The Stay-at-Home Parent’s Guide to Returning to the Workplace
Are you ready to return to the workforce after years at home caring for your children? You had a thriving career that you put on hold to spend more time with your family and save on childcare costs. Now that you want to work again, you’re not sure where to start. Look at what you need to know about going from a stay-at-home parent to a new employee. Should You Go Back to Work? Before you go from full-time stay-at-home parent to full-time job seeker, make sure you are ready to return to the workforce. According to the Pew Research Center, one out of every five parents in the United States are stay-at-home parents. This means you aren’t alone in your choice to stay home — and you aren’t the first or the only parent who has made the transition from parenting to the workplace. Whether you chose to stay at home for social, emotional, or financial reasons, you may need to think about the goals you have for yourself and your career before you take the next step. Not only can this help you to decide on a time to return to the workforce, it can help you to clarify what you expect from your job. The more you know about your expectations, motivations, and goals, the better you will be able to find a job that meets your needs. How Should You Update Your Resume? There’s a gap in your resume. The years you spent caring for your children at home left a space in between your last work experience and now. What should you do about this employment gap? Again, you aren’t the only parent who chose to stay at home and later decided to return to their career path. Many employers have seen this type of gap before and understand that it is a natural part of the work-life cycle for many professionals. But this doesn’t mean you should just leave a significant resume gap. While you don’t have to explain your choices to your future employer, you do want a resume that makes you a marketable candidate. A gap could seem odd or falsely lead a would-be employer to believe that you lack dedication or are unreliable. If possible, fill the gap with volunteer or other activities that you’ve engaged in during your time as a stay-at-home parent. These could include charity work, volunteering for