You know that the most important job you will ever have is being a mom.  When its time to go back to paid work, you just don't want your resume to scream "I've been knee deep in diapers for four years, please hire me!!"

So when you decide to dust off the ol' resume and get it ready for your foray into paid work, you have a few options.  You can check out some books at the local library on resume writing or you can hire a professional to do it for you. 

If you have been a stay-at-home mom for a few years, you clearly are not scared off by a challenge.  After all, you potty trained your willful 2 year old.  Can it be that hard to update a resume?  Yes and no.  Updating the resume is not difficult, selling yourself as a viable job candidate after a years-long absence from the workforce can be a bit of a challenge.  But it is not insurmountable.  You just need to know how to "sell" yourself.

It is time to broaden your definition of "work". Look at all the activities you have participated in since leaving your last paid job.  What skills have you acquired during that time?  How have your volunteer/church/social activities leveraged your talents?  What specific outcomes have you accomplished?  Can you think of some instances when you influenced others, raised a "call to action"?  All these pieces of your life are fodder for your new, improved resume.

Skills are skills, whether they are acquired on the job or while volunteering.  Present your volunteer accomplishments as proudly as you would your job accomplishments.  One way to make your resume flow smoothly is to group similar activities together whether you were paid for them or not.  For example, if you excel at sales and fundraising, group those skills and accomplishments together. 

A resume is a marketing tool, a way to showcase what you can do.  But the traditional resume lists work experience and responsibilities in a chronological order.  When you have been out of the job market for a few years, you want to emphasize what you can do, not how much time you have been away. A "functional" resume is designed to focus on skills rather than job duties.   It lends itself well to jobseekers who have had a gap in their career by highlighting what you can do, not just listing years spent on the job.

After you have written a draft of your resume, you may want to ask a trusted friend or advisor for feedback.  Ideally, a well-crafted resume is concise, easy-to-understand and piques the interest of the reader. The purpose of your new resume is not to hide the fact that you have been away from the workforce.  It draws attention to all your varied talents, whether you received a paycheck for them or you used them in service of your community.

See "Sample functional resume" for more ideas.

If you decide that you want to hire a professional to write your resume, YourOnRamp can help.  Contact us at resume@youronramp.com