Overcoming barriers to job search success
Dear Sam:
I have been self-employed for 16 years as an independent manufacturers’ representative. I would like to get back into corporate life, and not necessarily in my current industry. I have much to offer, including experience in sales and marketing, business management, sales management and exposure to all facets of operating and owning a business. How would I market myself in this situation? I have been told that being self-employed for a good portion of your career can be an obstacle. Any thoughts?
Dear Mike:
I work with a lot of clients seeking to return to corporate America. I always explain that in order to overcome key barriers to reentry, they have to be careful how they position independent or entrepreneurial engagements.
I first explain that entrepreneurs, or those that are self-employed, typically thrive in flexible, independent roles, a structure that often doesn’t exist in most traditional corporate environments.
Having said this, a hiring manager could fear that if employed, you would not be in an environment in which you would thrive. Additionally, if you took Entrepreneurial Skills 101, you would learn that entrepreneurs live for challenges, and once a challenge has been conquered, they typically like to move on to the next opportunity. This doesn’t sit well with a hiring manager who either isn’t in a position to offer a challenge-based role, or needs someone to stick around for more than a couple of years.
Given these are some of the barriers you will have to overcome, let’s review how to do just that. I often use a combination format for my entrepreneurial clients, a format that allows for presentation of Key Achievements before the Professional Experience section and disclosure of self-employed status.
To start, begin your resume with a strong Qualifications Summary specifically geared toward the opportunities you are interested in, being careful not to dilute the picture by presenting too many areas of expertise.
Small business owners do possess a variety of skills — as they typically manage operations, accounting, sales, marketing and staffing — but finding a role in corporate America that will employ all of these talents isn’t likely. So, be careful not to present yourself as a jack-of-all-trades or an expert of everything. Instead, thoroughly evaluate the opportunities that interest you and highlight related experiences, skills and achievements. This may mean that you have to have a few modified versions of your resume, although the changes won’t have to be extensive.
In the Achievements section, highlight the value you provided in your past role. Answer questions such as: What were your sales results? How did you expand market share? How was your performance when benchmarked against other reps? Infuse the answers into your resume in this section, leaving your day-to-day functions — and the presentation of your self-employed status — to fall to the bottom of page one or page two. In the Professional Experience section, be careful not to present a summary focused on running a business, but instead on the functions you performed that relate to your career goals.
The move back to the corporate world can be done, it just has to be approached carefully so you position yourself as a highly qualified candidate with strong related skills, versus an entrepreneur who thrives in autonomous roles and the ability to manage all business functions. I wish you the best with the transition. Samantha Nolan is a Certified Professional Resume Writer and owner of Nolan Branding, a fullservice resume writing firm. Have a resume or job search question? Email dearsam@nolanbranding, visit nolanbranding.com or call 614-570-3442 or 1-888-952-3928.