Wiki Resumé question

[hsanmidd]

I have 5 years of coding experience before becoming a stay-at-home parent in the last 7 years. On my resumé, I have this employment gap as school and church volunteer. Would it be more of a disadvantage to add being a full-time parent (after volunteer work) on my resumé? I read somewhere that I can mention this on the cover letter or interview but not on resumé. Any thoughts on this, especially from those who've had a similar experience? Thanks much! I appreciate all advice/suggestions you can share.

 

[lisahenderson]

Customize your resume

I had/have a similar situation. I have 6 years coding experience but have been working in another field since then. I was given the advice to design a functional resume highlighting your relevant experience and qualifications, rather than a chronological resume which, at first glance, the gap in employment would stand out. You could say something in your cover letter about re-entering the field but, I agree, don't mention it in your resume. I took this advice and so far have had a couple of interviews. I don't think you need to go into too much detail about what you've been doing during this time. As long as they know that you weren't unemployed because you were unemployable or that you were in prison for fraud or something, lol. Good luck!

 

[hsanmidd]

Thank you, Lisa! I do have the functional style resumé but unfortunately, I have sent out a few with the "stay-at-home parent" added to the employment history...I wish I thought to bring it up in this forum before. I'll revise it and continue applying for coder positions. Although at this point, I'm even willing to take a part-time medical records clerk position just to get my toes back to the coding field. Thanks again! I appreciate your input!