We’ve established that entrepreneurs need to have resumes. A resume is a persuasive document for potential clients, partners and investors who are considering doing business with an entrepreneur. Community boards vetting a new member like to see a resume, as do journalists seeking to feature a business owner.
But thanks to their unique purposes, entrepreneurs’ resumes differ from the typical job seeker’s. Elements that might show up on entrepreneurs’ resumes include:
- A section listing the special projects the company has worked on. While a traditional resume focuses on the candidate or job seeker, an entrepreneur’s resume might showcase work that involves the entire company. These successes and achievements are also yours when you run the business. A list of projects that the company has worked on also can speak to the size and scope of an entrepreneur’s work.
- An expanded job description section. Rather than a sentence or two about your position, the job description will need to encompass the range of your roles and perhaps even how they’ve evolved as the company has grown.
- A history. Along those lines, entrepreneurs’ resumes may differ in including a short timeline of the companies they’ve founded, which also demonstrates their business acumen and skills.
- Some character. As well, entrepreneurs’ resumes can be more personal and expressive than the typical job seeker’s. Because this is not about what you can do for a supervisor or another company, you can be yourself—that’s the heart of an entrepreneur’s career.
- A strong summary of what sets you apart from someone else. Every resume should have a summary, but showcasing what makes you different from someone else providing similar services is key here.
- A testimonial. Some resumes include a quote from a satisfied client or colleague. In fact, mine does. It should be no more than a sentence or two and should speak to what genuinely sets you apart.
- Attention to detail is even more important in an entrepreneur’s resume. If your font varies throughout, there are misspelled words, or the spacing is off, it shows that you don’t pay attention to details, and that’s the kiss of death for an entrepreneur.
- Accomplishments are key. Be sure to include more accomplishments (especially if you can quantify those accomplishments).
- Having an updated LinkedIn profile to match the resume is so important! Most people search LinkedIn to check up on someone. Make sure what they find there matches your resume.
Entrepreneurs’ resumes differ in these key ways, but at the same time they need to be effective, persuasive, concise and free of jargon and buzzwords. (If I hear the word “synergy” one more time, I’ll choke!) If you need help achieving this delicate balance, talk to us at Merrfeld.com. We’ll help you create a great picture of your entrepreneurial career!
