Mothers haven’t stepped back. They have stepped up.

Why I am inviting mothers to fill a perceived COVID-19 related gap in their resume with Know Our Work

During the spring of 2020, my seven year old daughter cried every day over remote learning. We were only one month into the pandemic, and I watched her love for learning and confidence fade before my eyes.

My husband and I were working 60+ hour weeks and those tears were only one of the challenges facing our family. Something had to give, so I became one of the nearly one million American mothers who now have a perceived gap in my resume.

We were living in an area that early on was hardest-hit by COVID-19 and within a public school system that is still struggling. I relocated my family so our children could attend school in person as much as possible. I shifted to part-time consulting to provide on-demand support. This would not have been possible if I was full-time employed.

This is not a role I dreamed for myself, but it is a duty I embrace. This is what I can do to mitigate the impact COVID-19 has on our children and help them see a bright light still shines in spite of all that has been lost.

But I also miss leading a team and the energy that erupts when you are deep into the trenches of driving business growth. In a recent moment of optimism, I started conversations about re-entering the corporate workforce. But the warnings I received from not “leaning in” during the pandemic shocked me.

As a marketing executive with 20 years experience, I had not worried about a gap in my resume. But I was told during conversations with recruiters from prestigious firms, “Female executives who have taken a step back in their career to support their children during COVID-19 will have a difficult time getting back into the workforce.”

Let that sink in for a moment. When dozens of articles are being published about how the workforce crisis is disproportionately hurting women — especially women of color and mothers — my sacrifice was met with a warning versus understanding.

One recruiter stressed: “The longer someone like you waits, the harder it will be.” At first, I panicked. Will my accomplishments be diminished because a global pandemic forced me to prioritize my kids’ education and mental health? And then I recognized a terrifying reality: if I am misjudged, how will other mothers who are less privileged than me respond to similar warnings? I have a network. I have a financial net. I have a supportive spouse. And I am white.

Granted, there is not yet data on how difficult it will be for mothers to return to the workforce. But this comment signaled something major to me: We need to eliminate the stigma that is associated with mothers having a gap in their resume due to COVID-19. We all play a role in ensuring mothers experience a positive transition back into the workforce, but I want to start by speaking to mothers.

Don’t apologize for your sacrifice

Whether you left the corporate workforce, or you are doing your best to juggle it all, I challenge you to not apologize for the professional sacrifice you are making. You are not stepping back. You are stepping up. This sacrifice is a measure of your character. Unwavering confidence, creativity, and compassion are the traits you lead with as you navigate your family through COVID-19, and they are the same skills you will harness in the workforce. Businesses require entrepreneurial leaders who embrace change and welcome new opportunities and mothers are better trained than most to rise when we need to.

Add Know Our Work to your resume and Linkedin

Fill the perceived gap in your resume with Know Our Work, an organization whose mission is to eliminate the stigma associated with mothers having a perceived gap in their resume due to COVID-19. You are part of a band of global women unified by a purpose of mitigating the impact the pandemic has on our children. Your work should be visible and treated with the respect it deserves.

Present yourself as the leader that you are

Clearly communicate the purpose of your role at home by leaning in to your parenthood with pride. Copy this sample language or create your own:

Prepare for interviews

Speak confidently about the time you’ve spent leading your family through the pandemic by preparing a meaningful story. Ahead of an interview, reflect on what you’ve learned and identify three insights you’ve gained about yourself which make you better prepared to tackle this new role.

Network

Reach out for help when you need it. Don’t hesitate in asking for an introduction or advice from a category expert. Often, all we have to do is raise our hand. So reach out to your network and if you don’t have one, reach out to a member of Know Our Work.

I ask you to not allow a perceived gap in your resume to quiet your confidence. Know Our Work was created to arm all mothers to speak about parenting during COVID-19 with conviction and to be better prepared to advocate their value.

The bigger picture

I will end with this. When I was a Director for a major entertainment company, I was one of the few mothers in marketing and the only one that left at 5pm to put my then three year old daughter to bed. And yet, I received high marks on every performance review. One day a brilliant female marketer on my team turned to me and said, “I thought I would need to give up my career to be the mom I want to be, but you have shown I don’t have to.” Modeling the world we want to create for the future matters. The actions we all do or do not take today will influence not only the future of mothers in the workforce, but the future of innovation and business.

— — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — -

Christa Patrylak is a marketing executive with experience leading teams for technology start-ups and large corporations such as HBO, Ubisoft, Clorox and Compass. She currently consults for early stage start-up CEOs. She is also a Co-Founder of Know Our Work, whose mission is to eliminate the stigma associated with mothers having a perceived gap in their resume due to COVID-19. When she is not consulting, she is a mother, teacher and playmate to two young children as we battle this pandemic.