Are you a motivated mom ready for a career change, promotion, or job search? But you don’t know what transferable mom skills you can proudly show off on your resume or during job interviews? This blog covers all of your questions around rocking your motherhood skills for your next career move or to boost your confidence in your own amazing abilities as a driven mom.

Written by Nadine Stille

30 Transferable Mom Skills For A Successful Job Search As A Motivated Mom - Nadine Stille - Career Coach for moms

Mama, here’s what you can look forward to:

30 transferable mom skills for a successful job search - categorized to make it easier to navigate
6 ways to make full use of the listed mom skills
Motherhood Q&A for your resume: How do you say "stay-at-home mom" on a resume professionally? and How to put your mom skills on the resume?
Job ideas for moms that include transferable mom skills, and offer flexibility and fulfillment
Your motivational conclusion

As a coach for motivated moms who want to ditch the daily grind to follow what they truly want for their personal and professional lives, the topic of ‘my worth and contribution as a mom in the workplace or as an entrepreneur’ comes up frequently in coaching sessions and conversations.

With my background as a Hiring Manager, Corporate Leader, Mentor, Trainer, and as an accredited Life and Career Coach for moms across the world, it’s about time I shared some of the most valuable, transferable mom skills you, wonderful and motivated mom, bring to the world.

Read on to discover your amazing mom skills, how to use them most effectively, and to also get inspired by potential jobs that offer flexibility, fulfillment, and the transferable skill sets you’ve identified for yourself.

For more, tune into my chat with entrepreneur and fellow mom, Brittney Ashley, on the ‘Breaking Norms, Building Dreams’ radio show (episode #27) as we talk about skills we moms hone in on during motherhood that serve us at work and the other way around. Here’s the replay.

30 Transferable Mom Skills For A Successful Job Search As A Motivated Mom

The transferable mom skills are categorized to help highlight the diverse and transferable skills you can bring to the professional world; really emphasizing the strengths and capabilities you developed through parenting and running your family life.

Time Management and Organizational Skills

Time Management
Planning
Organizational and Coordination Skills
Priority Setting

Communication and Interpersonal Skills

Communication Skills
Empathy
Leading Tough Conversations
Teaching
Conflict Resolution
Negotiating Skills/Influencing Others
Boundary Setting/Expectation Setting
Patience

Problem-Solving and Critical Thinking

Research and Creative Problem Solving
Strategic Thinking
Adaptability
Creativity

Project and Resource Management

Project Management
Budgeting
Crisis Management

Leadership and Influencing

People/ Team Leadership
Supervising/Mentoring
Motivating Others
Delegating
Strategic Thinking
Negotiating Skills/Influence
Conflict Resolution

Additional Mom Skills Beneficial in the Workplace:

Stress Management
Resilience
Decision-Making
Building Relationships

6 Ways To Make Full Use Of The Mom Skills Listed Here

The list of transferable mom skills is meant to be a starting point and resource for you to check in with yourself. Ask yourself:

‘Which of these transferable mom skills resonate with you and apply to your motherhood journey?’

Use the skills that you have had hands-on experience with.

Think of initiatives you took, events you may have organized, projects you’ve run, (resource) challenges you’ve overcome, restrictions you’ve had to creatively work with - at home, with your family, your children, your wider network, the school or daycare, a volunteer organization, an association, a team, and yes of course also at your current workplace and job.

Make full use of the mom skills listed here (and more of course!):

by being more selective and focused with your job search saving you time and energy,
by including the skills on your resume matching them to the job description and upping your chances to be invited for an interview,
using the information during the interview process to clearly state the value you’ll bring to new job,
when advocating for a salary raise or promotion to make it clear you mean business and increase your chances for a yes,
for marketing yourself and your services (if you’re an entrepreneur) on social media and your website,
as inspiration and a motivation boost about how amazing you truly already are.

Rock your mom skills, Mama!

To make these skills fully stand out, make sure you’ll have real life scenarios, examples, or stories at hand when you’re being asked about the skills for instance during a job interview.

Motherhood Q&A For Your Resume

Now that you’ve identified transferable mom skills that bring mighty value to any workplace, you might have some more related questions about how to address motherhood on your resume or even during an interview. Here are two questions - and the answers - that keep coming up:

Question 1: How do you say "stay-at-home mom" on a resume professionally?

Answer 1: I believe in options and confidently communicate our choices. If you want to say Stay-At-Home-Mom on your resume or during an interview, then by all means do so confidently - because you know you worked hard during that time raising your family and tackling challenge after challenge. Go for it!

If you’d rather use a more formal or professional way of describing your unpaid labor, you could use Family Manager, Household Manager, Caregiver, Stay At Home Parent, or Full Time Parent, then mention the mom skills and related examples that back up and show off your experience.

I’ve also seen resumes that described the stay-at-home time as self-employed or simply skipped the caretaking aspect completely by highlighting volunteer experience and roles during that time (i.e. leading a sports team, fundraising for the school, etc.) on the resume.

Question 2: How do you put mom skills on the resume?

Answer 2: Here too, I’m all for choice. It’s up to you to address career gaps.

Personally, I’d rather address a gap confidentially upfront to drive the narrative yourself and chances of a positive reply than leave a question mark for the hiring manager or recruiter.

‘You can include your parenting experience as part of your work history. Use a job title like homemaker, house manager or caregiver and add several bullet points to describe your primary caregiving responsibilities.’ (Source)

Job Ideas That Include Transferable Mom Skills, And Offer Flexibility And Fulfillment

You might ask yourself what jobs and careers do the listed transferable motherhood skills show up in that might work for moms who also seek flexibility and fulfillment?

Below are job ideas that incorporate the skills developed through motherhood, acknowledging that flexibility and fulfillment mean different things to different moms.

Here’s some inspiration for you:

Project Manager: Utilize time management, planning, and organizational skills to lead projects.

Event Planner or Event Coordinator: Employ organizational, planning, and communication skills to coordinate various events.
Customer Service Manager: Use empathy, communication, and conflict resolution skills to manage customer relations.
Recruitment Specialist or Human Resources Manager: Use communication, strategic thinking, conflict resolution, and interpersonal skills to find and hire talent or manage HR functions.
Virtual Assistant: Leverage time management, planning, and organizational skills to support businesses remotely.
Teacher, Tutor or Virtual Learning Instructor: Employ teaching, communication, empathy and patience to to educate students or provide online education.
Life Coach: Use empathy, communication, and motivational skills to guide clients in personal or professional growth.
Freelance Writer or Editor: Apply research, communication, and creative problem-solving skills to create content.
Sales Representative: Utilize negotiation, communication, and relationship-building skills to drive sales.
Healthcare Administrator: Apply organizational, leadership, and problem-solving skills to manage healthcare facilities.
Marketing Specialist: Utilize creativity, strategic thinking, and communication skills to develop marketing strategies.
Nonprofit Program Coordinator or Manager: Use project management, empathy, communication, planning, budgeting, and leadership skills to oversee nonprofit programs.
Consultant: Apply problem-solving, strategic thinking, and communication skills to advise businesses.
Fitness Trainer or Health Coach: Use motivation, communication, and teaching skills to guide clients in fitness and health.
Administrative Clerk or Manager: Apply organizational, leadership, and problem-solving skills to manage administrative tasks.
Customer Experience Representative or Manager: Use empathy, communication, and conflict resolution skills to enhance customer experiences.
Operations Manager: Employ project management, strategic thinking, and leadership skills to oversee operations.
Technical Support Specialist: Use problem-solving, communication, and patience to provide technical assistance.
Grant Writer: Apply research, communication, and organizational skills to write and manage grants.
Entrepreneur: Use strategic thinking, creativity, and leadership skills to start and run a business.
Community Outreach Coordinator: Use communication, empathy, and relationship-building skills to engage with communities.
E-commerce Store Owner: Apply organizational, marketing, and strategic thinking skills to run an online store.

These jobs typically offer some degree of flexibility, such as remote work options, flexible hours, or freelance/contract opportunities, making them suitable when you’re integrating your career and motherhood.

Just like with any change or big decision you’re navigating in life, including a job search, career transition, starting your own business, a new leadership role or promotion, it’s important to consider what:

it is you truly want (not what you think you ‘should’ be going for or what is expected of you),
you value in life,
your non-negotiables are,
your knowledge, training, skills, and passions are,
type of support you need

so you can approach the transition more strategically and save yourself time and energy.

I know we Mamas don’t have a ton of either, so a bit of additional work upfront to get clarity will pay off big time along the road.

To get that clarity, you can brainstorm ideas or journal about it, talk with friends, your partner or a mentor about your options and what’s important to you, or you can get all that, co-create an action plan, and work on your job search together with a career coach who’ll also help keep you motivated, accountable, on track, and cheer you on as you cross the finishing line.

Your Motivational Conclusion

Remember, Mama, your journey as a mom has equipped you with a unique set of valuable skills that are highly transferable to the professional world. Whether you're navigating a job search, aiming for a promotion, or embarking on a new career path, your mom skills are your secret weapon. Embrace your role as a motivated mom and confidently showcase your abilities, knowing they are just as valuable in the workplace as they are at home.

As you move forward, keep in mind the importance of identifying and articulating your strengths. Tailor your resume to highlight your transferable mom skills, and don't hesitate to bring them up in interviews. Your experience in time management, problem solving, leadership, and more can set you apart from other candidates.

You are capable of achieving your career goals while integrating and balancing motherhood. Stay inspired, stay motivated, and most importantly, believe in yourself and the incredible skills you bring to the table.

Don't forget, every step you take is a step toward a fulfilling and flexible career that aligns with your passions and values.

You're already amazing.

Rock your mom skills, Mama!

For more tips and insights on how to go after what you truly want, grab my free resource:

Creating The Life You Truly Want: 5 Step Roadmap For Moms Who Want More

Let's make your dreams a reality!