Finding a Job After Self Employment - Tips for Resumes, Interviews and More - Career Sidekick

Finding a Job After Self Employment - Tips for Resumes, Interviews and More - Career Sidekick Finding a Job After Self Employment Tips for Resumes, Interviews and More Misc Tips / https://www.edenscott.com/blog When running your own business or launching a startup doesnt pan out, many people choose to return to a corporate job for more stability and a steady paycheck.But making the transition and finding a job after self employment isnt always easyIn this article, Im going to share some of the best strategies for how to find a job after being self employed. These tips will help with your resume, LinkedIn, interviews and more.How to Find a Job After Self EmploymentArticulating Lessons LearnedFor most people, a failed business venture is a tough pill to swallow.However, its not unusual at all. In a Startup Business Failure Rate by Industry study conducted by Statistic Brain, the 5-year failure rate of all U.S. companies is 50%, and 70% after 10 years.There are many reasons why startups fail, from breakups with co-founders to a lack of funding.And there are plenty of reasons why you might choose to leave your small business or startup behind even if youve been o perating for a couple years or more.Whatever the case may be, when hunting for a new role, the important thing is to be able to showcase the role you played in getting the company off the ground, growing the business, and how youll use those lessons learned to be valuable to employers now.Many Hats, Many RolesWhen it comes to staffing or hiring, no company operates more leanly than a startup. As a result, most employees end up wearing many hats and the founder(s) do as well.From sales to marketing, finance to HR, deal-making to operations â€" the early employees/founders at startups do it all.This is a value-add! I recommend calling out the skills that you possess and highlight examples of where you used them. By positioning yourself as a jack-of-all-trades integral to running all aspects of a company, you appear to the reader as someone with skills diversity.Transforming Chaos into OrderThose who establish startups or small businesses often describe a “Wild West” environment l acking process, structure and continuity at least in the beginning.By laying the groundwork and instituting policies, controls and standard operating procedures (SOPs), you have created a viable infrastructure and effectively created order from chaos.Highlight this talent by noting your efforts at creating operations, sales, marketing, communications or finance frameworks from the ground up.A Vast and Deep NetworkRegardless of the role they’ve been hired to do, in my experience people who come from startups (especially early stage ones) are more often than not involved in some phase of business development â€" from creating sales and marketing collateral to actually delivering the pitch.When the startup fails for whatever reason, they are often left with a respectable list of contacts. This network is often a value add for your next employer, as is the fact that you built it from the ground up. If you can claim a vast, deep and perhaps even loyal network, be sure to spell this out !By the Seat of Your Pants FlexibilityMany entrepreneurs note that every day brings something new and unexpected.The ability to succeed in a “by the seat of your pants” atmosphere can translate on your resume, LinkedIn profile, and interviews.Show that youre someone who can stay flexible and productive in an ambiguous work environment.This is a highly-desirable job trait often seen on job postings!Youll notice many job postings make note that theyd like to hire someone who is able to adapt quickly, work in a fast-paced environment, etc. Running your own business goes a long way toward proving you are ready to for this type of challenge.Influencing, Buy-in and FundingMore often than not, a small business or startups ability to get off the ground and continue to the next level is dependent on funding.The skills and expertise critical to securing large sums from investors and obtaining financial support are the same as those essential to succeed in sales, business development and e ven project management.In all of these roles, one must be able to develop powerful business cases, present them before senior leadership and gain buy-in from decision makers.If during your startup tenure, you created compelling presentations, pitched persuasive cases and succeeded in securing some much-needed cash, be sure to note this success.Applying Lessons LearnedPeople who leave startups or small businesses often have had the time to reflect on what worked, and what didn’t â€" from improper user testing to mismanaged funds to improper planning.Whatever the case, you can now go into a conversation with potential new employers and talk about bringing this experience to the table.Highlight how you can help your next boss or company to avoid these same mistakes.Tailor Everything to the Employers NeedsNow, you might be thinking, I did so much while self-employed that Im really not sure what to mention, and what not to mention.Heres an easy way to decide think about whats most rele vant to the employers youre sending your resume to.For example, if a role youve applied for involves direct management, youd be wise to highlight any leadership and people-management early and often on your resume.On the other hand, lets say youve applied for an individual contributor role with no management involved.In this case, youd want to spend much more space on your resume and LinkedIn (and more time in your interviews) talking about the technical skills that will help you succeed in this job.So instead of thinking of your resume and interview answers  as a summary of everything youve done, think of them as an opportunity to showcase *specific* things youve done thatll help this particular employer.Need more ideas of what to talk about?If you need more help brainstorming what to talk about from your time being self employed, here are more ideas of skills where you might have more experience than the typical job seeker:Productivity/time managementBusiness strategyNegotiation/s ellingLean operations/managing costsPeople managementVendor managementHiring/recruitingGrowth hacking/rapid growth strategiesCustomer acquisitionCustomer serviceNetworking/relationship-buildingThese are just a few ideas. They might not all apply to you it totally depends on what type of business you were involved in but hopefully this gives you some idea of where to start!Turning Self Employment Experience into Job Search SuccessStartup and entrepreneurial endeavors dont always work out â€" often for reasons beyond our control.However, even a failed venture can be used to show others how youll help them succeed if they hire you.Identify what skills will be most beneficial to the employer in their job, and then show them how youll use your experience to help them.Do this on your resume and LinkedIn, and throughout the interview process.If you do this, youll give yourself the best chance of finding a job after self employment.About this guest author:In need of some career advice, a refreshed resume or rebranded LinkedIn?  As  the founder and chief writer at  Virginia Franco Resumes, I offer customized executive resume and LinkedIn profile writing services for the 21st century job seeker. I would be happy to chat!