Working mom urges parents to include their child-rearing duties on their résumés amid the pandemic

The pandemic and its far-reaching impact on almost every aspect of our lives haven't exactly been a walk in the park for working parents. With schools and daycares closing practically overnight, they've had to simultaneously juggle childrearing duties, Zoom schooling, and their professional responsibilities on top of everything else that's been going on in the world. One study found that mothers took the brunt of it all, with 63 percent of working mothers revealing that they primarily handle childcare duties versus 42 percent of working fathers who reported the same. Additionally, 80 percent of working moms said they took the lead on remote learning compared to just 31 percent of working dads.

Megan Drye Harper, the head of growth at Tinybeans, a web-based technology platform, believes mothers should use the past year to their advantage. The mom-of-three recently shared a clever resume tip on social media and her empowering message has resonated deeply with fellow working mothers. Responding to a woman who asked if she should tell prospective employers that she's a mom, Megan urged her to go a step further. "I'm in basically every mom tech/start-up Facebook group that exists. Someone asked the other day if they should tell the potential employer they're interviewing with that they're a mom," she captioned an Instagram post featuring the screenshot of her response to the woman.

"I recently updated my resume to include my achievements in the last year and the last line read: 'I achieved all of this while homeschooling a kindergartener, keeping a 3-year-old entertained and nursing a baby between Zoom calls in my NYC apartment. Now, as we head back into a normal existence with childcare, imagine what I can do for your company in 2021,'" the response said. "Being a mom is a strength in the workplace, not a weakness," Megan added in the caption.

While this one sentence doesn't capture the entirety of the trials and tribulations working moms have overcome in the past year, it's definitely a step toward acknowledging it. As Megan points out, the sheer accomplishment of making it through the last year with kids should be enough to impress any hiring manager. You could also go a step further and follow the lead of another working mom who inspired fellow moms on LinkedIn earlier this year when she shared a "mom resume" that details her skill set.

Sydney Williams, a global director of brand marketing and mom of two kids under the age of 3, began her "mom resume" with a brutally honest "About me" section. "I maintain the highest level of energy and creativity I can muster so that the people around me feel safe, valued, and inspired," she wrote. "I'm human, I lose my shit and have bad days. But I start each morning with a new sense of optimism: today will be a good day, today we'll do more, today we'll have a breakthrough." Sydney then listed out all the skills that she's honed while parenting her sons:

1. I do everything you do, but I do it with one hand. Literally. I hold onto what's important (hint: my baby) with all the strength I have in one hand while juggling the 1MM daily tasks of life in the other. I ruthlessly prioritize. Every day, I grow stronger and more efficient as a result.

2. I think ten steps ahead. Each day is a 50+ piece Jenga puzzle that I manage with skill, strategy, and luck.

3. I maintain positivity, while my patience is pushed to the limit. My team has meltdowns, emotions run high, new challenges arise daily. I lead with compassion, listen to debate, and encourage resolution through compromise.

4. I adapt. I take whatever life (or my two-year-old) throws at me and adapt to the leader that's needed—typically on little sleep, with little time. Past roles include but are not limited to: teacher, chef, nurse, barber, garbage woman, builder, driver, hostage negotiator, seamstress, engineer, translator, swim instructor, therapist, stylist.

5. I lead with empathy. My team comes first and foremost. I work for them.

6. I fight ferociously on behalf of them.

7. I communicate powerfully and prolifically. I focus on clear, result-oriented communication to drive change.

8. I prioritize integrity and honesty. Anything less is unacceptable.

9. I am in a constant search for a better way. You can find me iterating on everything from process improvements, to product development, to communication tools. Creativity is fundamental to my job.

10. I value collaboration. Teamwork is key to my success. I forge and foster relationships between diverse groups of people in order to support, elevate, and maintain life among my team.

11. I do it all with very little 'Thank you' and wake up each morning to do it again because of my capacity to find the joy and love in my work.