Resume With Entrepreneurial Experience

There is nothing wrong with returning to the labor market after a failed quest to become a business owner. The question begging for an answer remains: can you get a job without a resume?

Getting a well-paying job most likely requires a well-crafted resume. Creating a resume with entrepreneurial experience is your surest bet to landing your dream job after an unsuccessful entrepreneur stint. Most entrepreneurs don’t find creating one easy.

They are constantly looking for hints on including entrepreneurial experience on their resumes. We have painstakingly created this piece to aid entrepreneurs in making a bold transition from entrepreneurs to jobseekers. If you are ready to get clarity on how to put startup experience on resume, let’s get started now.

Should I Put Entrepreneur Experience on My Resume?

There is no hard and fast rule about including entrepreneur experience on resumes. The situation differs and should be treated with its peculiarities. However, there are factors including novelty or otherwise of the business and job requirements to consider before adding entrepreneur experience into the resume mix.

• Novelty

New businesses and startups typically prefer applicants with entrepreneurial experience over those without it. You should include the challenges against the survival of your business and the lessons learned from it for the desired effect.

• Job requirement

It is generally recommended that you show your entrepreneurial experience on CVs and Resumes if the job requirement suggests it in the job posting. Vacancy for business managers, for instance, may encourage risk-takers to apply.

Also, if the desired role centers on entrepreneurship, leadership, and critical thinking ability, you may include your entrepreneur experience. Factors to distinguish job postings that encourage applicants with entrepreneurship experience to apply from the ones that don’t are an emphasis on relationships, leadership, and taking bold initiatives.

There are rare job requirements, especially from larger companies, that qualify applicants for entrepreneurial grants. If you are applying for such, it is expedient that you include your entrepreneurship experience.

As an entrepreneur, crafting an impactful resume can be challenging.

How to Show Entrepreneurial Experience in Resume

Deciding where to put entrepreneurial experience on a resume can be hard to crack. There are different approaches to showing this unique experience on your resume. The most notable among them is creating a separate category and including them under the previous employment area.

Create a Separate Category

Creating a separate category displaying your entrepreneurial pursuits in fancy words may be necessary if you have multiple experiences. Even if your business failed in the first week of launch, it would be foolhardy to title this particular category as such. Experts recommend titling this category as entrepreneurial undertakings or self-employment.

Under this category, your entrepreneurial undertaking should be given a project name, the business name. Take it a step further by giving a brief description of your core responsibilities as the business owner and a brief overview of your clientele.

Examples

Here is a perfect example of how to include entrepreneurial experience on a resume under a separate category for your ultimate perusal and adoption.

ENTREPRENEURIAL UNDERTAKINGS

Co-founder      Gettoysnow.com                    Feb 20, 2021 – Mar 15, 2022

“Co-owned and operated a full-fledged toy supplying e-commerce platform featuring a facility to support the trade of educational toys.”

Under Previous Employment Category

This approach is common with traditional CVs that follow the chronological style. Using this approach requires treating your entrepreneurial experience as any other previous employment. Begin by listing the most recent work experience, and if your experience as a business owner is the most recent, begin with it. Use the employer’s name as a heading, followed by a short description of your roles and responsibilities.

Example

This example is instructive if you decide to follow the traditional “under the previous employment route”.

Fullstack Developer, Gettoysnow.com          Feb 20, 2021 – Mar 15, 2022

“Supervised a team of graphics designers, frontend and backend developers to develop a customer-centric app that supports a seamless sale and purchase of children’s toys.”

When to Ignore Entrepreneurial Experience in Your Resume

Do not include entrepreneurial experience on college resume or any CV whatsoever if the state of your business and the target industry does not support it.

State of Your Business

Every hiring manager wants to be confident of your unwavering commitment to the job before hiring you. Crafting your resume to suggest that you are currently running a startup or any business enterprise may question your commitment and send a wrong signer to the recruiter, even if you are a master at multitasking. It suggests that you may be leaving the job soon to focus on your business, disrupting with its attendant cost implications.

Industry

Experts advise that you desist from putting your entrepreneur experience in your CV or resume if you are applying to a job in the same industry as your failed business. It raises doubt about your sincerity of purpose – the hiring manager may think applying for a job is a ruse to obtain the company’s trade secrets and other intangible assets.

Tips on Including Entrepreneurial Skills on Resume

• Discuss your ability to function well in a team to achieve a set goal and objective.
• Highlight transferable entrepreneurial and other relevant skills.
• Dwell on the skills in your cover letter.

Conclusion

Whether you want to display your entrepreneurial experience on your high school resume or seek employment after a failed entrepreneur experience, endeavor only to include relevant experience in your CVs and resumes.

Contact us for practical tips and resources on the most effective ways to include entrepreneur experience on a college resume. We also render assistance on how to put edX on resumes, best resume companies, and allied matters.