LinkedIn Introduces New Feature for Stay-At-Home Parents Who Had 'Career Breaks'

LinkedIn, the world's largest professional networking social media site, has introduced a new feature for stay-at-home parents who are thinking about returning to the workforce. Often, moms or dads who pause for some years to take care of their growing kids struggle to explain the gaps in their resumes.

But the new Career Breaks category on the social media platform will make it easier for former stay-at-home parents to detail and describe what entailed these long gaps. This way, the profiles of these LinkedIn members could also stand out and be appealing to prospective employers. The new feature is expected to roll out across all regions in the coming weeks after the U.S.

According to LinkedIn, more than half of employers would be interested in contacting a candidate if they have some idea about their career breaks. The site also did a study based on its users' activities that showed moms are having a hard time more than dads in re-entering the workforce because of the length of their stay-at-home roles.

The company also stated that many workers wish there were better ways to positively present the gap in their career so that hiring managers will consider them for tests or interviews.

How Does LinkedIn's Career Breaks Attract Employers?

LinkedIn users who fill out the Career Break section in their profiles will be easily searchable to employers. In some cases, even part-time employment or underemployment may be detailed under this section to attract employers who support a relaunch or re-entry program of former workers who may be part of an untapped pool of talents.

The feature will also complement the special designations that LinkedIn added to the platform in March 2021 to allow users to build their profiles. Bef Ayenew, who engineered LinkedIn's profile pages, said that this new feature works similarly to enumerating the highlights of a previous job.

However, some hiring managers might also use the Career Breaks category to filter out employees who have stopped working, according to Harvard Business Review. Some stigma is attached to individuals who take career breaks even as the industry hopes to normalize the practice.

Other Suggestions to Add to a Stay-at-Home Parent's Resume

Career coach Becca Carnahan has worked with many mothers who have decided to return to the workforce after many years. She told Huffington Post that she had a client who spent 18 years looking after a son with a health challenge.

When this stay-at-home mom applied for a job in the health care industry, the employers saw her as the person best suited for the role in patient services due to her experience with her son. Carnahan explained that mothers usually perform unpaid work, but this truly counts as the more valuable experience to highlight in the resume or the interviews.

Career coaches also said that stay-at-home parents should not feel the need to defend or be apologetic for their choice to take time off. Instead, they should use this to showcase and effectively communicate the value they offer to the job to fill the gaps in the industry.