Did you think all you did at home in with your kids was simply prepare meals, do the laundry, clean up after them, and pick and drop them off at school and a myriad of other chores? Perhaps, society has told you that they are just mundane tasks anyone can do and it begs the question, why isn't everyone doing them? If you are unaware, it takes incredible skills, brain work and multitasking to juggle your home, marriage, kids and work at a go.
Whether you are a working mother on a full-time job, part-time job, work-from-home mom or stay-at-home mom, you have acquired skills that can make you a better career mom. In the course of mommy duties, you have developed a sense of purpose, networking skills and increased productivity. You may have questions like, what are the transferable skills of a mother? What is a stay-at-home mom's job description? Can I include my stay-at-home mom's skills on my resume? If you have often had these questions on your mind, please read on, this article met you in time.
If you ask a mom about important skills for a resume she has acquired while on the job as a mother, she will most probably be at a loss for words. This is because you are not thinking about them, you just get up and get things done without thinking if they are transferable skills that will come in handy when you return to being a working mom (maybe after
maternity leave or after taking several years off to raise children). Skills set such as
time management, prioritising, and event management stares us in the face and we don't recognise them as such. Knowing what your capabilities are now will give you the confidence to go back to the workplace and in addition, an explanation for the employment gap when submitting an updated resume.
19 Awesome Mom Skills For The Workplace
1. Time management
Working out a way to fit the demands of the day within a specific time frame takes talent. Do you know how you lie awake at night thinking about how to approach the new day? This mental walk makes it easier for you to get your tasks done when you get up in the morning. From making breakfast to getting the kids ready for school to dropping them off, getting work done and how the rest of the day pans out. You will get things done faster than before you had kids and you will always be at the top of your game.
2. Communication
Passing information in a clearly understood manner and tone required for such information sharing is vital for the workplace. Getting through to your kids especially those at the toddler stage, and meeting with teachers and caregivers at school and church hones your ability to speak, and communicate and your emotional intelligence.
3. Problem-solving
As a mom, you eventually get the hang of mediating an argument between your kids, handling a play-gone-wrong situation, weaning, potty training, finding or
moving schools, repairing broken toys and other scenarios that need your attention daily. Babies and kids present an almost endless supply of opportunities to be a problem solver, a job requirement for managers.
4. Financial Management
Good home management depends on how much of a good money manager you are. As a mom, you get to decide between needs and wants, prepare the family budget, set aside an amount for
savings as well as
teach your kids about money matters.
This can be a tricky business, especially in situations where you have to say no to the kids because you cannot afford their demands.
5. People management
There are few situations more frustrating than dealing with people who don't yet understand a lot of things and have no control over their emotions and are also unreasonable and unpredictable. This aptly describes addressing a tantrum situation with a two-year-old.
Mediating between your kids, handling difficult children and negotiating with them sets you up to coexist with and also manage your coworkers.
6. Project management
You may not be aware but it is your project management skills that have helped you pull off family trips successfully and even miniature projects like going out doing the day, going to church or just visiting. You pack clothes for the weather, toys, food, drinks and snacks according to each child's preference and a first aid box for emergencies that are likely to occur when at play.
You execute these projects howbeit miniature daily which means you are more adept at them than you realise.
7. Prioritising
During those mental walks, you take at night or before each day begins, you also get to ascertain which tasks for the day need immediate attention and those that can be deferred until later.
Sorting through your tasks ensures that the ones that need urgent attention are not ignored. The ability to sort them is a highly sought-after skill in the workplace.
8. Quick study
Moms have to deal with their kids who are not born with a manual daily, from feeding to weaning and sleeping. It takes practice and learning on the job to raise well-adjusted kids. It takes a quick learner to succeed at knowing what your child likes to eat or when they show signs of imminent pooping and don't want to use the potty.
Being a quick study will give you an edge as every industry needs them.
9. Team player
As a parent, occasions will arise that will demand that you play along with your kids to get them to do the needful or get them on your team. Either way, it takes a great sport to get along with other people.
At the workplace, you will need to work alongside other people to achieve company goals. Being a team player makes your job load lighter.
10. Goal oriented
From the moment a mother's feet hit the floor in the morning, she has set goals to achieve. No mother gets up in the morning with nothing to do, the kids make sure of that! Getting the family ready for work and school or creche, grocery shopping, and laundry is a fraction of the goals moms set to achieve any given day of the week.
Any mom in the right industry understands what goals are and how to go about achieving them.
11. Staying power
Your commitment level increases and intensifies with being a mom. There is no divorcing you from your kids, no matter how badly they act out you teach them how to do better and be better and you sacrifice a lot to give them a good life.
Committed staff, anyone?
12. Event management
Hosting a child's birthday party is one of the ways your event management skill is showcased. Venue (whether it is your home or an outside location), decoration, food, drinks, entertainment and hosting the party itself are achievable when you have excellent planning skills. I
13. Crisis management
A home with kids is fraught with disagreements, arguments and mediation. Moms have learnt to keep their cool, think on their feet and diffuse stressful and tense situations and restore peace and harmony.
In the workplace, mothers can handle stressful situations and resolve them amicably.
14. Creativity
Being a parent forces you to devise creative ways to keep the peace between the kids, entertain them, teach them to have confidence in themselves and their abilities and even cook a meal. Thinking outside the box, dealing with each unique child and making an otherwise ordinary task fun for kids is what skilled moms do.
15. Negotiations
It takes a certain level of dexterity to deal with kids who are often difficult to reason with and get them to do what you want. Negotiating with toddlers who do not have a reason for what they want prepares you to deal with adults at work who are stubborn and unyielding.
16. Taking responsibility
The skill of being adept at taking care of responsibilities comes naturally to moms. From the time you birth a baby until they are old enough to take care of themselves, babies are the responsibility of mothers, no questions asked. Feeding on the clock, diaper change, nurturing, guidance and every other thing that comes with being a mother has equipped you to handle projects and teams at work.
17. Mentoring
Moms know best the uniqueness and capability of each child and nurture them accordingly. They listen to their kids, tutor them and patiently guide them to be confident, independent and useful members of society.
18. Counselling
Mothers are more often than not the first person kids turn to when they scrape their knees, when they feel hurt or disappointed or when they have had a bad day. A mom's kind words and encouragement are the wind that fills their sails again.
19. Planning
With a whole family to take care of, mothers know how to draw up a budget plan, the best place and time to get the best deals and other necessities, what meals to prepare and in what quantity, and how to manage during lean times. There are also birthday parties to plan for, a new school session, family vacations, graduations and every other thing that needs her attention.
These are the skills that being mom-smart ingrains in you. Pretty awesome, isn't it?
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