When your kids get older and they don’t rely on you quite so much anymore, you may decide that you want to get back into work. But a lot of stay at home parents worry that they will be at a disadvantage because they have been out of work for a while. When you are up against people that have a lot of recent experience, why would an employer decide to hire you?
However, parents shouldn’t worry about this as much as they do because, even though you have been out of work, that doesn’t mean that you don’t have experience. Parenting is the hardest job that there is and it gives you a lot of skills and experience that you can apply to a whole range of different careers. As long as you present these skills in the right way on a job application, your time as a parent can be a huge positive that helps you to find a new career. These are just some of the ways that being a parent can prepare you for a new career.
Experience Working With Kids
The most obvious benefit of being a parent is that it gives you a lot of experience working with children. Dealing with other people’s kids is different from dealing with your own, but it is still good experience that is applicable to a wide range of different careers. Most of the mommy influencers also believe it and have experienced it. For example, if you wanted to become a teacher, you already know how to deal with kids when they are being difficult, and keep them engaged. You will still need a bachelor’s degree and you may need to do a masters degree in education before you are qualified, but you will already have a lot of good experience working with children. This actually sets you apart from younger teachers that only have minimal experience in the classroom. If you don’t want to become a teacher, you could consider other jobs like teaching assistant or daycare worker.
Stress Management
Being a parent is incredibly stressful and you need to learn how to manage that stress so you can fulfil all of your parental duties every day. This is such a valuable skill in any job because a demanding career can have a big impact on your mental health. There are not many jobs that are as stressful as taking care of young children, so whatever you decide to do, it will be easy to manage your stress levels and maintain a good work-life balance. Being able to manage stress is a very valuable skill in high pressure jobs like teaching, nursing, hospitality, and finance. Although you will still need the necessary qualifications for those jobs, you already have the right personality.
Multitasking
Often, people say that multitasking is not a good idea because it is less productive overall. However, if you know how to multitask well, you are a valuable asset to any employer. When you are a stay at home parent, multitasking is just a part of everyday life. You need to make sure that all of the kids are ready for school, manage the school run, work out what to make for dinner, and keep the house in order all at the same time. Compared with that, handling multiple admin tasks is a breeze. There are so many great careers where multitasking is essential, like event planning, administrative roles, construction managers or nurses. But even if you are not interested in these specific careers, all employers will be impressed with your multitasking skills.
Problem Solving
The most effective employees are the ones that can find quick solutions to problems by using their own initiative, without always needing outside assistance. If you can solve issues as they come up, you are a huge asset to any company. As a parent, problem solving is a constant part of your life. Working out how to manage conflicting schedules, potty train toddlers, and helping out with homework will hone your problem solving skills so they are second nature. There are some great careers that are ideal for problem solvers, a lot of them in the financial or medical industries. If you can demonstrate that you are a great problem solver, that will give you a big advantage when you are applying for jobs.
Conflict Resolution
Conflict in the workplace has a huge impact on productivity, so employers do not want people that have poor conflict management skills. But any parent has a lot of experience resolving arguments. Siblings will always fight and it’s up to you as a parent to find a resolution that works for everybody. You also need to know how to keep your cool and relieve tensions when you clash with your own children. This translates well to the workplace because it means that you are not likely to let disputes with coworkers escalate. It also means that you are well suited to management roles because you can deal with any problems between employees in an effective way without making the situation worse.
Teamwork
When you look at a job application, there are always different skills and experience listed. But teamwork is a quality that appears on almost every job listing that you read because it is so important in any job. If you cannot work well with others and pull together to achieve a common goal, you won’t get very far. Parenting is all about teamwork and you and your partner need to work together to keep the family going. As the kids get older, it’s important that you teach them to pitch in as well. Your family is the best team that there is, and if you can work together with them, you should have no problem working as part of a team in the workplace.
Leadership
If you are ambitious and you want to move forward in your career and land a management role, you need good leadership skills. When you are a parent, you have to be a strong leader and show your children the right path. Being a leader to adults is so much easier than trying to be a leader for your children, so you will have no trouble taking on that role in the workplace.
Don’t worry that your lack of recent experience will work against you when you are trying to get back into work. All of the experience that you have as a parent makes you a perfect candidate for any job.