Employable Till Proven Otherwise 
 by Kate Wendleton and Dale Dauten

“Kate & Dale Talk Jobs” is a nationally syndicated newspaper column appearing in The Minneapolis Star-Tribune, The Washington Times, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, The Houston Chronicle and approximately 100 other newspapers.

Dear Kate & Dale: I have submitted my résumé for many jobs that I am qualified for.  Nothing. I feel like they look at it and see that I owned a business and wonder what happened. But I can't leave that out.  Juanita   

KATE:  What makes you think people are not calling you because you owned a business? Further, it’s not true that “I can’t leave that out.” Sure you can. You simply say you were president or that you managed 30 people (or whatever it was), without mentioning the company’s ownership.

DALE: It’s human nature to settle on the cause of a problem and then fit everything to that conclusion. It’s like those cases where police detectives fit evidence to one suspect and later realize they’ve overlooked conflicting facts, not because they’re sloppy or corrupt, but because that’s how our brains work — spot a pattern and arrange information to conform to it. Job hunters settle on one suspected deficiency and say, “I’m not getting interview because… I’m being blackballed… or I once declared bankruptcy… or I’m over fifty… or I don’t have a college degree.”  Sure, such issues might decrease your odds, but so what?  Say the deficiency cuts the number of potential jobs in half. What’s the solution?  Identify twice as many openings. But what often happens instead? People give up and lower their expectations.  The effect is that they turn themselves down.

KATE: Back to your situation, Juanita:  Having owned a business is NOT a major obstacle unless you let it be one. Yes, there are going to be employers who wonder whether an owner can now work for someone else.  So it’s not unusual for former business owners to position themselves by some other title, perhaps as a department head. Then, when you go in for the interview, you mention you were also the owner, but ONLY IF THEY BRING IT UP.  If your ownership experience bothers them, make them feel better about it by making the job change a positive move: “I decided I’d rather be part of a larger organization and be part of a team.” 

DALE: They’ll believe it if you do. The question is, Do you, Juanita? If you see leaving your business as a failure, as stepping back or down, then interviewers will sense that about you. So the first person you need to convince is you. After that, the others will be easy.

Dear Kate & Dale: I have been looking for work in my field of HR and have not had any luck. I’ve seen quite a few job openings in administration and would like to try applying for them but could use some tips on how to do my résumé so it would not be overlooked when they see all the HR experience. Carol

DALE: You require the art of positioning, Carol, which means knowing how to convert a résumé from a recitation of your past to a portrait of your future. I was trying to remember where I’d read some great advice on that subject, and then realized it was in a book by good old Kate, her “Building a Great Résumé." 

KATE: My favorite example is from a man who had gone from sports marketing into the mortgage business, then wanted to go back. However, when you looked at his résumé, all you saw was his recent experience — mortgages, mortgages and more mortgages. After re-positioning him, his new résumé started out with his name and address, then, in bold, “Marketing Executive.” That way, right from the start the reader pigeon-holes him where he wants to be. Next, the summary and listing of jobs included bulleted items that supported the pigeon-holing, then went further, explaining why he is special.

DALE: Advertising agencies call it “association and differentiation” — how are you the same and how are you different. 

KATE: And with your career advertisements, your résumé and cover letter, you first lead readers to conclude that you fit what they are looking for, then separate yourself from all the other applicants by describing your unique background.