Owning a business and applying for a full-time position at the same time.

A question I got asked a few days ago: "...the question is if it is generally a positive thing for applicants to have on their CV reference of having operated their own business in the past? Would a manager or HR person see value in such a potential employee?"

I will share my thoughts on this matter and believe there is actually little difference if a business had been run a long time ago, somebody is leaving "self-employment" or if the business is still being run as a candidate is applying for a job. The process remains the same!

Laying the foundation to this question:

1.) I believe this has to do a lot with the company:

• Companies values ??

Does a company value entrepreneurial thinking and rewards it accordingly? (Not just by financial means. Infrastructure, a forum for innovation and initiative, a safe working environment for employees, etc.)

Are the employees themselves a key value of the business? Or is it rather output/product orientated?

• Company culture ??

Is it a company that trusts its employees? Are there benefits such as flexible working hours, home office, can people be responsible for certain functions within the business? If yes, those are good signals that a company won't feel threatened or alienated by somebody who had run a business before.

• The country the company is operating in ??

In some countries, it is very normal for people to run their own business on the side, while even working in a full-time position.

In other countries this would be completely "taboo", as the employer would question the ability, focus, motivation, and commitment of the candidate to fulfill the role he was hired for.

• Past and present experiences an employer has made with employees with similar backgrounds ??

If the client has hired candidates with a history of running their own businesses in the past and had good experiences, then it could well be a bonus point for the candidate.

Were the experiences bad, the candidate might have to fight more to prove the correct mindset and motivation.

2.) On the other hand, it depends on the candidate as well:

• Is this about a full-time/part-time position?
• Is it perm or freelance?

The type of employment will be a big factor in determining the issues that might occur.

• Why does a candidate want to join the specific company and position, after being a business owner?
• Is the CV well-structured and showcases the skills gained from running a business?
• Does the candidate communicate necessary information in a transparent and honest manner?

These are some of the questions necessary to be answered before I can give a complete, informed and good answer IMO. But here I go... ???? ??

Let's identify what questions might occur from the employer

HR and potential employers will, of course, evaluate what this means for them and there will be straight away a few question marks:

• What type of business was it?
• Was the business successful or not?
• Did the candidate develop skills relevant for the employer and specific role?
• What value did this experience develop for the career of the candidate?
• What know-how was created?
• Is the knowledge the candidate built during his time as a business owner relevant to the employer?

Most of these questions can go both ways and in some cases win over the employer or make him decide against a candidate. ??

Questions that I have been asked many times by clients when I presented them with a candidate that had run his own business or was a freelancer for some time now were:

"Why does this person want to come to us now?"

"Is there enough commitment?"

"If he wants to be a business owner, does he just come to us to enjoy the benefits of being employed, but will run his business on the side?"

"Will he bring the necessary focus into his daily work at our company?"

"How will he integrate into our team/hierarchy/company culture after being "his own boss" for so long?"

These are in my experience the major concerns, once the salary topic has been cleared, that clients have when being faced with a candidate who runs their own business/is a freelancer and applies for a full-time position. (This was the scenario of the person asking me this question btw.)

Good news is, it's not all ??"doom and gloom"?. Here is what I suggest you do in order to increase your chances to pass the interviews and secure the job. ??

How to make it work - My suggestion:

With all the previous concerns combined - every candidate who has a background of running his business some way or the other should be prepared to :

1.   Be asked those questions ?

2.   Answer those questions (even if a hiring manager did not ask - just do it!) ?

3.   Tackle and address these issues even on application stage through their CV/cover letter/social media profiles or whatever you are using in order to apply to a specific job (CLEAR THE AIR EARLY ON - it will save you tons of work towards the end of the hiring process!!)?

4.   Demonstrate key learnings, achievements and experience gained (must be relevant) ?

5.   Clearly, communicate the motivation to join the company and be transparent about if a business will still be run on the side of the position or not ?

Answering those questions shows awareness, initiative, "pro-activeness" and puts potential employers at ease. ??

Again, the degree of how big of an issue this really is can vary from industry to industry, city to city and country to country.

As a rule of thumb and in any recruitment process...

There is no harm in general with being upfront and transparent with your potential, future employer and it displays a good degree of professionalism. ?????

Many candidates don't get to the point and try to justify any "weak points" they have identified themselves in their CVs. Be confident and proud of your achievements and career up to this point! No matter if you are in the beginning, the middle or towards the end of your professional career! ??

Candidates not being confident about "stations" on their CV happens just as often as clients "overselling" their businesses and jobs to candidates by the way (most of you know you do ??) but that might be a topic for another article. ??

That's it I think... ????

I would really welcome your thoughts on this matter, please feel free to share opinions you might have on this topic. No worries, I got thick skin. ??

Also some feedback on my style of writing and if it was easy for everybody to read through + follow the thought-process would also be nice. ??

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Best,

Alexander Koutoulas