How To Write a Stay-at-Home Parent Resume

Re-entering the workforce can be daunting, and you may have questions about how to create a resume if you haven’t been employed in a few years or have significant gaps on your resume. Use the tips and templates below to craft a compelling resume highlighting your skills, such as family and management and handling projects as a volunteer.

  • Entry-Level
  • Mid-Career
  • Senior-Level
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1. Create a profile by summarizing your stay-at-home mom qualifications

Modern resumes have traded the objective for a profile summary. This section should give a hiring manager a quick overview of your skills and the type of position you’re seeking. It’s fine to write your profile summary as if you don’t have any gaps in your resume, but if you need to explain, you can add “returning” or something similar before the job title to make it clear you’re coming back into the industry.

Senior-Level Profile Example


A compassionate, empathetic attorney with over 10 years of experience in family law. A proven track record of managing complex negotiations and litigations for over 500 legal cases. Adept at identifying peaceful resolutions to preserve family relationships and secure fair compensation for clients.

Entry-Level Profile Example


An environmental science expert with an advanced knowledge of land management policies, habitat conservation, and community outreach. A proven track record of collaborating with naturalists, planners, and conservationists to address local and state issues facing communities in Florida.

2. Create a powerful list of your stay-at-home mom experience

The professional experience section is usually the largest on your resume. If you previously held several jobs, focus on those most relevant to the position. Something doesn’t have to be a paid position to count as professional experience. If you did volunteer work, including these roles can give you more recent positions to list. Generally, you don’t need to worry too much about time gaps in your resume, as these can be explained in the cover letter and interview.

Senior-Level Professional Experience Example


Associate, Germaine and Associates, San Diego, CA | 2009 – 2015

  • Represented clients in all areas of family law, including divorce, custody, paternity, child support, alimony, and distribution of assets and debts
  • Drafted and reviewed all pleadings, briefs, and oral arguments, performed comprehensive legal research, and oversaw discovery motions for pending litigations
  • Provided legal support for mediations, negotiations, and litigations in over 500 legal cases and communicated empathetically with clients during divorce trials

Entry-Level Professional Experience Example


Volunteer, Citizens Campaign for the Environment, Durham, NC | 2016 – present

  • Served as a volunteer for a state-wide environmental campaign for a conservation nonprofit, which included supporting initiatives to expand education and grow awareness of environmental issues across communities, schools, and local governments
  • Supported lobbying efforts to garner support from local politicians for environmental legislation, attended public hearings, and performed grassroots campaigning

3. List your relevant education and certifications

Your resume should always include any certificates or academic degrees relevant to the position. Still, it’s also a good idea to add your educational background, even if it’s not a direct fit for the job. Some employers require specific academic qualifications, such as a bachelor’s or master’s degree, regardless of the field of study. If you took classes as electives or completed any special projects relevant to the industry, you can also list these.

Education

Template

  • [Degree Name]
  • [School Name], [City, State Abbreviation] – [Graduation Month and Year]

Example

  • Associate of Applied Science in Health Information Technology
  • Arapahoe Community College, Littleton, CO – May 2008

Certifications

Template

  • [Certification Name], [Awarding Organization], [Completion Year]

Example

  • Certified Professional Coder (CPC)

4. Make a list of your relevant skills and proficiencies

When a hiring manager creates a job description, they generally list the needed skills and responsibilities. Use this to your advantage by including a key skills and proficiencies list on your resume. Add any qualities you possess in the job posting and anything else that might be relevant. Remember that being a stay-at-home parent gives you a unique set of skills that can be valuable to an employer. Here are some qualities you may use on your resume.

Key Skills and Proficiencies
Budgeting Communication
Computer literacy Creativity
Decision-making Emotional intelligence
Flexibility Leadership
Multitasking Negotiation
Organization Patience
Problem-solving Project management
Teamwork Time management

How To Pick the Best Stay-at-Home Parent Resume Template

Most professional resumes should be formatted in a way that is clean and easy to read. The main exceptions to this rule are creative positions, such as graphic design, or a job that requires a more personal connection, such as a nanny. When looking for a resume template, consider the industry you’re applying for and whether to use a reverse chronological or functional resume.

Stay-at-Home Parent Text-Only Resume Templates and Examples

  • Entry-Level
  • Mid-Career
  • Senior-Level

Erica Foley
(423) 892-1149
[email protected]
#8 The Parkway, Boulder, CO 80301

Profile

A Certified Medical Coder with seven years of progressive experience assigning ICD and CPT codes to patient medical records. A proven track record of coordinating with diverse teams and identifying opportunities to improve accuracy, production, and operational workflows.

Professional Experience

Supervisor, Medical Coding – Boulder Emergency Care, Boulder, Colorado
June 2011 – July 2014

  • Managed a five-person team performing coding for medical records and documentation related to diseases, symptoms, diagnoses, and patient history for emergency services
  • Created a new peer review process for medical records to reduce coding errors, which improved department accuracy from 91% to 97%
  • Identified opportunities to enhance operational workflows and improve team performance, which improved production from 260 reviews to 300+ per day

Medical Coder/HCC Coding Boulder Family Practice, Boulder, Colorado
November 2008 — June 2011

  • Reviewed patient medical records to verify and ensure appropriate and accurate diagnoses and procedural data in compliance with CMS and state specific guidelines
  • Utilized all correct coding initiatives for each and every insurance policy as well as state law requirements
  • Reviewed EOBs for patient insurance carriers and completed appropriate paperwork to appeal denials

Volunteerism Experience

Boulder Literacy Center, Volunteer, Boulder, Colorado
October 2015 — Present

  • Provided education services to improve literacy and reading comprehension for children, adults, and ESL students
  • Taught a basic Excel course each summer to three classes of over 20 students, which included creating lesson plans and providing tutoring services

Education

Associate of Applied Science in Health Information Technology
ARAPAHOE COMMUNITY COLLEGE, Littleton, CO 2006-2008

Key Skills

  • Medical Terminology
  • Data Entry
  • Speed Typing
  • Medical Coding
  • Process Improvement

Certifications

  • Certified Professional Coder (CPC)

Frequently Asked Questions: Stay-at-Home Parent Resume Examples and Advice

What are common action verbs for stay-at-home parent resumes?-

Writing the professional experience section of your resume is as simple as breaking your job duties down into bullets and starting each one with a strong action verb. But creating a unique verb for each bullet isn’t always easy. If you need some ideas to get you started, we’ve compiled a list of action verbs that should fit most stay-at-home parent resumes below.

Action Verbs
Adapted Balanced
Budgeted Collaborated
Coordinated Created
De-escalated Facilitated
Implemented Managed
Monitored Negotiated
Nurtured Organized
Planned Prioritized
Researched Resolved
Supervised Supported
How do you align your stay-at-home parent resume with a job description?-

If you’re ready to re-enter the workforce, it may help to look for a job in an industry projected to experience above-average growth. Often, there are more open positions, and you may face less competition from other applicants. Ensuring your resume is targeted to each role can also give you an edge over other candidates and increase the chances that your resume makes it in front of a human reviewer.

What is the best stay-at-home parent resume format?-

Avoid the traditional reverse chronological format if your resume has a significant time gap. Instead, consider a functional or combination resume. A functional resume focuses on your skills and qualifications so the hiring manager can see what a great candidate you are before noting that you have gaps in your work history. And a combination resume is the best of both worlds, letting you organize key skills like managing a home or volunteering while still showing you have traditional work experience.

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Expert Advice
Include a cover letter with your resume

Your resume and cover letter are a team. The resume lets a hiring manager know who you are and what your skills are quickly, and the cover letter provides context for your professional achievements and gives you a chance to explain why you’re interested in the position. When writing a cover letter, decide whether to explain any gaps in your resume or why you’re re-entering the workforce, but keep it to just a sentence or two if you do. The focus of your application, including your resume and cover letter, should be on what you can do for the employer now.

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Jacob Meade

Certified Professional Resume Writer (CPRW, ACRW)

Jacob Meade is a resume writer and editor with nearly a decade of experience. His writing method centers on understanding and then expressing each person’s unique work history and strengths toward their career goal. Jacob has enjoyed working with jobseekers of all ages and career levels, finding that a clear and focused resume can help people from any walk of life. He is an Academy Certified Resume Writer (ACRW) with the Resume Writing Academy, and a Certified Professional Resume Writer (CPRW) with the Professional Association of Resume Writers & Career Coaches.

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