[katsam]

I was wondering what some of you thought about putting mother on a resume. It is not my question actually, but my mom's. She is trying to find a job using her psychology degree, but has not had much experience in that area. She is applying for a job working with kids, and being a mother has given her tons of experience in that field. What do you think? I think it would be okay, expecially for a jobs working with children.

 

[DebraBaker]

I need to document 200 hours of patient interaction to get into the PA program and I'm tempted to say, "I'm a mom. I have treated any number of illnesses over the course of 26 years. I have used alternative therapies and have been called upon to discern when these alternative therapies are working and when I needed to call the doctor. I have been on call day and night and have eight wonderful children as living proof of my competence." (spelling and grammar errors will be corrected, of course.)

db

 

[G&B'sMama]

I never put Mother on my resume but I have mentioned it in my cover letter and in an interview before. Mostly I couched it in terms of the skills that I practiced while I was a SAHM that would help me do my job better. Although I really think that even just the normal things like taking care of household duties and managing finances are important, I focused on things that were a bit more outside of daily life- like organizing and starting a playgroup. I turned that into a "volunteer" experience where even though I was not paid, I performed in a professional manner. Lots of moms "volunteer" every day- whether it is carpooling kids to school, writing a legislator on something important to you, greeting people at LLL, or watching a friend's kids while she goes to an appointment- not to mention more traditional volunteer stuff that we do for our kids like working on the preschool fundraiser or coaching a sports team. I think its a great idea to stress all the organizational skills, people skills, and communication skills that are used in these "volunteer" experiences. It's not just the cliche line that a mom does the job of a doctor, accountant, housecleaner, nanny, secretary, etc.- but really puts an emphasis that moms actively use many of the same skills at home and in the workplace.

 

[Jane]

I wouldn't put it on the resume.

 

[eightyferrettoes]

Seems more appropriate in the cover letter... somehow, I don't know how professional it would look on the resume itself, ya know? There doesn't seem to be a whole lot of leeway for creativity on a resume.

 

[faythe]

I agree, put it in the cover letter. If there are specific activities or skills that she can pull out, such as volunteering, tutoring, etc, then that would be fine on a resume.

 

[audone]

I've seen this addressed in jokes, but what if she were to provide a title such as "domestic engineer" or "domestic manager"? Depending on the type of position she is applying for, it may or may not be appropriate, but doing so might give some professional credence to the duties of motherhood.

 

[Jane]

I would stay far away from a euphemism such as "domestic manager". I think the potential negative reaction far outweighs the positive reaction.

I think it is something to not mention at all (in my field, one of the sciences), even in the cover letter, even in the interview.

 

[mirlee]

I do not recommend putting mother, any reference to marital status, religion, or race on any document pertaining to a job search.

It is illegal for anyone to ask you those questions, and if you don't want to open a can of worms, it is best to leave that off. It could preclude you from the hiring process and you wouldn't even know it.

 

[katsam]

I think the cover letter, saying she has had lots of experience with kids, etc. is probably a good idea. The only reason I thought it might be okay is because she would be applying for a job that does work with children and families, so some of her expereince as a mom would be relevent. Thanks for all the responses! I just wasn't sure, and couldn't find any info online in that area.

 

[idocrase]

I agree with Mirlee - I wouldn't put it in the cover letter or the resume. It *is* a can of worms. If she wants to use *specific* instances that occurred while bringing up her children to help her emphasize a skill during the interview, that would be fine, I think.

But people tend to lump all mothers in the same basket. If your mother was good, you think mothers do lots of hard work and are great. But if your mother was not-so-good....

I think there's a risk in defining yourself too strongly as "just a mother." (Please don't jump on me! I know the truth!). You're really trying to show the company why you'd be a good *employee* instead.

 

[mamajama]

I agree that putting "mother" would not be appropriate. Try listing the attributes of motherhood under the heading "Relevent Skills"-- problem-solving, creativity, child-care, teamwork, etc.

 

[lisalou]

I wouldn't put it on the resume or cover letter. But I like G&B's idea of listing any volunteer or coordinating group type stuff esp for the field your mom is going into. If she coordinated a playgroup or anything like that I'd just give it a name like "Main St. Playgroup" coordinator and then list relevant skills and accomplishments. Same with volunteer work.