Spin a step down as a step up

Ihave been in the HOA (homeowners association) management arena for more than 20 years as a smallbusiness owner. Long story short: I decided to get out to seek a better work/life balance as an employee instead of an employer. I worried about being seen as overqualified, and I also believe employers will be concerned about my prior salary (which will be cut by at least half). I have been unable to put a positive “spin” on the fact that I want less responsibility and less salary. Can you help?

Dale: As a business owner, you undoubtedly learned to “think like a customer.” When searching for a job, your customers are hiring managers. What will they be thinking when they see your resume? “Oh, how I wish I owned my own company!” Or maybe: “This guy will try to tell me how to do things. Worse yet, he’ll try to take my job.” Then, if you get an interview and tell them what you told us, they’ll be thinking about the long hours they work, and your “balance” goal will seem like an insult. Plus, they’ll assume ...

J.T.: Wait. This is too disheartening.

Dale: I know that you advise small-business owners when they decide to look for employment, and I want everyone to see just how impossible this situation is. That way, they’ll be doubly amazed when you give your answer. I’m just like the guy from the audience confirming that the chains on Houdini are all locked tight.

J.T.: Well ... I’ll try to live up to that. I have coached many small-business owners, and here is what works:

(1) Identify the one area of business where you really excel. This will be what you showcase when networking and interviewing. You must come across not as a burnedout “business owner,” but as a “problem solver” who could be a big asset to an employer.

(2) When asked why you want to work for someone else, say: “Running my own company was lonely work. Not having peers is tough. And there are limitations to what I could accomplish. I want to be part of a team so I have peers and so I can accomplish more. Becoming an employee of a larger organization will be a step up from where I’ve been.”

Dale: There it is. The first “spin” is that you are NOT selling yourself — you’re selling a solution to an employer’s problem. Next, you aren’t “stepping down” to lesser responsibility and money; no, you “spin” it as “stepping up” to teamwork and broader horizons. Brilliant.