
What is a Resume: Definition, Examples & How-to
Job hunting can be confusing. You know you need a resume, but what is it exactly, and how to even write one? Deep breaths. Read on to learn everything you need to know.
Whether you’re applying for a new ambitious position or entering the workforce after wrapping up your venture, you’re about to write a business owner resume that works.
As a business owner, you have worn many hats. The salesman hat. The accountant hat. The stockroom, cleaning, and worrying about the end of the month hats, too.
This experience makes you perfectly equipped to slot into many management and business roles in larger organizations.
Let’s work on making them see that right out of your business owner resume.
In this guide:
Let’s shop around.
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Considering many paths? See our dedicated resume guides and examples:
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Jeremiah L. Kauffman
Business Owner
Personal Info
1837 Birch Street
El Paso, TX 79930
915-578-4344
jeremiahkauf@eagles.com
linkedin.com/jlkaufmann
Summary:
Meticulous business owner with 10+ years of retail and online sales experience. Transformed family coin collecting tradition into thriving online business generating $300k in annual online sales and $150k turnover at physical location in sales, appraisal services, and purchasing items at metal prices. eBay Gold Powerseller. Managed day-to-day operations of the store with 4 employees. Created social media following of 12,000 for the business. Provided apprenticeships for two local youths in appraisal and collectible purchasing, who are now tasked with purchasing items at local auctions and sales. Seeking to apply business experience as a Mulligan Burger franchisee.
Experience
coinDepository
Business Owner
2010–Present
Education
BSBA in Accounting
University of Tennessee
Graduated: 2008
Key Skills
Ready to put on the uniform again?
You may not sell more if your store is clean, or your website works perfectly, but you will definitely sell less if your store is dirty, or your website messy. Along the same lines, you won’t get hired for your font choice, but bad formatting can land your resume in the shredder.
Format your resume this way:
Now that you’re clear on your resume layout, it’s time to stock your shelves.
Expert Hint: An eye tracking study shows that the average recruiter gives 7.4 seconds of their attention to each resume. Keep this in mind throughout this process.
In a business owner resume, the resume profile is your 7-second pitch. Think as a business owner—if you were investing some money in someone, what would you like to know? Mainly what they can do for you, right?
Check out the responsibilities of the position you’re applying for, and adjust your targeted resume to focus on illustrating that you have handled this kind of stuff as a business owner. That’s how you build a bestselling resume summary statement.
Here’s what to include in a profile for a small business owner resume:
See how that works out in practice:
Do you have what it takes to run a business but you’ve never owned one? Your entry-level resume template will need a resume objective statement.
See the difference between the good and bad examples? The quantified achievements practically jump out at you and cannot be ignored.
Read on for more great resume tips.
Expert Hint: How to write a resume profile? It is best to do this once you have completed the other sections of your business owner resume, especially your job description.
Try and remember all the hats you wore again. Think about how good you were at wearing those hats—how much the sales grew, how much budget you saved, how much needless work you saved by doing something smart. Put it into numbers.
Out of these achievements, pick the ones that match the hats you’re going to have to wear in your new job. This is what they are interested in, and only that. Everything else can become a cool interview anecdote.
See the self-madeness radiate from this job description:
coinDepository
Business Owner
2010–Present
Business Owner
wareHouse
2011–present
If there are some skills you have that you think are relevant, but don’t command their own bullet point, add a selection of skills to put on a resume. Make sure that any skills you have which also match the skills in the ad find their way into your resume. This will make for an ATS resume that will not be discarded before it even sees the light of day.
The ResumeLab builder is more than looks. Get specific content to boost your chances of getting the job. Add job descriptions, bullet points, and skills. Easy. Improve your resume in our resume builder now.
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Writing a business owner resume is tricky. On the one hand, you’re saying “I abandoned all you know, and did this, this and that!”, and on the other, you’re saying “Please take me back.” People who have left the workforce for a prolonged period of time are sometimes distrusted. You weren’t meant to come back.
Leave the reasons for your career change for your business owner cover letter. If your business owner experience still doesn’t convince your potential employer, a well-crafted education section might. Record your diploma name, school name, and graduation date. Any relevant coursework can also be included in this section (if it’s relevant to the position you’re applying for).
Here’s how to add education on your resume:
Education
BSBA in Accounting
University of Tennessee
2008
Expert Hint: A good LinkedIn profile can go a very long way. Check out our LinkedIn career advice examples to make your profile as attractive as your resume.
Let me guess, you didn’t start your business right out of high school. Even if you did, there were a multitude of other things you did that may be relevant. Pick your brain, and if you believe something is truly relevant, perhaps it fits in one of these bonus resume sections:
Compare these two examples:
Awards
Languages
Other Info
You should be set to go.
Expert Hint: Now that you’re on your way to writing the perfect resume, remember to create a resume cover letter. Many employers expect to see one, and the ones who don’t, will be glad to see one. Learn how to write a cover letter and increase your chances of landing a job interview.
Double your impact with a matching resume and cover letter combo. Use our cover letter generator and make your application documents pop out.
Want to try a different look? There's 21 more. A single click will give your document a total makeover. Pick a cover letter template here.
Ensure that your business owner resume is marketable by:
Got questions on how to write a great resume for business owners? Did we help you get your business owner resume right? Contact us by leaving a comment. We’ll be happy to reply.
Job hunting can be confusing. You know you need a resume, but what is it exactly, and how to even write one? Deep breaths. Read on to learn everything you need to know.
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