How to List Gaps in Employment Due to Having Children

Highlight unpaid experiences.

There are ore than 5 million stay-at-home moms and more than 150,000 stay-at-home dads in the U.S., according to the job site Monster. If you are among these people and you are looking to return to the workforce, you need to be prepared to address your employment gap. Be honest and explain the reason for the gap, while emphasizing experience that you have gained outside of the paid workforce.

Instructions

1. List your previous jobs on your resume with the start and end date for each. Be truthful with these dates, even though they will show gaps in your employment.

2. List your experience as a parent as a job if it is related to the work you are seeking. According to Kim Isaacs, a resume expert with Monster, people have used job titles such as "household manager" to describe their work as a parent. Include relevant tasks that you have performed such as budgeting, cooking, cleaning and caring for your children. Omit this if the tasks are unrelated to your work.

3. Include unpaid work such as volunteer experience on your resume. This shows that even when you were not employed, you were still working and gaining experience.

4. Address your employment gap in the cover letter. Simply explain that you are returning to paid work after working as a stay-at-home parent. Explain that you have maintained your skills and that you are looking forward to returning to the workforce.

References

• Monster; Resume Tips for Full-Time Parents Returning to Work; Kim Isaacs