Monday: Charity begins at home

The next part of the resume for a stay at home mother is charity/volunteer work. Physically writing out your unpaid experience can help you, come resume construction time. It can also be either an ego-booster or a humbling experience, depending on how much/how little you have done with your free time. List ALL experience you can recall; executive profiles often include seemingly 'meaningless' items like church committee and such, but these items are still service.

Listing the items in front of you is also going to help you look for new volunteer outlets. Unpaid work is definitely resume-worthy material; it is also a fantastic way to keep dusting off your leadership skills. It is also a great way to get a break from the kids:)

Below is a listing of what I did during both my professional and non-professional lives. Group memberships are important to list, but even moreso are the things you have done:

-Religious ed. instructor
-Member of local mom's group
-Organized fundraisers for local maternity home
-College MBA Alumni Association

As you can see, my list is not terribly impressive. But here are some things it tells me.

INTEREST AREAS: Where do my interests lie in relation to my non paid experience? In my case, the answer would be faith, motherhood, pregnancy, education. What other organizations would allow me to flex my unpaid experience muscles?

CONNECTIONS: I belong to two groups. Do either of these organizations have fundraisers or committees with which I can assist? Are there any members of either group can help me find volunteer opportunities?

COMMITTEES: Do any of my groups/interest areas have committees I can join? This is a fantastic item for any resume, no matter how short your paid work experiencee. Most committees will meet once a month AT MOST and require minimal take home work/studying on your part. Many committees for schools or community organizations only meet during the school year to accomodate families. Committees also LOVE young members. My generation is not reknown for joining or contributing. This is your chance to step and do your civic duty, too!

Brainstorm everything and then eliminate only by physical limitations. For example, a nursing mother cannot be gone too long from the home, but she can group email her parish mom's
group and suggest/coordinate a diaper drive or canned goods drive for the local maternity home.

The final step is to just join something. There is a disclaimer that should be made: this is a resume building excercise that should also prove quite fulfilling. Any little thing does make a difference. But do not join anything looking for explicit 'thank yous' or a chance to make big, sweeping reforms for the better. Sometimes committees are merely sounding boards for the boss. Frustration is common among members who have these high expectations and do not gettheir ways. Changes made may be incremental; that has to be OK with you or you will not be successful.