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Transition Resumes: Consultant to Employee

Many individuals who lost their jobs during the Great Recession became self-employed consultants in their field, performing the same work for companies but without the benefits of full-time employment. Some of those individuals smoothly transitioned from consultant to full-time employee as the economy improved. If you are experiencing difficulty in that transition, here are three questions to ask yourself:

Do I really want to become a full-time employee?

Full-time employment brings regular hours, a regular paycheck, paid vacations, and a built-in circle of peers, among other advantages. But a consultant or freelancer also reaps benefits from self-employment (no office politics, the prestige of being the subject matter expert, freedom to work at home, and so on). If you are able to support yourself with the work, like the variety, and can handle the ups and downs, then you may not want to look for full-time employment. I had one consultant who was offered her ideal job and called me in total panic: she had just realized, after all our work on her resume and social media profile, that she never wanted to join any company ever again. That is okay but it is more efficient to realize how you feel before your job search.

Can I look at my experience from the perspective of a recruiter or hiring manager?

As a consultant or freelancer, you have probably worked in a wider range of industries and projects than the full-time employee of one company. But your resume should always emphasize the accomplishments and skills that match the exact job you are applying for. As a result, you may need several resumes, each with a different selection of contracting jobs, so that your experience always matches the requirements of the full-time job you want.

Do I have a realistic view of my value?

Sometimes companies are much more generous in their praise to contractors than they ever are to their employees. I am sure there are solid psychological reasons for this but the result is that freelancers or consultants may have an overly optimistic view of their value. Remember that a job posting’s salary range may be lower because it reflects benefits and overhead; that job titles may not match your expectations; that personal time off will probably be less flexible and more limited; and that you have a better chance of finding a job if you are careful with demands and expectations.

At Robin’s Resumes®, I help job applicants make transitions involving company size, locations, industries, and status. I can help you transition from consultant or freelancer to full-time employee. Contact me today.

Short-Term Jobs on Your Resume

Many job seekers have periods when they have worked at a company or a series of companies for a short time. On a resume, those short-term jobs can come across as job hopping or worse. Here are three approaches to handling those situations on your resume.

First, keep in mind that the standard for length of employment has changed. Employers now expect their employees to change jobs frequently over the course of a career, and some employers in some industries may be leery about hiring someone who has spent 20 or 30 years at the same company.

Second, if you have worked on multiple jobs that are in the same field and that naturally have a time limit (for example, as a freelancer, consultant or temporary hire), group all those jobs under one Freelance or Consultant title. The individual jobs become bullets under the main title, rather than separate positions. A long period of short-term freelance, contract or temporary work in one field (for example, construction, sales, software development, or substitute teaching) is very acceptable.

Third, if you alternated between employment in your field and employment outside your field, create a section called Career Highlights for your most relevant experience. Then list all your other experience briefly at the end of your resume under Other Experience. That way the gaps are filled but the jobs that matter are given the emphasis they deserve on your resume.

Finally, if none of those approaches seems appropriate, please contact me. The help of a professional resume writer can make all the difference.

Contract, Consulting or Self-Employed Jobs on Your Resume

These days many people work for at least part of their careers in contract, self-employed or consultant jobs. Though each job may be short in duration and there may be many of them, they don’t represent “job hopping” in the traditional sense. Consultant, self-employment and contract jobs are supposed to be short-term and are supposed to involve many different clients.

However, if you list each employer separately and your work for each only lasts a month or two, your resume will give the impression that you do jump from job to job. You do not want that to happen.

Instead, group all of your contract or consulting clients under a single category; for example, Contract Positions or Consulting. Each employer then becomes a separate bullet point under that category.

Another approach, particularly if you are self-employed, is to provide an overall company name for yourself; a freelance web designer might call himself “ABC Web Design.” Your company is treated like any other company on the resume and your position is (for example) founder and president.

Many people have job histories that don’t seem to fit the standard resume format. If you are concerned that your history is keeping you from the job you want, please send me an email or call today. I can help.

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