Yes, stay-at-home parents can be best for the job. Their past experience can be a plus. The experience of parenting is a positive differentiator.
Yet all too often their abilities and potential are totally overlooked.
Like so many recent college graduates my oldest son kept coming across job postings that said, “At least three to five years of experience required”.
He lamented, “Where the heck am I supposed to get the three to five years if they won’t hire me in the first place?”
It’s a similar experience for many women and men who have been stay-at-home parents for the past twenty-plus years of their lives and out of desire or necessity want to get back into the workforce.
When the nest goes empty, it’s as if you’ve been laid off from your job and your career has been dissolved.
Falsely Presumed Shorcomings
Even having a college degree and a professional career before kids, former stay-at-home parents can often find themselves in the same entry-level situation as a younger college grad while also facing the potential of a hiring manager with an ageist attitude.
It is understandable that for many jobs, experience and/or a high level of expertise and up-to-date knowledge are required. That just cannot be an excuse not to hire a stay-at-home parent.
But for so many others it’s more about who you are than skill sets. As one recruiter told my son at a job fair, “Most employers are really looking for someone who is dependable, easy to work with and trainable”.
So how about the over 50 prospects and especially former stay-at-home parents?
Here is a dream job posting:
WANTED:
Employee with at least 10 years of experience in:
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Organization and time management
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Multitasking
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Scheduling
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Logistics
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Event Planning
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Procurement and cost-efficiency
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Conflict Resolution
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Negotiating
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Emergency Preparedness and Response
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Problem Solving
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Social Media Content Management
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Able to handle heavy call volume
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Willing to work for community and volunteer causes
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Outstanding Communication Skills
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The Patience of Job
Must be able to work exceptionally long hours and available for crisis response 24/7. Tasks and duties will inevitably involve situations never before faced, yet must produce acceptable outcomes. Must be willing to work well with others and maintain a fantastic disposition at all times. Must be able to work without direct supervision. We will train you in our specific processes to do your duties in our Best Methods and Practices.
Variations of this list have been circulated for years not because it’s hilarious; but because it is true and parents can totally relate to it!
This is a compelling example for job seekers and job hirers to look beyond specific skill sets, job history, age and professional accomplishments.
So, Yes! Stay-at-home parents can be best for the job. Their past experience can be a plus. The experience of parenting is a positive differentiator.
Leverage your edge
If you are a working parent, how many times have you noticed the difference between those adults in the workplace who have children and those who don’t? How often have you thought about how the ones who don’t are lacking in critical areas such as communications skills, patience, empathy, organization and leadership?
We may be seeing the beginning of a trend in which hiring managers are focusing more and more on the intrinsic attributes and experience of a prospect, rather than just resume details and demographics.
Just as some employers are beginning to look more closely at the character and ethic of a college graduate, so too can they look at the unique talents and experience of the older prospect.
Last but not least, there is a great deal to be said about the gratitude older employees have for a new job or their current one. Gratitude for a job means an employee will be all the more dedicated and committed (and a heck of a lot easier to work with).
So employers should take a fresh look at these reentry-level workers and see them as very accomplished, experienced and successful people who are seeking a career change and have the desire, determination and experience to learn new things.
And for the former stay-at-home parent, in your encounters with prospective employers, help them realize the weight and the impact successfully caring for and raising a family provides.
With all of that said, it is up to the parent to get up-to-date in all respects:
- Skills
- Workplace and business trends
- Interpersonal, intergenerational, interworking skills and knowledge
- Resume, LinkedIn, Personal Branding, Interviewing and Job Search techniques and content
All too often it’s not ageism or prejudice against someone re-entering the job market, it’s the person themselves.
Therefore, it is up to you to show them you are up-to-date and ready for the job. Show your acquired skills both past, present and recently updated. Show through your job search materials you are up-to-date. Start sharing two or three worthy articles aligned with your profession on LinkedIn every week to show you are in tune and active.
You as a stay-at-home parent can be best for the job. Now it’s up to you to prove it.