Resumes for people who aren't looking for a job
By Jeri Hird Dutcher
Corrine (not her real name) had worked in her family’s
retail business for 25 years. She and her family decided to sell
the business, and she started a new one. Suddenly, every time she
made another decision, she needed a resume. She was surprised
because she hadn’t needed a resume in 25 years. However, in
today’s economic climate, knowing who you’re doing
business with is the first order of business, and resumes are often
the way the information is delivered.
Corrine’s new business demanded a great deal of
inventory, so she requested financing for the first lot. The bank
asked for a resume and business plan as part of the loan
process.
One of her considerations was to partner with an investor, and
that person also wanted to know more about her skills and work
history to see how they complemented each other’s styles and
areas of expertise.
A resume can do this, particularly if it’s accompanied
by a list of references that are prepared to speak on behalf of the
new businessperson. Corrine had chosen her references carefully and
prepared notes before calling each one, first for permission to use
their contact information, and second to let them know the type of
information she’d like them to convey to the potential
investor. For example:
·
One person had been a representative of her largest supplier and
could speak to her expertise in buying. She asked him to
emphasize her product knowledge and squeaky clean credit
history.
·
Another had worked with her on many Chamber and community projects.
Corrine asked her to describe her organizational and interpersonal
skills.
·
Still another was a long-time customer who appreciated
Corrine’s well-disciplined employees and well-organized
store. Corrine requested her to also mention the inventive displays
and crowd-pleasing promotional events.
Professional Help
Starting a new business – even if you’ve managed one forever – takes a lot of courage and even more soul searching. Corrine decided to hire a professional resume writer to help her portray herself on paper. Corrine and the writer spent many hours talking about the new business, Corrine’s qualifications, and how they apply – or did not apply – to entrepreneurial pursuits. To her surprise, Corrine learned that the resume helped her with decision making, too.
Starting a new business – even if you’ve managed one forever – takes a lot of courage and even more soul searching. Corrine decided to hire a professional resume writer to help her portray herself on paper. Corrine and the writer spent many hours talking about the new business, Corrine’s qualifications, and how they apply – or did not apply – to entrepreneurial pursuits. To her surprise, Corrine learned that the resume helped her with decision making, too.
“(The resume writing process) helped me define and
clarify my strengths and abilities and helped me assess whether or
not I had what it takes to actually ‘do’ the new
business I was contemplating,” Corrine said.
Marketing Needs
Further down the road, marketing needs will likely determine
that your professional history should be in written form. For
example, you or someone you hire will need to write press releases
when you open your business. It’s much easier to have all
that information in one document than to have to remember dates,
names and places.
Perhaps, as part of your promotional plan, you do some public
speaking. You’ll need to prepare a short biography to give to
the person who introduces you, whether at a Rotary Club meeting or
the Democratic National Convention.
Getting Started
The first step in writing a resume or biography is gathering
your personal and professional information. The actual data is much
longer and detailed than the resulting resume. The reason for this
is so you can draw from the information various combinations of
facts for various needs. For example, a resume that accompanies a
business plan will concentrate more on financial responsibilities
than a biography used to introduce you at a Chamber banquet.
A Worksheet to Use
Many Web sites have resume worksheets available, including the
author’s at www.workwrite.biz/worksheet.htm. You can fill in
the blanks and print out the form (which you have to do all at the
same time because when you close the window, your info will
disappear) or you can print the empty print-and-mail form and fill
in the blanks on paper.
Your Business Resume
There is another sort of resume you’ll need to consider
writing, too. That’s for your business itself. After awhile,
your business takes on a personality of its own, similar to the way
children strike out on their own, still resembling a parent and
sometimes acting like their parent. You will need to describe
the type of business you own, your business services, benefits to
your customers, and the advantage you provide over your
competitor.
Your business plan will provide much of this background
information, but you’re likely uncomfortable just
photocopying your business plan and giving it to a reporter. The
plan is even less likely to be in a publishable form you can use in
any of these scenarios:
·
You are asked to write something about yourself and your business
for an annual “advertorial” section in the local
paper.
·
Your business is featured in a trade or human interest
publication.
·
Your business wins an award and you are interviewed as a
result.
In each of these cases, writing an accurate and complete
history and current standing of your business ahead of time will be
more efficient than trying to put one together at the last
moment.
