stay at home mom resume summary example

11 Stay at Home Mom Resume Examples That Worked in 2023

• Stay at Home Mom Resumes
• Back to Work Resumes
• Homemaking 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 to  write in your 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 11 stay at home mom resume samples to help you  craft a resume  that will land you your dream job in 2023. 

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.

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.

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!

Related resume guides

• Substitute Teacher
• Camp Counselor
• Career Change

Stay-at-home Mom Resume Examples & Writing Guide for 2023

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 2023 Complete Guide to Remote Work [W/ Tips & Tricks]
• Guide to Nonprofit Jobs & Careers [Complete Guide]

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• Resume Examples
• Stay at Home Mom Resume Example & Job Description Tips

Stay at Home Mom Resume Example & Job Description Tips

You're a stay-at-home mom with mad skills, but how can you show them in a resume? We'll help you whip up a stay-at-home mom resume so stunning, Mary Poppins would be envious!

As seen in:

As a stay-at-home mom, you deserve the perfect resume. We both know you can do it all: manage, delegate, communicate. Plus, you know how to bend space-time, bilocate, and do 10 different things at the same time! You’ve got everything it takes to succeed.

So, what’s the problem? First, the hiring manager doesn’t know this. Second, how do you put stay-at-home mom on your resume and land a job? Not to worry! You’re literally 5 minutes away from your kickass stay-at-home mom resume!

This guide will show you:

• A stay-at-home mom resume better than 9 out of 10 other resumes.
• How to write a stay-at-home mom resume that will land you more interviews.
• Tips and examples of how to put skills and achievements on a homemaker resume.
• How to describe your experience on a resume for a SAHM to return to the workforce and get any job you want.

Want to save time and have your resume ready in 5 minutes? Try our resume builder. It’s fast and easy to use. Plus, you’ll get ready-made content to add with one click. See 20+ resume templates and create your resume here .

Sample resume made with our builder— See more resume samples here .

Don't know what kind of jobs to search for? See:

• Best Jobs for Stay at Home Moms
• Best Work from Home Jobs

Thinking of a career change? We’ve got you covered:

• Career Change Resume Example and Writing Guide

Trying to prepare a resume with no work experience? Jump right in:

• No Work Experience Resume Example and Writing Guide

Stay-at-Home Mom Resume Example

Teresa Childress

Stay-at-Home Mom

123-456-7890

[email protected]

linkedin.com/in/teresa.childress

Enthusiastic and nurturing Stay-at-Home Mom with over 10 years of childcare experience. Eager to support Genisys Ed in fostering an engaging and safe learning environment. Successfully managed a household for Public Household while tutoring and enhancing the critical educational skills of two children. Helped them raise their English grades by 15% by creating activities that incentivized them to read books.

Household Manager / Personal Tutor

Public Household, Oklahoma City, OK

January 2011–Present

Key Qualifications & Responsibilities

• Designed and implemented an educational curriculum tailored to the developmental needs of two children.
• Developed activities to foster empathy.
• Balanced daily routines, including school activities, sports, and personal care.
• Managed household tasks such as budgeting, meal planning, and scheduling.

Key Achievement:

• Children achieved 15% higher English scores in school due to personalized tutoring.

Part-Time Tutor

Innovaris Solutions, Oklahoma City, OK

January 2008–December 2010

• Tutored students in English and Mathematics, improving their understanding and school performance.
• Prepared and graded practice exercises for continuous learning.
• Designed exercises based on the strengths and weaknesses of each child.
• Assisted a student to improve from a C to an A grade in Mathematics within a semester.

Bachelor of Arts in Education

University of Oklahoma, Norman, OK

June 2004–May 2008

Academic Achievements

• Graduated with Honors.
• Time Management
• Organization
• Multitasking
• Communication Skills
• Problem-solving
• Basic Mathematics
• English language proficiency

Certification:

• First Aid, American Red Cross, 2015
• English—Native proficiency
• Reading educational psychology books.
• Maintaining a parenting blog.

What’s the Best Format for a Stay-at-Home Mom Resume?  

Let’s start with the basics. As a stay-at-home mom, your organizational skills are beyond compare. That’s a fact. Now you need to prove them to the hiring manager.

For starters, lay your resume out in the reverse-chronological resume format . It will help you keep your stay-at-home mom resume nice, clean, and easy to follow.

But what about the so-called functional resume format? The internet is full of advice about how it can help you hide gaps in employment.

Don’t try to hide anything. Honesty is the name of the game.

Just think about it:

If you know that the functional resume is for those who want to hide something, you can be sure that the recruiter knows that too! They’ll immediately assume you’re hiding something. And that’s exactly what you’d be doing.

That’s why it’s always better to explain your career gaps rather than hide them. More on that in the following sections.

Now that you know what resume format is the best for a stay-at-home mom, just remember:

• Use white space wisely, and do not squeeze in too much information.
• Don’t go too crazy with your fonts. Stick to the resume-friendly ones .
• Write simple headings.

Also, export your stay-at-home mom resume to a PDF file —it will keep its original shape on all computers, mobile devices, and operating systems. All good?

Let’s move on to the first section of your stay-at-home mom resume.

If you’re in two minds about the format your “return-to-workforce” resume have a look at The Best Resume Format for Your Needs or laser in on Combination Resume Template and Examples .

Stay-at-Home Mom Resume Summary or Resume Objective?

A good resume must be like a YouTube bumper ad—it must leave a lasting impression in seconds. So, how to make sure your resume will pack a wallop?

To paraphrase a famous line: Start with an earthquake.

Craft a smashing summary of qualifications for your stay-at-home mom resume.

It’s the first thing the recruiter lays their eyes on, so it better be good.

If your professional experience is truly impressive, go for a resume summary . As the name suggests, it’s a short summary of your work experience that matches the position you’re after.

On the other hand, if your experience is limited, stick to a resume objective . In other words, 2-3 sentences explaining why you’re a perfect fit for the position.

“It all looks so wonderful,” you think, “but I’ve been a stay-at-home mom for the past two years, for Chrissake! And it’s all about professional experience... How do I even start?”

First off, don’t get distracted by your employment gap. Second, look back to when you were professionally active and take it from there.

Here’s what a stay-at-home mom resume summary may look like:

Stay-at-Home Mom Resume Sample—Summary

To write a good stay-at-home-mom resume summary you need to:

• Focus on the job you’re applying for.
• Be specific about your experience.
• Show your achievement(s).
• Back whatever possible with numbers.

For a change, take a look at the wrong example:

No information about the candidate’s track-record. Nothing specific about her experience. No mention of achievements. No numbers to back things up. That’s an F minus.

Show your best professional side from the very start! You likely have 299+ other candidates to beat!

Here’s what a stay-at-home mom resume objective may look like:

Stay-at-Home Mom Resume Sample—Objective

The first candidate is very good at marketing herself. The objective she wrote presents strong personal traits, blends in experience, demonstrates achievements, and shows the benefit for the school.

The other candidate may also have a lot to offer. Who knows? It just doesn’t show.

Plus, this is the section where you might want to mention being a stay-at-home mom. It’s not obligatory. But if you feel like it, just add an extra sentence.

It could read something like: “Spent the past 3 years being a fully engaged parent—now eager to return to pursuing a full-time career.”

And remember:

You can just as well leave such explanations for the experience section. More on that below.

When making a resume in our builder, drag & drop bullet points, skills, and auto-fill the boring stuff. Spell check? Check . Start building a  professional resume template here for free .

When you’re done, our easy resume builder will score your resume and our resume checker will tell you exactly how to make it better.

Not sure how to write your stay-at-home mom resume objective or summary? Jump right into one of our guides: Resume Objective Examples and Writing Guide and Resume Summary Examples and Writing Guide  If you prefer to keep your summary short and punchy, see: Resume Headline (Title) Examples

Stay-at-Home-Mom Job Description for a Resume

Remember? Your resume must be like a YouTube bumper ad.  You only have 6 seconds to make it click with the recruiter.

And the experience section of your stay-at-home mom resume is exactly where the click happens! This section calls for special care and attention. So, how to get it right?

Reply to a specific job ad!

Long gone are the times when a generic resume did the trick. Most recruiters use the so-called ATS (Applicant Tracking System) software which screens resumes for keywords.

What resume keywords ?

Most likely, the ones used in the original job posting. That’s exactly why you need to be specific.

Pro Tip: Looking for a job as a stay-at-home? Here’s an article with ideas on 20+ jobs for stay-at-home moms.

Let’s assume you’re looking for something you could do remotely. Here’s a sample job description for an outreach specialist who can work from anywhere:

Responsibilities:

• Perform outreach to website owners, bloggers, journalists, major media outlets, and influencers
• Build outreach email lists for content promotion campaigns
• Create content with outreach and PR potential
• Pitch and place content with top-tier publications via networking and relationship building
• Research and test new PR and link building tactics
• Track and report progress to managers and clients
• Improve site rankings and increase brand awareness through outreach and digital PR practices

When describing your stay-at-home mom resume experience, make sure it mirrors the employer's requirements.

Here’s what your experience section may look like:

Stay-at-Home Mom Resume Sample—Experience

Junior Outreach Specialist

Best Media, New York, NY, January 2015-June 2016

• Performed outreach to bloggers and influencers with the success rate of ~80%
• Built, maintained, and updated email databases of up to 5K entries each
• Created content for 3 different PR and marketing campaigns
• Continuously researched and tested new PR and link building tactics that increased e-mail response rate from 8 to 20%
• Tracked and analyzed progress and effectiveness of campaigns and reported to managers on a weekly basis

Now this resume for a homemaker reads like a resume for a C-suite moneymaker . Plus, each bullet point lists an achievement. It basically tells the recruiter how well you are able to perform your duties.

Here’s the deal:

To nail your stay-at-home mom resume experience section, stick to these guidelines:

• Use resume action words to highlight your skills.
• Describe your experience in terms of  achievements, not responsibilities. In other words, show how well you’re able to carry out your responsibilities.
• Use numbers wherever possible to back things up.

Simple, yet effective! Now—

It's time to address the elephant in the room: gaps in employment.

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

You’re creating a resume that has information about your jobs from before you became a stay-at-home mom. So, add your experience as a stay-at-home mom to the resume just like you’d add any other position: add a job title, dates, and your achievements.

Explain what was going on, and focus on the skills you learned that may be relevant to the position you’re seeking. Here’s an example:

Stay-at-Home Mom Resume Sample—Gaps in a Resume for Stay-at-Home Moms

June 2016–june 2018.

Spent two years parenting a baby daughter. Now, eager to return to pursuing a full-time career. In that time:

• networked with other stay-at-home moms and organized a 50+ member Facebook group for moms to swap clothes and exchange parenting advice
• set up a shop on Etsy offering handmade knitwear, and ran AdWords, Facebook, and Instagram campaigns to advertise it
• volunteered at local garage sales to prepare posters and maps

Yes—it is a gap in employment, indeed. But it’s full of activities showing how productive you are!

Remember: It’s not about hiding information from the recruiter. It’s about showing them that you haven’t lost it! A career gap is not the end of the world—it’s just a phase.

When returning to the workforce, your stay-at-home mom resume is all about the value you can bring to the company.

Pro Tip: Are you a stay-at-home mom reentering the workforce? Your experience isn’t up to par, and your flame is waning slowly? Here’s a great article on how stay-at-home moms can keep the pilot light on under their careers .

And one more thing:

If you want to get a job after being a stay-at-home mom, resist the temptation to list your domestic activities in the experience section.

We both know that being a homemaker is a full-time job. But a list of chores is not exactly what the recruiter is looking for on your stay-at-home mom resume.

Still not feeling good about the gaps in your resume? Here’s a guide on How to Explain Gaps in Employment

Confused about how to nail this section of your stay-at-home mom resume? We’ve got you covered: Work Experience on a Resume: Job Description Bullets that *Kill*

How to Put a Stay-at-Home Mom Skills on a Resume

A quick fact:

Stay-at-home moms have some badass superpowers.

Reality check:

You don’t put badass superpowers in your stay-at-home mom resume skills section (however cool it may look!) So, what do you do? Let’s go back, and double-check your stay-at-home mom resume experience section.

You don’t need to scroll up. Here it is:

Best Media, January 2015-June 2016

If we rephrase the highlighted parts, we’ll end up with a list that may look like that:

• outreach and communication skills
• database management
• content writing
• research skills
• testing skills
• analytical skills

If you craft the experience section carefully, you will show the recruiter exactly the skills they’re looking for!

Let’s take it a step further, and take one more look at your gap in employment:

Stay-at-Home Mom Resume—Skills

• networked with other stay-at-home moms and organized a 50+ member Facebook group to swap clothes and exchange experiences

Just look at all the transferable skills  you’ve honed during the so-called employment gap:

• Networking and communication skills
• Organizational skills
• Knowledge of social media and e-commerce platforms
• Online advertising
• Graphic design

Not bad! Not bad at all!

Now wait until you see the qualifications required for the position of outreach specialist:

• 1+ years’ experience in sales/marketing/SEO or related field
• Top-level Internet research skills & ability to navigate social networks
• Strong Microsoft Office skills
• Strong written and persuasive communication skills – mastery of the English language is key
• Excellent negotiation and persuasion skills
• Impeccable attention to detail
• Knack for networking and connecting with people digitally

Oh me, oh my!

You have it all!

Now, put the icing on the cake:

Fish out the skills you’d really like to boast about, and those you may not have covered in your experience section ( MS Office skills , for one.) Add a separate key skills section to your resume, and list them.

Just know that you don’t need to make a list of 20 items. The sweet spot is about 5-7 key skills.

Stay-at-Home Mom Resume Skills

• Internet & computer skills
• Written and verbal communication
• Multi-tasking
• Time management skills
• Ability to work under pressure
• Decision making
• Self-motivation
• Conflict resolution
• Adaptability

Confused about what skills to put on your stay-at-home mom resume? Jump right in: 30+ Best Examples of What Skills to Put on a Resume

Have some valuable volunteering experience? Go to: How to List Volunteer Work on Your Resume

No One Adds a Hobbies Section, But It Works so Well

There has been some serious debate going on about whether or not to include a personal interests/hobbies section in your resume when returning to work. And the answer is... It depends—

To cut a long story short:

If your hobbies happen to be job-related—do mention them on your stay-at-home mom resume !

Now, you might’ve heard that bringing up job-related hobbies could look insincere and far-fetched. This may be true for people who are professionally active. Well, if you’re entire life is dominated by work-related activities, you may easily earn a label of a “no-life.”

But that doesn’t apply to stay-at-home parents, housewives, or any homemakers, who—by definition—spend most of the time doing a different kind of work.

In such circumstances, profession-related activities have every right to become your hobbies (unless they’re spreadsheets, of course!)

A stay-at-home mom who finds time to pursue her hobbies—work-related or not—will always be appreciated.

This shows how self-disciplined and organized you are!

Having mixed feelings about including your hobbies and interests in your homemaker resume? Here’s an in-depth guide: 20+ Best Examples of Hobbies & Interests to Put on a Resume

Is Your Education Section Underperforming? It Might Be

Education matters.

Or does it?

If you know how to take advantage of the education section of your stay-at-home mom resume, you will make it matter! How?

It’s simple:

Don’t just list the highest level of education. Follow it up with relevant coursework , and academic achievements ( GPA , major/minor , degrees , and latin honors ). Even unfinished college education  or high school education might help.

Here’s an example:

Stay-at-Home-Mom Resume Sample—Education

If you happen to have taken any online courses, projects , freelance work , don’t fail to mention them in a separate resume section !

Still confused about this section of your resume? Here’s a guide with all the answers: How to Put Your Education on a Resume

How About a Cover Letter for a Stay-at-Home Mom?

A cover letter—

A thing of the past? Or a vital part of your job application? Consider this:

If you were given two lottery tickets, would you only use one of them and throw the other away? Of course not! The same is true about cover letters:

A well-written cover letter may double your chances of landing a job. Cover letters do matter!

Plus, your homemaker resume may need a couple of words of explanation here and there. A cover letter offers you a chance to fill in all the blanks, and add some extra information.

So—How to get it right?

Aim for maximum content and the fewest number of words. Think of your cover letter as hard evidence of your communication skills .

To make your cover letter stand out, it must be:

• Well-organized.
• Clearly written.
• To-the-point.

If you’re unsure how to do it, here’s our complete guide on how to write a perfect cover letter in 8 simple steps.

Plus, a great cover letter that matches your resume will give you an advantage over other candidates. You can write it in our cover letter builder here.  Here's what it may look like:

See more cover letter templates and start writing.

Key Takeaway

A stay at home mom resume has to contain details about jobs you held before focusing on rearing children. However, you shouldn't shy away from your experience as a stay at home mom. List it on your resume, add dates, highlight additional skills, projects, and accomplishments you achieved during your time as a SAHM.

When writing your resume , make sure to:

• Kick off with a strong opening statement (objective or summary).
• Follow it with a meaty experience section (focus on your achievements).
• Explain the career gap and show all the relevant things you’ve done.
• Present everything in a clean, eye-catching form.

good luck with your interview!

Are you writing a homemaker resume for the first time? Or perhaps you’re a stay-at-home dad who needs some help? We’d love to hear from you! Give us a shout out in the comments!

About Zety’s Editorial Process

This article has been reviewed by our editorial team to make sure it follows Zety's editorial guidelines . We’re committed to sharing our expertise and giving you trustworthy career advice tailored to your needs. High-quality content is what brings over 40 million readers to our site every year. But we don't stop there. Our team conducts original research to understand the job market better, and we pride ourselves on being quoted by top universities and prime media outlets from around the world.

• https://www.lifehack.org/articles/work/more-than-20-jobs-for-stay-home-moms.html

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Stay At Home Mother Resume Samples

A Stay At Home Mother is a mother who takes care of her children at home rather than working outside or placing the child in a day-care. Typical work activities listed on a Stay At Home Mother Resume include the following – nursing and feeding infants, preparing and serving meals , doing household chores, changing diapers, paying bills, doing errands, picking and dropping children to and from school, helping kids in doing their homework, buying household items and other domestic products, buying groceries; and attending parent-teacher meetings at schools.

The most sought-after qualifications include the following – patience and stamina, caring personality, self-motivation; physical fitness, multitasking skills; endurance, the ability to understand the needs of the family and money handling skills. Formal education is not mandatory; however, literacy and childcare training is needed.

• Resume Samples
• Stay At Home Mother

Stay at Home Mother Resume

Summary : Stay at Home Mother with work experience in childcare. Twenty plus years' experience with young children. Expert in interpreting and relaying information from books and academic papers. Skilled in preparing lesson plans and implementing activities.

Skills : Late Night Shift Availability, Customer Orientated, Quick Learner, Friendly and Helpful, Fast and Efficient Worker

Description :

• Duties include vacuuming, mopping, dusting, laundry, dishes, scrubbing toilets, picking up toys and removing those mystery stains from the carpet and furniture.
• Developed recipes, planned menus, shopped for ingredients and cleaned the kitchen afterward.
• Creating and balancing a budget, paying bills and identifying cost-saving opportunities.
• Successfully researched current special education laws respective to the state and advocated for 2 of the children's educational rights within the school district.
• Pay bills in a timely manner intervening when siblings can't co-exist/ conflict resolution.
• Raised three children from birth until each moved out of the family household for college.
• Stay at home mother stretching the capacity of a single income to cover all necessities.

Stay at Home Mother/Teacher Resume

Summary : Homemaker/ teacher/mother for children & families. open to learning. Creative problem solving & working well with others. Community involvement. Adult education center for focus&change. Many ideas.

Skills : Planning and Organizing, Decision Making, Budget Management, Conflict Management

• Caring for 4 children. Everything! from Newborn, to diapers, to potty training, reading, teaching, setting guidelines, driver, coach, cook, maid.
• Dealing with medical issues, sick kids.
• Watched a lot of children in a lifetime of all ages.
• Worked many jobs around the children earning additional income.
• Involved in their school as room mom, accelerated reader program leader, reading buddies, and other various school functions.
• Worked a few hours a week in the nursery at the Westside Club gym caring for children ages 1-12 while their parents used the facility.
• Performs other duties as may be required by supervisors for the benefit of the program.

Stay at Home Mother/Nanny Resume

Summary : Stay at Home Mother/Nanny who loves to spend time with children and older ones because both are need specific attention and care for their good healthy lifestyle and development. Possessing all the skills to provide a better environment for them

Skills : Patience, Organization, Teaching, Cooking, Cleaning.

• Cleaning an entire 3 bedroom house, and keeping it clean.
• Keeping a schedule for 2 children for everything including meal times, TV times, reading times, outside playtimes, etc.
• Cooking 3 meals a day for a family of four, and making sure that all of those meals are very healthy.
• Teaching basic motor skills, reading, writing, English language, social skills, etc. Problem-solving, such as how to "talk it out" instead of fighting.
• Accomplished raising 2 very well behaved, smart, and fun little boys.
• Encouraged good behaviors using the positive reinforcement method.
• Meticulously sanitized toys and play equipment.

Stay at Home Mother/Caregiver Resume

Summary : A confident, loyal, punctual, self-starter who would be an asset to the right company. Experienced babysitter looking for a full-time job to care for children, backed by following skill sets and qualifications essential for babysitting:

Skills : Good with Numbers and Math, Exceptional Customer Service, Cash Handling, Thrives under Pressure, Effective Multi-Tasker

• Manage family in a productive manner while maintaining quality time.
• Schedule all doctor, early intervention appointments as well as IEP Meetings along with learning and teaching sign language to hearing impaired /special needs children.
• Able to set priorities, be flexible and resolve conflict.
• Demonstrating the ability to multi-task efficiently and effectively on a daily basis as well as plan ahead.
• Handled all business transactions, while providing a safe and healthy family environment.
• Assumed all caregiver duties including entertainment, education stimulation, and managing household expenses.
• Help maintain cleanliness and in order in the room

Stay at home Mother Resume

Headline : To obtain a position with a company where the knowledge and skills can contribute to the success of the business. Personable and enjoys helping others. To secure a challenging position that provides a dynamic work sphere to extract the inherent skills as a professional, develop the aptitude to further the organization's objectives and also attain the career targets in the process.

Skills : Cleaning, Child Care, Food Preparation Skills, Cleanliness, Nutrition Organization.

• Raised 2 children until school age.
• Provided care for two school-aged children and one newborn
• Maintained financial budget for the efficient running of the home
• Regularly volunteered at and contributed to school events. Did the mom thing.
• Took care of three children until they all started school full time.
• Participate in cleaning the room and minimal cleaning in the bathroom
• Keeping toys and play areas neat, clean and organized.
• Being completely present at all times when children are in the room.

Stay at Home Mother/Babysitter Resume

Summary : Responsible Stay at Home Mother/Babysitter with experience caring for children during weekdays, weekends, evenings, summer and winter breaks. Skilled in creating fun, engaging and educational activities, while demonstrating priority in children's safety and well being. Trusted by parents, with mutual loving affection for all cared children.

Skills : Microsoft Office, Customer Service, Customer Service, Communications, Word, Photoshop, Photography.

• Taking care of two kids, all day every day.
• Keeping them on a consistent schedule, including things like Learning Time, Play Time, and Nap Time.
• Making sure they attend school, church, play dates, and doctor appointments.
• Preparing three healthy meals a day, along with snacks in between.
• Giving them a bath every day, and caring for them when they are sick.
• Raised two boys who are intelligent, caring, loving and mindful of others.
• Cares for each child appropriately in regards to safety, health, hygiene, and play.

Summary : Seeking a good career and holding a responsible position in the reputed organization and ensure credible performance to work towards exceeding the set goals contributes to the organizations. Self-assured, assertive, self-confident and aggressive. Recognized for strong work ethic

Skills : Cooking, Cleaning, Computer.

• Rise early to cook breakfast for my 3 children and husband.
• Sweep, mop, vacuum, and do dishes daily along with cooking three meals a day.
• Set an hour a day aside to do school time with my 4 yr old son.
• Laundry and bath times for kids every other day along with planning meals for our monthly budget.
• Maintains a clean, safe environment through proper infection control measures.
• Provide an atmosphere that is as entertaining/educational as possible for children.
• Provide routine care of infants.

Summary : Stay at Home Mother currently looking for a challenging career change. One that gives the opportunity to utilize exceptional customer service skills and also gives the opportunity to advance administrative knowledge and experience.

• Shop for or order food and kitchen supplies and equipment.
• Peel, wash, trim, and cook vegetables and meats, and bake bread and pastries.
• Stock, organize, and lean kitchens and cooking utensils.
• Direct the operation and organization of kitchens and all food-related activities, including the presentation and serving of food.
• Plan and prepare food for parties, holiday meals, luncheons, special functions, and other social events.
• Receive, record, and bank cash, checks, and vouchers.
• Access computerized financial information to answer general questions as well as those related to specific accounts.
• Calculate and prepare checks for utilities, taxes, and other payments.

Stay at Home Mother/Child Care Provider Resume

Summary : To work as a dedicated and sustained professional with a touch of creativity. So as to make a mark with the contribution in a team or as an individual. Works quickly and efficiently in fast-paced environments.

Skills : Late Night Shift Availability, Customer Orientated, Quick Learner, Friendly And Helpful, Fast And Efficient Worker, Good With Numbers And Math

• Promoted language development skills through reading and storytelling.
• Safely transported children to and from school, medical appointments, and extra-curricular activities.
• Engaged in after-school activities including sport practice and homework.
• Organized activities that enhanced children's physical, emotional and social well-being.
• Made healthy snacks and meals for 6 children.
• Helped children complete homework assignments and school projects.
• Encouraged children to be understanding and patient with others.
• Identified warning signs of emotional and developmental problems in children.

Summary : Seeking challenging opportunities where one can fully use their skills for the success of the organization where one can use their experience and education to help the company to meets its goals.

Skills : Multi-line Phone Talent, Medical Terminology, Cleaning, Child Care, Food Preparation

• Removed waste paper and other trash from the premises to designated area.
• Changed bed linens and collected soiled linens for cleaning.
• Disinfected and mopped bathrooms to keep them sanitary and clean.
• Safely transported children to and from school, medical appointments, and extracurricular activities.
• Made healthy snacks and meals for 4 children.
• Established and maintained a safe play environment for children.
• Closely monitored children's play activities to verify safety.

Summary : Patient and dedicated Stay at Home Mother enthusiastic about working with children of all ages. Seeks a position in a daycare setting. A responsible and experienced babysitter looking to share the enthusiasm and creativity as a full-time nanny for a family seeking help with daily activities and any childcare needs.

• Read stories to the children and taught them painting, drawing, and crafts.
• Disciplined children and recommended other measures to correct behavior.
• Carefully monitored children's play activities.
• Incorporated music and art activities to encourage creativity and expression.
• Routinely picked children up from school and activities.
• Escorted children on outings and trips to local parks and zoos.
• Encouraging early literacy through read-aloud time and alphabet games.

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Stay At Home Mom Resume: Examples, Templates and Tips

Our stay at home mom resume examples show you how to hit the ground running with a resume that translates your parenthood prowess into skills for the workplace.

by Hailey Brophy | Career Advice Expert

Last Updated: October 20, 2023

Table of contents

Stay at Home Mom Resume Examples

More stay at home mom resume examples, choose the right resume format for your stay at home mom resume, how to write a stay at home mom resume in 5 simple steps, add a cover letter, key takeaways for your stay at home mom resume, commonly asked question about resume writing.

Managing the needs of a household takes an incredible and diverse range of skills. From handling an entire family’s schedules, to budgeting, to owning all the little tasks that must be done to keep your home running smoothly, as a stay at home mom — or dad  — you’re already a professional.

Still, entering the workforce with gaps in your career is always intimidating, even if those gaps have been filled with achievements outside of the workforce. That’s why you need to learn how to write a resume that showcases your skills as a stay at home mom and turns that employment “gap” into an opportunity to show what you’re made of.

No matter your reason for reentering the workforce or your target job or industry, with the help of some easy-to-follow instructions on how to write a resume and some excellent resume examples for reference, you have the power to write a resume that gets the job done.

Here, you’ll learn exactly what you need to know to write an impressive stay at home mom resume in a matter of minutes. Keep reading to learn more about:

• Examples of resumes for stay at home mom applicants with and without experience.
• What makes a stay at home mom resume example great.
• Tips and tricks for writing stay at home mom resumes.
• What to include in every section of your stay at home mom resume.
• How to choose the right resume template and format for the role.

For a winning resume built in just a few minutes, try our professional Resume Builder, which includes step-by-step help writing every section.

What makes this a great stay at home mom resume sample?

Gaps in work experience might feel like something you want to cover up, but an honest approach is more likely to pay off. Taking care of your family is nothing to be ashamed of and you’ll get more mileage out of a resume that treats hurdles as strengths than one that obscures the truth.

Even ignoring her resume gap, this candidate has relatively little work experience. For that reason, focusing on transferable skills goes a lot further than trying to inflate her experience.

This candidate seems to have prepared to reenter the workforce by obtaining certifications in her desired field. This shows professional development, even though she wasn’t employed at the time.

The resume template that this candidate chose shows personality and flair. Because she is targeting a role that emphasizes customer service, showing a bit of character makes her resume pop.

Active verbs like “managed” and “spearheaded” give this resume energy and momentum.

Although this candidate has gaps in her resume, her commitment to volunteer work shows that she has continued to engage with her community and collaborate with teams.

Looking for inspiration for a specific role?  Check out some of our library of entry-level resume examples , as well as specific titles for your desired field.

• Front desk receptionist
• Administrative assistant

To land the job you want, you need to get the right information in front of a recruiter. How do you accomplish that? By selecting the right resume format .

• Experienced applicants should consider a chronological resume format to highlight work experience and a strong career progression. This isn’t the best choice for applicants with long career gaps, so it may not be a good fit for most stay at home moms.
• Applicants with little to no experience should consider using a functional resume format . This is a great way to incorporate your experience as a stay at home mom on your resume. Your skills are very transferable, so focusing on skills is a good bet.
• Midlevel applicants with three to five years of relevant experience benefit from the combination resume format . This is also a good choice for career changers. If you had significant work experience before becoming a stay at home mom, this might be the choice for you. Use this format to showcase both your transferable mom skills and your history in the workforce.

Visit our guide to learn more about how to format a resume to highlight your candidacy.

Select an appropriate stay at home mom resume template

While every resume template will have the same basic sections — a professional summary or resume objective, skills, work history and education — you can customize the look and feel of your resume by selecting the right template.

As a stay at home mom, you might be thinking of transitioning to any number of fields. For more artistic or expressive careers, such as a day care teacher or an event planner, a creative resume template is the perfect way to show some individuality. For a more conservative career path, like that of an accountant or a data entry administrator, a modern resume is another great choice.

While there are some basic rules for writing a great resume, top candidates know that the key to getting noticed is to write a resume that is specific to the industry and the role they seek.

Let’s learn how to make a tailored, winning resume — step by step.

1. Study the job description

A well-written resume is customized to include keywords that show employers that you have what it takes to perform the role. Why is this important?

Many employers run resumes through applicant tracking systems (ATS) that screen out unqualified candidates based on preset keywords. If your resume doesn’t contain the right keywords, you’ll be eliminated before a human ever sees your resume. To make your resume ATS-friendly , you’ll need to customize it to the job description. Look for keywords in the job listing that match up with skills that you’ve mastered during your time as a stay at home mom.

You may be asking yourself, “Each job is different. How do I know which keywords to use?”

Don’t worry — the job listing has what you need.

While every role is different, most job descriptions are chock full of clues as to which keywords the hiring department is looking for.

For example, if you are a stay at home mom looking to take on a role as an administrative assistant and the job post asks for candidates who are skilled with scheduling, written and verbal communication and travel planning, you’ll want to emphasize those skills. It’s never a good idea to lie about what you can do, but if your skills do line up with the job listing then there’s nothing wrong with taking advantage of that!

It may sound like a lot, but once you get used to the process, it should only take you a few minutes to do and will get your resume better results.

2. Write a professional summary or resume objective

Depending on your level of experience, your SAHM resume should include either a professional summary or a resume objective to start. Think of this section as your resume profile , where you provide potential employers with a summary of your most relevant skills and experience, be it in the workforce or the home.

Candidates with less experience should choose a resume objective , which states your transferable skills and your career goals.This is also the recommended resume profile for career changers, so most stay at home moms will benefit from using a resume objective.

If you have extensive experience in the field that you’re entering, a professional summary , which outlines your skills and experience and highlights some of your most notable professional accomplishments, might be the way to go. Just keep in mind that this works best for applicants applying to a role for which they have many years of experience.

Here are some strong examples for your stay at home mom resume:

Stay at home mom professional summary example:

Dedicated and accomplished HR professional with seven years of diverse experience, poised to reenter the workforce as an HR assistant director after a fulfilling two-year hiatus as a stay at home mom. Recognized for exceptional expertise in talent acquisition, employee relations and policy development. Accomplished at minimizing budgets, raising employee satisfaction and supporting organizational growth through data-driven insights. Eager to leverage skills and commitment to fostering a positive work environment to contribute to the success of a dynamic organization.

Stay at home mom objective example:

Motivated and adaptable professional with nine years of experience as a dedicated stay at home mom, seeking to transition into the workforce as a sales associate. Eager to apply strong communication and interpersonal skills, combined with a customer-centric approach, to contribute to a dynamic sales team and drive business growth. Aspiring to leverage ability to connect with clients and deliver exceptional service in a retail environment while achieving personal and organizational success.

3. Highlight your most relevant stay at home mom skills

Whether you’ve been a stay at home mom your entire career or you’ve spent years in the workforce, your skills are the backbone of your resume. Don’t sell yourself short. Your stay at home mom skills can be valuable assets on your resume and in the workplace.

Skills for a stay at home mom resume should be added to your resume skills section and peppered into your resume objective and your work experience section. It’s critical that you provide employers with a solid mix of hard and soft skills.

Hard skills are the measurable skills needed to perform a job. These skills are easily taught in a classroom.

Soft skills , on the other hand, are nontechnical, making them difficult to measure. They are behaviors and personality traits that help you do your job well.

Below, we provide a side-by-side list of hard and soft skills to help you see the difference between the two. For most stay at home moms, soft skills will be an especially critical aspect of your resume, so pay extra attention to them.

Hard and soft skills for a stay at home mom resume

Here is an example of a strong stay at home mom skills section:

• Dedicated lifelong learner with a teamwork mindset
• Skilled in office software including Excel and Google Suite
• Resourceful and detail-oriented with an eye for creative budget management
• Enthusiastic about customer outcomes

Your kids might not be customers, but your ability to manage their needs says a lot about your communication and customer service skills. Find the soft skills you use on the daily with your kids and list them on your resume.

4. Write a strong stay at home mom work experience section

For a stay at home mom, the most intimidating part of your resume is probably writing a work experience section that demonstrates what you will bring to the table. Fear not! We’ll help you get started.

If you have some work experience, then list it. If parenthood is your primary experience then be honest about that fact and put your energy into showing off the skills that you’ve earned.

Here is an example of a great stay at home mom work experience entry:

Stay At Home Mom Little Rock, AR January 2017 – Present

• Manage a household budget for a nine person home by minimizing costs and identifying opportunities for creative savings opportunities.
• Operate a blog focused on the parenthood space receiving 6,000 visitors per month and collaborating with web content creators from a variety of different backgrounds.
• Identify learning opportunities to enrich daily experiences for four children under the age of 12.
• Facilitate activities and manage schedules for nine individuals including two busy professionals and four children with multiple extra-curricular activities.

Make the work you do as a stay at home mom stand out by using action words , along with numerical data and metrics to capture the attention of a hiring manager.

5. Showcase your education and training on your stay at home mom resume

Now that you’re ready to reenter the workforce, it’s time to revisit your education and training. Whether or not you went to college, you’ll want to list the education you have as a crucial part of your stay at home mom resume.

How to list your stay at home mom education:

Bachelor of Arts Performing Arts Arkansas College of the Arts Little Rock, AR

Certifications:

• CPR Certified

Professional certifications can give you a real advantage when it comes to showing off your competency. As a stay at home mom, it might be a good idea to look into earning some certifications in your desired field to help jumpstart your return to the workforce.

Optional sections for your stay at home mom resume

Awards and certifications.

Adding accolades to your resume is a smart way to show off your abilities, achievements and qualifications. Awards emphasize exceptional performance or leadership, whereas certifications offer hard evidence of your expertise and abilities in a specific domain.

Including certificates and awards on your resume sets you apart from other contenders. They tell the employer you are truly dedicated to your field and capable of making significant contributions to their organization — ultimately increasing your chances of landing the job.

How to list awards on your stay at home mom resume :

2016 Teacher of the Year: Earned in recognition of exceptional student success rate while teaching music at Flowerfield Elementary School.

Projects are a great addition to your resume because they show you’re capable of using theoretical knowledge in real-world situations. It’s one thing to learn something in class — it’s another thing to put the ideas into practice.

Projects are also a tangible demonstration of the types of skills — from problem-solving and time management to teamwork and leadership — that are valuable to employers. Not only that but also a relevant project can highlight your long-standing passion and expertise in a given subject.

For a stay at home mom, projects can be a way of showing that you’ve kept up to date in your field while you’ve been out of the workforce. They’re a great way to make up for some of those pesky resume gaps.

How to list projects on your stay at home mom resume :

• Social Media Outreach Campaign: Facilitated a 45% increase in traffic to personal parenthood blog through the successful leveraging of social media skills and resources over the course of six months.
• Web Design: Successfully built a personal blog from the ground up by designing a logo, building landing pages, authoring posts and managing content delivery using WordPress and Mailchimp.

Languages give you a chance to showcase your cultural awareness and adaptability, two qualities highly prized in today’s globalized job market. Being multilingual also expands your communication abilities, giving you access to a wider variety of clients, customers and stakeholders, and opening the door to international opportunities.

Additionally, knowing multiple languages suggests you have impressive mental agility and determination. Ultimately, all else being equal, if a job opening comes down to two candidates and one of them lists multiple languages on their resume, the multilingual candidate will be more attractive to the employer.

How to list languages on your stay at home mom resume :

• Fluent in English and German
• Proficient in Spanish

Interests and hobbies

Adding hobbies to your resume is appropriate as long as they’re relevant to the job. They offer an opportunity to show your personality and meaningfully connect with a potential employer. Plus, they emphasize your transferable skills, like creativity or leadership — qualities you take from job to job.

Finally, hobbies and interests can demonstrate whether you’re the right culture fit for a company. They enrich your overall profile, showing the employer how you are a unique and fully defined person.

For a stay at home mom resume, it’s possible that you’re struggling to fill some of your resume’s white space. While you should never resort to adding sections as filler , identifying some hobbies that may be relevant to your desired career is a great way to make use of that space.

How to list interests and hobbies on your stay at home mom resume :

• Creative and inquisitive blogger and writer
• Enthusiastic event planner
• Passionate about personal fitness and mindfulness

resumes made with Resume Now!

Adding a cover letter to your application can help you stand out. Why? Because it gives you extra space to convince the employer that you’re the right person for the job.

Learning how to write a cover letter for a stay at home mom is extra important because the function of a cover letter is to add context to your resume. Use your cover letter to elaborate on gaps in your resume and explain your circumstances, all while persuading your potential employer that your experience makes you the perfect fit for the job. Study our cover letter examples to learn how to express your unique candidacy in a compelling way and how to format your cover letter for success.

A cover letter is especially crucial for a stay at home parent because it gives you the opportunity to explain your resume in your own terms. Add context to your achievements and argue for why your hard-earned skills show that you have what it takes to excel in your desired position.

Or, if you want a job-specific cover letter in a matter of minutes, use our professional Cover Letter Builder , which offers professionally written text suggestions for every section. Use the wording as-is or customize it to suit your needs.

Follow our steps for a standout resume:

Take care to write all five sections of your resume in a way that is specific to the job you seek. Your professional summary, skills, work experience and education section should all contain information that is targeted to the job ad.

Select the appropriate resume format:

Decide what you’d like to emphasize the most on your resume — strong skills, an impressive work history or both — and then select the template that will help you put your best foot forward. For a stay at home mom, this will usually be a format that emphasizes skills.

Be specific to the role:

Use specific information from the job ad rather than generic resume filler when crafting your document. Again, a well-written job description will tell you the critical credentials you must emphasize on your resume.

Include both hard and soft skills:

Being a stay at home mom requires a mix of technical and personal skills to keep your home running smoothly. Take special care to highlight your incredible soft skills because they are endlessly transferable.

Make your work experience section shine:

Accomplish this by using action verbs, data and metrics to show the impact of your work.

Choose an appropriate resume template:

When in doubt, keep it simple. We’ve already discussed the merits of creative and modern resume templates, but if you aren’t sure where to start, then you should probably stick to the basics. A simple resume template has just what you need.

Go the extra mile:

Including a well-written stay at home mom cover letter can increase your chances of landing a job interview.

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Hailey Brophy

Hailey Brophy is an experienced writer with a diverse career in digital publication. She is passionate about using her unique skills and experiences to help job seekers find the information that they need to succeed.

Read more articles by Hailey Brophy

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How to Write a Standout Resume When You’re a Stay-at-Home Parent

Learn how to integrate your time as a parent and discuss your transferable skills on your resume.

Being a parent is an immense responsibility that requires a great many skills. Beginning your job search after taking time to be a stay-at-home parent often means translating that experience in a way that helps hiring managers understand it. Whether you’ve been a full-time parent for a short period or a longer stretch, there are ways to highlight what you’ve learned, done, and accomplished on your resume. 

Although attitudes about career breaks—sometimes called career gaps—for full-time parents have not always been supportive, they have been shifting in recent years. In fact, taking time away from a career is more common than it might seem. In a LinkedIn survey of 7,000 people, 62 percent reported taking a break from work [ 1 ]. The professional online platform even instituted a way for users to add a career gap to their profiles in an effort to “more positively represent” time spent away from work.

In this article, we’ll go over how you can highlight the value of your time as a stay-at-home parent on your resume and other ways to strengthen your application materials as you prepare to reenter the workforce. 

What should your resume as a stay-at-home parent include?

When you’ve been a stay-at-home parent, the resume you write will largely resemble a traditional resume, which conveys your unique story. Choose the most appropriate resume type based on what you want to feature: a timeline of your work, your biggest skills, or some combination of both. 

You should include required resume sections , such as header, experience, education, and skills, and consider whether optional elements, like a resume summary or resume objective , can help frame who you are and what you’re looking for. As you reflect on your working history, determine how far back you should go in terms of experience. 

How to discuss your time as a stay-at-home parent 

No matter how much time you’ve spent away from the workforce, you can list your time as a stay-at-home mom or dad on your resume as part of your experience.

1. List out your experience.

It’s important to quantify your impact where possible—that typically means detailing the effect you’ve had. Start by thinking about what you’ve done as a parent. How did you stay organized? How did you handle conflict resolution? How did you manage any household budgets? Make a list of your different responsibilities.  

Learn more: How to Write a Resume with No Experience

2. Identify key skills—and how to discuss them.

Once you have your full list of parenting tasks, begin identifying the transferable skills you’ve developed—such as problem-solving, communicating, and planning—and write them down. It’s important to tailor your resume for each role, so spend time reviewing job descriptions, noting any required or recommended skills that may help you better align your overall experience and skill set with that company’s needs. 

The language you use to discuss your experience and skills is also important. Key action words can help express both what you did and the impact of those actions in a more direct and digestible way. 

3. Add your time as a stay-at-home parent to your experience.

Now that you have an idea of what you’d like to highlight, begin building an entry for “stay-at-home parent” on your resume. Depending on the type of resume you choose, you’ll add this information to different sections.  

On a chronological resume , which outlines your working history, you’ll list this information under the “experience” section. 

On a functional or skills-based resume, which focuses on skills over experience, you’ll discuss the skills you’ve gained and strengthened as a result of your full-time parenting.  

Stay-at-home parent experience samples

When you list your experience on a chronological resume, it’s a good idea to title what you did (stay-at-home mom, stay-at-home dad, or stay-at-home parent), the nature of your parenting (self-employed), the dates of your full-time parenting, and the location.

Under that information, create a bulleted list outlining your major tasks and impact, calling attention to transferable skills where possible. Let’s take a look at two different samples. 

Stay-at-Home Mom 

Self-employed, 2018—present (Atlanta, Georgia) 

Managed schedules for two children under the age of 10, organizing competing appointments and activities  

Oversaw weekly grocery budget, reducing overall spending by 8% over two years

Created a local parenting group on Facebook that currently features over 60 members;  planned meet-ups and collected resources and tools to feature each week  

Stay-at-Home Parent 

Self-employed, 2020—present (Cleveland, Ohio)

Oversaw remote schooling for three children (ages 5-11), adapting weekly to changing requirements and working one-on-one to identify needs and stay organized 

Volunteered with the PTA, arranging meetings, communicating needs, and problem-solving on matters of curriculum and budgets

Learn more: How to Feature and Format Key Skills on Your Resume

Other ways to strengthen your stay-at-home parent resume

Other resume sections may be worth including or expanding on. Let’s go over additional ways you can strengthen your resume as a stay-at-home parent.  

Resume objective 

A resume objective explains your larger career goals, including what you’re looking for. It’s a concise section that typically sits between your header and experience or education—depending on which section you list first. It can quickly outline your needs and goals to a recruiter. You can mention your time as a stay-at-home parent, or leave out that information since a recruiter will see it elsewhere on your resume.  

Savvy marketing associate turned stay-at-home mom who is eager to find a part-time marketing strategist role where I can apply my four years of research, communications, and problem-solving experience.  

Project manager with four years of experience. I recently refreshed my knowledge and skill set by completing the Google Professional Certificate in Project Management , and I’m keen to find a mid-level web developer role at a leading creative agency. 

Relevant work experience

It may help to include any freelance or volunteer work you’ve done as a full-time parent. Any experience you’ve gained during your time away from the traditional workforce can show recruiters the effort you’ve put into your personal and professional development. 

Skills development 

Professional development doesn’t stop simply because you’re not in an office full-time. List any courses, certificates, or programs you’ve successfully completed in an effort to strengthen your skills, and add any new skills you’ve learned to the “skills” section of your resume. 

If you’ve finished any schooling, such as a bachelor’s or master’s degree , while parenting, add that information to the “education” section of your resume. List any new degrees you’ve earned, or create a separate “certificates” section for any professional certificates you’ve completed. 

Learn more: How to List Education on Your Resume

Additional advice for parents re-entering the workforce

Your resume is likely not the only thing that needs to be updated when you’re beginning a job search after parenting full-time. Let’s go over some other tools and resources that you may want to consider. 

Identify what you’re looking for.

Moving back into the workforce doesn’t necessarily have to mean a full-time role. Whether you’re looking for full-time work that promotes work-life balance , part-time work, or freelance work, take time to think about what you need as you begin your job search. It may also help to research jobs that are in-demand , or jobs that tend to be more flexible . A resume objective may be a useful section to add on your resume, explaining what you’re seeking. 

Learn more: 9 Jobs for Better Work-Life Balance

Refresh your professional presence. 

Sites like LinkedIn are an excellent—and highly visible—way to tell your professional story. Make sure your LinkedIn profile is up-to-date by adding a new photo, refreshing your headline, and revising your “About Me” section. 

Connect with your network. 

Word of mouth is a powerful resource, as are job referrals. Consider who in your network might be able to help you connect with new opportunities—these can be former managers or colleagues, mentors , or friends. As you identify interesting roles that catch your eye, you may even want to consider reaching out to a recruiter on LinkedIn to introduce yourself.  

Strengthen your skills. 

If it’s been some time since you’ve been part of the workforce, consider strengthening your skills (and industry knowledge) by enrolling in a professional certificate program. These are a relatively short way to develop career-ready skills while learning about the latest developments in an area of work, such as marketing, data science, or business. Once you successfully complete a professional certificate, you can list that information on your resume .

Learn more: 7 High-Income Skills Worth Learning

Next steps 

Learn all about resume writing with the University of Maryland’s course Writing Winning Resumes and Cover Letters on Coursera. Enroll for free to gain important tips you can apply to revising and strengthening your resume. 

Or if you’re looking to hone your job skills, explore a Professional Certificate from Google, Meta, IBM, Salesforce, and more on Coursera. Learn about in-demand areas like project management , UX design , data science , marketing analytics , and sales . 

Article sources

LinkedIn. “ LinkedIn Members Can Now Spotlight Career Breaks On Their Profiles , https://www.linkedin.com/business/talent/blog/product-tips/linkedin-members-spotlight-career-breaks-on-profiles.” Accessed May 19, 2023.  

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9 Stay at Home Mom Resume Examples & Guide for 2023

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Top Skills for Stay At Home Mom resume

• Project management
• Data management
• Communication
• Attentions to details
• Problem Solving

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Resume Guide

What our extensive guide can help you with, stay-at-home mom resume basics: general tips and format choice, how to ace the header section of your stay-at-home mom resume, how to make the summary on your sahm resume appeal to recruiters, how to properly describe your sahm experience on your resume, how to highlight the right skills on your stay-at-home mom resume, does your sahm resume need an education section, how important are certificates on your stay-at-home mom resume, how about adding other sections to your sahm resume, key takeaways for the perfect stay-at-home resume.

By Experience

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.

You’ve been a stay-at-home mom for some time now. But you feel the need to get back to work.

Whether you’re pursuing your dreams or need the extra cash, you’re on the hunt for a good position.

This is a tedious task. Some onboarding processes take ages to go through. Oftentimes companies are vague about what they offer.

And let’s be honest, reading job descriptions isn’t fun. Why? Because you’re not sure if you can match the recruiters’ requirements.

There is always this nagging feeling at the back of your head:

I’m out of the loop. I feel like I’ve forgotten how life before the kids was. Am I up to par?

On top of that, you’re bound to face the horror of the big employment gap. After all, don’t hiring managers scowl at those when they see them in a resume?

You’re wondering:

How do I even write a stay-at-home mom resume at this point?

If this is starting to sound more like a Stephen King novel, rather than your child’s bedtime story, don’t worry!

We’re here to help you get back on track. Just keep on reading!

• Choose the best resume format for your circumstances
• How to explain your SAHM status without being fearful
• How and where to list your stay-at-home parent status
• How to write a resume when you’re thinking of switching careers
• How to build your resume even if you’ve been out of the workforce for 5+ years
• How to describe your soft and hard skills without sounding like an imposter
• Other sections you can include on your resume to show you mean business

One of the main questions on each mom’s mind is:

Is it OK to put ‘stay-at-home mom’ on a resume?

And the answer is: Of course you can!

For those who choose to become a mom, being one is an extremely important job in and of itself. And while you don’t have to go into much detail about it, you still need to include it.

Being a mom isn’t the only reason, there can be a gap on your resume.

Maybe you’ve been searching for a job all this time and no one gave you a chance. Are there any underlying issues?

Maybe you were incarcerated. What for and is the crime directly linked with the type of work you’re searching for?

As a result, recruiters don’t like unexplained employment gaps on your resume . So, don’t make it the only thing standing between you and your desired job.

Think about it, if you were a hiring manager, who would you rather interview?

• A candidate who hides a gap in her employment history. There’s nothing in her resume hinting at studying a course or going abroad. Maybe she was idle the whole time?
• Or a stay-at-home mom who was in charge of looking after her family. Everything from budgeting to managing your kids’ classes and extracurriculars was her job.

If you’re honest about how you spent your time away from the workforce, you show that you:

• Haven’t been involved in illegal activities. Even if you were, you’re being upfront about it.
• You’ve spent your time productively
• You’re responsible with how you approach each aspect of your life
• You’ve probably developed extra skills during that time

With this conundrum out of the way, let’s move on to resume formats. Choosing a layout for your resume depends on your circumstances.

Generally, you have three options:

• The reverse-chronological resume
• The functional layout
• The hybrid format

The first one is an all-time favorite with hiring managers. Use this resume format, if you have extensive work experience prior to being a homemaker.

Your second option is the hybrid resume. It allows you to share both experience and skill. Select this resume format, if you’re changing careers or haven’t had a job in the last 3-4 years.

Consider how your past work experiences link to the job you’re applying for and emphasize them. Having been away for some time doesn’t mean you don’t have transferable skills.

Finally, the functional resume is best used when you don’t have much experience. Or haven’t been employed for more than 10 years.

As the name suggests, this format focuses primarily on your professional talents. It is usually reserved for graduates because they don’t have a long work history.

Some professionals argue against using this type of layout. They view the functional resume as a way to hide employment gaps.

But this doesn’t have to be the case. You can always say you’re a homemaker and still highlight all the skills you have to offer.

Later we’ll look at another way to go into more details about your SAHM status. All without overcrowding your resume.

Before that, let’s finish off this part of the general rules guide with tips on how to frame your resume.

Essential sections for your stay-at-home mom resume:

• A header to list your contact information and links to portfolios (if you have any)
• Resume summary or objective, depending on the resume type you’re writing
• The experience panel, where you’ll list your current circumstances
• A talents box to showcase all the technical and social abilities you have
• An education and certificates segment to describe your professional credentials
• Other sections you can add to your resume to stand out among the rest

A simple, but very effective structure! Now, all you need to think about is what to include in each part of the resume. What will grab the attention of hiring managers?

We’ve gathered some pointers in the table below:

Key information recruiters are searching for in your resume:

• How flexible are your work hours?
• Would you be able to work in the office? Or are you searching for a WFA position?
• If you’re working from your home, do you have the necessary environment? Will anyone interfere with your work?
• Are you the primary carer for your children? Do they need constant supervision?
• How often would you need to take time off?
• Are you switching careers? Why?
• How have you kept up with developments in your field of work?
• Are you willing to learn new things? Will you be able to keep up the pace?
• Would you consider studying for additional certifications required for the position?

Some of these questions seem frightening, but they don’t have to be. Keep in mind that you’re choosing your workplace as much as they’re choosing you as an employee.

If you feel that some of these may be an issue, maybe a different employer will be more suitable. Hiring managers will appreciate your honesty.

Do you know what’s the biggest mistake you can make when it comes to the resume header?

Quickly filling out factually wrong or incomplete information.

While there isn’t much text in this section, it’s still important to write full and error-free entries.

If you present an impeccable business card with a good elevator pitch, you’re getting hired. Your resume header and summary play this very same role.

Recruiters only spend no more than 7 seconds on each applicant. Unless they see something worth exploring further.

Make these count and stay away from the pile of discarded resumes.

What does the header include ? A few key pieces of information:

• Your job title
• Your address
• At least two methods of communication
• A link to your LinkedIn profile or portfolio

The last one is optional, but always good to have. If you can’t showcase your work in an online portfolio, consider creating a LinkedIn account.

2 Stay-at-Home Mom Resume Header Examples

Have a look at the sample header below. Do you see anything out of place?

Listing your SAHM status isn’t inherently wrong. But there are a few conditions.

If you’ve been out of work for no more than 3-4 years, refrain from using this title. Instead, opt for adding your previously-held job title or the one you’re applying for.

You’ll be providing context about your professional qualifications. Hiring managers need to confirm whether:

• You’ve worked in the same field prior to your maternity leave
• You know what position you’re applying for, if you’re changing careers

In terms of business, a few years may be a long time. But it’s enough to catch up on anything you need to know to do your job properly.

Remember, just because you’re a mom doesn’t mean you’re a one-dimensional being. You have many sides.

You’re not hiding the fact that you’re a mom. Rather, you’re presenting your professional self first and then showing your mom side.

By contrast, list yourself as a homemaker, if you’ve been away for longer than 5-10 years.

This is a significant length of time to be absent from the workforce. As such, many industry developments can occur. There may even be new professions which weren’t around before.

Apart from the work title, Jamila hasn’t included her full address.

True, many companies offer a WFH option. But some of them still require office visits on occasions. Recruiters need to be aware if this will be an issue.

Also, Jamila hasn’t provided an email.

Moms are always on the go. Sometimes you just can pick up the phone because you’re giving your kid a bath. That’s why leaving several methods of contact is crucial.

Here is a better version of the above header:

Next comes the elevator pitch of your resume - the summary!

What does it include?

• You business niche and level of expertise
• Relevant skills you excel at
• Key achievements and awards
• Your stay-at-home status

But which one is for you - the summary or the objective?

Let’s go back to what we said about job titles in the header. Think of the length of time spent away from the workforce.

The same logic goes here.

Summaries are generally used by those with extensive professional expertise . They don’t need much time to catch up on business events. Or prove their work is up to industry standards.

Opt for a resume summary, if you’ve been a homemaker for less than 3-4 years.

In contrast, objectives are used by college grads with little to no experience . And those who are changing their careers.

Chances are, if you’ve been a SAHM for longer than 5 years, you’ll be switching your field of work, too.

2 Stay-at-home Mom Resume Summary Examples

Take a look at the following resume summary. What stands out the most?

Evidently, the applicant is searching for a job in digital marketing. Some relevant skills are also listed.

The most impressive fact about the candidate is that she’s trilingual.

Speaking multiple languages is always a great asset. But if you don’t tie it to the position you're applying for, they may become irrelevant.

So, how do you turn this summary into an elevator pitch?

A few edits here and there, and voilà!

This sounds much more convincing!

Yes, this is the summary of someone who’s been in the digital marketing world for a while.

But note how the candidate has highlighted all the benefits she will bring to her new place of work. Moreover, she’s listed her past track record of being a good employee.

Even if you’re changing your career path, remember, you have transferable skills. In this case, if the candidate has a banking and fintech background, they have expertise.

We've finally reached the dreaded experience section. Many wonder whether you should put homemaker in a SAHM resume.

First of all, if you're one of them - congratulations on coming this far in your resume-writing journey!

Secondly, you absolutely should include being a stay-at-home mom. Don't forget - recruiters prefer if you explain any career gaps in your resume.

With that said, how do you go about it? How do you describe a homemaker on a resume?

Actually, it's not difficult at all!

Think about all the projects you've been involved in during that time. Are you a PTA board member? Have you organized a charity event?

These activities are important! They prove you're skilled at:

• Time management
• People management
• Vendor relationships
• Organizational skills
• Budgeting and fundraising
• Event planning

And so much more!

If you've done freelance work or side gigs, list them. They show that you can be there for your family and be a professional at the same time.

Give yourself credit for all the work you do!

Just remember to always lead with data. Link your achievements to measurable results.

Stay-at-home Mom Resume Experience Examples

Let's see what this looks like in action with a short sample:

• • Optimized family spending habits.
• • Helped the children with school assignments.
• • Enrolled in a digital marketing course.

We spot 2 mistakes and 2 missed opportunities here.

Starting with the mistakes, Jamila has:

• Provided a simple to-do list with completed tasks. It sounds more like a job description than an experience section entry.
• Not linked any of her work to quantifiable outcomes. What happened after she optimized her family spending habits? Did they save money? How much?

Notice how these short entries only lead to more questions. Instead of intriguing recruiters to ask more about how you spent your time as a SAHM, they will move on.

To another candidate’s resume.

This leads us to the point about missed opportunities. The first one is directly tied to the bullet point entries.

The applicant has used good action verbs to list her responsibilities. Yet, each entry fizzles out by the end of the sentence. Again, because of the lack of results.

Jamila has also missed the opportunity to use the company description field effectively. Adding a few sentences to further describe your homemaker situation goes a long way.

Have a look at a revised version of the above experience section:

• • Optimized family spending habits, which resulted in saving more than $30,000 in the span of two years.
• • Coordinated with other parents to ensure each child in the class stays up-to-date with schoolwork, thus achieving 87% class graduation rate.
• • Devised and implemented a neighborhood program for the supply of food, medication and other necessities to sick neighbors, covering more than 300 households.
• • Obtained a Certificate in Digital Marketing from the Wharton School of the University in Pennsylvania.

Who wouldn’t want to hire such a results-driven individual?

Most of what you’ll add in the skills box will depend on the work you’ve done prior to being a mom. Especially when it comes to technical abilities.

In this guide, we’ll focus more on the skills you’ve acquired as a mom. At the end of the day, you weren’t idle the whole time. You were busy with the upbringing of your children.

And just as in life, you’ll need to bring some balance between your hard and soft skills .

Remember to:

• Put your experiences in perspective
• Lead with numbers
• Detail the impact and scale of your work as a stay-at-home mom

How to flaunt your hard skills on your resume

Technical abilities have always been easier to describe. The outcomes and data are visible for everyone to see. But how does this apply to your SAHM status?

Well, consider the things you juggle as a mom.

Are your children part of school clubs? Maybe you helped your kid with their science fair project.

Are you involved with a non-profit group? Maybe you were tasked with fundraising activities.

With that in mind, think about your experiences as a mom. Check if you can link any of them to the hard skills listed in the table below.

Top technical talents to include in your SAHM resume:

• Problem-solving
• Troubleshooting
• Critical thinking
• Coordination and optimization of tasks
• Multitasking
• Conflict resolution
• Presentation

How to impress hiring managers with your social abilities

Despite being in a different category, soft skills are described in the same manner.

Don’t forget, every action has its consequences. As such, your attitude and style of work also leaves an impression on the people around you.

Being an inspiration and a good example for your kids counts, too.

Consider the impact of your work. How has it affected your family? Or the community you live in?

Think outside the box!

If you still need examples on how to describe your social talents, check out the table below:

You see, data is everywhere!

We’ve gathered some of the must-have social abilities for SAHMs in the table below:

Your stay-at-home mom list of important soft skills:

• Delegation of tasks
• Working under pressure
• Mentoring and coaching
• Leadership skills
• People management skills
• Attention to details
• Responsibility
• Adaptability
• Communication skills
• Resourcefulness
• Self-discipline
• Interpersonal skills

Jot down any talents which seem relatable. Tie them to your personal experiences in a quantifiable way. And then, add them to your resume.

Absolutely!

Some industries are more strict in their requirements for formal education. But this doesn’t mean you shouldn’t add yours, if it’s relevant to the position.

Even if the course is still ongoing, include it. This shows initiative and willingness to develop yourself professionally.

If you need more tips, check out our article on how to frame the perfect education section .

If they are relevant to the job position - yes!

Keep in mind to provide certificates issued by a reputable organization. And always check their period of validity. Never include an expired certificate.

If asked during the interview process, mention that you’re working on it. Renewing your certificate shows you're keeping up with industry standards.

There are many extra sections you can append to your resume. It all depends on your field of work and how appropriate they are. Some of these include:

• Cover letter
• Awards and certifications
• Hobbies and interests
• Association memberships
• Part-time and freelance work
• Volunteering

By far, the most important one on the list is the cover letter. This is the best way to tell your story and explain:

• In a bit more detail why is there a career gap on your resume
• Why do you want to pursue this job in particular
• How are you going to bring results to your potential employer
• Choose the appropriate resume format for your situation
• Use a resume summary if you’ve been a SAHM no longer than 3-4 years
• Write a resume objective if you’ve been a homemaker for more than 5 years
• Don’t hide gaps in your employment history. Explain them.
• Highlight how your responsibilities as a mom have developed your skill set
• Remember to balance out the technical and social skills on your resume
• Include any relevant formal education and certificates you have
• Supplement your stay-at-home mom resume with a good cover letter

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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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.

More Resume Examples