Ask HN: How do start up founders get into the job market? | Hacker News Reader

Ask HN: How do start up founders get into the job market?

2 pointssimonbarker874 comments

Hi HN,

I'm in the process of wrapping up my business of the past 8 years in the UK (Radfan.com) and I am looking for a job. I enjoyed running the business but between relocating to just outside Warwick (UK) and not wanting to worry about the whole enchilada again, I'm looking for a job at an existing company or an in-revenue start up.

I've applied to 30 jobs in the last 4 weeks with a bespoke CV and cover letter and have had very little interest, my response rate is currently 2. Speaking with recruiters it seems like my job history (Bachelors, PhD in Electronics, Technical Director) means I am likely getting missed/not understood by recruiters. I basically covered every technical and operations role required to grow a product-based business from £0 to £500,000 a year revenue.

So, I'd love to hear thoughts from people who successfully got a job after leaving their own business/start up who otherwise didn't have a previous work history.

Thanks in advance.

Not sure how bespoke your CV was, but a simple one I'd advise is changing your job title to the one you want. Founder/CEO is very leading but non-descriptive of your skills.

If you want an ops job, say "Head of Operations" as your current job title with the second line being "Founder/CEO", sales one, then "Head of Sales". It's still fundamentally true, but means you have a better chance of being flagged by any gatekeepers or ATSs.

When I went from my own business to a large org, I started as a temp to cover a gap between the incumbent leaving and them recruiting the replacement. Easy way to get a foot in as well as get some useful experience too. They then hired me as the full time hire.

Thanks, that's a good idea - currently I just have "Technical/ Operations Director" as my job title.

What roles are you applying for?

Project manager, product owner, technical manager, innovation lead, business development officer, account director, head of operations, manufacturing manager are the main ones from my tracking list. I've tailored my CV to show accomplishments in areas relevant to each role.

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