As a contributing career coach on Maybrooks.com, I am excited to be part of their “Ask A Coach” Q&A series. Here are my answers to two questions from Maybrooks readers on when to negotiate flexible work, and how to address a career gap on your resume.
Question:
I am about to interview for a job after being a full time stay at home mom for the past 4.5 years. I’ve kept my skills very relevant and current during that time through freelancing and other volunteer roles. I’m very ready to return to more formal employment but still want flexibility to be present for my young children. When would be a good time to ask about options for flexibility in the interview process? How do I bring it up and what could I negotiate with, especially if I don’t have any history with the organization yet?
Answer:
Congratulations on the interview! And good for you for keeping your skills sharp during your career break. Now that you are at the interview stage, your top priority is getting the offer. Spend your time communicating your relevant skills and accomplishments so you can demonstrate the value you will bring to their organization. Wait until after you have the offer before negotiating terms like flexible work options. Bringing that topic up too early in the interview process may make you look like you are putting your needs above the company’s.
Question:
What is the best way to approach gaps in my resume (in my case eight years) during which I was a full-time stay-at-home mom and where my experience may not be as relevant (i.e. when I left work, social media was barely being used!)?
Answer:
This is a great question, and one faced by many women ready to re-enter the workforce after a career break. Strong resumes are ones that are tailored to the specific role you are targeting, showcasing your relevant skills and accomplishments. So you first want to do a thorough analysis of the job descriptions of roles you are interested in. Look at the qualifications they are looking for. Even if you haven’t been working in the past 8 years, think about any projects you have worked on or volunteer work you have done during your time off. Pull out your transferable skills. Even if you don’t have direct experience, you most likely have skill sets that align with what the employer is seeking.
For example, let’s say you are interested in a marketing role. Marketing requires strong communications, leadership, teamwork and project management skills, including understanding of the customer. Maybe you ran a fundraiser at your kids’ school. You likely used all of those skills to get the job done — led a team of volunteers, communicated with school administrators and parents, marketed the fundraiser to local businesses and service providers etc. If the job you are interested in asks for social media skills, then think of how you may have leveraged social media to market the fundraiser and include that as a bullet point. Remember in your resume to make your bullets impact oriented — meaning try to show the results of your work by quantifying achievements (i.e., raised $X for the school, or grew school’s Facebook following by X%).
In terms of the 8-year gap, if you have had a series of volunteer and freelance projects during your time off, Continue reading on Maybrooks.com >