Self Employment on CV - Good or Bad ?
Discussion
I'm currently looking for a job, having spent the last 4 Years self employed and skint I want a complete change of industry as I'm sick to the back teeth of Financial Services
Had my first interview just over a week ago which went fantastically well - but I didnt get the job - in part because they seem to think that I might want to return to a self employed role in financial services when market conditions improve ( hell would have to freeze over ).
Just had another rejection from a place where one of my mates works for a job I could do very easily - and speaking to him he reckons they also don't like hiring people who have previously been self employed.
Is this common across the board ?
I have now removed all reference to it from my CV just in case - but I would have thought being able to start a business and keep it going for 4 Years ( admittedly not setting the world on fire but earning enough to pay the bills ) shows dedication, commitment and ability in addition to all my other skills & experience ?
Had my first interview just over a week ago which went fantastically well - but I didnt get the job - in part because they seem to think that I might want to return to a self employed role in financial services when market conditions improve ( hell would have to freeze over ).
Just had another rejection from a place where one of my mates works for a job I could do very easily - and speaking to him he reckons they also don't like hiring people who have previously been self employed.
Is this common across the board ?
I have now removed all reference to it from my CV just in case - but I would have thought being able to start a business and keep it going for 4 Years ( admittedly not setting the world on fire but earning enough to pay the bills ) shows dedication, commitment and ability in addition to all my other skills & experience ?
Notwithstanding any prejudices that you may encounter, self employment should not negatively affect your position. What might affect it is a poorly constructed and designed CV, poor interview techniques and applying for inappropriate roles. Give me a shout if you need support with any of those three areas; it's what I do. Good luck!
rog007 said:
Notwithstanding any prejudices that you may encounter, self employment should not negatively affect your position. What might affect it is a poorly constructed and designed CV, poor interview techniques and applying for inappropriate roles. Give me a shout if you need support with any of those three areas; it's what I do. Good luck!
Prejudice towards the self-employed is excatly what I'm worried about. I have heard of it, and to be honest I can understand why it would happen - I was just hoping it wouldnt but it would appear to have gone against me in the interview I had, and in rejections from at least 1 other job. I've spent a lot of time researching how to restructure my CV ( previous one was very old fashioned ) and am pretty happy with the "new" one.
I'm not applying for inappropriate roles as I have experience in the type of job I want to do - however the fact that I want to move to a completely different industry seems to be a stumbling block - all the calls from recruiters I've had so far are for positions doing the job I'm doing now - which I can't wait to get away from as I've had my fill of the industry - but I don't think you can really say that on a CV !
Interview techniques also I think I'm OK with - I spend a lot of time on prep, to be fair up until last week I hadnt had an interview since 2006 - but prior to that I've got offered virtually every job I've applied for.
If you have any other tips I wouldnt mind a chat - please drop me a PM with your contact details
Edited by caprirob on Friday 13th April 07:19
Gassing Station | Jobs & Employment Matters | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff