There is a significant number of parents who stay at home for various reasons. According to the statistics released by the US Census Bureau, 176 million women and 5 million men stay at home every year. The bureau, however, does not give the number of those returning to work. It is estimated that the number of parents going back to the industry could be in hundreds of thousands, and that is why this article is written as a resume builder guide to help such parents in the following ways.

Point out relevant activities

Though you have been home for a while, ensure you only highlight activities that relate to the job. Your resume is your marketing tool and should be able to sell you, quoting that you are the right person for the job. The skills you state that you had earned previously, should match your career goals.

For women, you may have majorly involved in laundry and taking care of the kids, but there are dozens of other activities that could be of interest to your potential employer. Some of these tasks include,

• Community service and volunteer — Just because you were not paid, does not mean your efforts and contributions were irrelevant. You can earn relevant skills from community involvement as you could have gained in formal employment.

• Further education — indicate that you have always kept your skill updated through a various course. This is a gesture of interest in the field. There are many online courses that you can learn from home on topics such as Microsoft office, design among others.

• Professional advancement — Assure the potential employer that despite not working, your ambitions have always been in line with the needs of the industry, this can be shown by indicating a professional body you belong.

• Self-employment. Your experience as a business proprietor can be a good selling point. Freelance work/ projects.

The job title to include

There is no mutual understanding on what to add as your title, however, if the activities you performed at home are relevant to the job, then well you can add them. However, avoid using skills that are irrelevant and may sound silly like “home manager”. If possible, create a title out of how you have used the skills you acquired earlier to develop yourself.

Choose an effective resume format

Having the right format of the resume is the key to getting recognized. For the stay home parents, a chronological resume may work against you. Try mixing up other styles, which are available on resume builder sites offering you a variety of resume templates. The recommended format in the chronological resume.

Having an employment gap means you do not have much work experience. Though not preferred, a chronological resume emphasizes on your skills with little attention to your experience.

Be sincere. Your cover letter should state why you have been out of the job and at the same time describe you as the competent candidate for the position.

Have someone go through your resume

An extended period out of the industry can make you outdated. You can use a third party or resume builder service to assure you that you have a decent, current, reliable and a resume that affirms your qualification and not the employment gap.

Understanding how important your resume is in marketing yourself is the key to writing a good resume. As a stay home parent who has plans to get employment later, ensure that you engage in few activities that help you develop your career. Finally, always be updated on what is new around you so that you avoid reporting back to a job as an 18th-century boss.