One Snarky Chica with Issues

There are a lot of people that are self-employed that for whatever reason end up having to take a “real job” again. So, if that is the case, what do you do about your resume? There is some thought that employers do not like to see self-employment on a resume. Why? Because it makes them think that you will always be thinking about escaping and thus be a bad employee. And that you will want to be the boss because you are used to being the boss. Of course, this does not hold true for people pursuing jobs as consultants.

There is also some talk that people like to see self-employment as it shows that you are a hard worker. I have never worked in a human resources capacity, so I cannot say with certainty whether it is a good or bad thing to have self-employment on your resume. But I do know that employment gaps are not a good thing, so what choice do you have? Then the real question becomes how do you put it in your resume so that it benefits you?

After looking around the web on some message boards it seems that the consensus is that you should put it on your resume but emphasize in interviews and cover letters that you are winding down this part of your employment life and are looking forward to getting back to corporate team work. And you should talk about your self-employment experience as it pertains to the position you are applying/interviewing for because it can show that you have skills they are looking for. However, if you plan on keeping this self-employment thing going on the side then by no means let them know that.

There are also some people that suggest not putting “owner” on your resume and instead putting something like “general manager” or something that relates to what you did (i.e. sales manager, director of finance & accounting) so that it appears that you answered to someone else. It is also suggested to referring to the business as a partnership (i.e. “our” business instead of “my” business) as it takes the sting out of it for some recruiters.