Crafting the Perfect Cover Letter: Tips for Stay-at-Home Moms Reentering the Job Market

Being a stay-at-home parent looking to return to work can be quite daunting. You might have years of experience before your time at home, but you have no transferable skills to highlight for a potential employer. This isn’t the case, and to help you, let’s look at the best ways to create a stay-at-home mom cover letter to send when looking to go back to work.

Do You Still Need a Cover Letter?

A cover letter has been a standard part of applying for a job for many years. It might seem that if you are sending a digital application, you no longer need one. But there are some solid reasons to create one for both standard and digital applications.

For starters, it is often part of the job description. This might be because the employer wants to scan the letter to learn a little about each person. Or it might be a simple test to see if you can follow instructions! Whatever the reason, if the description states you should send one, make sure you do.

Another reason is that a cover letter is a chance to showcase what you do and highlight the most important parts of your resume. For a stay-at-home mom resume, it also pays to take a moment to highlight why there’s a gap in your employment history. Make sure it is immediately apparent that you have been a full-time parent, which is why there’s no employment history for whatever the time period is.

Tips On Creating a Cover Letter for Stay-at-Home Moms

Now you know why you need one, let’s look at some tips on managing your cover letter when you have been a stay-at-home mom.

Don’t Hide What You’ve Been Doing

Any good hiring manager will look at your resume and realize there are gaps. The key part of the cover letter is to tell them why you’ve had a career break and what you have been doing while out of the job market. Make it clear that you have been either a full or part-time parent alongside whatever previous experience you have had.

Be Confident, and Don’t Apologize 

You have been working hard, just in a different way than people going out to work. Don’t feel the need to apologize for that break in your resume; there’s nothing wrong with stepping back from your career to take on a full-time job as a parent. So be confident in your life choices and allow this to come through in your cover letter.

Highlight Transferrable and Relevant Skills

You may think that you have yet to gain any relevant new skills while you were a parent, but this isn’t the case. From time management to dealing with conflicts, working under pressure to organizational skills, stay-at-home parents will have gained a whole range of additions to their skill set. And many of these can be viewed as professional skills when you think about them.

Also, if you did anything, such as volunteer work while at home, highlight a little about this in your cover letter before adding it to your resume. Having volunteer experience shows that you are motivated, and you can list any skills you gained during it, from customer service to stock control. Remember those soft skills as well.

What Goes In a Cover Letter?

With a general view of what your cover letter should include, you can now move on to the basics you need to include. There are four main areas to work on, some of which are simple and straightforward.

Letter Basics

It is always worth remembering to cover the basics in your letter. From your full name to a phone number, the date the letter was sent, and your postal address, these letter basics can easily be forgotten. Make sure it is simple for a potential employer to find you and get back in touch with you. Add a greeting with the hiring manager’s name if you have it.

Strong Introduction Paragraph

A strong introduction on your cover letter is an essential start to the overall tone you’ll use in it. Remember to briefly mention your employment gap and talk about being enthusiastic about returning to the working world. Use any professional experience or relevant accomplishments as part of the intro to give a sample of your relevant abilities for the role.

Deal with the Employment Gap

Now go into details about your employment gap, talking about being a stay-at-home mother before showing you are a strong candidate by detailing those transferable skills. There are always things you do as a parent alongside your previous work experience that can highlight your suitability for the role. Show them why you’d be a great employee.

Focus on the parts of the most relevant role for the new job you are applying for. Remember to include a brief education section and highlight any notable certifications or qualifications for the position. Also, go into detail about your previous work history and what you did before being a parent if you have prior experience.

Conclusion and Sign Off

A simple conclusion reiterates why you are a good fit for the role, your passion for the job, and that you are keen to hear back from them. Sign off with ‘sincerely’ and your full name.

Stay-at-Home Mom Cover Letter Example

Here’s a basic example of the kind of thing you could create for your cover letter:

[Your first name] [your last name]

[Email address]

[Phone number]

[Date]

Dear [Manager’s first and last name],

I’m writing to express my interest in [job title] at [company name], having seen the vacant advertised on [where you found the job posting]. I have [number of years] experience in [career field] and have spent the last [number of years] as a stay-at-home parent. I want to return to work and would love to join your team.

For the last [number of years], I have been a full-time parent to my [child/children]. During this time, I continued to develop my professional skills, such as [give examples and how you did this]. I also did voluntary work for [company] and honed my skills in [give skill details]. While being a parent, I also continued to learn about [industry] and ensured my skills were fresh and ready for the time I was prepared to return to work.

Before my time as a stay-at-home mom, I worked for [detail previous experience including role and responsibilities, dates, and other essential info].

The combination of my previous experience and the skills gained while being a mom means I can contribute to your company in the role of [job title]. I have the skills and knowledge to be an asset to your company. Thank you for your time and consideration. I look forward to chatting with your more about [job title].

Sincerely

[full name]

Creating a Successful Cover Letter

Good luck with the job hunt! Creating a cover letter when you return to work doesn’t need to be as daunting as it might sound. Feel free to address the issue of being a full-time parent and show that you would be a great addition to the company’s workforce with your skills and experience.