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TE
R
PR
IS
E
JOB SEARCH
Self-Employed to
Employee: Making
the Switch
Entrepreneurs have plenty to offer
the senior ranks of corporations. If
you’re looking to change gears, be
ready to explain your motives and
your unique value.
By Patty Orsini
ILLUSTRATION:Chip Buchanan
Make It Work
By Matthew Rothenberg, Editor-in-Chief, TheLadders.com
• The Business Owner’s Resume • Back in Someone Else’s Boat Page 5 • 7 Job-Search Tips for Entrepreneurs
Riddle Page 2 Page 7
What did you think of this package? Got a story of your own to tell? Have ideas for future coverage? Please write Editor-in-Chief
Matthew Rothenberg at matthewr@theladders.com.
4SELF-EMPLOYED
T HE RESUME of an entrepreneur
isn’t fundamentally different from
Chicago who works with TheLadders.
A hiring manager will not necessarily
read between the lines to understand
been doing? “It’s not necessary to
have your resume mirror the title you
the resume of any of the employees are applying for,” Burdan said. “Think
in a large organization. But the nature what you did in your own employment
and why you want to work for their about what you did for your company.
of the entrepreneur’s role in a com-
company. If you are looking for a vice president
pany and the tasks he performs creates
unique hurdles when crafting a resume or president role, you don’t necessarily
Roles and responsibilities
for the business owner. have to give yourself that title. Some-
The trouble starts with the entre-
For the most part, it all comes down times, general manager stands apart
preneur’s title, Burdan said. Does
to words, said Steve Burdan, a certified “consultant” fit the bill? Does “presi- from VP or president and gives the
professional resume writer based in dent” fully explain the work you’ve sense of overarching responsibility.”
Page 2
JOB SEARCH Self-Employed to Employee: Making the Switch
erarchy. Indeed, someone who has managed creating a contract within an organization to
a business but not necessarily a staff is a bit provide services.”
of an unknown when it comes to her place
Going rogue?
in that hierarchy. And the job seeker needs to
be prepared to answer one inevitable ques- If you’re going to convince an employer that
tion: “Why do you want to come back to you can provide value to his company, you’ll
an office?” need to draw on all the skills you’ve used to
make your own business succeed. One of the
Instead of waiting for a hiring manager to
biggest challenges is convincing an employer
raise them, a job seeker needs to ask herself
that you want to work within a company after
these questions at the beginning of the hunt.
you’ve been working solo for many years.
“
It’s an exercise Linda Hall, president and se-
nior partner of Wakefield Way Consulting in
Wayde Gilchrist, a freelance IT consultant in Typically, the
the Dallas area, is considering a move into the person who
Rochester, N.Y., advises her C-level executive
corporate world as the economic downturn
clients to conduct before they send a single has pursued
has forced him to reduce his fees.
resume. It’s up to the job seeker to present the an entre-
image that he isn’t running away from a bad Gilchrist, who has worked as an indepen- preneurial
experience but offering something valuable to dent consultant for 12 years, admitted that his
the corporate world.
career is
first choice is to work from home. But he said
he is realistic about the way the business has someone
“Typically, the person who has pursued an who is pas-
changed; he’s convinced that to continue do-
entrepreneurial career is someone who is pas-
sionate about what they do and is driven to
ing the work he likes, he will need to go to sionate about
work for a company. what they do
create results,” Hall said. “Even if they have
decided, because of economic conditions, He would like to be hired for a management and is driven
they need to pursue a corporate job, they need position or even a chief technology officer to create
to keep in mind this is one more business de-
cision. In essence, what they are doing now is
position, he said, but he is concerned about
how his management skills will be perceived.
See SELF-EMPLOYED Page 5
results.
— Linda Hall
”
There’s also the matter of overstat- It can be difficult for a business The consultant’s many jobs
ing your rank. Too often, business owner to capture the breadth and
For independent contractors, it is
owners include inflated titles, such as scope of her roles and responsi- important to list the clients you per-
“president and CEO,” Burdan said. bilities in a title, especially when the formed work for as a way to high-
He advises against those titles, even sole proprietor wears many hats, light your professional credibility
if that’s what the individual’s busi- Burdan said. among peers. On the other hand,
ness card said.
Here he recommended the job listing the many jobs and relation-
The rationale boils down to per- ships of a consultant’s career pres-
seeker make use of the resume pro-
ception: There’s a big difference ents its own problems, Burdan said.
file section to spell out not what she
between being the president of a
one-person company and being the did in her old job but how she can A contractor may have dozens of
president of General Electric, and, leverage her experience to deliver clients, concurrent engagements and
in most cases, it’s wise to “dial it for an employer. “Think of it as a overlapping projects that can appear
back” to avoid being seen as exag- branding statement, with yourself as confusing if listed chronologically as
gerating your role, he said. “If you the brand,” he said. “It should high- separate “jobs” on a resume. It cre-
were a one-person operation, then light your skill set and give the hir- ates an unnecessarily long document
use ‘principal.’ A franchise owner ing manager a clear idea of what you and can confuse the hiring manager,
would be an ‘owner-operator.’ ” can do.” Burdan said. Instead, he recom-
Page 3
JOB SEARCH Self-Employed to Employee: Making the Switch
Scot French liked the perks of working helping to guide that boat, being a about a new company, Mpire, an adver-
as a freelance marketing consultant. He part of that success, French said, was tising optimization technology company
worked with nearly half-a-dozen startup ultimately more important to him than that sells to agencies and advertisers
technology companies in two years and being autonomous. “What it came down and needed someone to do its market-
enjoyed the flexibility and variety of to was that I have always wanted to be a ing. “He told me I should get to know
working for multiple clients. part of a team that was building some- this company,” French recalled. “He said
thing. And that’s the biggest thing that they were doing some interesting stuff,
“I was able to have a lot of different was missing, and that’s what pulled me and I’d be perfect for them.”
experiences,” he said. “Focusing on one back to a full-time job.”
job can make work redundant or repeti- Many of his previous clients were also
“
tious. Freelancing made work interest- Mpire clients. So he agreed and accept-
ing and exciting. And the autonomy and I have always want- ed a job at Mpire in November. “It was
flexibility was great. It allowed me to an opportunity to get into a company
spend more time with my kids and coach
ed to be a part of a that I like in a market that I am excited
their teams.” team that was build- about,” he said. “I am using my ability to
ing something. And hone in and focus and see if I can build
He also found monetary success, he
that’s the biggest this company.”
said. But the honeymoon soon faded.
French, who lives in Seattle and had pre- thing that was miss- French said that anyone looking to
vious in-house experience as a market- ing, and that’s what make the transition from independent
ing manager at interactive companies, pulled me back to a contractor to full-time employee needs
found that work was taking more of his
time. While he was free to leave the of-
fice during the day, often he’d be back at
his desk that night. And, he said, “one of
full-time job.
— Scot French
” to keep an open mind when considering
opportunities. “You are never sure where
great opportunities will come from. And
then do your due diligence. Make sure
the things I wrestled with as an indepen- So last summer, French decided that this is the move you want to make.”
dent contractor was whether the world if the right opportunity came along, he
needed one more marketing-services or- But even if you’re ready to give up on
would go back to work with an employer. being your own boss, do the best work
ganization.”
While French was mulling strategies you can for the clients you have. Your
He also yearned to be back “in the that would help him transition back to reputation is on the line, French said.
boat,” as he called it. Collaborating a full-time job, opportunity knocked on “It’s so key,” he said. “That’s what will
with other members of a single team, his door. One of his clients told him bring you opportunities.”
mended combining them within the as making something up. If it wasn’t a give impression that you jump from
job descriptions and highlighting key good fit, it didn’t work out and it isn’t one job to the next.”
successes as accomplishments. relevant to your search, then it’s OK
The rest is Resume 101. Be clear.
to skip it, he said. “If someone took a
What about the client relationships Be concise. Rewrite; you can’t have a
short-term job, and that job blew up, I
that went south or projects that didn’t one-size-fits-all resume, he said. “The
would suggest they leave that job off
work out? Just don’t list them, Burdan job search is a race; you’ve got to gain
the resume,” he said. “It’s all about
said. Never lie, but leaving something any kind of edge that you can, with-
giving impressions; you don’t want to
off your resume is not the same thing out using steroids.”
Page 4
JOB SEARCH Self-Employed to Employee: Making the Switch
4SELF-EMPLOYED
“
Addressing his chances of moving into a
economy and housing values fell.
management position, Wakefield Way’s Hall Think about
said Gilchrist does need to think realistically. “Business went from really good to medio- how you
“Managing other people and their perfor- cre to nothing,” he said. In the past year, he can become
mance is a skill,” she said. “I’ve seen people has sold his equipment and is looking to start
an adjunct
fail when they follow the line of thinking that over in another area of the country where he
to make more money, they need to move into can use his expertise in managing crews and inside an
management.” dealing directly with clients. existing busi-
ness. How
Gilchrist wondered if he is thinking realis- “I have been looking for a management po-
sition. That’s what I’m good at,” he said. “But can you bring
tically by looking for openings at a startup,
entrepreneurial company that might be look- nobody is hiring.” bottom-line
ing for someone with years of IT experience, results to the
”
Schumacher is not only trying to sell himself
who can manage smaller teams, or even a to a company, he’s doing it in areas far from company?
group of independent contractors. where people know him. His first challenge is
That makes sense, Hall said. “A startup is to articulate his value to those who don’t know
— Linda Hall
more likely in the same frame of mind that him or his former business.
he has been in. They will speak the same lan- Rather than seeking an existing job, coun-
guage.” Still, it’s tricky, she said. Really to know seled Hall, Schumacher needs to think about
if management is the right place for Gilchrist, creating business proposals for potential em-
Hall said, “the first thing he needs to find out ployers. “The idea is to co-create an oppor-
is what the company’s expectations are, and tunity with a company that has a need,” she
have an honest conversation about whether said. “Think about how you can become an
you can be successful with their expectations.” adjunct inside an existing business. How can
you bring bottom-line results to the compa-
Entrepreneurs in Gilchrist’s position should ny?” In Schumacher’s case, this might mean
find a trusted client or two, she counseled, who selling his expertise doing estimates and bring-
will give him an honest assessment of his per- ing projects in on time and on budget.
sonal skills and management style. “Find out
how you work, how you drive performance. Matthew Arrigale, VP for Human Resources,
That way, you can be aware of how you moti- Americas, at Schott North America of Elms-
vate people, and you can bring that awareness ford, N.Y., said it’s important to be able to tell
into the new environment.” an employer what skills you utilized in running
See SELF-EMPLOYED Page 6
Page 5
JOB SEARCH Self-Employed to Employee: Making the Switch
4SELF-EMPLOYED
your company. “Try to relate it to the gap the Koenig said her efforts so far have been
company has,” he said. “Explain how they can frustrating. “These are the types of jobs
fill that gap by hiring you.” where you need to be personally recommend-
ed,” she said. “I feel like I am sending my re-
The need to relocate adds another layer of
sume to outer space when applying to online
complication for this type of job search. The
job listings.”
strategy, said SixFigureStart’s Ceniza-Levine,
is to pick a city or region where you might like Ceniza-Levine said Koenig is correct in
to be (even if you aren’t certain) and start re- thinking that this type of job won’t be found
searching. “Look on LinkedIn to see if you by sending someone a resume. “The person
can find professional groups in that area. Talk she wants to work for is not going to find a
to the chamber of commerce; do good, old- personal assistant by sifting through resumes,”
fashioned research. In forcing yourself to she said. “And the fact that she is looking to
commit to a target, you will find out quickly change careers means someone is going to
whether you’ve picked the right place. If it’s have to take a chance on her. She needs to
not right, you can move on. But at least you take those great relationships she has had with
“
have started looking.” her business and use them to get personal
The job-change challenge
introductions. It’s a very personal job, and she Companies
needs to work her relationships. Most of her value diversity,
Not all independent contractors have jobs leads are going to come two or three degrees new ideas and
that can translate into corporate work. Re- of separation out of her immediate circle.”
people willing
tooling yourself, and your resume, to fit a cor-
A resume, even if it’s not the first point of to take some
porate job description presents unique chal-
contact, is still an important part of the job calculated risk.
lenges.
search. For someone who is looking to make a
change, Schott North America’s Arrigale said, That’s how
Kitty Koenig, who owns an international
event-planning company in Connecticut, is you can position yourself as someone who is entrepreneurs
facing those challenges. Her business has open to new challenges. operate, and
been hard hit by “Companies value diversity, new ideas and that’s attractive
the recession, to many em-
”
people willing to take some calculated risk,”
as Fortune 500 he said. “That’s how entrepreneurs operate, ployers.
companies have and that’s attractive to many employers. Their
pulled back on resume should state how they were flexible
events. Koe- and dealt with change and how they were able
— Matthew Arrigale
nig, no stranger to innovate.”
to re-inventing
herself, is con- Determining whether you are making the
sidering how right decision to enter the corporate world —
she could con- whether for a return engagement or for the
vert her skills as first time — means taking the time to have
an international some honest conversations, both with your-
event planner self and trusted colleagues.
with executive-
“In this type of economy, people want and
level relation-
need to work. For whatever reason they make
ships, philan-
Koenig this decision, they should go into it with their
thropic fund
eyes open,” Arrigale said. “People can be suc-
raising and
cessful in different types of environments, but
command of several languages into a position
they stand a better chance if the company’s
as a personal assistant to a CEO or other high-
culture is in line with your personal values.”
level executive.
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JOB SEARCH Self-Employed to Employee: Making the Switch
Page 7