Are you trying to get back on the career track after staying home with kids?  How do position your time raising children to future employers?  Jennifer Spencer is a mom and a top marketing recruiter who took a few minutes to give us her best tips for moms who want to get back to work!

GLOSS: What’s the most important piece of advice you tell moms who are re-entering workforce after “time off” raising kids?

Jennifer: Do NOT discount what you have been doing! You are raising the next generation of leaders and doctors and teachers!

Find ways to make relevant the skills you have been using to the skills you used in the work world such as time management (piano, soccer, doctor appointments, 3 kids), budgets (lost one income – had to budget), negotiation, multi-tasking. If you volunteered at your child’s school make sure to talk about that. Did you head up the school’s largest fund-raiser? How much did you raise? Did you head up the PTA?
GLOSS: What do you put on a resume for the gaps in employment?

Jennifer: This is where you can let your personality come through! You can say your title was (CFO) Chief Family Officer, CEO (Chief of Everything Officer). Write your job description like it was a corporate job. Use action verbs like Managed family budget. Developed effective and efficient transportation processes for three team members which included sports, drama, and piano. Effectively communicate with all levels of management from C-level to three year olds. Have some fun with it.

GLOSS: Does volunteer work count?

Jennifer: You bet! Write it all down. Volunteer work takes time, effort, organization, communication and patience. Plus volunteer work shows community involvement!

We all know that raising kids is a very tough job. Position your time as a stay-at-home mom as a positive, rather than a negative!