Jeremy Johnson, an IT recruiter for EHD Technologies, has a new guest blog post this week on how to present your own business on your resume.
How to Present Your Own Business on Your Resume:
When I’m reviewing a resume, nothing sets off the alarm on my red flag radar quite like someone listing their own business. Ninety-nine percent of the time, this is not a point in the candidate’s favor; it’ actually a strike against him or her. This is especially the case when it’s the most recent experience listed and it goes back several years.
For example, “2009-present, Owner, Bob’s Computer Repair.” Well, Bob, what this really tells me is that for the past four years you haven’t been able to land a job, and for the past five years, you help out someone once every six months with a computer issue. But, the last thing it is is a real job.
What that personal business ends up being – again, 99% of the time – is a gap-filler on a resume. Nothing more. And that doesn’t help you in your job search. It will be taken for what it is – a gap in steady employment.
But, for those of you who do have your own legitimate business on which you’re supporting yourself, making a living and keeping busy, there are a few things you need to do on your resume to present this experience in the right way. Because let’s face it, the tenuous legitimacy of most other resume-listed personal businesses aren’t helping you.
So what do you need to do? You need to make that business real in the eyes of your audience, because quite frankly, your audience will default to seeing it as a gap filler. So, here are a few things you can do to bring weight and legitimacy to your personal business on your resume.
1) List revenue — If your business is bringing in enough money to support yourself – and especially if it’s supporting additional employees – list it. Give numbers. If your business grossed 75k in a year, say so, because my experience defaults to telling me you probably only make a few hundred dollars – at best – in a year because this was anything but a steady gig. If that’s not the case, say so. Numbers carry weight. If you can back up your business with them, do it.
2) List clients – Other than numbers, nothing gives legitimacy to your business like a client list. When you can quantify the actual people who look to you to solve problems for them, it really helps take away the thought in my mind that you’re only using your skill sets to help out a buddy a couple of times per year.
3) List projects – This goes along with listing clients. It makes the work you’ve done real. Also, if you can list durations of projects, that can help, too (if the projects had a healthy duration). Listing a total of three projects that only lasted a day each probably won’t help much. But, if you completed major work that you were invested in for months at a time, that, my friend, is not a gap filler. That’s real business, and people on my side of the fence will more likely see it as such.
4) List number of employees – Obviously, this only counts if you have other employees. But, if you do, the fact that other people are relying on you for their income says a ton about the strength and steadiness of your business. So, if you have other employees, say so in your resume.
As a parting thought and advice on the topic of listing personal businesses on your resume, be realistic about what you hope to accomplish in adding it to your work history. We’re automatically going to assume it’s not real or in no way steady or a money maker. Our experience tells us such. If that’s not the case, though, say it. If your business actually kept you busy, if it actually made you a living, say so. Quantify it. By doing that, you’ll take away the red flag that your business was nothing more than a gap filler.