By Rachelle Lappinen

Moms returning to the workforce after taking care of their children, like many other job seekers, are faced with the fact that their resume has a gap.

Many mothers dread the question, “What do you do?” Mothers may respond by sharing what they used to do before they had children, or respond that they are a full time mom. Career coaches have been instructing moms to hide the gap of time taken off for child care from their resume.

Discussing taking time out of the workforce for child care is usually left out of job interviews due to the guidance from the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC). While this may seem unfair and unjust, it is often a reality, as many employers fear that skills may have deteriorated.

A very good way to deal with this resume gap is to volunteer.

Bonus: Volunteering allows mothers to keep -- or improve -- their skills while balancing their varying schedules.

There are many opportunities for stay-at-home moms to volunteer, from managers of children's sports teams, Rotary Clubs, Boys and Girls Club and many more.

Volunteering does not just have to be in the nonprofit world.

• Lawyers can take on pro bono assignments.
• Teachers can tutor their children.
• A journalist or writer can start a blog.

By volunteering on projects or roles for organizations, mothers can stay current in their industry. A local organization here in MA, called Jericho Road matches volunteers and organizations based on the skills of the volunteer and the needs of the organization.

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