Resume Writing – How to explain a failed bussiness? - How to write a resume – Writing a Resume Guide

by Ed Yourdon

Question by cyhawkx: Resume Writing – How to explain a failed bussiness?
Ok, my question is this. For about a year and half I owned my own business, which failed pretty bad due to terrible management (My business partner/financial backer was an idiot =(
I’m now looking for work in a stable environment, my question is, how Do i put this information in my resume, without making it look bad. Should I just forgo the information about me owning it, and just list it as another job?

I’m at a loss here, any help would be greatly appreciated =)

Best answer:

Answer by Steven A
I would put self employed contract work with the business partner (by name / business name) and identify the reasons for failure (cash flow, employees that were required to be hired, etceteras).
But… put positives that resulted from the experience… “gained knowledge of tax structure, limits on partnerships, inventory management, general day to day business” No time is lost to thinking people and the more positive things you can say, the better.

Whatever you do don’t blame the business partner/financial backer unless he went to jail for taking the money from the cash register.

Good luck in job hunting. You may want to talk to a “head hunter” about finding you a job and see what they say. Yahoo answers may be fine but you would want a “professional’s” opinion too.

Know better? Leave your own answer in the comments!

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