Full Time Parenting - resume verbage

dmartenson · January 2005

If you HR experts could help me please - I am looking for some verbage that would explain a 4-year gap on a resume during which time employee spent delivering and caring for two new babies.

She now wants to get back into the job market and does not want to disregard the time and energy she has spent the last four years - on a worthy endeavor. Nothing cutesy like "domestic engineer", but what is the new buzzword for this time? She realizes how lucky she was to have this opportunity, and does not want to minimize the importance of child rearing.

Thanks in advance for a way to express this professionally on a resume.

pork1 · January 2005

Don't dummy up the resume, when asked about the gap, she can very politely answer with the facts. We HRs know, we can not and will not allow any decision to be made based on the gap.

If she must just put "Domestic Partner with Leadership development" from 2000 to present. These words were on a recent interview candidate. I understood exactly what she did and it also caught other managements eyes. For her honesty everyone involved voted to extend a interview session.

Good Luck PORK

Don D · January 2005

[font size="1" color="#FF0000"]LAST EDITED ON 01-26-05 AT 07:16AM (CST)[/font][br][br]I've thought about this one some. I think clever and crafty verbage is definitely OUT in this situation. Using it is too much of a gamble.

Gaps in resumes are the first things that jump off a professional resume when I review them, and I've looked at thousands. If I were reading through a resume from a woman who appeared to have a two year gap, I might think something like a discreet, unobtrusive, non-bragadocious comment at the bottom like this might encourage me to put it in pile 'A', instead of 'B' or 'C'.

"From June of 1991 though May of 1993 I was raising, mentoring and educating my three children at home. Although I was out of the job market for that brief period, I kept up my membership in the architectural association, balanced the family books, managed a household budget, kept abreast of changes in the accounting world, volunteered at The Ronald McDonald house and taught my children productivity, responsibility and citizenship."

If the comment comes off as a women's lib remark or an anti-James Brown comment (It's a man's man's man's man's world), it will not get past first base.

(edit) I can only speak for myself, but, having read thousands of resumes, some with, some without cover letters; the cover letter is the last thing I read, if I read it at all. If it's not bulleted, it's fluff.

mwild31 · January 2005

You know every "expert" has their own opinions on work history gaps and how to work your way through them on the resume/cover letter. Some will say to leave it off the resume completely & reorganize the resume into a functional style. This is done so that all of the experience (not gaps in employment history) is shown prominently first as opposed to the gap that's shown first on a reverse chronological. Then they say to address the gap in the cover letter.

For me, because the reverse chronological is my preferred resume to read/review, I would prefer the applicant include the following straight forward statement on their resume:

2001-Present, Full-time Parent OR
2001-Present, At-home Parent

I don't like the Domestic Engineer, Home Management Specialist, Family Financial Management, just seems "over the top". What I would also prefer is a brief statement in the cover letter outlining what skills they have retained or improved upon during their absence from work. Something to the effect of: "During my recent personal leave, I have improved my typing speed by X, volunteered at our community development council and sought out educational opportunities at X College." I like it because it appears to me as though the applicant still has a mind for business or their career development AND Dora the Explorer at the same time. x:-)

Hunter1 · January 2005

I like mwild's approach, straighforward and informative. I would tend to disagree with the value of reading cover letters. In most circumstances, the resume has been proofread by five people, polished, sprinkled with key words (multi-tasking being my biggest turn-off right now), etc. The cover letter on the other hand, was done last night and sometimes gives me some insight into the person's ability to use the English language as well as whether they've individualized their approach to my available position.

TN HR · January 2005

Amen to Mwild's approach. I could care less about the cutesy terms, overblown domestic responsibilities, etc. Stating something simple such as "full-time Mom or Dad", to me, speaks volumes. Anything much more creative tells me that the candidate has issues with their decision to leave the workforce and be a parent which I translate to lack of conviction and steadfastness.

Gene

Don D · January 2005

My, you do draw out conclusions, don't you. And I assume one who refers to himself as 'part time dad', as opposed to full-time dad, would, by extension of the analysis process, be a drug user and probably prone to hang out at bars and poolrooms, otherwise, he would be full-time. Am I correct?

Judging a 'creative' cover letter as a precursor to issues with leaving the workforce and lack of conviction and steadfastness is a rather weighty and indefensible conclusion on the part of a 'plain ole HR manager' without a medical degree and a specialty in remote psychoanalysis. But, it was quite interesting, if only for the amusement value. x:-)

Next I'll hear that one who does not include a cover letter more often than not has issues with sexual identity and the ability to express themselves in group settings.

TN HR · January 2005

Actually, I didn't think it was as far fetched as some of your dissertations on your version of occupational psychology.

As for the part-time Dad status you could not be more wrong. What I derive from that is that he is actually trans-gender and is a part-time Dad for 50% of the time and a part-time Mom for the remainder 50%.

I yield to the gentleman from MS.

Gene

ritaanz · January 2005

Gee whiz. What's the big deal. How about something simple in the cover letter, i.e. family responsibilities?

I have read more resumes and letters than I can count. Please do not waste my time by adding a paragraph to recount your child rearing experiences. Make it short and to the point.

Tell me about your accomplishments as they relate to the job you are seeking.

Amen.

dmartenson · January 2005

Thank you ALL for your responses. I can't begin to tell you how gratifying it is to know that you are all out there dealing with the same issues as I am and that you are all so willing to share your knowledge/opinions/humor. You're the best!

Deb Martenson

Crout · January 2005

I lost out on a job a few years ago when I casually and stupidly mentioned in the interview that I was essentially a single parent to two kids. As soon as those words escaped my lips the entire tone of the interview changed, and I was ushered out of that office so fast it would make your head spin. What I realized was that the company was looking for someone who had the capacity to work monster hours and although I was quite willing to work like a sled dog, my status as a parent put me in a different light. Any kind of personal information like that can have a profound impact on your opportunities, so great care should be given as to when and how that information is conveyed.

Don D · January 2005

I think she wants to explain the Gap, Crout, not her marital status.

Crout · January 2005

Yeah, I understand, but my point was that this kind of personal information could be damaging, and so the poster is quite correct to give a lot of thought in how to explain the gap.

National Guard · January 2005

And why is it that employers don't recognize that raising kids (especially single) require long hours? I guess they think it only takes a few minutes out of one's day to raise a kid!!!!

Don D · January 2005

Well, that's all my parents set aside for me. Can't you tell?

National Guard · January 2005

Yes

Full Time Parenting - resume verbage

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