I hang up the phone with yet another insurance agency that has
contacted me to see if I will come in for an interview. They
call me with obvious excitement at my strong background in
insurance. They share with me that I am just the type of person
that they would like to join their team, that my background is
just what they have been looking for, and that they are anxious
to interview with me. Then I share with them that I am only
available in the evening hours and this answer is usually
followed by a long pause on the other end of the line. The
typical response is that they aren’t looking for that at this
time and that if my situation changes to please feel free to
contact them. At times they ask me why I am not available during
the day, and that is when I disclose my other job…I am a mom. I
am a mother who has chosen to give up any daytime employment to
ensure that my child will be home with me and not in daycare. It
is a choice that I make, but even as mothers who have children
in daycare know, I still sometimes question if I am making the
right choice.
I sit beside the phone thinking how this is going to affect my
future employment. I am now going to have a gigantic hole in my
resume where skills and past employment once resided. How is
this going to look to my future employer? Are they going to
wonder why no one has chosen to hire me during this time?
My son begins to holler at me and then it dawns on me….I do have
a job. My job title will stand proudly at the forefront of my
resume. My job title will be household engineer and my skill
set will be so great that I will have no room on my resume to go
through all that I do. I am exactly what every employer would
ever want on their team.
Multitasking is something that I have extremely strong skills
in. Ask me how many people can change a diaper, register their
automobiles over the phone, and have breakfast in the works all
at the same time? How about the skills I have developed in
dealing with customer service? Let me say that I have grown
accustomed to being screamed at on a daily basis. My clientele
in this house consists of one customer in particular that cannot
stand to wait for breakfast in the morning. If his food is not
ready to him in a timely fashion (timely meaning this very
instant) and at the temperature he so desires then I can be
prepared for some screaming that makes even our poor cat scamper
downstairs in hopes to deafen the sound. My accounts receivable
skills are impeccable after learning that getting bills on time
is of the utmost importance. I now have a system that I have
learned that guarantees me of getting my bills out on time and I
have gotten this down so well that I now run my own advice
website on staying organized in a mother’s chaotic world. I
also do not require a break, not even a lunch break. I am an
employee who is willing to eat on the go or simply nibble off
other people’s plates to keep up my strength to perform a good
job. I require very little sleep anymore so you can count on if
you are looking for someone who is willing to handle long
hours. If you need an employee who can be over at the office in
ten minutes…well, I am your girl! I no longer need to brush my
hair or put on makeup. I can even go without looking in the
mirror some mornings and feel comfortable all day long not even
remembering that I forgot to look. I am really great at
delegating jobs to others and have grown accustomed to telling
other people what to do and how to do it. If you should need a
reference, my husband could supply an amazing one for you on
what a great dictator I am. Staying on top of other people and
making sure they do their jobs is something that I have found I
have very strong skills in. I have never had any problems
bossing anyone around, but I feel that as a household engineer,
I have taken this form of bossing to a whole new level. It is
not just anyone who can keep a household running. If you are
looking for someone who can take direction well this is
something I am learning all about. My boss is grueling about
following what he wants. He has some funny quirks that I am
trying to get used to like not wanting any chairs upright and
all of his belongings lodged between couch cushions, but I am
just taking my direction from him and making sure things remain
just as he would want them. I also am good about staying on
task, and that means no dilly-dallying in the bathroom, no
emailing, and no chatting on the phone when the boss is around.
Oh yes…I believe that when this gig is up as a household
engineer, people will be knocking down our door to have me join
their team. I am sure you know just whose picture is going to be
hanging up on their wall for Employee of the Month. I do not
require any recognition, of course, but I will never refuse any
awards for my services. I have been known in the past to go for
months on just a few smiles and hugs from my favorite little
boss with absolutely no salary.
Now with each day that my boss becomes more demanding I write
down yet another skill to add to my resume. I guess you could
say I have a whole new outlook on my future employment
