BDM with 8 year Career Gap - Job Search Strategy?
Discussion
Having spent more than a decade as a Business Development Manager in various solutions selling roles, I then worked for myself for around 8 years, but now wish to get back on the career bus.
As expected, the lack of recent, relevant experience has meant that most of my applications haven't even got past the first stage. Now I am thinking that due to my position, I need to take a completely different approach to the job market.
Your thoughts on a new strategy?
As expected, the lack of recent, relevant experience has meant that most of my applications haven't even got past the first stage. Now I am thinking that due to my position, I need to take a completely different approach to the job market.
Your thoughts on a new strategy?
Was the self-employ in a completely different industry to your BD roles? As mentioned, surely that's the ultimate BD role, when your survival is on the line.
As someone about to jump off that bus, I've been thinking about this a lot, since I can see a point in the future where I might want to get back on. However, my personal business is in the same industry (albeit a different market), so in updating my CV (in my head), there's no mention that it's my business. Just that I'm the BD Director for Europe.
As someone about to jump off that bus, I've been thinking about this a lot, since I can see a point in the future where I might want to get back on. However, my personal business is in the same industry (albeit a different market), so in updating my CV (in my head), there's no mention that it's my business. Just that I'm the BD Director for Europe.
Minemapper said:
Was the self-employ in a completely different industry to your BD roles? As mentioned, surely that's the ultimate BD role, when your survival is on the line.
As someone about to jump off that bus, I've been thinking about this a lot, since I can see a point in the future where I might want to get back on. However, my personal business is in the same industry (albeit a different market), so in updating my CV (in my head), there's no mention that it's my business. Just that I'm the BD Director for Europe.
My self employment was in totally different industries, nevertheless I am still positioning this on my CV as the ultimate BD challenge. Whether I mention that these positions were with my own businesses or not depends on the spec of the role I am applying for. As someone about to jump off that bus, I've been thinking about this a lot, since I can see a point in the future where I might want to get back on. However, my personal business is in the same industry (albeit a different market), so in updating my CV (in my head), there's no mention that it's my business. Just that I'm the BD Director for Europe.
Interestingly, one recent job spec actually asked for BDMs with their own entrepreneurial experience as well as the usual industry background.
Despite the tricky position I find myself in now, I do not regret taking the opportunity to do my own thing.
I too am in an identical position.
I started my own businesses back in 2003 and have been quite successful. The businesses were sold last year and I've now decided I'd like to get back into "normal" employment as this suits our current financial requirement better. I've been looking for 7 months now and have yet to progress beyond the first stage interview. Like you I've found that having been self employed is not seen as a bonus (as in we're much more rounded and multi-skilled) but in fact too much of a risk to employ. The best "let down" I've received to date is that I'm "too ambitious and entrepreneurial". Recruiters don't like me because my skills and experiences can't be pigeon-holed and therefore it would be "too difficult" for them to promote me to potential employers. This is by no means a generalisation as I know there are a number of recruiters out there who DO understand what it takes to start and run a successful business.
What makes me most angry is the fact that for the majority of recruiters (and employers) I am on a par with someone who's just left school/university without any (or at best very little) work experience. The fact that I used to work in mid- and high level management in global telecoms companies and start-ups prior to starting my own business seems to be completely irrelevant. The only thing that seems important is whether or not I've worked within a corporate environment over the past 3 ~ 4 years (which of course I haven't).
Searching for a job has become my full time employment over the past 7 months and I fear that unless a lot of things change (not least recruiters' perceptions of being self employed) I will remain unemployed for the forseeable future. I've got plenty of ideas to start a new business but the whole point of being employed is to attain a small level of "guaranteed" income at the end of each month. This is what's important to me and my family right now.
I therefore wish you best of luck with your quest for employment. I have tried everything (from joining recruitment agencies to using my LinkedIn network of contacts and direct/targeted applications) and will continue to do so. It is extremely frustrating to be constantly knocked back but we must maintain a positive outlook because all it takes is one employer willing to take a chance on someone who is ambitious, motivated and not afraid to work hard.
Best of luck, you're not alone in your experiences.
D
I started my own businesses back in 2003 and have been quite successful. The businesses were sold last year and I've now decided I'd like to get back into "normal" employment as this suits our current financial requirement better. I've been looking for 7 months now and have yet to progress beyond the first stage interview. Like you I've found that having been self employed is not seen as a bonus (as in we're much more rounded and multi-skilled) but in fact too much of a risk to employ. The best "let down" I've received to date is that I'm "too ambitious and entrepreneurial". Recruiters don't like me because my skills and experiences can't be pigeon-holed and therefore it would be "too difficult" for them to promote me to potential employers. This is by no means a generalisation as I know there are a number of recruiters out there who DO understand what it takes to start and run a successful business.
What makes me most angry is the fact that for the majority of recruiters (and employers) I am on a par with someone who's just left school/university without any (or at best very little) work experience. The fact that I used to work in mid- and high level management in global telecoms companies and start-ups prior to starting my own business seems to be completely irrelevant. The only thing that seems important is whether or not I've worked within a corporate environment over the past 3 ~ 4 years (which of course I haven't).
Searching for a job has become my full time employment over the past 7 months and I fear that unless a lot of things change (not least recruiters' perceptions of being self employed) I will remain unemployed for the forseeable future. I've got plenty of ideas to start a new business but the whole point of being employed is to attain a small level of "guaranteed" income at the end of each month. This is what's important to me and my family right now.
I therefore wish you best of luck with your quest for employment. I have tried everything (from joining recruitment agencies to using my LinkedIn network of contacts and direct/targeted applications) and will continue to do so. It is extremely frustrating to be constantly knocked back but we must maintain a positive outlook because all it takes is one employer willing to take a chance on someone who is ambitious, motivated and not afraid to work hard.
Best of luck, you're not alone in your experiences.
D
This is a disappointing story, and says more about traditional recruiting practices than your competencies. However, I would not lay the blame solely at their door until I was sure that my CV was the best it could be, my interview techniques were honed and that I had done a full analysis of my core competencies, my values and the industries I would most like to be associated with to aid the direction of my travel. There are other tools to assist which mean that if someone has good to offer, then they should not be out of work; I concede that location, industry and pay scale may have to be negotiable. Good luck! And happy to help further if you want to drop me a note.
Thanks guys.
The last 2 posts confirm what I suspected at the outset, traditional channels are not geared up for someone in my position and like DZ300 I could spend months getting nowhere.
I have had one or two agencies and employers recognise the value of my broader experience, but these are in the minority so the challenge is identifying them in such a vast market.
The last 2 posts confirm what I suspected at the outset, traditional channels are not geared up for someone in my position and like DZ300 I could spend months getting nowhere.
I have had one or two agencies and employers recognise the value of my broader experience, but these are in the minority so the challenge is identifying them in such a vast market.
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