Reentering the workforce after raising your kids and becoming an empty nester is a difficult thing to explain in a resume.
These are my notes from another book idea from the Resume Psychology series.
Remember the narrative of your story is yours to craft.
Who are you? Guess what? You decide.
Whatever you decide, it has to "feel" authentic and genuine to you.
In presenting your narrative realize "they" don't really care one way or the other.
Think about it, if they want someone re-entering the workforce, what you are is unimportant compared to who you become working for them.
Be consistent, prepared and own the narrative.
Be open to testing variations until you start gaining traction.
Job Titles for Parents/Spouses
- Stay at Home
- Work at Home
- Spouse
- Mom
- Dad
- Parent
- Empty-nester
- Career changer
Pseudo Job-Title or Job
Function or Transition Statement
- Re-entering
workforce
- Seeking
re-employment (among the adult population)
- Seeking new
employment (for pay)
- Seeking
employment
SAMPLE - 1
Stay-at-Home
Parent
Reentering the
work force
Targeting entry
level [insert-job-title] positions
Debrief:
This is a
little long. But – is very
clear or obvious. The reader will see "Job-Title" quickly as it trails down from the word "force." Probably my
favorite option, initially.
SAMPLE - 2
Reentering the
work force; former stay-at-home [parent, spouse, mom, dad, empty-nester]
Targeting entry
level Analyst opening
Debrief:
"Reentering"
is more important compared to mentioning the home-status. This means, it should
come first on the line or first in the paragraph.
The word
“openings" is vague on purpose (the one time being vague is allowed). This
allows the reader to fill-in the job-title; which will be based on their bias,
habit, needs… all timing related.
Sample - 3
Reentering the
work force
Targeting
[Job-Title]
(Empty-nester
seeking re-employment)
Debrief:
Now - I do not
recommend using parentheses in an email signature; but we frame the most
important things first (reentry/Job-Title) and the parenthesis allow us to
explain a great deal without over burdening the eye or short-term memory with
more “letters.”
The risk - they
never see the empty-nester [pseudo job-title] which may or may not be a bad
thing.
SAMPLE - 4
Former Business
Analyst
Reentering the
workforce
Targeting
entry-level Scrum opens
Debrief:
This is an
effort to present the previous work experience while explaining the current
situation; being as fact-based as possible.
Jobs are
important, so show some respect by avoiding all the cutesy or euphemistic
attempts at humor to soften the truth/details of your previous work-status
being a time-machine trip in your career history.
AND - It
explains the situation and the goal (landing a J.O.B.) in very short order.
Recruiters and
hiring managers can respect that.
This can keep
you top-of-mind for future openings if they appreciated your approach and can
leverage it to their advantaged (cheap labor).
This example
may have become my new favorite. Why?
The reentering
telegraphs the truth! You have been away from that job.
And - no one
will be surprised about when you were that-job.
They will check.
If it was a mom
& pop operation, a now out-of-business company or legacy-vendor merged into
something new; you are stuck with their bias. You can sell it as an advantage
easier by being real at the start.
But they see early on, you were a working
person, turned work-at-home parent (versus prison time, extended medical leave,
alien-abduction), and now the kids are off to college, you are on the good-meds
or the aliens requested a refund... whatever the case.
To your best
resume yet,
Dirk Spencer
Recruitment
Consultant
Author of Resume Psychology and The Candy Maker Resume
The Candy Maker Resume: Resume Writing Hacks
by Dirk Spencer; ISBN-10: 0692652698 and ISBN-13: 978-0692652695.
Resume
Psychology - Resume Hacks and Traps Revealed - Beat the Machine. Be Seen. Get
Hired! (ISBN-10: 0692525602 and ISBN-13: 978-0692525609 print and Kindle eBook)
Both available
on Amazon.Com and Amazon world-wide: Amazon.Co.UK - Amazon.FR - Amazon.DE -
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Psychology the blog
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My online
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More photos
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Internet articles (recruiting, job
search, book, customer service with Dirk mentions)
Beat the Bot – Podcast Interview with
Albert Lin of Careers.Org
Examples of Great
Customer Service
Keeping in
Touch with Candidates:
Should You
Re-Apply to the Same Job:
You May Be an
Outdated Job Seeker If…:
Six Unlikely
Places to Find Jobs
Be a Better
Recruiter:
Curve Ball
Interview Questions:
Resume Psychology Blog Posts:
The 3-Rs of
Resumes:
Resume Help -
Fiverr.Com and Others:
Questions for
Hiring Managers - What NOT to Ask:
Questions for
Hiring Managers - Potential Insights:
Questions for
Hiring Managers - Checking Your Field Position:
Questions for
Hiring Managers - Get Their Back-Story
Questions for
Hiring Managers - Go Deep or Go Home:
Questions for
Hiring Managers - Generic Questions - Make Them Your Own:
Professional
Summary – Make It Count:
Detail Vs.
Granularity & What is the Big Deal?:
Will This Get
Me Hired?:
What is Your
Goal?:
Your Resume is
Your Career Anthropology:
What is Resume
Psychology?
SlideShare Presentation by Dirk Spencer
Think Like a
Search Engine Find User Groups for Leads:
Freelancing
Online (e-Lancing):
Using LinkedIn
for Job Search:
Interview
Psychology - Preparation Attracts Offers:
The Candy Maker
Exercise:
Resume
Psychology - The Resume Playbook:
Resume Kiss of
Death (K.O.D.) - Killing Vague Resume Content:
Finding Open
Jobs with Job Boards:
Your Resume
Action Plan - Resume Boot Camp:
Resume
Psychology – Get the Offer lecture 2011:
Book
interviews I paid for using Fiverr.Com Resources
Resume
Psychology: Resume Hacks & Traps Revealed - Beat the Machine. Be Seen. Get
Hired! – Amazon World Wide:
The Candy
Maker Resume – Resume Writing Hacks - Amazon World Wide:
