Resumes for the (formerly) self-employed

Put another way, the candidate must strategize to showcase the skills needed by the employer, while downplaying other abilities. When this process is applied to individuals with a huge skill set, the euphemism is “dumbing down” the resume. I like to think of it as retrofitting or customizing, but in the end, the label doesn’t matter as much as the strategy.

For people leaving self-employment, one of the first challenges of job search comes at the targeting stage. What kind of job will you go for?

Here’s an example from our current economy, in which many construction-related firms are shutting the doors. If the owner of a small electrical firm exits the business, he or she might have three types of work to pursue: jobs that make use of industry knowledge -- think electrical inspector, or sales of building products; jobs that use craft skills -- perhaps staff electrician or building caretaker in this case; or jobs that leverage business skills such as employee management, customer service or even marketing.

For any individual, you can add to this list their personal abilities and interests. A person with a strong back could as well consider warehousing or grounds maintenance; a person with a previous career in auto mechanics might return to the field as a service writer ... you can see how important targeting is for the formerly self-employed individual. Without a sense of direction, not only can you not write a reasonable resume, you can’t even tell networking contacts what kinds of jobs to tell you about.

Once you know what you want to do, your next challenge is similar to anyone’s: How do you tell the story of what you’ve done, while staying focused on what employers in your target area need?

Let’s say our electrician wants to be an inspector. What would the employer need? First on the list would be the certifications or licenses required by that city or state. Electrical experience would be a definite plus, as would any experience or additional training in inspection, quality, safety, etc. Presuming our candidate has at least some of these items, they go to the top of the resume, in as much detail as possible.

Now, what personal qualities might be most favored by employers in this work? I can imagine that being able to work alone, possessing high standards, being detail-oriented, having some combination of tact and firmness to deal with building owners, and being good with documentation would all be important. If this candidate possesses those qualities, they definitely get a section near the top of the resume.

Next on the page will probably be work experience, as the employer does want to know where all this experience came from. Here’s the tricky part for most self-employed people: You are now undergoing a transformation in image, internally and externally. For some number of months or years, you have been calling yourself a business owner. On this resume, where being a business owner may be a deficit, you need a new title.

Here’s an example of how this might look: “Jackson Electric, Quality Manager / Business Operator, Carbondale, Ill., 2003 – 2010. Managed all quality / internal inspections for 10-person electrical crew working on residential and small commercial projects ... (more detail here). Duties as business operator also included interaction with city and state inspectors and responsibility for all permits and licenses on job sites.”

Notice how the job description is entirely focused on the experience that would be useful as an inspector? For any business owner, there are literally hundreds of skills that could go on a resume -- your task is to decide which 10 or 20 you will select, and how you will showcase them. Once you do that, you will be ready to hit the market without bowling it over. If you remember that you are trying to sell yourself, but not oversell yourself, you will be on the right track.

Amy Lindgren owns Prototype Career Service, a career consulting firm in St. Paul. She can be reached at alindgren@prototypecareerservice.com or at 626 Armstrong Ave., St. Paul, MN 55102.