Maybe reading Goodnight Moon to your toddler for the 59th time in one evening isn’t your idea of a thrill, but cheer up. It could be making you more marketable. About 67% of 2,138 employers in a new CareerBuilder poll named “patience” as the No. 1 trait that makes parents attractive as job candidates.
In all, says the survey, “69% of employers believe the skills acquired by being a parent can qualify as relevant experience in the corporate world.” Here are the other qualities they mentioned:
- Ability to multi-task: 62%
- Time management: 59%
- Conflict management: 51%
- Problem-solving: 51%
- Empathy: 43%
- Mentoring: 40%
- Negotiation: 37%
- Budgeting/managing finances: 36%
- Project management: 30%
At the same time, it seems that the 1,004 working parents CareerBuilder polled tend to underestimate the value of what they do at home, or discount it completely. The survey, timed to coincide with the approach of Mother’s Day, found that only 8% of working moms — and zero dads — say they have ever mentioned their parenting skills in a resume or cover letter.