Category: Office

Office is a term used to describe a place where professional individuals conduct business. Types of professionals that are most often conduct their business in an office include, attorney, accountant, real estate agents, mortgage brokers and lenders, dentists and other healthcare providers, insurance brokers plus many others.

How to List Self-Employment on Your Resume


Questions raised about self-employment

Being self-employed comes with many challenges, among which are,– determining your niche, finding clients, having adequate insurance, hiring qualified help and many others which are too numerous to list here; and even if the self-employed individual has little or no requirement for a staff, thereby preferring to work as a freelancer, contractor, or other type of one-person operator, s/he must be determined, passionate and patient if s/he is to be successful.

Since some of the above mentioned characteristics are similar to those needed to successfully hunt for a new job, the question of why self-employment listed on a resume should be a concern for potential employers is an interesting one. Be that as it may however, listing self-employment on the resume when looking for full-time job often does raise questions for potential employers. Such questions can take the form of:

  • Were you self-employed because you were in between jobs, or because you wanted to start your own business rather than work for a corporation?
  • Are you still working on your own, as a freelancer or a consultant? If so, do you intend to continue this work in addition to your full time job?
  • Will your self-employment present a conflict of interest for any company you work for?
  • Are you working as a freelancer or a contractor on part-time basis, and never intend to have this replace full-time employment?
  • Does your long-term career goal include owning your own business?

From the new employer’s perspective

All of these questions are valid from your potential employer’s point of view, because companies do not want to hire any individual, train that person and provide him/her with benefits, only to have the individual quit after a year to start a new business. This is the main reason previous or current self-employment raises red flags for the hiring organizations; but there might be an acceptable (best?) way to address any self-employment on a resume. Utilizing this method would require an applicant to highlight the positives of working as a freelancer or managing self-owned business.

It is obviously important that an individual’s resume includes honest and forthright employment history that is relevant to his/her career goals. However, if you are the applicant and you pick up a freelance project infrequently which is not intended to be a full time career, you can omit such experience from your resume. The only time you would list occasional freelance work on your resume is if it allows you to fill any gaps in your professional experience; but if you have worked as an independent contractor for a period longer than three months, or if you have ever owned your own business, it is important that you indicate that on your resume.

When self-employment enhances the resume

Highlight those attributes of the job experience that qualify you as a perfect candidate for the particular job you are seeking; and make sure job responsibilities are listed in the same way as they are for any other full-time job being sought. Also the job applicant focus on those responsibilities which best meet career objectives, and achievements should be quantied when possible. For example, if you are the job applicant, it would help to exemplify your self-starter attitude under the Qualifications section of your resume; and make sure to list any inherently-employable skills you have acquired or strengthened while self employed.

As a final indication of your commitment to the job you are seeking is to ensure that your cover letter or email addresses any anticipated concerns of your potential employer. Make references to anything on your resume that may raise questions, and if you still own your own business, but are looking for full-time work, you should make sure to let your employer know what your long-term professional goals are, and how you intend to balance your roles at both businesses.

There’s really no need to apologize for being self-employed; but your resume and cover letter should present you as a credible and passionate professional. Just focus on the positive experiences and skills you have acquired as a self employed person, whether you were a sole proprietor, independent contractor or any of the various types of freelancer, just make sure to let potential employers know how these skills and attributes will benefit the company if you are their chosen candidate.

Matching the Job Title with Job Responsibilities


A job title-to-responsibilities equation

A friend of mine recently asked for my help in composing her resume, and once she told me some of the reasons she wished to work on her resume I could certainly understand the motivation. You see, my friend works as an Office Manager for a small business, and in that role she assumes all the responsibilities of an Office Manager; but she also partners with the company owner to set policies, works with freelancers on marketing materials, serves as a liaison between vendors and shipping service companies, and conducts calls for sales leads that are collected at trade shows.

In other words, her title doesn’t encompass all of her job responsibilities and this has led to several potential employers raising concerns about the difference in her title and her overall position in the company, and wondering if she had exaggerated her importance on the resume. Such exaggeration was not the case however, because my friend’s resume reflected exactly what her title was and the responsibilities she undertook while holding that title.

Many professionals run into situations where their title at certain current jobs is so specific to the company that it carries no meaning outside of the organization; or it implies that they are a level or more below their actual work responsibilities. The difficulty we face in these situations, and the manner in which we deal with them, must be accurately accounted for; and our professional experience must be adequately represented on resumes so that we can advance in our careers.

Equivalence of title to responsibilities

There is no easy way to address this, as you want to remain truthful on your resume; but you wouldn’t want your potential employer calling for a reference check and getting an impression that you lied about your work history, right? In fact, there is a debate among professionals about listing job titles versus job functions on your resume; and some people prefer listing their title as it is followed by a list of responsibilities, while others strongly prefer finding a way to rephrase certain job titles to encompass all job function(s).

However, if you are in the job market and want to make the best of a difficult resume predicament, the best option is to find a happy medium and list your job title along with a few words that best describe your job function, before you begin listing your job responsibilities. It might be possible to write such explanations in the cover letter, depending of course on how many responsibilities need explaining; or you could prepare an addendum to the resume for this purpose.


First, let’s explore making changes to the job titles as you include them on your resume; and if your title is unusual, or very specific to a particular organization, you should try to find an equivalent title that is well accepted and understood within your industry. For example, if you work as a customer support representative with responsibilities for a specific product and your title contains the product name, you can simply list Product Support Representative on your resume, while being careful to not exaggerate your title.

Elaborate on work duties with confidence

But you should not change your title so that it implies a change in responsibility or salary level; and do not change any area(s) of the organization where you work(ed), or change your title in a way that suggest you are directly reporting to a person in a higher position than that of your manager. Any such changes on your resume are dishonest, and will negatively impact your credibility with the potential employer.

If your title implies less responsibility than you hold, choose the middle ground option described above by listing your actual title on the resume. For example, if you are a Product Support Representative but are also responsible for training new hires for your team, list your title as: Product Support Representative/Customer Support and New Hire Training. This is truthful with a little elaboration in your job title to include a brief description of your job function.

Following such a title you must make sure that your resume includes power statements describing your actual job and the responsibilities associated with it in order of their importance and relevance to your career title. This method is preferred because you are honest about your title, but you are also indicating to a potential employer that your responsibilities are slightly different than what the title implicates, so that all your cards are laid on the table and there will be no need to worry later on about anything you stated.

That having been said

When all background checks, reference calls and due diligence searches are conducted, you can feel confident in the fact that any information provided about you will not conflict with anything you previously stated, because you did not misrepresent your title, or create a reason for anyone to raise questions about your credibility. Above all, your resume must be honest and you must do the best you can to remain objective when it comes to your job titles and functions. Just focus on the positives, and you are sure to have an impressive resume.