A gap in the CV. It’s enough to fill some of us with dread! For new mothers looking to get back into work (and even some fathers too) a fairly innocuous looking gap can be the cause of real concern. Many employers when looking over your CV will analyse your history, but something that often more interesting than what you have done is what you haven’t. Why did you stop working? And what’s stopping you from taking another gap?
When it comes to having children, sometimes that gap is just unavoidable. You may need to take longer from work than you’d like, the job you have just wouldn’t be viable with children to look after or maybe you’re a single parent who needs more time with their child. Whatever it is, you’re out of work. It might be just a few months, it might be a few years, but what this doesn’t mean is that your CV has to suffer!
Taking time out for your children might not be a “job” but it’s certainly work! Having kids isn’t a stroll in the park by any measure and the wealth of experience you gain in the process is more than any job can teach you. Having a child in tow forces you to become more organised, make various lifestyle changes for the better and makes you more inclined to lead by example. Many parents talk about how much stronger as a person they’ve become after having children, and that’s something that doesn’t just stay at home, it’ll carry in to other aspects of your life and it certainly comes with you back into the work place.
Over the course of your children growing older, many of you will find yourselves getting involved in various activities outside of just “parenting”. This might be anything from volunteer work all the way through to becoming part of the PTA for your child’s school. Anything you do is valuable experience that you can put in place in a new role.
As well as all of the above, having a child is the biggest motivator for you to make yourself a better person. You want your children to grow up having a good life and the only way to do that is if you provide it for them. This is going to be through hard work and self improvement and the patience that a lot of non-parents just don’t share. Essentially becoming a parent gives you the skills and personality traits that most employers are looking for in their employees.
While parenthood might leave a gap in your CV, it’s a huge missed opportunity to just see this as a void space. It’s up to you to fill this gap with experiences you’ve had that you wouldn’t have got from regular employment. Don’t be afraid to point out on your CV that the gap from work wasn’t spent off on a jolly, point out what you’ve learnt, how you’ve grown and that you’ll be stronger employee for it.
