For instance if you are applying to work as an online ESL teacher, then by all means, list yourself as homeschool teacher. It just makes sense to point out your teaching activities.
For others who are looking for a position that readily matches your previous employment, then just explain in your cover letter why you have been absent from the work scene. If you have pursued any continuing education, hobbies, etc, that are relevant, list those.
Mom Resume – What Resume Format
This is another question that can only be answered with an opinion. I am a huge fan of chronological resumes. I don’t believe in hiding the fact that you have been out of the workforce, which I think functional resumes attempt to do. I would rather you just explain the absence in a cover letter than dance around it with resume formats.
Trish is the owner of Hip Homeschool Moms. She also owns Weird, Unsocialized Homeschoolers, Homeschool Travel Adventures, Only Passionate Curiosity and Love These Recipes! She has been married to her best friend, David, for 25 years and they have three sons (ages 23, 22 and 18). Trish is from the coast of North Carolina, but they now live in rural West Tennessee on a 40+ acre farm. She has been homeschooling since 2009 and her homeschool style leans towards a Montessori approach with a heavy emphasis on hands-on learning. Trish’s family is Messianic and they love studying the Scriptures, learning Hebrew and growing in their faith and walk daily. In her spare time, Trish loves to travel, write, work in their garden and can regularly be found trying to learn something new, modeling that learning is indeed a life-long endeavor!
* This post may contain affiliate links or sponsored content. * If you’re anything like me – a working homeschool mom – I’m sure educating your children became a huge commitment the moment that you took that first leap of faith and entered into the somewhat intimidating world of home education. I can guarantee that all…
* This post may contain affiliate links or sponsored content. * How would you describe the relationship you have with your spouse? Is it a healthy marriage? Or is it beyond strained because of the busyness of your life as a homeschooling mom? Is your marriage priority or does it get thrown to the sidelines…
* This post may contain affiliate links or sponsored content. * You work. You homeschool. You are a mom. You are a wife… or maybe not. You Live. You Sleep. You eat. You worship. And hopefully you have some fun. But what does this balance look like in REAL life? What are some working homeschool…
* This post may contain affiliate links or sponsored content. * It is becoming more and more common for homeschooling moms to also work part-time. Some work outside the home and some work from home. But either way, getting that job usually starts with a resume. And writing a resume is one of the hardest…
* This post may contain affiliate links or sponsored content. * To my fellow homeschooling people – especially you, the working homeschool mom (or dad) – how is your curriculum treating you? Have you hit spring fever yet and begun your yearly search for that “perfect” program? I know I get all crazy (borderline psychotic),…
* This post may contain affiliate links or sponsored content. * Who is National Consumer Panel? For over 27 years NCP has been gathering panelist opinions and shopping data to help manufacturers and retailers make informed decisions on what products to develop, improve or sell in the market. The panel is made up of people just…
10 Comments
Great information! I have a hard time giving myself credit for what I do in my home.
Hi Trish, I’m faced with returning to work, at least part time, to help supplement my husband’s income. I’m finding one heck of a time compiling a list of resume skills after being out of the workforce since 2005. I was only 19 so it’s not like I had a lot of experience before that to reference either. I found your article very helpful but wondering what advice you might specifically have for me. I have managed our household since 2005, I homeschool our 5 children (ages 14-2), I am the Sunday school and directory coordinator at my church, and started a local co-op group in my area two years ago. I’m a highly organized and motivated individual but I’m not getting any bites for any of the jobs I have applied for, and I’m just looking at places like Kroger or Walmart. I’m not too proud to bag groceries or stock shelves but it’s like I can’t even get that job. Thanks!
Trish, thank you for this article. 15 years ago I left the tech industry to come home with my children and I’ve wondered how I could account for my years “at home”.
Hello, Thank you for such two very helpful articles about The Mom Resume where to start and Show How Your Mom Experience Transfers. I clicked on the link in the section “List of Motherhood Job Titles” that says “In this article Tina shares all of the roles we play on a daily basis”. But I could not find the article. Is the link broken or was it moved somewhere else? Thank you!
Hi Evangeline! I’m so sorry! The article we linked to must have been removed from that website. I will work on writing a new one to replace it and will change the link in our article to lead to the replacement. Thank you so much for bringing that to our attention.
Trish, thank you! Writing my CV for grad school and honestly, after 25 years of homeschooling a large family, that’s upper management on steroids. Thanks for helping me think through the individual skills required.
Great information! I have a hard time giving myself credit for what I do in my home.
me too
Hi Trish, I’m faced with returning to work, at least part time, to help supplement my husband’s income. I’m finding one heck of a time compiling a list of resume skills after being out of the workforce since 2005. I was only 19 so it’s not like I had a lot of experience before that to reference either. I found your article very helpful but wondering what advice you might specifically have for me. I have managed our household since 2005, I homeschool our 5 children (ages 14-2), I am the Sunday school and directory coordinator at my church, and started a local co-op group in my area two years ago. I’m a highly organized and motivated individual but I’m not getting any bites for any of the jobs I have applied for, and I’m just looking at places like Kroger or Walmart. I’m not too proud to bag groceries or stock shelves but it’s like I can’t even get that job. Thanks!
Trish, thank you for this article. 15 years ago I left the tech industry to come home with my children and I’ve wondered how I could account for my years “at home”.
Great information! helped me a lot.
This is just what I’ve been looking for!!!!!! Thank you so much for this valuable information!
Great Article ! Applying to be a Substitute teacher as a stay-at-home mom, in local school district. Thanks a Lot !!!
Hello, Thank you for such two very helpful articles about The Mom Resume where to start and Show How Your Mom Experience Transfers. I clicked on the link in the section “List of Motherhood Job Titles” that says “In this article Tina shares all of the roles we play on a daily basis”. But I could not find the article. Is the link broken or was it moved somewhere else? Thank you!
Hi Evangeline! I’m so sorry! The article we linked to must have been removed from that website. I will work on writing a new one to replace it and will change the link in our article to lead to the replacement. Thank you so much for bringing that to our attention.
Trish, thank you! Writing my CV for grad school and honestly, after 25 years of homeschooling a large family, that’s upper management on steroids. Thanks for helping me think through the individual skills required.