
Ask HN: How do start up founders get into the job market? - simonbarker87
Hi HN,<p>I&#x27;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&#x27;m looking for a job at an existing company or an in-revenue start up.<p>I&#x27;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&#x2F;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.<p>So, I&#x27;d love to hear thoughts from people who successfully got a job after leaving their own business&#x2F;start up who otherwise didn&#x27;t have a previous work history.<p>Thanks in advance.
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wastedhours
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.

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simonbarker87
Thanks, that's a good idea - currently I just have "Technical/ Operations
Director" as my job title.

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gshdg
What roles are you applying for?

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simonbarker87
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.

