Being a recently divorced mother can be a rollercoaster of changes, challenges, and new circumstances. From moving to a new place to balancing a new schedule as a single parent, it may seem difficult for newly divorced mothers to know how to prioritize their growing checklist. One of the first things a divorced mother may be forced to do is find a new job. Whether she’s looking for a position that is better suited to her new life or hoping to jump back into the job market, the career hunting process can seem daunting. This process may seem especially difficult for mothers who have just spent the past few years staying home to care for and tend to their children.

As you begin the search for a new job, putting together an amazing resume can be an essential key to landing the right career for your new family situation. Although you may not have participated in paid labor these past few years as you cared for your children, don’t let anyone diminish the experiences and skills you have gained as a stay at home mom. Use your time at home as an opportunity to showcase the strengths and talents that you have. Here are three items every divorced mom can list on their resume.

Volunteer Experience

So maybe you spent a lot of time with the kiddos and didn’t earn an income, but it is likely that you’ve done some volunteer work over the past few years. This work can include serving on the parent-teacher association at your child’s school, helping supervise kids on field trips, providing support to teachers, tutoring other children, setting up events, doing charity work and so much more. Even though this is all volunteer work, it has still allowed you the opportunity to gain valuable experiences and skills. When listing these experiences on your resumes, be sure to describe this work in the same way that you would describe a paid job experience. You “designed and directed school events,” or “managed cash flow at local charity events.” Whatever volunteer experience you have had can be listed in a way to demonstrate that you are a capable person equipped with the skills needed to succeed in the position you are applying for.

Education and Knowledge

Even if you finished school several years ago, it is likely that you have continued to advance your education and knowledge. If you have attended a seminar on cooking or painting or participated in a first aid class or learned a new language, these are all beneficial to list on your resume. If you have worked to stay up to date with all the advancements within your industry this is also beneficial while on the job hunt. This could mean you were once a biologist but have continued to read new studies and journals as they were published. If you worked in the marketing industry, you made yourself aware of all the new and ever changing marketing techniques. If you were a lawyer, you followed court rulings of new cases through the years that may set new precedents. If you were in IT you may know the ins and outs of the latest business security systems. Even just helping your children with their homework has helped you to refine your understanding of various subjects. Whatever new knowledge you have pursued can be a positive experience to list on your resume.

Passions and Hobbies

Many of the things we do for fun require a special set of skills to succeed at them. If you’ve been struggling to find enough items to list on your resume, your passions and hobbies can be a good way to demonstrate the skills that you have. For example, if you love to travel and know how to find the best deals, these skills can be applicable if you are applying at a travel agency or as an assistant for a corporate worker who takes frequent business trips. If you have a sport that you love and constantly work to improve yourself in, you can apply to coach that sport for a local league or school. Whatever your passion or hobby is can also be easily turned into a writing job as you help create content through blog articles or social media posts for companies in that area of interest. Even something as random as being aware of the healthiest dog breeds or being familiar with gardening techniques can be used to demonstrate your knowledge and skill set. Ultimately, these can make you stand out from other resumes and help potential employers to remember you.

Whether or not you’ve been earning a steady income over the past few years doesn’t matter when it comes to finding a job. What does matter are the skills and experiences that you have gained since the last time you had an income. These can include your volunteer experiences, any new knowledge you have gained, and your passions and hobbies.