In my post from this morning, giving an update on our marriage counseling, I polished it off with the following paragraph:
The good news:
Anyway, I'm just letting you all know, we're in a lull of goodness. Something bad is about to happen. I just know it. The next shoe is going to drop soon.Little did I know that at that very moment, my wife had been called into the office of her company and was being laid off. The shoe did drop.
The good news:
- The company gave her two weeks severance
- They extended her health care through June (our family of 8 relies on my wife's work for health coverage)
- My bride HATED her job with a passion
- The company had no clear path to raises or promotions and actually told my wife that she had no guarantee of a pay increase ever
- She can now relax and work full time, finding a job that suits her
- So much more good news...
The bad news:
- This is hitting my wife hard, being that she graduated from college last fall, and has had hundreds of job applications rejected out of hand. Corporate America does not look kindly on a stay at home mom that wants to go back to work. Not to mention, she is very much a perfectionist.
But now is the time for me to shine and be the best damn husband there ever was. I think we'll party this weekend.
Being a stay at home mom still gives her TONS of marketable skills. Instead of a typical resume, I definitely suggest a skills based resume. It focuses on what you can do instead of where you've worked. Best for people with little job experience (1 long term job), large gaps in employment (illness, stay at home, etc.) and people with lots and lots of history (I changed jobs every 6months-year for 10 years). I prefer the functional style, rather than the standard or hybrid. You can also include a short work history on the bottom that has relevant jobs. Here's an guide with examples: http://www.byui.edu/Documents/Admin_Offices/Advising/Skills-basedResumeGuide.pdf
ReplyDeleteWow, with so many kids, somebody has to be full-time at home! Perhaps one of you could do the full-time employment while the other stays home, perhaps doing some evening work if possible and the financial need demands.
ReplyDeleteWe had two kids and decided even with two that one of us must stay home with them. Is that a possibility? I have to tell you that in our case the one who stayed home after mat. leave was daddy and it changed his life forever, and for the better! Ready for it?
May I suggest Jobs for English Majors and Other Smart People? I don't know if it's still in print, but it saved my life 30 years ago when I left college for the working world.
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