My "Stay at Home" Resume Makeover

I know, I know...  One of the great things about working for yourself, or having a home-based career, is that you don't have to lug around a resume anymore (read this recent interview of an Etsy seller who burned hers when she started selling online).  I mean, who wants to be constantly refreshing theirs anyway?  And besides, no one will take my "home work" seriously, right?

All of these thoughts were running through my head this morning as I pulled out my resume and considered how to update it with my work over the last 10 months (you know--the work I've been doing since I left my "real job" in corporate America earlier this year).  Did I really want to go through the effort of trying to update it?

Well...yes, for two reasons.  One is that I may need to "plug back in"--to the conventional workforce, that is--and I want to be prepared just in case.  Two is that I confess I'm prone to undervaluing work that doesn't fit the "norm," and so putting my activities of late down on paper may force me to appreciate their value.

So here are a few lines I would add to my resume:

Owner, Stephanie Hillberry Enterprises

January 2008-present

Founder and manager of operations for micro-business, including branding, marketing, promotion, finance, production and sales.

*  successfully launched online self-titled brand, including blog, website, and e-commerce site.

*  learned the command of web-based business essentials, including affiliate marketing programs, statistical analysis, SEO, web-design, and social networking.

*  increased web-viewership by 200% since business inception.

*  leveraged business platform to promote entrepreneurial achievements of  women, encourage knowledge of national and world events, inspire home-based economic solutions, and equip citizens for community action.

I know--it's a lot of fancy talk for a blogger who likes to sell handmade things on the side.  And it seems awfully sophisticated for someone who technically left her "real job" for more domestic pursuits.  But even though it certainly isn't the way I introduce myself to most people (especially you, dear readers), every word is true.

Talk to me about your "stay at home" resume by emailing me at shillberry@comcast.net or commenting here!

To read more Deviancy 101 posts, see below:

Am I Deviantly Disappointing?

Defining Deviancy

Going Off the Grid

Also, check back in tomorrow for my weekly Saturday Sussie.  And I hope to see you next week when we tackle a taboo (no, it's not sex or religion.  It's money.).

Building a Resume that Rocks

I've been plagued by a common misconception.  It is this: that when I quit my 9-5 job, my resume withered with it.  This misconception is founded on a standard view of resumes, which is that they are a brief synopsis of my jobs.  And "jobs" refers to those hours spent working for someone, punching a time clock, and getting a paycheck.  Any work outside of that criteria, as the logic says, is not really "work," and therefore not resume potential.

Given this rubric, my resume has perpetually stalled out at 28.  Bummer.

Of course, like with a lot of things this year, I've decided to think about resumes, and work in general, differently.  Starting with dumping the idea that a "job" has to be the clock-punching, regular paycheck variety described above.

So, that said, here are some things that I think should be added to the resumes of women, like myself, who are building careers outside of the 9-5:

*  Community involvement:  My preparations for emergencies and plans to be helpful to neighbors and community members aren't just flowery ambitions.  Considering that tax dollars are spent to provide these types of "safety net" provisions, I'd say I have the potential to positively contribute to the fiscal bottom line.  A potential that can be quantified and measured and reported in classic, resume style.

*  Resource management:  politicians and celebrities alike are keen on talking about how to be more environmentally friendly and waste less and consume more responsibly.  Well, how about adding some of those "resource-targeted" activities to my resume?  Like my support of handmade artisans and upcycling materials in my home and using meal planning to eat more wisely.  

*  Economic leadership:  apparently savvy economic-minded people are in high demand today (hello!  $700 billion bailout!).  I could add some of the home-economic skills I've employed over the past year as an example of economic leadership on a small scale (because obviously the Big Scale is getting rather overloaded!).

*  Entrepreneurial advances:  certainly resume-appropriate are the advances I've made in my business over this past year, demonstrating that creativity can be quantified, even if it deviates from the 9-5.

Given this perspective, I won't be intimidated by narrowly defined resume-worthiness ideals.  A great resume is one that is lived out for others to see.  Or, at least that's what I'm choosing to believe, anyway.

Check in on Friday as I experiment with this "resume reformation" by attempting to add the above to my own resume!  Don't miss it!