Answered by Dan, Hiring Expert at Mutual of Omaha, on Tuesday, February 2, 2016
Great Question! Companies’ value diversity, new ideas and people willing to take some calculated risk and that is how business owners/ entrepreneurs operate. These skills are very attractive to many employers out there within the job market. Hence, one’s cover letter, resumes, and interviews responses should state how they were able to be innovative, be flexible, and think quickly on their feet. So it is important to convey these in one’s cover letter and especially in interviews to showcase why they want to be back in the workforce. Present one’s past within business-owning as a valuable experience that has helped prepare them for their next job. As for the resume, while one’s previous job title (i.e. President) may be accurate; it's not helpful in communicating their value. It might even get them rejected because they appear to be way overqualified. Since they were their own boss, one can retroactively give themselves almost any job title, depending on where they want to be next. As one is re-entering the job market, one’s main goal is to demonstrate their value, regardless of what their old business card might have said.