Self-Employed and Re-entering the Workforce?

So, you’ve been self-employed and now you want to re-enter corporate America.  Should I put my company information on my résumé?  How do I position the company, it’s different than what I used to do?  These are some of the questions that many entrepreneurs re-entering the job market ponder as they begin to prepare their résumé.

Typically, business owners wear various hats.  So, it is imperative that you highlight the 'hat' that aligns with your targeted position.

Here are a few tips on how to handle:

•  Include the relevant transferable skills. 

• Although you probably did every and any thing for your company, determine what are some of the experiences that you were engaged in that sells YOU to the company and position you desire.  Did you hire, train and/or manage a staff?  Were you negotiating contracts?  Did you manage budgets? How much revenue did you generate?  In essence, dig deep into what you were really doing for your business.
• For example, I had a client who left an IT/engineering position to start a catering/event business.  In the résumé, we stressed skills like: negotiation, budget management, staff management and most importantly the continued use of technical skills.  These skills you gained from your business might just help catapult you into a team leader/manager role vs. an individual contributor.

• Using two sections allows you to direct the hiring manager to your relevant experience first.  They will be able to immediately see the experiences that coincide with the position and they do NOT have to search for your relevancy in a traditional chronological format.  

• For instance, if you were in IT before your entrepreneurial endeavors, your first section will focus on your previous technical experience (even if it’s a few years old).  Then, your second section will include all 'other' experiences underneath.
• Maintain the reverse chronological order of the traditional résumé for each section.

• If you are targeting sales or business development opportunities and you were sourcing new clients and negotiating the contracts, then, you were the Business Development/Sales Manager for your company.  This does not negate or diminish anything else you did but allows you to focus the reader on the key experience you bring to the table, presenting a function that is easily relatable to the hiring team.
• Refrain from using titles like, owner, president, CEO, etc.  First, this doesn't fully tell the hiring team what you did from a glance. Second, this may draw unwanted attention and negate your candidacy.  The hiring team will probably question: why are you looking for a job; how long will you stay; are you a team player; can you take direction because you’re accustom to being your own boss.  And this type of attention defeats the purpose.  Plus, you do not want to use a title higher than what you are targeting.  You might be considered over-qualified.

The key is to POSITION your résumé such that you are emphasizing your experiences and skills from owning a business that will align with the company and position's goals and needs.  Be truthful about what you did and please do not falsify your background as this is typically grounds for termination.

Although most recruiters and hiring managers are usually not excited about or fond of functional résumés, this is another option to demonstrate your transferable skills.   As many career portals fill-in various sections based on your résumé, the functional format does not lend itself well for that automated process.  However, the online career portals are still interested in your chronological employment history and you’ll need to be prepared to input the data along with the respective achievements for each previous position if you use a functional résumé.

Remember, today's job market is very competitive and your goal is to get an interview and ultimately the position.  Be strategic on how you position your entrepreneurial endeavors and you can come out on top.  Most importantly, you need to present your background in the best way to easily connect the dots for recruiters so that you can get the ultimate prize – a new position.

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New Leaf Career Solutions is a career consulting boutique that redefines individuals and small businesses professional brands.  New Leaf partners with each client to provide quality résumés, cover letters, bios, brochures and much more.  Visit newleafcareersolutions.com to schedule an appointment.  Follow on Facebook and Twitter for daily tips.  Call today to turn over a New Leaf !!