Written by: Natasha Zo, Executive Contributor
Executive Contributors at Brainz Magazine are handpicked and invited to contribute because of their knowledge and valuable insight within their area of expertise.
It wasn’t too long ago that stay-at-home parents felt uncomfortable explaining the gaps in their resumes due to raising their kids, especially if they were out of the workforce longer than a few months. Fortunately, things have changed! If you are a mom who wants to switch careers or reenter the workforce after staying home to take care of your family, the good news is that more and more employers are considering the bigger picture when hiring new employees.
Workers with advanced human skills are in high demand because of their superior communication prowess, conflict resolution expertise, and ability to multitask. As a mom, you can turn your motherhood experience and human skills into an asset during job interviews.
Our home and work lives have blended with our work lives thanks to the pandemic, so it’s not unusual for children or pets to interrupt working parents and people are more understanding about it than ever before. I even heard of a woman who did an interview with her child napping on her shoulder and got the job!
There’s also a growing movement called Motherhood On The Resume (MOTR) by an organization for working moms called Hey Mama, that is fighting to remove the stigma surrounding working moms and help recognize the strengths they bring to the workplace because they are a parent and not in spite of it. The goal of the movement, which started May 18th, is for 1,000 women to add motherhood to their resumes by National Women’s Equality Day on August 26th.
I decided to talk to Gladys Simen, a Hey Mama member and life coach for working moms, to discuss why it is important for women to add "Mom" on their resumes. Here’s a closer look at some of the skills she gained through motherhood and how they can translate into the workplace:
Being prepared and then some more
Mothers are constantly thinking of a plan A, B, and C. Whether it’s grabbing some extra snacks and baby wipes before you go on a stroll in the park with the kids, or packing an extra suitcase full of clothes just in case your family goes anywhere further than 5 minutes – okay 10 minutes – away from home, moms can’t help but consider every possible scenario when it comes to their partner and kids so they are less likely to be caught off guard.
How does this translate to the workplace? It will depend on your own individual role. Gladys advises moms to always be ready to bribe their kids and make sure they are fed and entertained so you can have an hour-long zoom meeting without too many interruptions.
Having difficult conversations
Whether you’re playing referee between the kids and deciding who’s turn it is to watch a particular TV show or taking time to soothe an irate child, moms are not strangers when it comes to diffusing situations, solving conflicts, or just making overall tough decisions when it comes to raising their children. When it comes to the workplace, moms can use their sharpened conflict resolution skills to handle a difficult coworker and become the voice of calmness when the stress levels are high among coworkers.
Problem-solving skills
There’s a famous quote that says, “You can’t rely on kids, technology, and pets “. Since all of them are famously unreliable, moms are constantly finding ways to make sure the show will go on. Whether it’s thinking on your feet when the rain is ruining a perfectly well-planned afternoon picnic or your client presentation starts to go sideways, moms can usually find an alternative solution pretty quickly since you’re so used to doing it every day.
Juggling multiple priorities
Women, especially moms, are used to switching between tasks and giving our full attention to each one - which is very different from multitasking. Moms are usually able to successfully run a household, spend time with their partner, and manage to keep the kids alive and entertained all while making a healthy meal for dinner! And they still find time to squeeze in some ’me time’ for personal care in between! The ability to focus on multiple tasks and projects at the same time can be a great skill regardless of the industry you work in.
There you have it! Those are just some of the reasons you should be proud to highlight being a mother on your resume. Every mom should be confident that you are bringing something of value to the table when you’re looking for a job, especially since you have the opportunity to sharpen your human skills every single day as a parent. If you need more inspirational content or further guidance from a fellow working mom on how to leverage your human skills to get the job you want, Gladys would be happy to hear from you!
Natasha Zo, Executive Contributor Brainz Magazine Natasha Zo is a former journalist from Siberia turned international media relations specialist. She is a founder of Cosa Famosa media - a boutique PR agency on a mission to amplify messages of conscious leaders, health, and wellness entrepreneurs through earned media. Known for her connector skills, she guided a number of authors to Amazon bestseller status, booked national TV, top-tier media, and over 400 podcast interviews.
