Returning to work
Taking your parenting skills into work
If you have been looking after children full-time, you will have developed many new and useful skills that you can transfer into the workplace.
Your next step is to relate them to the world of work and present them in the right way on your CV, application forms and in interviews.
Read on to see the skills you're already able to offer.
Communication
Making yourself understood by your children, helping your children learn to talk or running parents' groups will have developed your communication skills, training and team working.
Time-management and prioritising
Getting children to school or playgroup on time will have developed your skills in prioritising your workload and working to deadlines.
Budgeting
Managing the household budget will have developed your financial planning and number skills.
Organising
Arranging outings or playgroups will have developed your planning and organisational skills.
Multi-tasking
Supervising and organising activities for children will have developed your skills in prioritising and juggling responsibilities.
Negotiating
Dealing with schools, hospitals and other public bodies will have developed your experience of dealing with businesses.
Managing conflict
Dealing with tantrums is excellent preparation for dealing with difficult people.
Keeping calm under pressure
Keeping your cool and sense of humour when your child won't get dressed in the morning or is misbehaving in the supermarket, shows you can keep focussed on the job when things get a little hectic.
You may think “but that was with children, not adults in the workplace” but in fact, the skills you use are exactly the same. They are just applied to different circumstances.
You can identify the skills you already have and match them to careers which would need them by trying our Skills Health Check.
