Transferrable Job Skills from Parenting
Soft skills are not soft
I have had a few gaps in my employment during my career. Some reasons for the gap include giving birth, moving countries, and most recently, due to a medical condition. Potential employers might look at my resume, wonder why I have these brief pauses in my work history and perhaps be inclined to choose candidates who worked continuously throughout their careers. It’s hard to know by looking at my resume, but my work skills did not stop developing during the times when I essentially became a Stay At Home Mom. In fact, I would argue that I developed a myriad of impressive skills during these times that would make me a very valuable asset to any employment setting. As a culture we don’t tend to value the work of parents who stay home. However, if we really look closely at what the job entails to manage a home and family, it would be astonishing that anyone would willingly put themselves in this role. We must not overlook the value of all the invisible and free labor from stay at home parents.
“Soft” skills:
Ability to work under hostile conditions without pay or time off
Anyone who has encountered toddlers or teenagers should know what difficult customers they can be; melting down suddenly whenever things do not go their way. An absolute essential part of this job requires an unending amount of patience. Or, if patience is running low, having the self awareness to put yourself in timeout in the closet with a Snickers bar.
Ability to work as a team player
They say there is no “I” in team. Well, there is “I” in kids, and tired, and I willingly signed up for this?
Strong work ethic
Free labor. No weekends. No sick time. EVER!
Proactive
The laundry never ends. You have to see that the laundry basket is full and get to it before it tips over and transforms into a B-movie laundry monster. The same goes for every other chore around the house.
Resourceful
Ability to make sound financial choices when living on reduced income.
Efficient
Ability to take two-minute showers and eat dinner in 30 second before the baby cries again.
Great problem solver
Ability to help solve problems great and small, such as, Child Number One has a project due tomorrow and you were just informed you need to go to the store to buy a pasteboard at 8pm the night before or, Child Number Two does not like vegetables. How do we validate her sensory preferences while still enticing her to eat foods that are green and good for her?
Multitasker
Making dinner while one child notifies you they need a dozen cupcakes for a class party tomorrow and the other child decides she wants something else for dinner and both need help with their homework right now. Meanwhile, the dog just peed on the carpet again.
Although I cannot add the titles below in my resume as actual jobs I have held. These are technically the job titles I currently hold as chief Multitasking Operations Manager (MOM).
Job Titles:
Executive Director
Director of Operations
Chief Financial Officer
Administrative Assistant
Chauffeur
Nutritionist/Short order cook/Executive chef/Food stylist
Veterinary technician
Events Coordinator
Mediator/Counselor/Hostage negotiator
Custodian/Maintenance Coordinator
Nurse/home health aid (most recently, Covid test nose swabber)
Personal assistant
Communications Director
Tutor/Teaching Assistant
Of course I have no regrets since I knowingly signed up to be a parent many years ago. Twice. Willingly. Happily, even. This was before I appreciated just how incredibly difficult this job(s) would be. I hope that society as a whole can recognize and increase the value of the free and mostly invisible labor of parents who stayed home, and to give them a chance when they are transitioning into the work force. Soft skills are not soft. They are really important skills that add incredible value to the team. Moral of the story: Don’t over look the stay-at-home parent!
