Whether you’ve had a gap in your work history, are changing careers or you want to add some substance to your resume, everyday life experiences can be a real gold mine for discovering job skills you may not have even realized you had. This is especially true for parents.
The many duties you fulfill each day are full of examples of the types of benefits you could bring to employers. It’s not uncommon for moms and dads to discredit just how valuable the job of being a parent is and to fail to notice the types of contributions they make to the lives of their families. Believe it or not, employers are looking to hire people that are able to demonstrate the types of skills most parents have.
In fact, a study by the website CareerBuilder shows that 68{88f444d59bdcebbae9807ef571e75a929a4082f9b61183f4b6d14945fda12649} of the 2,186 corporate human resources and hiring managers surveyed agreed that parenting skills are considered to be relevant work experience. On the flip side, less than 10 percent of job applicants added these valuable skill sets to their application materials. Let’s take a look at the parenting skills you can add to your resume to help you get the gig.
Time Management
Supervisors want people on their teams who can get the job done well and on time. When deadlines are missed or employees fail to deliver projects as expected, it can have a severe impact on the work of colleagues, completion of the final project and on the overall bottom line. Managers hate nothing more than looking bad or losing money because of the mistakes of employees. As a mom or dad, you can demonstrate to potential employers your ability to multitask and to get things done on time by emphasizing ways in which you successfully manage your time every day. Making sure children arrive at scheduled appointments, important paperwork is turned in on time and dinner is on the table at an hour that fits everyone’s schedule takes flair. Don’t be afraid to brag about your expertise a bit.
Organizational Skills
Nothing would get accomplished in a timely manner without the ability to organize. This is another trait organizations need. An organized employee is one who gets things done and doesn’t make costly mistakes due to lost documents or forgotten appointments. As a caregiver, you can demonstrate the tangible ability to organize a household. Parents often manage the schedules of themselves and their family members, making it look easy. Keeping track of medical appointments, maintenance tasks, sports practices and club meetings can definitely be a challenge. Don’t forget grocery shopping, meal planning, cleaning and shuttling everyone to where they need to go. Parents are definitely organizational pros.
Problem Solving
The ability to problem solve may be one of the most valued traits you can bring to the job. Employers need employees who can be counted on to make good decisions when necessary. Someone who can save a botched presentation on the fly or brainstorm solutions to a tricky dilemma is likely to move through the ranks quickly. Moms and dads do it every day when they decide whether a sick child really needs to go to the doctor right away or whether it’s best to wait and see. They improvise a quick and tasty meal when they realize they only have a half hour to have dinner before baseball practice. They keep their cool when a little one skins a knee. No one can make it better like a parent can.
Research
No matter what kind of position you seek, the ability to do research is probably part of the job description. Staying updated in one’s industry is necessary to professionals who want to grow and succeed in their jobs. Parents definitely know how to research. It starts as soon as you find out a child is on the way. You research pregnancy, childbirth, baby gear and infant care. As your kids grow, you learn about child development and expected milestones. Surely, you’ve also looked up every symptom your child has ever displayed in order to determine how best to care for them. Gaining knowledge is essential to parenting.
Communication
Clear, concise and consistent communication is essential to the workforce. It ensures that everyone is on the same page and that mistakes are avoided. Employers love to hire proven communicators. Parents learn very quickly to communicate in a way that leaves nothing to interpretation in order to make sure there are no excuses later for why something isn’t done. In addition, kids often take things quite literally and may need explicit instructions. A parent can be sure even challenging employees understand what is expected of them.
Here are some of the top parenting skills you can add to your resume if you want to impress employers. Because parents are also very clever and proactive, chances are good that you can add some of your own traits to the list.