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14 Stay at Home Mom Resume Examples That Worked in 2024

• Stay at Home Mom Resumes
• Back to Work Resumes
• Homemaking Resumes
• Stay at Home Dad Resumes

Being a stay at home mom is one of the most demanding challenges a person can undertake, but this also means that you can never run out of things for writing a cover letter or resume. From  budgeting to delegating and scheduling tasks, the duties of a stay at home mom are endless .

However, given that employers take between five to seven seconds to go through an entire resume, it’s important to know the exact details to mention and those to avoid when writing your stay at home mom resume. For that reason, we’ve designed these 14 stay at home mom resume samples to help you  craft a resume  that will land you your dream job in 2024. 

Stay at Home Mom Resume Resume

or download as PDF

Why this resume works

• For example, you might mention in your resume, “Volunteered at local garage sales to create posters and maps for buyers, increasing sales by 28%.”
• Write a  resume summary  if you’ve got 10+ years of expertise in your field and can weave in some specializations you’ve picked up along the way that will set you apart from the competition.
• Skills such as “research, problem-solving, and organization” are crucial in marketing, but there are plenty of other keywords you can include in your  resume skills section , provided they align with the job description.

Stay At Home Parent Resume

• This example perfectly aligns with the needs of the role, making it a compelling choice for the position and recruiters will not miss to notice it.

Stay At Home Mom No Work Experience Resume

• In particular, The volunteer and research projects, such as OralCare360 and FreshBite, showcase the ability to educate, organize, and communicate effectively.

No Degree Resume

• For example, your resume can list metrics for family size, how much money you saved on groceries after using a budget, and how many appointments/engagements you had per month.
• Use metrics like these to quantify your impact and get a recruiter’s attention!
• For example, writing fairy tale novellas takes excellent writing and planning skills, and decorating the lobby for the school play requires strong organizational skills and problem-solving abilities, all of which are useful for a secretarial position.

Stay at Home Mom Gap Resume

• If the above rings a bell, why not whip up a stay at home mom gap resume that showcases these skills and how you translated them into tangible results? Authoring and publishing a family blog documenting parenting tips and experience, attracting over 6.4k monthly visitors within six months makes for an excellent example here.

Returning to Work Resume

• Your  stay at home mom returning to work resume  should demonstrate your ability to perform tasks related to or similar to what is required of an HR manager, so it can be helpful to view  HR job description examples  to get an idea of what HR professionals require on the job.
• This doesn’t necessarily mean that every skill should relate to your work experience, but whenever you get a chance to connect the two, do it! 

Returning to Workforce Resume

• Even if you’ve been a stay at home mom for a short period, it’s important to list that time on your  returning to workforce resume  so you don’t have a work experience gap. Interviewers frown on these ‘time gaps’ in your resume because it creates the impression that you’ve been inactive and will need a lot of time to catch up if you’re hired. 
• Only includes languages you would be comfortable mentioning in an interview. Want to really sell your programming skills? Mention how you used your coding experience to create real-life applications.

Work from Home Mom Resume

• Make your resume as specific as possible. Did you volunteer at your church? List which position you held, how many students you taught, and how you improved the classroom for the better.
• If you’re in a position requiring licenses or certifications (like education), make sure you include a certifications section on your work from home mom resume to show employers you have the know-how to do the job.

Stay at Home Mom Returning to Teaching Resume

• Detail past work as a tutor and even as a stay-at-home mom that showcase your skills in the best way possible on your stay at home mom returning to teaching resume.
• Use your stay-at-home mom cover letter to address why your work experience isn’t so recent.

Homemaker Resume

• Make these bullet points as a homemaker count by focusing on outcomes and metrics.
• You can add a period at the end of every work experience bullet point, but then each work experience bullet point will need periods to ensure consistency.

Homemaker No Experience Resume

• Include skills and/or keywords related to the job you’re applying for, and mention the company you’re applying for by name to get a recruiter’s attention.
• For example, a cashier should know how to operate a Point of Sale (POS) system, so if you have similar experience, include those skills and responsibilities. 

Military Spouse Stay At Home Mom Resume

• Use a career objective statement to tell recruiters how your skills are just what that particular company needs. Don’t forget to mention the company by name!

Housewife Resume

• Community projects such as environmental cleanup and voluntary work to distribute relief food to families affected by disaster are examples you can use to your advantage.

Stay at Home Dad Resume

• Well, you got what it takes to land that housekeeping job you’re eyeing. Your past roles, paired with measurable achievements, will further propel your application to success.

Related resume guides

• Substitute Teacher
• Camp Counselor
• Career Change

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Stay-at-home Mom Resume Examples & Writing Guide for 2024

You’re a stay-at-home mom.

You’re great at time management, organization, and able to juggle five jobs at once. 

Safe to say you’d make a great employee!

But HOW do you prove your abilities to your future employer?

What do you put on a stay-at-home mom resume, anyway?

Well, that’s exactly what we’re about to answer.

We understand that applying to jobs after years of staying at home can be a daunting experience. But please don’t worry - our guide will get you back on your feet in no time!

• An example of a finished stay-at-home parent resume that works
• How to write a stay-at-home mom resume that’ll fill up your interview diary
• How to make your stay-at-home mom resume stand out [with top tips & tricks]

Before we dive into why the company should hire you, here’s a stay-at-home mom resume example, created with our very own resume builder:

Want one of these? Then follow the steps below:

How to Format a Stay-at-Home Mom Resume

Whether you’re getting your kids ready for school or running them a bath, you know the importance of preparation.

Similarly, you need to prepare your resume format before you can start writing!

But what does this actually mean?

Well, your resume needs to be structured correctly.

The most common resume format is “ reverse-chronological ”, and it is for good reason. This format puts your most recent achievements up-top, which keeps your resume clean and easy to follow.

You may also wish to explore the two following formats:

• Functional Resume – This type of resume focuses on skills, which makes it ideal for stay-at-home moms who have gaps in their employment history or never worked in that specific industry.
• Combination Resume – Getting back into the same job after a short break? Combining both “Functional” and “Reverse-Chronological”, individuals with both the required skills and experience may want to use this format.

After picking the correct format for your situation, you need to sort the resume layout .

For a stay-at-home mom resume that looks the part, we recommend: 

• Margins - One-inch margins on all sides
• Font - Use a professional resume font that stands out, but not too much
• Font Size - Stick to 11-12pt font size for normal text and 14-16pt for headers
• Line Spacing - Use 1.0 or 1.15 line spacing
• Resume Length - Maintain a 1-page limit. For guidance, view these one-page resume templates

Use a Stay-at-Home Mom Resume Template

Ever written a document? 

There’s a good chance you used Word, or similar processing software.

Now, these programs are great for creating simple documents, but are they good enough for your resume?

Not if you want a professional-looking resume! 

Why do we say this?

Well, Word isn’t the best for holding structure. 

You see, it can take hours to create the perfect structure, only for you to make one small change, and BOOM…your resume falls apart.

You’re a busy parent - Free up your time by using a stay-at-home mom resume template .

What to Include in a Stay-at-Home Mom Resume

The main sections in a stay-at-home mom resume are:

• Contact Information
• Work Experience
• Employment Gap

To really impress the recruiter, you can also add these optional sections:

• Awards & Certification

Interests & Hobbies

That’s the sections sorted, but what should you write for each of them? 

Let’s find out!

For a full rundown on each section, view our guide on What to Put on a Resume .

How to Correctly Display your Contact Information

Now, this isn’t the time to unleash your creative flair.

You just need to keep this section factually-correct .

You could submit the best resume in the world, but if your phone number is wrong, well, you won’t be getting any interviews.

As you can see, accuracy is the name of the game in your contact section.

The contact information section must include:

• Title - Align this to the exact job title you’re applying for
• Phone Number - The one you are most-easily reached on
• Email Address - Keep your email professional ([email protected])
• (Optional) Location - Applying for a job abroad? Mention your location.
• Emily Brown, Receptionist. 101-358-6095. [email protected]
• Emily Brown, Supermom Receptionist. 101-358-6095. [email protected]

How to Write a Stay-at-Home Mom Resume Summary or Objective

The job market is getting more and more competitive.

In fact, most employers usually have a HUGE pool of applicants to choose from.

Taking this into account, we can’t be too surprised that recruiters are known to spend less than 6 seconds on each resume !

Although rather concerning, we can use this knowledge to our advantage.

You just need a way to hook the reader.

But HOW can you do this?

Use a resume summary or objective , which are both attention-grabbing paragraphs that sit at the top of your resume.

This paragraph will be the first thing the hiring manager lays their eyes on, so make it the best it can be!

Although similar, there are differences between a summary and an objective…

A resume summary is a 2-4 sentence paragraph that summarizes your most notable professional achievements. 

• Fast-working and friendly receptionist with 18 years of experience working on the front desk of a local gymnasium, where I achieved a customer satisfaction score of 98%. Highly-skilled in data-entry, customer service, and negotiation. Seeking to leverage interpersonal skills and a commitment to great service to become the new receptionist at GYM XYZ.

A resume objective is a 2-4 sentence paragraph of what you want to achieve and why you’re perfect for the position.

• Enthusiastic and friendly gym-goer looking to work as the new receptionist at GYM XYZ. Passionate about keeping visitors happy and satisfied. Relevant experience includes serving customers during two years at CAFÉ XYZ. Skilled in POS, communication, and time management.

So, should stay-at-home moms use a summary or an objective?

Generally, because stay-at-home moms will have large employment gaps, a resume objective would be the best choice. With that said, if you’re entering back into an industry that you have plenty of experience in, a resume summary would be the best choice. 

How to Make Your Work Experience Stand Out

The work experience section is the most important section on your resume.

As such, it’s a section that requires special care and attention.

The goal is to write a powerful work experience section that stands out and highlights your most notable achievements .

Doing so will instil confidence and reduce any perceived risk in hiring you.

Now, you may be concerned about your employment gap, but don’t be.

Anyway, it’s always better to explain your employment gaps, rather than attempt to conceal them.

Here’s how to correctly structure your work experience section:

• Position name
• Company Name
• Responsibilities & Achievements

Receptionist 

06/2017 – 03/2020

• Based on surveying, I achieved a 99.4% visitor satisfaction score during my three years at Real Gym
• Welcome and advised 250+ customers a day
• Developed a new fitness class system that reduced complaints by 48%

Instead of simply talking about your daily tasks, you should show how valuable you were at your previous employment. You see, this will allow the recruiter to immediately see how you’ll directly benefit the company.

Instead of saying:

“Kept visitors happy”.

“Based on surveying, I achieved a 99.4% visitor satisfaction score during my three years at Real Gym”.

Apart from being much longer, how is the second statement different?

Well, it uses quantitative data to back-up your skills. It allows the recruiter to see why you’d make a great addition to the team.

On the other hand, the first statement is way too generic. The recruiter has most likely read those exact words 18 times today.

What if You Don’t Have Any Relevant Work Experience?

So, you’re going back to work after a long lay-off.

But that doesn’t necessarily mean you will be applying for the same job.

What if you don’t have experience?

Not to worry!

You see, just because you’ve never worked as a receptionist, doesn’t mean lack the relevant skills and experiences needed to be great at that job.

You would just need to mention the crossover skills from previous jobs, like being able to operate a cash machine, having great communication skills, and being detail-orientated. 

How to Explain Gaps in Employment on a Stay-at-Home Mom Resume

Why is there a gap in your employment?

Your employer will want to know what you’ve been up to recently.

Even though you’ve talked about your previous jobs, it’s now time to address the elephant in the room.

The trick here is to focus on any skills learnt during your time as a stay-at-home mom, especially skills relevant to the job you’re applying for.

Stay-at-Home Parent

05/2017– Present

• Created a blog that documented my journey through parenthood – receives 10k+ views per month
• Volunteered at my local charity – served dinner to 100+ homeless every Tuesday night

Sure – an employment gap isn’t ideal, but you can use this section to highlight the skills and experiences developed during this gap. Essentially, you can spin a negative into a positive ! 

Now, we both know that being a stay-at-home mom IS a full-time job, but resist listing your parent-related duties, unless the job involves working with small children or similar.

Use Action Words to Make Your SAHM Resume POP!

Those poor hiring managers.

Having to read the same generic words in every resume they read. 

Although bad for them, this is great for you!

You see, it allows you to create a “return-to-workforce” resume that stands out by using some power words :

• Conceptualized
• Spearheaded

How to Correctly List your Education

Next, let’s discuss what to put in your education section.

Regardless of the position that you’re applying for, this section follows a simple formula:

• Qualification Type 
• Institution Name
• Years Studied
• GPA, Honours, Courses, and anything else you might want to add

When put together, your education section should resemble the following example:

Majoring in Culinary Arts

Ohio State University

2008 - 2012

• Meetings, Incentives, Conferences and Events (MICE), Financial and Revenue Management, Research Project, Entrepreneurship and Innovation in the Experience Economy, Exploring Professional Practice in Hospitality.

Still have a few questions? Here are the answers to some of the most frequently asked questions we get from stay-at-home moms:

• What if I haven’t come to the end of my studies yet?

Not to worry. Just include the courses and modules studies to date

• Should I include my high school education?

If it’s your highest form of education, then yes 

• What is more important, my education or experience?

Experience always wins this race, although education is still important 

For in-depth answers, check out our guide on how to list education on a resume .

Top Skills for a Stay-at-Home Mom Resume

As a mom, you have invaluable skills that your little-one depends on.

But you can’t exactly write “able to put three kids to bed every night” on your resume.

So, what should you do instead?

Well, what did you write in your experience section?

Here’s a trick: analyze both your work experience and the job description.

If you see any skills that crossover, add them to your resume.

Do this correctly, and you’ll be showing the exact skills the recruiter is looking for! 

And if you need more inspiration, here are some of the most common soft skills:

• Personable and friendly 
• Endurance (long hours)
• Conflict resolution 
• Time management 
• Team player
• Be honest here. Interviewers will usually ask applicants to explain more about the skills listed.

Confused about what skills to put on your stay-at-home mom resume? Check out our comprehensive list of 150+ must-have skills this year .

What Else Can You Include?

There we have it.

All essential sections have been added to your resume.

But don’t call it a day just yet!

Adding just one or two of the following sections could be deciding factor in whether you’re hired for the job or not!

Awards & Certifications

Have you ever been employee of the month?

Have you completed any courses that are relevant to the job?

If you have any awards or certifications, be sure to include it in your resume!

Awards & Certificates

• “Employee of the Year 2018” - Real Gym
• “Learning How to Learn” - 2019 Coursera Certificate

Applying to a Spanish restaurant?

Then being able to speak some Spanish is sure to increase your chances. 

Whether it’s a specific requirement or not, being able to speak multiple languages is impressive – and who can argue with that!?

Rank the languages by proficiency:

• Intermediate

Now, you’re likely wondering, “why would the hiring manager need to know about my keen interest in badminton?”

Well, because it allows them to learn more about whom you actually are.

Companies want new members of staff that fit in well with the current team.

The easiest way to do this is to discuss your hobbies, especially those hobbies which involve social interaction.

Here’s which hobbies & interests you may want to mention.

Include a Cover Letter with Your Resume

How to really “wipe the floor” with your competition?

Attach a convincing cover letter with your resume!

You see, your resume is great for delivering the core message, but nothing speaks to the recruiter like a well-written cover letter.

But what do we mean by this?

Well, a cover letter allows you to make a personal connection, which ensures you’ll be remembered by the hiring manager.

As well as offering the chance to fill in all the blanks, a cover letter also shows that you want to work for this exact company . 

Here’s how to create a structure that works:

And here’s the winning formula:

Personal Contact Information

Use your full name, profession, phone number, email, and address 

Hiring Manager’s Contact Information

Use their full name, position, location, email

Opening Paragraph

Make sure your opening paragraph commands attention. Briefly mention:

• The exact job position you’re applying for
• Your experience summary and best achievement to date

Once you’ve grabbed the reader’s attention, you can delve further into the following specifics:

• Why you chose this specific company
• What you know about the company’s vision and culture
• How your skills will be beneficial to the company
• Whether you’ve worked in similar positions before

Closing Paragraph

Finish with a closing paragraph that:

• Concludes the key points of your cover letter
• Thanks the manager for reading and for the job opportunity
• Ends with a call to action. For example, “At your earliest convenience, I’d love to discuss more about how I can help your company with X” will work.

Formal Salutations

While remaining personal, the letter should end in a professional manner. Use something like, “Kind regards” or “Sincerely.”

For extra cover letter advice, view our step-by-step guide on how to write a cover letter .

Key Takeaways

Good luck with your new job:

Because if you followed the steps in this guide, you should now have a job-winning resume! 

Make sure to:

• Select one of the recommended formats for your specific situation and employment history, and then follow the recommended layout
• Catch the reader’s attention with a short, snappy summary or objective
• In the work experience section, make sure to highlight your most relevant and best achievements, rather than just your daily duties. Oh, and don’t be put off by your employment gap
• For a highly-specific application that starts a conversation, include a convincing cover letter

Suggested Reading:

• Guide to Green Careers - All You Need to Know
• The 2024 Complete Guide to Remote Work [W/ Tips & Tricks]
• Guide to Nonprofit Jobs & Careers [Complete Guide]

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How To Put Stay-At-Home Mom Or Dad On Your Resume (With Examples)

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Find a Job You Really Want In

Summary. To put your time as a stay-at-home parent on your resume , identify the soft and hard skills you developed during that time and highlight them in your work experience section. Skills you use as a parent such as organization, time management, and financial planning are valuable to employers.

Any parent knows taking care of children can easily be a demanding full-time job. And with daycare expenses skyrocketing, it can actually be cheaper for one parent to stay home with the kids than to work and use a daycare service.

A stay-at-home parent wears many different hats such as full-time teacher, coach , social organizer, and leader that can be added to your resume

In this article we will go over how to add these to your resume and provide examples of what it should look like.

Key Takeaways:

Emphasize job skills you became proficient in as a stay-at home parent.

Frame your resume to showcase your achievements rather than detail your domestic duties.

Take time to consider what your deliverables were as a stay-at-home parent. Think of how you can present those deliverables in the context of the job you are applying for.

How to Put Stay-At-Home Mom or Dad on Your Resume

Where to put stay-at-home parent on your resume, stay-at-home parent resume example, tips for stay-at-home parent resume, returning to work stay-at-home mom resume faq, final thoughts.

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When writing your resume summary , it is probably better that you do not mention specifically that you are a stay-at-home parent. Instead, think about the roles you played as a parent and the skills you mastered that complement your previous work experience.

Add Education. You will want to include any degrees you’ve earned and which institution they are from. If you graduated more than three years ago, you do not need need to put your graduation date.

You can also any courses or workshops that you took during your time as a stay at home parent. You will want to add where those courses were completed at.

Homeschool parent. If you homeschooled your kids, you’re in luck. You added yet another experience that is extremely valuable: coaching, organizing, and teaching.

If you homeschooled your kids, you have skills researching curriculum, organizing lesson plans and extracurricular activities, mentoring children, all while learning how to be flexible, a good communicator , and most importantly (to the kids), fun.

For example: If you were a teacher for five years before homeschooling your children for three years, you could write something like this:

Sample Stay-At-Home Mom Resume Summary A skilled educator with eight years of teaching experience. Ability to teach in diverse settings with ease, create engaging lesson plans, and present material to children in varying learning environments.

Then, you can detail both your homeschooling experience and previous work experience in the work history section of your resume.

Translating parenting skills to workforce skills . You may even think that there is no way you can have transferable skills from your parenting experience to the industry you are applying for, but just wait; we bet you’ll be pleasantly surprised.

Staying at home as a parent is a complex role: you must wear many hats daily. You aren’t just a mom or a dad. You are the family’s ultimate manager . And those skills can definitely be transferable to most jobs.

Use Specific keywords such as:

Financial planning skills

Multitasking

Time management

organization

Utilize these keywords when describing your experience as a stay-at-home parent and it will help your resume be picked up by resume software .

Here is another example for a stay-at-home mom or dad:

Stay-At-Home Parent Resume Summary Example A skilled job seeker with six years of management experience in public and private settings. Possesses strong communication and delegation skills to work effectively in diverse teams.

Then, you can describe your management and leadership experience as a stay-at-home parent.

Highlight what you have done versus focus on a gap in employment. Some employers may think that staying at home to parent is a lapse in job experience , but if framed correctly, they will see what you see: staying at home to parent is a valuable, full-time job experience.

So to prevent recruiters and potential employers from picturing you sweeping up cookie crumbs, try and avoid using “domestic” words unless you are applying for a childcare, teaching, or cleaning position.

Here are some examples of how you can frame your experience as a parent to highlight skills recruiters are desperately looking for:

Stay-At-Home Mom Resume Skills Example Helped my children get to dance and soccer practice → Coached children to develop complex skill sets. Planned playdates with other moms at the park → Regularly organized large events at public centers for 20+ children. Taught my three children until college → Managed multiple children’s education, resulting in a 100% college acceptance rate and $100,000 dollars in scholarship money. Helped my children with volunteer projects → Organized volunteer projects for students, resulting in 100+ hours of community service over 10 projects.

By now, you are probably thinking, “Yes, I have all of these skills.”

Now you just have to translate them into resume-speak so that potential employers will also know how awesome you are at them.

You can describe your time as a stay-at-home parent in two places on a resume: under your resume summary statement and/or under your work experience .

Now let’s take a look at a full stay-at-home mom or dad resume:

Lisa Cage | [email protected] | www.linkedin.in/lisa-cage Dedicated writer and organizer with 5+ years of experience. Successfully wrote 5,000+ words of professional copy each week while managing the finances, schedule, and relationships within the household. Regularly coached children’s sports teams and participated in volunteering opportunities to serve the local community. Engaging professionals with top-tier communication and conflict resolution skills. WORK EXPERIENCE Household Manager – Cage Household. 08/2012-Present Managed two college funds, resulting in $45,000 in savings to date Coached soccer and basketball 2 nights a week each season, managing teams of 20+ children Leveraged leadership skills to educate, mentor , and resolve conflicts between two children Freelance Writer. 02/2016=Present Herway. 06/2018-Present Wrote an average of 2 articles a week for the marketing segment of a beauty solutions blog Achieved a cumulative view count of over 30,000 to date Collaborated with 5 writers to develop new content ideas Dogcare. 02/2016-08/2018 Delivered one blog post each week for a series on pet care Drafted image concepts for design team Awarded top blog post of March 2017 Office Assistant. 09/2010-07/2012 Responded to 50+ phone calls and 100+ emails a day regarding business inquiries and internal memos Developed and maintained office schedule using Excel Greeted clients who entered the office and facilitated meetings by arranging conference room space Marketing Intern. 01/2009-08/2009 Worked with a marketing team of 15 to plan, develop, and launch marketing campaigns with budgets of $50,000+ Handled administrative tasks, input data, and created visual displays of key metrics Wrote 50 blurbs a week for website and app use VOLUNTEERING Big Sister Program 05/2017-03/2019 Mentored 3 children between the ages of 7-11 over a two-year period Organized 10 fun trips each year, educating and engaging children through interactive activities Planned and organized 2 fundraising events, leading to over $8,000 raised in total EDUCATION Western Illinois University | Macomb, Illinois Bachelor of Arts in Psychology, May 2009 GPA of 3.7 Dean’s List Worked at the writing center to help students with written assignments SKILLS Proficient with Microsoft Office Suite WordPress Basic HTML Financial Planning Written and Verbal Communication Organization

Include previous experience. Even if it’s been a long time since you were in the formal workforce, be sure to include prior professional experience.

Depending on the industry and role you’re applying for, think of skills that translate well from your former experience. Don’t feel pressured to lie or exaggerate here, but do look for keywords that you can use honestly.

Use volunteer experience. Whether you volunteered in events related to your children or not, volunteering experience is always attractive on a resume.

It shows that you want to use your time productively and are a functional member of the community in more ways than one. Plus, your volunteer experience probably involved a lot of skills and responsibilities that are necessary for a number of jobs.

Include contract work. If you’ve been a stay-at-home parent that earns money on the side through odd jobs , freelance work , or anything else, definitely include that on your resume. Listing contract work on your resume may have scared employers in the past, but the gig economy is thriving and hiring managers are getting more comfortable seeing this type of experience on your resume.

Not to mention that it beefs up your credentials and shows you’ve worked on projects recently.

Include education . If you went to college or achieved a post-graduate degree, definitely include that on your resume. Impressive academic achievements will help offset your work experience section.

Don’t forget your cover letter. Your resume isn’t the only place you have to talk about your stay-at-home parenting experience.

Your cover letter is where your personality can really shine, so highlight how your parenting and household management skills have readied you for the job you’re applying for.

How do you say stay-at-home mom on a resume?

You can say stay-at-home mom on your resume by saying, “Household Manager,” “Caregiver,” or “ Homemaker .” Some people prefer the title, “Chief Home Officer,” but that may come across as trying too hard for some hiring managers.

Keep the title simple and focus on pointing out the numerous valuable skills you used during that time.

Should I put stay-at-home parent on my resume?

Yes, you should put stay-at-home parent on your resume. Just because you weren’t someone’s employee during this time doesn’t mean you weren’t gaining valuable work experience and skills, so show them off to hiring managers.

Is stay-at-home parent an occupation?

Yes, stay-at-home parent is an occupation. Even though you aren’t earning a paycheck from your work, it is what you spend the majority of your time doing, and people depend on you to do it.

Applying for a job after a period of time out of the working world can seem daunting, but don’t think that staying at home to be with your kids will automatically hurt your job chances.

Staying at home to parent full-time can be a very rewarding experience. It not only allows you to connect with your children more, but it also gives you a very diverse skill set. You know how to deal with small kids and you know how to interact with parents from every background.

You know how to get someone to do work effectively (remember doing those most-hated chores as a kid?) and you know how to provide feedback to workers (remember those good parental praises?).

You’ve got what it takes to land your dream job — you just have to think about what the experience of parenting means in terms of the industry you want to break into.

U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics – Stay-At-Home Mothers Through the Years

Pew Research Center – Stay-At-Home Moms and Dads Account for About One-in-Five U.S. Parents

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Heidi Cope is a former writer for the Zippia Career Advice blog. Her writing focused primarily on Zippia's suite of rankings and general career advice. After leaving Zippia, Heidi joined The Mighty as a writer and editor, among other positions. She received her BS from UNC Charlotte in German Studies.

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How to make a stay at home mom resume?

Being a homemaker is not an easy job, yet women handle it with grace and ease.

Looking for a job while juggling with your responsibilities at home may not seem easy but we have the perfect solution to help you restart or kickstart your career.

You may or may not have any professional experience but if you are ready to start working or get back to your old job profile, it is achievable.

It is not mission impossible, so keep reading to get the best guide for writing your stay at home mom resume.

In this blog, you will learn the proper and professional way to write your flawless homemaker resume. So read on to get the information we have laid out for you in this blog.

Let us begin this guide by introducing you to all the things that you will learn in this blog:

• What to write in your stay at home mom resume and how to write it?
• How to write your professional experience in an effective way?
• How to make an impact with your stay at home resume skills?
• What format to use while framing bullet points in your homemaker resume?

What is a Stay at Home Mom Resume & Why Do You Need It?

Your homemaker resume acts as the first point of communication between you and the recruiter. It is your ticket to land a job.

Your stay at home mom resume is the first step towards your dream job. It is a virtual representation of the skills which are required for the job that you are seeking.

The recruiters get an insight into your professional experience and your capabilities through your resume. Your goal here is to make sure that your resume is flawless and impressive to get an interview call for your target job.

But the one thing that you need to tackle here is the ATS system. Most recruiters rely on the ATS (Applicant Tracking System) for their hiring needs.

If your resume gets parsed by the ATS system, it has a higher chance of ranking in the ATS system, which means your resume will have a higher chance of getting shortlisted.

You need to curate a resume that is ATS-targeted. A resume that is not ATS-targeted might fall short and may end up never getting shortlisted.

While writing an ATS targeted resume is not easy, it is something that you can accomplish with this guide.

This guide will help you write a job-winning stay at home resume from scratch.

Also Read: How to craft an impeccable resume?

Stay at Home Mom Resume Sections

Picture in your head of how your resume will look after it is created. Do you like what you see? or are you unable to picture it clearly in your head?

Your resume needs to be divided into different sections to elaborate on the different details about you and your skills as well as your work experience.

Arrange your stay at home mom resume sections in the following manner:

• Personal Information
• Profile Title
• Summary/Objective
• Professional Experience
• Certifications (if applicable)
• Additional Information (if applicable)

Do Read: A perfect guide to sections in a resume.

Stay at Home Mom Resume: Header

Most of the time people ignore the importance of the profile header wherein it is an important factor in a resume.

Follow the given points to write your resume header the right way:

• Your header should be written using the largest fonts between 16-20 font sizes to make it stand out in your nstay at home mom resume.
• It should be placed at the top-most part of your resume.
• Now if you have a middle name, use only the initials of your middle name and place it in between your first and last name.
• Example: Joanna Aquamarine Smith should be written as "Joanna A. Smith".

Take a look at the perfectly composed resume header which is an ideal stay at home mom resume example:

Also Read: Tips for creating a resume header.

Stay at Home Mom Resume: Personal Information

The personal information section in your homemaker resume should consist of the following details:

• Contact number
• Current location

LinkedIn/Personal Website

Your contact number.

Provide only the active number that you use for a recruiter to get in touch with you. They would not bother calling you repeatedly till they get you on the line.

Remember, it is you who is looking for a job because in a sea of resumes the recruiter can always pick other eligible applicants if they cannot get to you.

Give your country’s ISD code as a prefix before your phone number and a plus sign (+) before the ISD code.

Example:(+1) 82374 29371

As your email ID is the official means of communication between you and the recruiter, it should be professionally composed and should not include fancy email names.

Take a look at the examples below:

Example 1: beautyqueen@xyz[dot]com Example 2: emilybronte@xyz[dot]com

On observing both examples, you will find that example 2 looks more professional.

Example 2 uses the real full name as their email ID. This is the correct way of composing emails.

Current Location

Always give your current location in your resume. If you are looking for a job in your own country, simply mention the city and state you are living in.

In case you are looking for a job in another country, simply mention the name of the city and country you are residing in.

Adding links of your LinkedIn account and personal websites can be an added advantage and it will allow the recruiter to understand your professional identity without limiting it just to your resume.

Also Read: Dos & Don'ts of writing the personal information section. >

Another stay at home mom resume example of your personal information should look as given below:

Stay at Home Mom Resume: Profile Title

Your profile title is your latest job title. It lets the recruiter know where you stand in your career. It also states if you are an experienced or an entry-level applicant.

Use the 2nd largest font size of 14-16 in your resume to write your profile title.

Look at the example given below to check how your profile title should look like in your homemaker resume:

Here we have presented the stay at home mom as someone who has worked as a content editor and so the profile title is written accordingly.

Now the recruiters are well aware that the stay at home mom is a content editor. Likewise, your profile title should speak about your field of work and your professional status.

Stay at Home Mom Resume: Professional Experience

This is one of the most important sections of your resume. It is this section that will allow you to elaborate on all your skills and experience.

Do not miss out on any important details while filling this section.

Keep in mind that you need to update the recruiter with all the important aspects of your professional experience and relate it to the present job that you are applying for.

Frame your professional experience section in your stay at home mom resume by following the points that we have mentioned below:

• STAR format
• Framing points

Grouping & Highlighting

Star format.

This is what the STAR stands for:

• S stands for situation : The situation/backdrop/context of your contributions
• T stands for task : The actual task that was assigned to you
• A stands for action : The strategy you used to execute the assigned task
• R stands for result : The result/outcome of your action in the form of an achievement figure

Use the STAR format as it is the ideal format for structuring the professional experience section of your stay at home mom resume.

It establishes the cause-effect relationship which helps your resume stand out. It also helps in advancing your job application as you can communicate your achievements in the form of an achievement figure.

This is a practical demonstration of your skills as quantifying your achievements shows the extent of your expertise in your chosen domain.

Framing Points

It is your responsibility to keep the recruiter interested in reading your stay at home mom resume, so make it worth the read.

If your resume fails to do the bare minimum of being read by the recruiter, your chances of getting shortlisted drastically dwindle.

Here are two examples showing the two ways in which people compose this section of their resume. Your task here is to evaluate them:

Corresponded with authors to develop preferred documentation style as per the clients' requirements

Culminated 2+ manuscripts with a word count of ~5k for various authors

Scrutinize the manuscripts using editing & proofreading to create a high-quality product

Scanned for typos to avoid errors to enhance the authors' work quality

Framing Points: Analysis

It is very clear from the two examples that framing points (example 2) help in enhancing your statements in a resume.

Using bulleted one-liner points makes it easier to list your roles & responsibilities in your resume. It also makes your resume easy to read and comprehend.

There is no point in writing a bulky and lengthy paragraph in your resume (example 1) as it makes no sense when you drag your points for too long at a stretch.

Both the example are stating the same thing yet example 2 is more specific without unnecessary words unlike example 1 which makes your resume look bulky.

Another important aspect of composing your professional experience section is the grouping & highlighting of your points.

This will efficiently highlight your skills and achievements in your homemaker resume.

Grouping your points under unique subtitles makes your points specific and highlighting the important keywords helps the recruiters stay interested in your job application.

Let us look at these two given examples to compare how grouping & highlighting your statements in your resume is better than a plain statement:

• Compiled subject requirements & worked under the supervision of senior writers

Coalesced with writers, graphic designers & type-setters to create error-free articles & stories every week

• Facilitated the timely delivery of manuscripts & articles for clients to meet deadlines
• Collaborated with the Editorial team to complete 20+ copy-editing assignments for timely product delivery

Manuscript Analysis & Line Editing

• Coalesced with writers, graphic designers & typesetters to create error-free articles & stories every week

Product Delivery & Copy Editing

Grouping & Highlighting: Analysis

From the two examples given above, we can see that it is easier to understand example 2 as it is better organized than example 1.

Creating unique subheadings for grouping similar points makes it easier to create a clear picture of your professional caliber.

Highlighting your points directs the recruiter's attention to your key achievements under each point. Thus, it enhances your chances of getting noticed by a recruiter which ultimately helps you in getting shortlisted for a target job.

To conclude, use grouping & highlighting to frame your professional experience so that the recruiters can identify your achievements and capability.

If you have an existing resume, get it professionally reviewed by our in-house team of resume experts at Hiration.

Also Read: How to compose the work experience in your resume? .

Given below is a sample stay at home mom resume showing what a perfectly composed professional experience section should ideally look like:

Stay at Home Mom Resume: Education

Your education section will come right below your professional section and it will help enhance your professional skills.

Your course of study highlights your knowledge in the field of any specific job position. So make sure that you provide the field of education course that you possess.

For those who do not have enough or zero experience, your educational qualification may play a vital role in positively influencing the recruiter.

While education is not as relevant as your professional experience in terms of a job application, it can make all the difference to your job application when you are applying for an entry-level job.

Given below is the format that you should follow when composing this section:

{Name of the school/university} | {Location} | {Dates} (in month and year format) {Name of the degree} | {CGPA}

Do Read: Guide on how to list education on resume.

Look at the example given below to see how your education section should look like in your resume:

Stay at Home Mom Resume: Certifications

Any certification(s) that you have completed should be mentioned in the certifications section of your resume.

It will help enhance your educational qualifications and professional experience.

Relevant certifications will make you a stronger candidate as it shows that you went the extra mile to go and get certified (even though your target job does not explicitly demand it).

As a result, it will give you a better chance than other applicants to land an interview or the job.

Your certification section must include the following details:

• Name of the Certification Course
• Name of the Affiliating Institution
• Location of the Institute
• Dates of enrollment and completion of the course (month and year)

The above points should be aligned using the format that we have mentioned below:

{Name of certification} | {Affiliating Institution} | {Location} | {Date} (in month and year format)

Also Read: How to list certifications on resume?

Time to shine by holding up your skills on a banner. Not exactly a banner in literal terms but you can use this section in your resume to mention all your efficient key skills.

This section will highlight all your expertise for the recruiter to notice at a glance itself.

Your key skills should contain the keywords used to describe the job profile you are applying for. It helps your resume to rank high in the ATS (Applicant Tracking System)

Make sure that these key skills are connected to the points stated in your professional experience. Your key skills should be justified before they are framed.

Your stay at home mom resume key skills section should ideally look as given below:

In the example, you can see that your skills are standing out. Well, that is the whole idea, to attract the recruiter towards your potential.

You can also see that your technical efficiency is written separately under the skills. It is to specify the exact tool you are capable of using.

This adds weight to your skills section and lets the recruiter acknowledge your potential while shortlisting your resume.

Stay at Home Mom Resume: Summary

A summary should be written for the homemaker resume only if you have 3 years of professional experience.

But in most cases, resume for stay at home mom with no work experience should avoid writing a summary as it does not help in covering the existing career gaps.

Read the following points to write a summary of your stay at home mom resume:

• Start your summary by mentioning the years of experience you have. Keep in mind that the recruiter will read your summary for roughly 6-7 seconds so make it count.
• Write only 3-4 lines of the summary to make it an on-point statement. Do not overstretch your summary as it would seem unnecessary and irrelevant.
• Your summary should contain a brief explanation of your past work experience. So when you curate this section, make sure that you cherry-pick the best highlights of your career to enhance the effectiveness of your stay at home mom resume summary.

Do Read: How to write the perfect resume summary.

Stay at Home Mom Resume: Objective

A resume objective is often written by those professionals with 0 to less than 3 years of work experience.

For stay at home moms, a resume objective should be written vis-a-vis a resume summary as you have employment gaps.

Objectives are often written to cover up the gaps in your career. As a stay-at-home mom, you will have to write an objective that includes your experience as well as your activities during your gap.

Follow the given points to write an objective for stay at home mom with no work experience resume or resume for homemaker returning to the workforce:

• Mention all the details of your past professional experience and focus on how you managed to keep yourself busy during the gap of your professional journey.
• Never write a stay at home mom in your resume because that is an unprofessional way to address the gap in your career.
• If your skills are presented correctly the recruiter will be more focused on your capabilities and not your gap.

Here is your stay at home mom resume sample to have a better understanding of how an objective is written:

Don't Miss: Detailed guide on creating the resume objective.

Stay at Home Mom Resume Samples

Here is an example of how your stay at home mom resume template should look like:

• Correspond with authors to develop preferred documentation style in accordance with client requirements
• Culminate 2+ manuscripts with a word count of ~5k for different authors
• Scrutinize the manuscripts through multiple rounds of editing & proofreading to create high-quality end product
• Scan for typos & avoid errors of omission or commission to enhance the quality of the authors' work
• Interweave research data to create 7+ articles on a weekly basis for the official blog & social media platforms
• Research & subsequently compose 900+ words of content about various blogs for client reference per week
• Engaged in outreach programs to empower stay-at-home moms with basic computer knowledge
• Participated in education workshops for 100+ children-at-risk to achieve universal child literacy
• Taught English language to 30+ students of Seashore High School through their online portal
• Vetted articles by writers & prepared enticing drafts via Adobe Illustrator 6 for the final review by the Chief Editor
• Coordinated with the Design team to prepare graphical outlook & layout for clients based on their industrial needs
• Compiled subject requirements & worked under the supervision of senior writers to analyse writers' manuscripts
• Coalesced with writers, graphic designers & type setters to create 5+ error free articles, news & stories on a weekly basis
• Facilitated the timely delivery of manuscripts & articles for clients to meet deadlines with 100% accuracy
• Collaborated with the Editorial team to complete 20+ copy-editing assignments per week for timely product delivery
• Prepared an effective checklist for proofreading & ensuring quality before signing off the manuscript for printing
• Delivered high quality content free from grammatical errors, spelling mistakes, & false notions
• Generated 30% revenue for the publishing house by assisting the Marketing team during the ' Annual Book Fair '
• Published 40+ articles in collaboration with other publishing houses for the monthly issue of the Publisher's Journal
• Top 10 percentile of the class

Key Takeaways

• Never mention stay-at-home mom in your resume as it is not the professional way to write your status
• Make sure to follow the grouping & highlighting method while writing your professional experience
• Do not forget to mention your achievements by adding figures wherever possible to specify your points
• Write a summary if you have 3+ years of experience. If you don't, write a resume objective
• Focus on what you are capable of executing effectively and write down your skills
• Provide details of your extra-curricular activities during the gap of your career to avoid being assumed as an idle applicant
• Emphasize on your education and certifications for enhancing your chances of being shortlisted

Now that is a wrap of the blog and you are ready to go write your stay at home mom resume. Follow the guide you just read through and frame your flawless resume to achieve your dream job.

Go to Hiration resume builder and create a professional resume for yourself. Additionally, reach out to us at [email protected] and you can get 24/7 professional assistance with all your job & career-related queries.

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• • Designed and delivered over 30 branding and rebranding projects for local businesses, enhancing their market presence and customer engagement.
• • Managed all aspects of client communication, project design, and delivery, ensuring projects were completed on time and within budget.
• • Utilized social media to promote design services, resulting in a 50% increase in project inquiries within a year.
• • Collaborated with printers and suppliers to ensure the highest quality of materials used in client projects, often negotiating costs to keep projects affordable.
• • Developed and maintained a client feedback system, leading to a continuous improvement process and a 95% client satisfaction rate.
• • Implemented a referral program that increased new client acquisition by 30%, demonstrating effective client relationship management and networking skills.
• • Initiated and led creative workshops for over 200 participants, focusing on the basics of graphic design and creative software tools.
• • Designed workshop materials and presentations, tailoring content to diverse age groups and skill levels.
• • Collaborated with community center staff to organize events, resulting in increased community engagement and positive feedback.
• • Provided one-on-one mentorship to participants with keen interest, helping them develop their own design projects.
• • Secured sponsorships from local businesses for workshop materials, demonstrating strong negotiation and partnership-building skills.
• • Assisted in the development and execution of marketing campaigns, contributing to a 15% increase in annual sales.
• • Supported the design team in creating marketing materials, including brochures, flyers, and digital content.
• • Managed social media accounts, growing the company's online presence and engagement.
• • Conducted market research to inform campaign strategies, providing valuable insights into customer preferences and trends.

9 Stay at Home Mom Resume Examples & Guide for 2024

Your stay at home mom resume should highlight your multitasking skills. Demonstrate how managing a household has refined your ability to juggle various tasks efficiently. Include examples of your organizational prowess and how you've maintained structure in the home. Show how these skills are transferable to the workplace, where order and coordination are key.

All resume examples in this guide

Homemaker No Experience

Returning To Work

Returning To Workforce

Work From Home Mom

Stay at Home Mom Returning to Teaching

Military Spouse Stay at Home Mom

Graphic Designer | Creative Solutions | Visual Storytelling resume example

Resume Guide

SAHM resume example

Resume format

Resume experience section

Hard & soft skills

Certifications and education

Resume summary/Objective

Additional sections

Key takeaways

By Experience

Over half of stay-at-home moms in the US  point to expensive childcare as the main barrier to re-entering the workforce. Indeed, navigating the complexities of childcare while remaining socially active can be a challenge.

If this strikes a chord, chances are you're a SAHM (stay-at-home mom) thinking about making a return to work.

Luckily, stay-at-home parenting does not exclude having a job. And if you’re among those 57% of SAHMs   worried that their employment gap might put off potential employers, there's good news. You can craft a stay-at-home mom resume with no experience and still get noticed.

This guide is designed to empower you to highlight your skills and experiences, crafting an impactful SAHM resume that stands out. Here's how:

• Create a stay-at-home mom resume that convincingly translates full-time parenting skills to the professional realm;
• Leveraging your employment gap as an asset by strategically emphasizing your skills and experiences in your resume;
• Avoid stereotypes and biases with a selection of real-life resume examples from stay-at-home moms.

Let’s get to it.

Stay-at-home mom  resume example

Here’s  what this applicant does well in their resume:

• Highlighting transferable skills : Olivia highlights her time as a stay-at-home mom to showcase her knack for project management and multitasking. She shows that personal experiences can evolve into professional assets, especially her creative and efficient project handling, key for graphic design.
• Showcasing freelance experience : Olivia's resume shines a light on her freelance graphic design projects. She outlines key successes, like boosting project inquiries and client satisfaction, proving her professional drive and success, even during a career pause.
• Promoting continuous professional development : The candidate lists certifications and a zeal for ongoing learning, showing her dedication to keeping her skills sharp and relevant for graphic design work.
• Leveraging community engagement : Featuring her work as a Community Workshop Leader, Olivia displays her leadership and educational skills. This role underlines her willingness to contribute to the community and collaborate with diverse teams, essential for client-based projects.

Now let’s dive into organizing all these strengths and talents within a resume.

How to format a stay-at-home mom  resume

Facing a significant employment gap might seem daunting, especially when re-entering the job market. Yet, if motherhood is the primary reason for your career hiatus, this experience can be reframed positively on your resume.

The point is to choose the resume format  that best fits your circumstances. Here are the three most fitting layouts for stay-at-home mom s returning to the workforce.

• The reverse chronological resume . Ideal for those with substantial experience before taking maternity leave. This format is highly favored by recruiters and can effectively minimize the impact of a 2-year gap, particularly in the post-pandemic job market. Tailor your resume to each job application and consider including a cover letter for a personal touch.
• The hybrid resume . A combination resume works well for those eyeing a career shift or who have been out of the workforce for 3-4 years. It blends your skills and experiences, focusing on your competencies rather than the chronological order of your employment.
• The functional resume : Best suited for individuals with a career gap of more than 4 years, this format emphasizes professional strengths and skills over employment history. Remember, transparency is key; you can acknowledge your role as a homemaker while still highlighting your capabilities.

And to make sure that you really nail your resume, here are a few a dditional formatting tips for a SAHM resume:

• Length: Aim for a concise format, one or two pages max, ensuring plenty of white space for readability.
• Fonts : Don’t rely on crazy fonts to impress recruiters. Rubik, Lato, Montserrat, Raleway, Exo 2, and Volkhov work perfectly fine. All serif fonts  are ATS-friendly.
• File Format : Go with PDF when exporting  your stay-at-home mom resume. It  retains its formatting across all devices and platforms.

Is your resume good enough?

Drop your resume here or choose a file . PDF & DOCX only. Max 2MB file size.

After choosing a resume format, it’s time to decide on the best sections to feature on your resume to help your tal ents s hin e bright.

The top sections on a stay-at-home mom resume:

• A resume summary   providing a brief overview of your skills, experience, and career objectives, showing how they align with the demands of the targeted role.
• A strong s kills section that showcases transferable skills gained from parenting, such as time management and organizational abilities.
• A work experience section detailing your work history. It could involve formally employed roles, or even the management and planning that goes into running a household.
• A detailed e ducation and certifications section with relevant academic qualifications, trainings, or workshops that you’ve attended. This would demonstrate your commitment to continuous learning.
• An additional section for personal projects or community involvement. This section will highlight your extracurricular engagements, such as community service, charity work, or even personal projects like a blog. It will provide a more comprehensive profile of your skills and interests.

For stay-at-home moms, these top resume sections will best showcase the skills that recruiters are seeking.

What recruiters want to see on your resume:

• Demonstrated organizational skills : Stay-at-home moms often juggle multiple tasks and schedules simultaneously, skills that recruiters value in a variety of job roles.
• Problem-solving abilities : As a stay-at-home mom, quick and effective problem-solving is a necessity. This is a highly sought-after skill in many work scenarios.
• Time management : Managing the varying needs and schedules of a household showcases strong time management, a skill highly valued by recruiters in all fields.
• Adaptability : Stay-at-home mothers need to adapt rapidly to changing situations and events, demonstrating flexibility and resilience which are highly favored in the professional world.
• Strong communication skills : Being a central point of communication within a family demonstrates the ability to mediate, negotiate, and express oneself clearly and effectively.

With a clear focus in mind, you can start building your resume experience section.

How to write your stay-at-home mom resume experience

The experience section  often stirs anxiety among stay-at-home moms, worrying about whether to list their role as a homemaker. The most common fear is that this might not be seen as relevant.

However, it's essential to include this phase of life, as recruiters look for explained  career gaps. (Plus, you’re a proud mom, of course, you’d put it on your resume)!

The best advice here is to focus on the skills and achievements during this time, such as managing projects, organizing events, or any freelance work. Highlighting these experiences demonstrates valuable competencies like time and people management, organizational skills, and multitasking.

Naturally, if you do have a work history before taking your maternity leave, include it in your resume.

Now let’s take a look at two resume examples.

• • Managed household budget.
• • Participated in community support groups.
• • Helped the children with assignments.
• • Enrolled in a basic programming course.

Clearly, this applicant didn’t make the most of her experience as a stay-at-home parent. She merely listed a few responsibilities. Here are three mistakes:

• No specific relevance .  The bullets don’t directly translate to specific professional requirements. Employers look for experiences that are transferable to a range of roles.
• Sparse action verbs . To demonstrate agency you need to choose your words more wisely. For example, “ participated”  c ould have been “ organized” . Action verbs  provide clarity and dynamism to resume entries, effectively showcasing your initiative and impact.
• Lack of description.  This is a missed opportunity to amplify the candidate’s responsibilities as a stay-at-home mom. Providing descriptions allows for a better understanding of the skills and values a stay-at-home mom brings to potential employers.
• • Managed household budget and finances, achieving a 20% reduction in expenses through strategic planning and cost-effective purchasing.
• • Organized weekly community support groups, enhancing local engagement and support networks, showcasing event planning and community-building skills.
• • Developed and implemented a home-based learning curriculum for early childhood education, promoting cognitive and social development.
• • Completed a 6-month intensive C# programming course, acquiring key software development skills and laying the foundation for advanced technical problem-solving.

Now, this candidate understood the assignment. Let’s see why.

• Demonstrates transferable skills : The section highlights a range of transferable skills, such as organization, community engagement, and technical proficiency, which are valuable in many professional settings.
• Quantifiable achievements : Activities are presented with outcomes that suggest measurable impact, like enhancing local engagement and promoting cognitive development. This adds credibility and substance to the candidate's experience.
• Shows continuous learning and adaptability : Completing a 6-month intensive programming course illustrates a commitment to personal and professional growth.

How to quantify impact on your resume

The impact of your experience as a SAHM on your resume can significantly improve your chances of getting a job. It makes your skills and contributions clear and measurable to potential employers.

Here are essential tips for incorporating quantifiable metrics  into each section of your stay-at-home mom resume:

• Include the number of years you've managed household finances, illustrating your financial prowess.
• Specify the number of events you've coordinated (such as family gatherings or fundraisers), indicating your project management and organizational ability.
• Listing the number of languages you're proficient in as a polyglot shows strong communication skills and adaptability, vital skills in most workplaces.
• State the number of people involved in any community projects you have led, showing your skills in rallying groups and leading teams.
• Include the number of children you manage daily schedules for, demonstrating adeptness in juggling multiple tasks and responsibilities.
• Specify the difference in spending before and after you took over the household budgeting, demonstrating your ability to optimize costs.
• Mention the frequency of educational activities you arranged for your child/children, as this could indicate a commitment to development and learning, critical in a professional environment.
• Incorporate the number of online courses or workshops you completed during your stay-at-home period, as this demonstrates continuous learning and improvement.

How to write a stay-at-home mom resume with no experience

For a SAHM with minimal professional experience, resume building  can feel like a daunting task. However, there's a silver lining: your resume can still make a strong impression on job recruiters.

It's all about strategizing effectively!

Remember what we did with the experience section? You can easily employ this technique and focus on skills or freelance projects relevant to your career development.

• Volunteer experience : If relevant to the job  you’re applying for, volunteering can highlight your involvement in community service, school committees, or local organizations. Including specific achievements, such as organizing events or leading projects, shows recruiters your initiative and project management skills, even outside a traditional work environment.
• Certifications and courses : Listing relevant certifications, online courses, or workshops you've completed during your time as a stay-at-home mom can bridge the gap in professional experience. This section indicates your dedication to personal development.
• Skills and competencies : Tailoring this part to showcase transferable skills such as time management, organizational abilities, financial planning, and communication can add immense value.

Here’s a tip. If you have any hobbies or interests you consider applicable to the job you are applying for, do add them in a separate section. Learning languages with Duolingo in your free time? This hobby showcases your ability to commit to a long-term goal and enhances your communication skills across diverse cultures. Who knows, it might land you a job in an international organization.

How to list your hard and soft skills on your resume

Hard skills are about your technical know-how, like using software, while soft skills cover your ability to communicate, lead, and solve problems. Both are key to a strong resume.

When adding skills to your resume, mix hard and soft skills to show your range, drawing from your experiences, including your time as a SAHM. This helps employers see how your skills fit their needs.

For hard skills, consider tasks where you used specific knowledge, like budgeting for your household, teaching your kids with educational software, or planning digital-based community events.

Best hard skills for your stay-at-home mom resume

• Financial Planning
• Project Management
• Advanced Microsoft Office Skills
• Digital Communication Tools (Slack, Zoom, Microsoft Teams)
• Social Media Management
• Blogging Platforms (WordPress, Blogger)
• Online Research Tools
• Scheduling Software
• Basic Graphic Design (Canva, Adobe Spark)
• E-commerce Platforms (Shopify, Etsy)
• Bookkeeping Software (QuickBooks, Zoho Books)
• Online Education Platforms (Khan Academy, Coursera)
• Email Marketing (Mailchimp, Constant Contact)
• CRM Software (Salesforce, HubSpot)
• Photoshop or other Photo-Editing Software
• Web Analytics (Google Analytics, SEMRush)
• Video Editing Software (Adobe Premiere, iMovie)
• HTML or CSS Basic Knowledge
• E-learning Software (Moodle, Google Classroom)

Soft skills can be showcased by thinking about your interactions with others and how you've cared for your family. Skills like leadership, time management, and adaptability are ones you've probably developed through parenting.

Best soft skills for your stay-at-home mom resume

• Multitasking
• Time Management
• Organizational Skills
• Conflict Resolution
• Problem-Solving
• Adaptability
• Decision-Making
• Communication Skills
• Stress Management
• Collaboration
• Motivational Skills
• Negotiation Skills
• Critical Thinking
• Emotional Intelligence

You can show off your skills in more places than just the skill section of a resume. In the Experience  section, explain how you've used your skills in real life. Also, in the Volunteer Work  or Projects  sections, talk about times when your skills helped achieve good results. And remember to add numbers to make your point when you can.

How to list your certifications and education on your resume

H ighlighting your education is essential. Seize every chance to add substance to your resume.

Next, think about including relevant certifications. These not only demonstrate your skills and commitment to growing professionally but also shift  attention away from that dreaded employment gap.

Below are five valuable certifications that can boost your resume and impress recruiters.

Best certifications for your stay-at-home mom resume

• Project Management Professional ( PMP )
• Certified Professional in Learning and Performance ( CPLP )
• Microsoft Certified: Office 365 Fundamentals
• Google Analytics Academy Certification
• Certified Associate in Project Management ( CAPM )

How to write your stay-at-home mom resume summary or objective

When building your SAHM resume, get creative and include sections that best showcase your skills. However, don't overlook crafting a compelling summary or objective. This brief introduction often catches an HR manager's attention first, and if it's engaging, they're more likely to continue reading.

If you've been on maternity leave for an extended period, a resume objective might be your best choice. While resume summaries  are ideal for those with extensive experience, objectives serve as your pitch to potential employers.

Here’s why objectives are particularly fitting for stay-at-home moms  with a career gap:

• They're concise and punchy, ideally no more than three sentences.
• They highlight your strengths without the need to summarize your entire work history.
• Objectives clarify how you plan to contribute to the company's success, showing recruiters your potential value.

Let’s look at two examples of resume objectives, wrong and right.

This example says nothing about the candidate’s proposition. To enhance it, they could have:

• incorporated stronger adjectives to strengthen their self-description;
• used less tentative language to avoid any hints of uncertainty or apathy;
• chosen more effective vocabulary to tell the story of their professional journey  (that’s right, they’re writing a story about their professional self).

This one is so much better. Here’s why:

• It’s only three sentences but they simply ooze enthusiasm (5 words capturing readiness).
• The objective centers on the candidate's competencies and skills .
• The last sentence subtly reveals an open and approachable personality, a valuable asset to any team.

Additional sections for a stay-at-home mom resume

Enriching your SAHM resume with  a special section for your side hustles  and community contributions can really make it stand out. If you're like many stay-at-home moms who've found ways to stay active and engaged, consider sharing:

• Your blogging or social media endeavors : This isn't just a hobby; it's a showcase of your prowess in creating engaging content and navigating the digital marketing landscape. It speaks about your ability to captivate an audience, manage digital initiatives, and stay ahead with modern marketing tactics.
• Your freelance or consulting projects : Have you dabbled in freelance work or consulting? This is the perfect place to highlight your entrepreneurial spirit and independence.
• Your volunteer work : Giving your time and talents to causes and organizations reflects more than just goodwill. It's a testament to your ability to collaborate, communicate effectively, and plan events. For SAHMs preparing to re-enter the workforce, such volunteering underscores a commitment to your principles and the community, while honing skills that employers value.

If you're squeezing in resume planning between mom duties, here's a swift rundown of how to craft that standout stay-at-home mom resume:

• Pick a resume format that suits your employment history. Remember, a chronological resume might not be your go-to if you've had a long gap since your last job.
• Highlight resume sections that showcase the skills and responsibilities you've embraced during your time as a mom, steering clear of listing basic skills.
• Make your experience section pop with measurable achievements, and avoid simply naming household tasks.
• Include both hard and soft skills that you can apply in various job roles.
• Don't forget to list any relevant certifications that bolster your qualifications.
• If you've engaged in freelance or community initiatives, dedicate a section to these projects to demonstrate your active engagement and versatility.

Stay at Home Mom resume examples

Explore additional stay at home mom resume samples and guides and see what works for your level of experience or role.

Coming back from a career break might appear daunting, but the transition can be smooth if well-managed. Here's advice for those returning to work:

• Emphasize transferrable skills. Did you take on a project coordination role with a non-profit, or any unpaid work? Every experience is valuable and helps build certain skills.
• Show your up-to-date industry knowledge. It is crucial to illustrate involvement in your field despite the time off, whether through joining online courses, volunteering, or researching.
• Talk about soft skills gained during the break. This may include communication, time management, or problem-solving skills.
• Don't shy away from explaining the gap. Showcase it as personal growth and professional development time.
• Highlight networking activities. It’s about who you know and what you know. Mention any professional communities you're a part of.

Ensure to align your career break story with the job role requirements for a successful application.

Looking to build your own Stay at Home Mom resume?

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How to Write a Resume If You're a Stay at Home Mom

A guide by recruiters on how to write a successful stay-at-home mom resume in 2024, including a resume template you can download, resume samples and insights from recruiters.

3 years ago   •   10 min read

Being a stay at home mom can present unique challenges when you’re ready to go back into the workforce. Employers will notice a gap in your employment, and your skillset or certifications may be out of date.

Fortunately, it’s entirely possible to craft a resume that puts your best foot forward, particularly if you take some time to build on your current skills. Read on to find out what you should be including and what to leave out - and for some helpful tips to keep in mind as you get ready to look for a new position. Plus, we've also included a free resume template in Word or Google Docs format that you can use as a starting point.

A free stay at home mom resume template

Before we dive in to our recruiter perspectives, here's a sample resume for a stay-at-home mom or parent. Feel free to use it as inspiration as you write your own resume (download links below).

Download this free stay at home mom resume template: Google Drive | Microsoft Word

Mind your 'employment' gap

Do resume gaps matter? Sure — to some extent. Recruiters will want to know what's up with an employment gap, but it won't be prohibitive on its own. The key is to explain it, which is easily done when you're a stay at home mom (keep scrolling for detailed tips on how to do this).

Beyond the gap in your work with an employer, the most important thing to demonstrate to the hiring manager is that your skills are current. If you have done recent volunteer work, you should definitely include it. Freelance work that is related to the position you’re aiming at is also great to include.

If your skills aren’t current, read on to find out how to build your skills and add to your resume appropriately.

Read more: How to list gaps on a resume

How to list being a stay at home mom on a resume

If you want to include your work as a stay at home mom in your work experience, you should consider doing it in a format similar to this example:

Rather than “Growthsi” and the title below it, you could enter “Stay at home parent” (like in the following example), the dates of your time at home, and bulleted accomplishments along the lines of “Maintained a blog on parenting tips featuring 50+ articles averaging X page views” or “Created a 100+ member Facebook group providing support for stay at home parents” or how you’ve established and run an Etsy shop. Anything you include should be relevant to the job or position you’d like to apply for (with similar skills engaged).

Avoid including your stay-at-home mom experience as a 'work experience' or 'professional experience' — instead, like above, use an 'Other Experience' section title.

Read more: A stay at home mom's guide for getting back into the workforce

Building your skills while looking for a job as a stay at home parent

Just because you haven’t been with an employer for a while, you can still hone your skills, take courses, and potentially work on freelance projects during your job search. Each approach helps build your competency level in the eyes of hiring managers by demonstrating that you’re in touch with your skills.

One avenue to consider is looking for volunteer opportunities around your community. Non-profit organizations and parent/child-oriented groups are always looking for assistance with conducting outreach, fundraising, and holding events. If you’re interested in marketing, for example, helping to promote the Parent-Teacher Organization’s upcoming dance by creating and distributing flyers is definitely something you can include on your resume.

Read more: How to list volunteer work on your resume

Take a course

Depending on the field you’re interested in, it may help to look for relevant courses (either online or at nearby colleges). Some community colleges offer adult education courses to learn basic computer applications such as Microsoft Word, which will help with all kinds of office work. If you’re more advanced, you can look for courses in a wide variety of fields, from computer programming to graphics arts. If you have more time to invest, consider enrolling for a two-year degree if your field of interest would benefit from it.

Read more: How to list certifications on a resume (with examples)

Freelance work

Lastly, taking on relevant freelance projects (such as writing copy for online companies, conducting lawn or landscaping services, or programming simple applications) will give you experience and accomplishments that will highlight how you’ve kept your skills current.

Read more: How to list freelance work on your resume

Formatting Your Resume

For an easy and time-saving boost to formatting your resume, you can start with the template above or browse our ATS-ready resume templates . Pick one that appeals to your background and the position you’re applying for, and enter in the details as you go.

Resume header

Your resume header should include your full name, phone number, email address, location (state and country, not street address), and potentially your LinkedIn profile. An example is below:

You can optionally include the job title of the job you're applying to in your resume's header.

Read more: What to include in your resume header

Resume summary

Having a summary at the top of your resume is a great way to introduce yourself as someone who “worked in [X field] for [x] years before taking four years off to raise two children”, as an example. Your summary can also encompass any recent activities or projects you’ve started, such as by stating “ In that time, started a successful copywriting business with x clients ”, or “ started and maintained a babysitting business with x clients ”.

Read more: Resume summary generator

Work Experience

All of your work experience should follow the same style of format. Regardless of when you last worked, you’ll want to list your previous employers in reverse chronological order (with the most recent employers on top).

Each of your listed employers should be followed by a series of bullet-pointed accomplishments. Start the bullet points with strong action verbs that are related to skills you’ll be using in the position you’re going into, ideally. Whenever possible, include a numerical value (such as “improved sales by 10 percent over X years”) to help employers understand exactly how much of a difference you made.

For each of your work experiences, note the company or organization, your job title, and the dates you worked there. Usually, this means listing the month and year, though you can sometimes leave off the month and display only the year — what’s more important is that you’re consistent with how you format your dates within your resume.

Read more: How to list your work experience on your resume

If you graduated some time ago (8+ years ago) : Your education section should be short and underneath your work experience. In this case, just include your degree name and your school name. You can leave off your graduation year to avoid any unwarranted age discrimination — something that unfortunately happens in today's hiring landscape.

If you returned to school or you graduated recently: You should list your education at the top of your resume if you recently completed a degree (while being a stay at home mom). Include the name of the school, the degree you graduated with, and the program you graduated from. Depending on the type of degree you received and the position you’re planning to apply for, you may also wish to add in the most relevant courses that you took (such as “Data Analysis” or “Software Engineering”) if they include keywords that relate to the job you're applying to.

Read more: How to list your education on a resume

Resume skills section

If you have a sufficient number of technical skills, you should include a skills section on your resume. This could be placed at the right hand side of the page, or at the very bottom. The skills you list should be appropriate for the position you’re applying for. As an example, if you’re applying to be an office manager, you could list “QuickBooks”, “Microsoft Office”, or “Google Calendar” as your skills. If you’re going into graphic design, list the programs you’ve worked with before.

For all of your skills (in the summary, body of your resume, and skills bank) you should aim to include ones that align with your background and the job you’re applying for. Refer to this list of resume skills and keywords to get an idea of what hiring managers and automatic screeners are looking for.

Chances are, being a stay at home mom has given you a host of transferable skills (such as time management, communication skills, and follow-through). You should definitely work these into your resume if you can, but remember to not list them directly into your resume — e.g. don't mention 'time management' skills, but show how you have delivered a project that required strong time management .

Read more: How to write a resume skills section

What to Avoid

While it may be tempting, particularly if you manage a complex household or go above and beyond in your daily duties, you should refrain from listing “Head of Household” or “CEO of Household” in the body of your resume. No matter how elaborate your work in this role, claiming it as job experience means you risk signaling to the hiring manager that you hold your household to be equivalent in the scope of duties and level of accountability as you would a business.

Generally speaking, CEOs of businesses hold much greater responsibility (from the business’s perspective) than heads of households, and significantly more financial risk is involved.

With that said, if you have made a spreadsheet to manage your family’s finances, you can definitely include Microsoft Excel in your technical skills . You may also be able to work it into your cover letter to demonstrate your commitment to organization.

Optimize and Fine Tune Your Resume

Once you’re finished building the bones of your resume, you can use a few different tools to optimize it and make adjustments that will enable it to get past automatic screeners.

Get feedback on your stay-at-home parent resume

As a stay at home mom, you can write an effective resume by highlighting any volunteer work, online courses, freelance work you did while being a stay-at-home parent. You should also use your past work experience and stay at home experience to highlight your soft and transferable skills. Once you’re done writing your resume, upload it to the tool below — this AI-powered tool will analyze your resume, highlight any trouble spots, and make recommendations in a quick and easy process.

Tailor your stay-at-home parent resume

If you know the job you’re applying for, Targeted Resume is another free AI-powered tool that will enable you to tailor your resume to that specific position. The tool will assess your resume based on the job you’re applying for and let you know what skills you might be leaving out.

Another good way to quickly target your resume to the job you’re applying for, is by including relevant keywords on your resume. Use the tool below to get a list of keywords relevant to the job.

General Tips for Your Job Search

Going back to work after taking time to care for your family is a big step, but keeping these tips in mind can help make it easier.

Your personal network could be your biggest resource when looking for a job. As many as 80 percent of people have gotten a job through someone they know, meaning that it would behoove you to ask around among your acquaintances to see if anyone has heard of something in the field you’re looking for.

Use social media

If you don’t have a robust social network (as sometimes happens when your focus is fully on your children), don’t despair. Build your profile on LinkedIn (using similar techniques as you did with your resume) and start reaching out to people at companies you’d like to work for. Alternatively, consider attending in-person networking events with your local Chamber of Commerce or those hosted at businesses themselves.

Go at your own pace

Looking for a job at any point in life can be stressful, so remember to care for yourself as much as possible during the job search. Reconnect with your family with ample quality time, during the job search and once you’ve secured a position. It can take time to get the ball rolling, but once you get back into the field, the soft skills you gained as a mother are bound to serve you well!

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Dive Into Expert Guides to Enhance your Resume

Stay-At-Home Mom Resume Examples

Prepare to rejoin the workforce with a strategic stay-at-home mom resume

Home Staying Resume Samples

1. Stay-at-home mom seeking administrative role:

Resume summary statement:

Highly organized and responsible office administrator seeking a new role in the sector after a career gap of 3-years focused on raising a young family.

• Planned and scheduled all meetings and outside appointments
• Assisted senior management and other staff members with invoice payment for necessary expenditures
• Created, entered and organized data within the company database
• Managed company inventory on a bi-monthly basis

2. Stay-at-home mom experience seeking a bookkeeping role without prior experience:

Flexible, focused, motivated, and recently qualified bookkeeper, seeking opportunities for a new career direction in this sector.

• Strong skills in delegation and prioritization
• Responsible multitasker with a flexible approach to problem-solving
• Handled all bookkeeping tasks for a local church during a summer festival
• Experienced with budgeting and scheduling

Stay-At-Home Mom Resume Vocabulary & Writing Tips

Using targeted vocabulary is important on almost any resume these days. Most employers currently use special  applicant tracking software (ATS)  in order to make sure resumes demonstrate enough expertise and industry specific knowledge before they are read by a human recruiter.

In the case of stay-at-home moms returning to the workforce, it’s essential to correctly target your career sector of choice with  the right terms and action verbs . However, there are a number of key expressions which will be applicable to all parents in this position no matter the sector.

Words to Use

• Problem solving
• Attention-to-detail
• Adminstration
• Enthusiastic
• Preparation
• Multi-tasking
• Collaboration
• Responsible

Action Verbs

• Communicate

Stay-At-Home Mom Resume Tips and Ideas

During the formative years of your child’s life,  motherhood is itself a full time job . However, as he or she grows and a transition back into the workforce becomes a possibility, you may feel daunted by the gaps in your work experience that stay-at-home parents often have.

Nonetheless, there’s no need to panic. By creating  a smart stay-at-home mom resume that addresses this period of downtime in your career,  you can re-enter the labor market more smoothly.

If you’re not sure how to write a resume that carefully  explains your expertise in your chosen field and delicately describes your recent period of maternity leave , don’t worry. The following guide will give you a crash course on how to structure, write and present a stay-at-home mother resume that will resonate with employers. Combine these tips with our expert  resume generator  and you’ll be able to create the perfect resume to get your career back on track.

• Recommended:  Chronological
• No career experience:  Functional
• Write in a size 12 neutral font
• Use clear headers and subheaders
• Add some neutral colors to borders and dividing lines
• Choose a clear and tidy template
• Break up information heavy text into bullet points
• Contact information
• Resume summary

Work experience

Qualifications.

• Volunteering
• Certifications and courses
• Hobbies and interests

Resume Length

1-2 x letter pages (8.5” x 11”)

Unlike many other types of resume, you may need a different approach in the format structure you use. As most stay-at-home moms are  out of the workforce for months or years at a time , a  reverse chronological resume  format isn’t the most ideal one to choose. This form of resume is normally most effective as it highlights your most recent work experience. However, if your last job wasn’t very recent, then it could work as a disadvantage.

Instead, it’s better to use another sort of resume, such as a  functional  or  combination format . These both place  more emphasis on your skills and expertise  in the subject matter. They will still detail your work experience, however, their focus is much more on your abilities. This will give a hiring manager a much better incentive to consider you for the role on offer, than your career experience alone.

Whilst your stay-at-home mom resume for a return to work should read well, it also needs to look good. Whilst it doesn’t need to be a work of conceptual art you should  work to make sure that it is an attractive, tidy and easy to read the document .

First of all, write the informative text in a size 12, easy-to-read text. It’s best to stick to tried and tested fonts, such as  Arial, Calibri or Time New Roman  as these are simpler to scan-read. However, you can use a little more creative license with the headers and subheaders on the page. These can be written in a bigger text and more artistic fonts to make each section stand out and make the structure clearer to understand.

The template you choose should be able to present all the information you need to  fit on the page, cleanly and tidily . However, to make it that little bit more attractive, and therefore eye-catching to the recruiter, use some neutral color in the borders, headers and dividing lines.

In most careers across the USA,  a profile photo on your resume isn’t expected . This is due to strict employment discrimination laws, which recruiters will be eager to avoid breaking. Therefore this is rarely a requirement and adding a photo could even be disadvantageous to your application.

Sections of a Stay-At-Home Mom Resume

Employers sitting down to read your resume will want to see you best and most employable qualities first and foremostly. You, therefore, should seek to include the following  essential sections  on your resumes:

However, while you are on maternity leave, there are many activities and achievements you can also detail. These are especially important when you’re returning to work after a period of more than 4 months. Therefore, where relevant, you should seek to  include one or more of the following optional sections :

Your resume in any situation should be short and concise. In the case of a stay-at-home mom, this also rings true. It’s recommended you keep your document to just  a single letter page of 8.5” x 11” . However, if you have experience, achievements or qualifications that are essential, and push the text to over 2 pages, this is also possible. Overall though, the less dense your resume is the better, as many recruiters won’t read past one page.

Stay-At-Home Mom Resume Section Headings

There are many strategies you can use to  address the gap in your career history  during your maternity leave. One of the best places to explain these spaces in your work experience is in your  career objective  or  resume summary  section.

This couple of sentences will not only allow you to explain your situation, but it will also help you highlight your most employable skills. Additionally, you can  use this section to restate your enthusiasm  for your previous career or to reenter the workforce, with a demonstrable passion that will be irresistible for an organization.

The  work experience section  on a stay-at-home mom resume is still highly important, although is quite different from the ones on conventional resumes. As always, you should still  seek to present the information about your previous roles in reverse chronological order  and include details, such as:

• The name of the company
• Your position title
• The dates you were employed between
• A list of your duties in the position

However, unlike other application documents, you may wish to include jobs from further back in your career, to  give a more complete picture of your expertise . Furthermore, any volunteering work and part-time work experience you’ve gained in the intervening months or years should be included. This is still practical work and is a demonstration of your eagerness to keep active professionally.

In many cases, the  skills section  of your return to the workforce resume will still  focus on the most employable abilities in your chosen career . One big difference is that your time away from the workforce can be used to further embellish your talents and abilities.

Let’s not forget, being a mother is work in itself, and there are  numerous practical skills that can be attained from your time looking after your baby . It’s a good idea to mention any skills you’ve attained during the months you were raising your children full time. In terms of  hard and soft skills  these could include:

Hard skills:

• Organization and prioritization
• Food preparation
• Crisis management

Soft skills:

• Emotional intelligence
• Communication
• Time management
• Responsibility

If you already hold a degree or relevant qualifications for the role you’re targeting, you should naturally include it in the  education section . However, bear in mind that  gaining a qualification or furthering your studies during your maternity leave  can also be a very encouraging sign to future employers.

There are many online courses in  relevant subjects such as accounting, marketing and administration  that can be completed online or in your own home whilst you’re taking care of your baby. Therefore, be sure to get this onto your resume, if this is the case.

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Stay At Home Mom Resume Example

If you’ve been a stay-at-home mom for the past 5 or even more years, returning back to work can feel extremely exciting and frightening.

Check out this article provided by the US Bureau of Labor Statistics on stay-at-home mothers through the years.

After such a large gap in your employment history, you may feel like your skills have gotten a bit rusty. And you may even feel like you don’t have much to offer as a part of the workforce. The good news is that it’s not quite true. You have all it takes to land a job and, with this guide, you are just a few scrolls away from your killer stay at home mom resume example .

First of all, even if you’ve been out of the game for some time, you still have some experiences to put on your stay at home mom resume. Besides, needless to say, that stay-at-home moms do have some real superpowers. So, all you need is to know a few tricks for transforming all you have into a flawless resume .

In this guide, you’ll discover dozens of head-turning stay at home mom resumes examples , and actionable tips for creating your own resume. Follow through to learn what makes a resume perfect and get ready for your grandiose return to the workforce.

How To Write a Stay At Home Mom Resume

Writing a convincing job application that can make potential employers want to recruit and eventually employ you isn’t an easy task when you’ve been out of the workforce for a while. You may have the right level of qualification, excellent education, and even lots of relevant professional experience. But, if your experience gap is too big, rejoining the workforce can be tough.

To get back into the game, you will need to craft a winning resume that will drive the recruiter’s attention and get you employed. As you can guess, ensuring success as a stay at home parent won’t be easy. So, it’s quite natural if you are wondering how to write a resume being a stay-at-home mom.

To get you started, let’s look at some basic tips :

• Tailor your resumes to a stay at home mom job description. Using a stay at home mom job description for resume helps you avoid making a generic resume that doesn’t stand out.
• Focus on the key skills you already have.
• Distract recruiters from your experience gap by putting the experiences section near the bottom of a resume, using only years for work dates, and drawing more attention to the skills section.
• Boost your chances to succeed in the job search by acquiring new skills.
• Complement your resume with a powerful cover letter.

Choose the Right Template for a Stay At Home Mom Resume

Now, let’s move to the actionable steps for writing a brilliant resume for stay at home mom. The first thing to take care of is the formatting and template for your resume .

The truth is, even if you’ve been out of the workforce for years, you still got everything to succeed. All you need is to lay it out for the recruiter the right way. So, here are a few handy tips for choosing a perfect stay at home mom resume template that will help you engage recruiters and employers:

• The reverse-chronological format is your best bet. Often, writing guides advise using a functional resume format in resumes for stay at home moms as it allows you to “hide” the gaps. But, your goal is not to hide but to explain your gaps.
• Don’t go over the limits with your design, fonts, and other elements. Keep it simple and clean.
• Structure your resume with consistent headings.
• Don’t make it cluttered with the info and leave lots of white space.
• Convert to PDF.

How to Write a Resume for Stay At Home Mom with No Experience

Writing a solid stay at home mom resume is hard by default as you will have to explain to the hiring managers why you had these huge gaps in your employment history. But, if you have no employment history at all, things get even tougher. Or, at least, so it seems.

Here are a few tips to help make resume sample for stay at home mom returning to work and still prove you are a great employee:

• Start with a resume objective.
• Put your education and skills sections higher.
• Emphasize the skills you have.
• Add extra sections.
• Bonus Tip: Consider an online job.

In this guide, we will also share with you a well-written sample resume created by pro resume writers for stay at home mom at Skillhub with no work experience created by one of our experts with years of experience in the resume writing business. Be sure to check it out to see how these tips work in practice.

Put Your Education on Resume or a Stay At Home Mom

The education requirements will always get down to the type of job you’d like to occupy. For example, opting for a job in finance, you will probably need at least a BA in a relevant field, but you may not be required to have a degree if you apply for a stay at home job. Despite this, the education section should always be included on a resume stay at home mom. After all, even if it’s not required for a job, at least it will help you make the right impression and get more interviews.

Besides, a solid education section can make up for the lack of experience or large gap.

Here is how to make it flawless:

• Don’t list only the highest level of education. Expand your section with other entries.
• Include such basic details as:
• School name/location
• Study years
• Provide extra info, such as minors (if any), relevant coursework, GPA, awards & honors, and other valuable accomplishments.

Put Skills on a Stay At Home Mom Resume

Whether you do or don’t have previous work experience, be sure that you do have plenty of vital skills. In fact, if you are a stay at home mom returning to work you probably have much more to offer employers than you could think. All you need to do is to prove this to the hiring manager and you will become a worthy applicant.

To put skills on a stay at home mom resume sample the right way, simply list the key soft and hard skills in a separate section. Also, don’t forget to include the best skills in your resume summary or objective and confirm them in your education and experience sections.

Here is a list of some of the most valuable stay at home mom resume skills job seekers may want to have in their applications:

• Organizational skills
• Computer & Internet skills
• Adaptability
• Self-motivation
• Written and verbal communication
• Strong ability to work under stress and pressure
• Time management skills
• Multi-tasking
• Conflict resolution
• Decision making

Add Contact Info to Your Resume

If you ask us what is the most integral part inherent in every sample resume for stay at home mom, that’s definitely a contact info section.

It should include:

• Phone number (important: updated and error-free)
• Professionally-looking email address
• Extras like links to your social media accounts.

Pro Tip: Please note that depending on the stay home moms jobs you are applying for, you may also need to show what you’re capable of through a personal portfolio. If that’s the case, be sure to make a clear and inspiring portfolio and include the link in the contact info section.

Add Other Sections to Your Effective Resume

Whether you have many years of experience gap or no past employment history at all, you will need to compensate for that through other sections of your resume . First of all, as you already know, you will need to emphasize your skills and education sections. But even that’s not all.

If you are wondering how to get a job after being a stay at home mom for 20 years, we recommend showing recruiting firms more of you with additional resume sections. Extra sections help to make up for the lack of experience and showcase your personality. Therefore, they can significantly boost your chances of being hired because (despite a common belief) employers are looking to hire humans, so they would love to learn more about your true self. 

So, what extra sections can help you land the working at home mom jobs of your choice? Here are some ideas you can use for your stay at home mom resumes samples:

• Languages - Knowing a foreign language gives a competitive advantage.
• Volunteering - Volunteering experiences on stay at home mom resume samples always attract attention.
• Hobbies & interests - If you have hobbies and interests that somehow align with the job, they can be a great addition to your resume.

Add Cover Letter to Your Stay At Home Mom Resume

If you are just about to return to the workforce after a large break, you will need to seek every possibility to impress the recruiters and grab it. Namely, to land a solid work at home mom job, you will need to prepare a killer cover letter.

Even if you have a job-winning sample resume for stay at home moms, a cover letter is one more opportunity to give your career a head start. So, you should make use of this opportunity.

Now, how can one create a top-notch stay at home mom resume cover letter? Here are the main points to keep in mind while writing:

• Keep it concise, meanwhile providing maximum value.
• Organize your cover letter well.
• Write it in a clear, formal, and positive tone.
• Get straight to the point.
• Use it to showcase your communication skills, stand out from the crowd of competitors, and make your application memorable.

Use Key Action Verbs

Why do you need resume keywords and action verbs on your resume for a stay at home mom going back to work? There are 3 big reasons:

• This way you avoid cliches and generic phrases.
• It helps your resume get noticed by the applicant tracking system (ATS).
• It helps make the right impression on recruiters.

But, what words exactly do you need to use? Here is a list of effective action verbs to consider:

• Participated
• Volunteered
• Contributed
• Spearheaded
• Accomplished
• Succeeded in

Stay At Home Mom Returning To Work Resume

The tips and steps we’ve shared so far work for all types of resumes. However, if you are writing a stay at home mom returning to work resume specifically, there are a few more tips we’d like to give you.

If you are returning to the workforce, write a skills-focused resume. When writing your sample resume stay at home mom returning to work, you want to emphasize your skills from the time when you were professionally active, as well as those skills you gained afterward. And don’t let your employment gap distract you, if the gap was too big, you just need to de-emphasize this section of your resume.

Start your resume with a summary instead of an objective. List a few key skills and professional achievements, and quantify them where possible.

In this guide, you can find many great resume for stay at home mom returning to work examples. Be sure to check them out to see what you should do to land an interview with ease.

Work From Home Resume

Things can be a bit more tricky when applying for a stay at home work. The problem is that employers can’t really test your skills before they hire you for a particular job, which is why they will be even more attentive when checking your resume.

Here are a few tips to help you nail a work from home resume:

• Make an extensive experiences section. List all relevant jobs and add 3-5 bullet points. You may also list positions that are not relevant to the job you are applying for, but you should indicate transferable skills.
• Use relevant keywords.
• List your strongest soft and hard skills.
• If you need a portfolio, create one and add a link to your contact info section.
• Find ways to build up some useful and relevant qualifications and/or skills.
• Also, when applying for a stay at home job, be ready to complete some sort of a test task.

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Stay at Home Mom Resume Example: Organize Your Transition Back to the Workforce

Let’s admit it: running a household can be as challenging as running a business. So you have a lot to offer as a job candidate, even if it’s been several years since you have set foot into an actual office.

For those, who are ready to transition back to the workforce, we have prepared several actionable resume writing tips (unique to your situation), plus a compelling stay at home mom resume example that you can use to model your own resume. 

So let’s start working on your job application!

1. Revise Your Skill Set

Maybe it’s been a while since you took a regular job, but raising kids has also given you some unique skills. Those are marketable and in-demand right now! It’s just a matter of how you present your expertise to the potential employer.

After all, as a stay at home mom, you have likely developed some transferable skills such as active listening, conflict resolution, budgeting and basic accounting, multi-tasking, people management skills, organization, research and the ultimate mom superpower – negotiation. All of them can be effectively applied in the workplace.

There are several ways to identify the skills worth putting on your new resume:

• Review your past employment history and jot down the hard skills that you’ve gained. Focus on those that are still up-to-date.
• Analyze your volunteering experience – did you get involved in any community initiatives? Helped out with some sports/church events? Assisted during school trips? All of these activities helped you gain some skills and can be listed on your new resume.
• Running a household has also taught you a thing or two, right? Perhaps, you became a pro in managing budgets and allowances, syncing everyone’s schedules, and organizing family trips. Again, these skills can be applied outside of the home.
• Started a mom blog, took some occasional freelance gigs? Absolutely mention these on your resume!

For even more ideas on describing your skills, check our ever-growing collection of resume examples for various professions !

2. Address Your Employment Gap

Of course, every employer will wonder why your career history does look that “fresh”. Instead of leaving them to wonder, you can proactively address the employment gap in several ways:

• List your SAHM (stay at home mom) experience as a job entry. Give your “position” a title (e.g. Chief Home Officer), include dates and outline the activities and skills you have gained during that time.
• Alternatively, you can describe your situation in a cover letter . State that you have been raising kids for some time, and did this and that in the meantime. Don’t go into explaining what an awesome mom you were. Instead, focus on the skills you’ve gained, plus highlight volunteering/community experience (if any).

3. Choose The Optimal Resume Format

There are three main resume formats out there:

• Chronological resumes – listing your work experience in reverse chronological order. It’s a “standard” among recruiters. Opt for this option if you plan to list your SAHM experience.
• Functional resumes – place the emphasis on your skills and abilities over specific job history. This is a more creative resume format, thus it may not be suitable for every position.
• Combination resumes – a happy combo of the above types. It organizes the information in skill themes as the functional one does, but these “themes” are backed by more detailed work history. This is a good choice for a stay at home mom resume too, but again, it may not resonate with every employer.

Resume Sample For Stay at Home Mom (Word version)

Download resume example (.docx)

Stay at Home Mom Resume Example (text version)

Administrative Assistant with Graphic Design Skills

Experienced administrative assistant and receptionist with a track record of working in the publishing industry. Easy-going, punctual, multi-tasker, capable of working in high-pressure environments. Able to handle travel planning, telephone support, appointment bookings, vendor relationships. Have basic graphic design skills and can design marketing collateral. 

• Microsoft Office and Google Docs
• Adobe Photoshop, Adobe Lightroom and Adobe In-Design
• Amadeus Travel Booking Platform
• Project management tools (Trello, Asana), familiarity with CRM systems

Work Experience

Chief House Manager, Tampa, FL 

(June 2010 – present)

• Manager to a family of two kids (5 and 9 years), three cats and one dog.
• Organized family daily/weekly schedules.
• Took care of the family budget, kids allowances and monthly accounting tasks.
• Organized family trips abroad (two times per year): researched and booked flights, handled car rentals, booked hotels and developed custom travel routes.
• Effectively multi-task during almost every activity.
• Researched and implemented various extracurricular activities for social and mental development of the kids.

Book Club President,  Tampa, FL 

(Feb 2017 – present)

• Started a monthly book club in partnership with the local community center.
• Hosted monthly sessions: prepared the room, organized basic catering (snacks and hot beverages) sent out an attendance reminder to all the participants, collected a membership fee (used towards catering), did basic accounting and reporting on expenses.
• Discussion leader: prepared a list of questions for discussion, moderated the sessions, organized the voting for new books.

Freelance Graphic Designer, Tampa, FL 

(November 2017 – January 2018)

• Was hired to design promotional leaflets for the local bookstore. Was responsible for ideation, design and printing.
• Designed a new custom logo for the store’s website and newsletter.
• Created a custom newsletter design.
• Review my portfolio items at (link to your online portfolio)

Publishing Assistant at Medical Textbook Publisher, Tampa, FL 

(August 2007–June 2010)

• Centrally maintained all author and vendor information in the company’s CRM system.
• Conducted regular correspondence with authors to receive forms and keep them up to date.
• Organized Editorial Board Meetings
• Maintained all project files and created a custom catalog system.
• Was responsible for organizing business trips for the company’s top management.

The University of Tampa, Tampa, FL 

B.A. in English Literature GPA: 3.8 Debate Club President

Conclusions 

This stay at home mom resume sample is written using a chronological resume format. The author openly states that for the past decade she’s been out of the workforce, however, she managed to develop some new hard skills (graphic design), as well as prominently highlights her organizational abilities and people’s skills.

Ultimately, she positions herself as a hireable candidate with a variety of skills gained both from being a mom, a volunteer and a freelancer. And you can do the same by taking time to identify the valuable skills you have and demonstrating them to your next employer in an attractive professional resume !

Elena runs content operations at Freesumes since 2017. She works closely with copywriters, designers, and invited career experts to ensure that all content meets our highest editorial standards. Up to date, she wrote over 200 career-related pieces around resume writing, career advice... more

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I was raised to be a stay-at-home mom — that's not a lifestyle I can afford, though

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• My parents were happy to see me go to college, but they assumed I'd be a stay-at-home mom.
• In reality, it's just not realistic to raise a family on a single income, so I've had to adjust my plans.
• If I could tell my past self one thing, it would be that the stay-at-home lifestyle isn't sustainable.

The child of a 1960s Baptist minister, my mom's path through life was laid out for her. She would marry young, have children, and stay home to raise them while her husband brought home the bacon. She has flourished in this role for 40 years, like her mother before her, and her mother before that.

Growing up a daughter in this lineage of homemakers made my career path fairly obvious. Not that my parents weren't interested in breaking any generational cycles — they expected me to graduate from college, and my talent for writing was seen and encouraged from a very young age.

Still, for both religious and practical reasons, they encouraged me to be a stay-at-home mom. Instead of thinking about retirement planning or putting money in the bank , I learned how to cook, clean, and run a household. I tried following that plan, but I wasn't prepared for the reality I'd face.

My husband's salary isn't enough for our needs

I went to college as expected, and I married a man on track to being a good earner. I had my first baby at 22 and immediately began putting my homemaking skills to work as a stay-at-home mom.

Stay-at-home moms work relentless, thankless jobs. Salary.com estimates that a stay-at-home mom's work is worth over $184,820 annually. However, the reality is that a stay-at-home mom's compensation is a share of whatever their primary earning partner makes. In a world where value is defined exclusively by dollar signs, this arrangement means the work of a stay-at-home mom is considered a luxury at best and parasitic at worst.

Financially, trying to bankroll an entire family off of one income in a society that has shifted to two-income households being the norm is a rich person's game — a game that neither my upbringing nor my marriage prepared me to play. My husband earns a solid salary, but it's not enough.

This isn't because my husband and I live extravagantly. We indulge in the usual middle-class luxuries of annual summer vacations, putting our kids in recreational sports leagues, and Amazon Prime memberships. But we're also conscious of our budget — we buy our groceries at Aldi, make our coffee at home, and drive used cars.

We live in the Kansas City area, where a study from SmartAsset  shows that for a family of four to live comfortably, they must make $213,325 a year. Our family has five members, and my husband doesn't make nearly that amount. The answer is obvious: I have to make an income, too.

I was taught my relationship with money was saving, not earning

This reality contradicts the expectation of my upbringing, which was that my greatest financial contribution to my family would be the ways I could save money , not the ways I could make it. However, it also means that all the time I spent preparing for my career as a stay-at-home mom should have been spent padding my résumé.

As an adult, despite my lack of preparedness, I've never been able to escape the necessity of a second income. Earning enough to supplement my husband's salary has meant conducting a gig lifestyle I would have never chosen over a traditional full-time job. Since I started our marriage assuming that I'd be a stay-at-home mom, I took over everything that entails — more than a full-time job's worth of labor. On top of that, I spend upwards of 40 hours a week trying to make money.

There's also an emotional cost I've paid. If you've been paying attention to social media over the last year, you've likely seen a rise in "trad wife" content — a movement where stay-at-home moms insist they love their work as homemakers and have no career aspirations beyond baking their children Goldfish from scratch. They aren't lying about the appeal — the simplicity, flexibility, and creativity of a stay-at-home mom's work is wonderful, and while I've always loved writing as well, I often yearn for the career I was raised to have. Except I can't afford it.

I don't blame my parents. They taught me what they believed was right, and how could they know the world they were preparing me for would no longer exist by the time I reached adulthood? However, if I could go back in time and tell my younger self one thing, it would be that the well-worn path of my foremothers would be closed to travelers by the time I got there, so I better start forging my own.

Watch: Why childcare has become so unaffordable

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Over 90% of stay-at-home moms face obstacles re-entering workforce, survey says

Indeed economists calculated that 854,000 moms were unemployed in 2022.

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Michael Lee Strategy founder Michael Lee argues 'massive bank contagion' will prohibit the robust April jobs report from turning around the stock market on 'Varney & Co.'

A majority of stay-at-home moms are facing challenges when trying to re-enter the workforce, according to recent data. It comes at a time when financial pressures are mounting .

According to the data from Indeed, 93% of stay-at-home moms have experienced or are anticipating challenges when trying to re-enter the workforce. The data also showed that more than 50% of stay-at-home moms hope to re-enter the workforce within the next 12 months, with the biggest driver being macroeconomic uncertainties. 

About 73% have already faced bias while undergoing the hiring process because they are a stay-at-home mom, according to the survey. In fact, nearly 60% of those surveyed said one of the biggest challenges to re-enter the workforce is that their current role as a stay-at-home mom is seen as a resume or employment gap by an employer. 

US JOB GROWTH BEATS EXPECTATIONS IN APRIL AS ECONOMY ADDS 253,000 NEW POSITIONS

As many as 53% said they also feel undervalued in experience. However, Indeed's survey showed how stay-at-home moms acquire skills that are highly transferable and valued in the workplace . For instance, a majority of stay-at-home moms said they have mastered multitasking and managing their household budgets, according to the results. 

A woman uses her laptop and reviews paperwork while working from home. (iStock / iStock)

Kristen Shah, Indeed's career trend expert, told FOX Business that "stay-at-home moms are a massively underutilized part of the labor force, with extremely desirable skills." 

This comes at a time when employers are struggling to navigate the tight labor market, according to Shah. 

"This is worrisome because as employers are struggling to fill jobs, moms are struggling to find interviews and employers who are receptive to them," Shah added. "There needs to be harmony between both players."

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Given the flexible work policies, there's even a better opportunity for moms to "position their skills in a way that will resonate with employers and help fill those hiring gaps," Shah added.

Employers 253,000 jobs in April, the Labor Department said in its monthly payroll report. That easily beat the 180,000 jobs forecast by Refinitiv economists. The unemployment rate ticked lower to 3.4%, a historically low level, as more workers left the labor force. 

A woman working from a home office.  (iStock / iStock)

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"Despite all these positive indicators, the economy is not working for moms," she said. 

Shah pointed to the fact that there is still a significant number of unemployed moms in the U.S. Using data from the Labor Department, Indeed economists calculated that 854,000 moms were unemployed in 2022.

Shah is encouraging businesses to rethink their approach. 

"Are you rejecting skilled candidates simply because of a resume gap? Resume gaps are not skills gaps, and mom skills are work skills," she added. 

FOX Business' Megan Henney and the Associated Press contributed to this report. 

I'm a stay-at-home mom, raising 3 kids while also working part-time. I wake up at 3 a.m. to get everything done.

• As a stay-at-home mom and part-time worker, I have to optimize my morning routine. 
• My day sometimes starts around 3 a.m. and I get most of my work done before my kids wake up.
• Achieving work-life balance is tricky but I found what works for me. 

"So, what time did you get up today?" my friend asked me the other day while hanging out at the park with our kids.

"3:30 in the morning," I responded while giving my daughter another push on the swing and keeping an eye on the other two as they ran around the park.

She chuckled and shook her head, which is the typical reaction I get when I tell people about my hectic mornings.

I'm primarily a stay-at-home mom , which means I make lots of snacks, go on lots of playdates, and drink lots of coffee. But I also make a full-time income working part-time.

Whenever I outline my morning routine , people look at me like they're not sure I'm telling the truth. But I assure you, it's very true, and I have the bags under my eyes to prove it.

I started freelance writing early in the morning

When our son was born in 2016, I was a full-time teacher, and my husband was the stay-at-home parent. After our second kid turned a year old, we switched roles so that I could stay home while he went back to a full-time job . While I knew I wanted to stay home with our kids, I also wanted to make money from home to help us reach our financial goals.

I began freelance writing, and in order to do this while I was still teaching, I started getting up around 4:30 every morning. Even after I quit my job, early mornings were still the easiest time to get work done with a then 3- and 1-year-old. In 2020, we added our youngest, and balancing work and life became even more important — and challenging.

But by the fourth year, I had replaced my full-time income with part-time writing, which I credit to a solid morning routine.

I've learned to optimize my morning routine

My routine has evolved over the five years I've been a stay-at-home mom and freelance writer. I've had to adjust my wake-up time depending on my youngest's sleep schedule , and I've added wellness routines to help get me going for the day.

My morning routine actually starts the night before by setting the coffee pot, laying out my yoga mat, filling a water bottle, and putting on mouth tape. Setting everything up before I go to bed definitely helps me stay on track when I wake up.

Depending on how much work I must do, my wake-up time fluctuates between 3 and 4:30 a.m. For the first 15 minutes, I chug water and then typically listen to a motivational speech compilation on YouTube while I stretch and do pushups and crunches . Then I chug a little more water, followed immediately by coffee.

After that, I switch into work mode. On Sundays, I set up my weekly schedule, which maps out what I need to do each day. This makes it easier to get started and stay focused on the tasks at hand. I get what I need to get done by 5:40.

From 5:40 to 6 a.m., my daughter wakes up and typically finds something to do while I finish what I'm doing. For the next hour, my two older kids get up and get ready for school . I then get them on the bus.

From 7 to 8 a.m., I work out and get ready. My youngest typically plays while I workout or joins me in the workout area. She then watches a show while I get ready for the day. When I'm dressed, I tidy up the kitchen, read some books, and do an activity with my youngest.

By 9 or 9:30 a.m., we're ready to hang out or head off to an activity. By front-loading my days, I have the rest of the day to play with my daughter, tend to the house, and catch up on any work that I can slip in throughout the day.

I've learned to find the right balance

Work-life balance is tricky to achieve, and sometimes, it feels impossible. Part of the problem is that there's no blueprint or template, and it looks different for everyone.

The bottom line is figuring out what works for you. I'm naturally a morning person, so getting up early isn't much of a stretch, but I hate working after the kids go to bed. So, sometimes balance means writing part of an article in my head while I push my daughter's sled down the hill. Other times, it means getting up at 3 a.m. because I have deadlines to meet and we're traveling.

Things will look different when my daughter heads to school in the fall. I'm not sure how often I'll get up at 3 a.m., but I'll also be heading to fewer storytimes and playdates. I know I can handle anything as long as I stay flexible and my schedule is ready to move.

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