Can I Put That On My Resume?

by Shelley Macon, Head Editor, INALJ Florida

Can I Put That On My Resume?

shelleym1It’s been a long time since I have had an actual “job.”   And by “job” I mean – a reoccurring time of work that is accompanied by a salary which is paid in money (as opposed to macaroni art and sticky-faced kisses).  Yes, I have spent the last 14 years raising a family.  I chose to put my career on hold.

And now that I am thinking of rejoining the workforce soon, I am feeling the disadvantages of my long hiatus.   You know that place on an application where employers typically want you to list your jobs in the last 10 years?  Well, I have a goose egg, a big fat zero, jobs to list.  So what do I put on my resume?   “I have extensive experience vacuuming and can operate vacuums of all types, including canister, stick vacs, and uprights.”  I don’t think so.

That is one of the reasons I chose to volunteer with INALJ.  To get some recent, relevant experience.  It has been a great way to do some pre-job searching networking and to get back up-to-date on the wonderful world of the librarian.  But, as I think back on my years of motherhood I have begun to see how childrearing has given me some great skills that are clearly applicable to a library job.

 

1.  I have learned how to define my role as an authority figure.  I am “the boss.”  We can play and have fun, but at the end of the day I am their mother (aka boss), not their friend.

2.  I have no problem setting rules and boundaries.  And standing by them.  Even in the face of a zealous, majority opposition.

3.  I have held story time almost daily for over a decade.

4.  Neither temper tantrums nor bodily fluids faze me.

5.  I can successfully manage the schedules of 4 active children, 1 cat, 1 husband, and myself.  A logistics feat worthy of a general.

6.  I have helped with every type of homework assignment and project imaginable.

7.  With careful and clever questioning, I can discern a person’s true wants and needs based upon the most flimsy or bizarre request.

8.  I know how to reach out to the community.  I am the community.

9.  I can work with, and am comfortable with, children of all ages.

10.  With perseverance and determination, I can find just about any lost item.  In fact, nothing is really lost unless I can’t find it.

So even though I have not had a “job.”  I have been working.  And my skill set and composure have grown accordingly.  All of which will only stand me in good stead when I rejoin the workforce.  So all I need to know now is, can I put all of that on my resume?

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