Mention Periods of Unemployment

As a former HR Director, I would include managing the paperwork for your husband's business on your resume. If asked I would then explain it was while you stayed at home with your children. Someone who has a large gap in their employment, even if it is to stay home with kids, is a bit of a red flag and can cost you an interview.

Include the paperwork end of your hubby's business on your resume as a self employment listing, if this is something that you always do in between outside jobs it can be a running listing that overlaps other employment. In the description say it is part time/seasonal work for family's small business that allows you the flexibility to work from home.

I do some consulting work outside of normal working hours - have done so for years - so it has always been listed on my resume since about 2007. When I became unemployed last year it easily, on paper, filled the gap for potential employers.

I am sorry, I don't know if those times where one purpose to be a SAHM or because of job transitioning. While employers are better nowadays about understanding a woman's time as a SAHM they like to see that applicants have kept "their hand in" - the work you do for your hubby's business shows that.

In your cover letter stress your strengths and skills - not the time you have been between jobs. Being on both sides of the hiring/applicant puzzle - when I was hiring I really didn't care what people did between jobs - I wanted to know what they could do - I wanted the cover resume to give me a concise look at their skills and strengths. It is the first thing, usually, that a potential employer reads about you. Keep it professional and let the more personal explanations come up naturally in the interview - but only if they ask.

Good Luck !!!!!

As a recruiter, yes, I want you to mention what you did during a 10 year period. I don't go back more than 10 years....if I want more detail than that - I'll ask for it.

If you were managing your husband's business then state that's what you were doing - if you did managed the books using Quick Books, it's relevant experience. If you managed office supplies and the petty cash - it's relevant.

This is stuff that belongs IN YOUR RESUME not on a cover letter. You can simply put - for example:

Acme Construction - July 2002 through January 2005
* managed petty cash fund
* ordered office supplies

You became a SAHM in Jan 05 but managed your husband's business:

Jones Construction - Jan 05 - present
* state what you did.

If by chance your working with your husband goes over the time you were working at Acme - you can put - Jones Construction 1986 - present PART TIME or what ever you did - if it was after you got the kids to bed. Experience is relevant.

Good luck!

Nope. Focus on employment history, achievements, promotions, skill set, etc. Resumes today are less of a listing of several "From a to b, XYZ company, duties" format & more focused on what I mentioned above.
If they are curious about the gaps in your history, they'll ask about it at the interview.
I've hired a few people and the achievements/education/responsibilities/skills are what's important.

Ditto on Cheryl o and kris tens advice. I too hire and manage people. I want to know exactly what potentials have been doing for every month of the last 10(+or-) yrs. I find it typical that non hiring people encourage others to be deceitful. Don't do it, it will catch up to you, it always does. How do you know what is "relevant" to the job I am staffing at the moment? I find that rather arrogant that someone would think they know better than I do about what person and experience needed for my company.

Only put relevant information on a resume. And a cover letter should only reference information and accomplishments that are directly related to the specific job you are applying for. If you are looking for work that is related to the work you did for your husband's business, then that experience is relevant. If you are looking for work doing something completely different, then don't include it, or mention it very briefly (one or two lines), if you are concerned that the gap is too big.

I work as an Outplacement Consultant and Job Search Coach, and have previously worked as a recruiter.

When I applied for my current job over the summer, I listed the jobs and professional activities that we relevant. There were definitely some time gaps, but they were due in part to being a SAHM and in part to finding work that simply wasn't relevant. I wanted them to focus on the experience I had that was relevant.

Both my cover letter and my resume focused on what I had done that made me qualified for this job. Maybe I'm weird, but I had more than enough previous jobs, professional experiences, volunteer coordinator activities, etc, to choose from and could easily fill more than one page.

I don't think you need to mention it at all unless you think it's a selling point. I think most employers would just assume you had other jobs during those time gaps, but that those jobs weren't related to the current job. If they want to know, they'll ask. You can think about whether you want to say you were a SAHM or you want to tell them about your husband's business. Whatever you do, sell it!!!

Just my 2 cents. Good luck!!!

I have been on the applying end and on the hiring end and I think I would include that in a cover letter attached to your resume... introducing yourself and explaining the periods when you were a stay at home mom... Now days, it is a much more admirable and socially accepted time in a woman's history... Make it short... less is more.

Just put it in your resume as, 'office manager'...that's what you were, correct???? If they want they can question you about it, look them in the eye without & without hesitation answer their questions.

You were actually doing TWO jobs @ once, SAH mom & office manager!

Good Luck! I'm sure you'll do fine!