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Q: Four years ago, three co-workers and I bought the software development firm we worked for, but business has slowed down and the company is failing. I am seeking another job using the 10 years of experience I have gained from working for this company. How can I sell my employment qualifications even though my own business isn't succeeding?
Nick's reply: Don't confuse good technical skills with the poor ability to manage a business. In your interviews, focus on what you do best.
In a world where everyone wants to be an entrepreneur, most who try, fail. Many of the employers you meet will understand that. Our business culture has never been so numbed to the news that people who try to run their own businesses fail. So don't necessarily expect negative reactions, just raised eyebrows. Be careful to present your failure with candor and good humor.
If you're asked why you're leaving your own business, 'fess up: You're not a great business owner, but you're a great worker. After all, your technical talents helped make the business successful before you bought it. But you no longer have aspirations about running your own company -- you got that out of your system. You want to write programs again. Your goal now is to be the best darned software developer you can be, and to use those skills to make your new employer more successful.
Convey that message as honestly and convincingly as you can, and I think you'll get a good reception. Stick to talking about the job you're going after. That's how to let the employer know you're not stuck in the past. If you get defensive (or too detailed) about your defeat, you'll put off the potential employer. We all have failures, but the smartest folks reveal their strengths when they disclose a setback, show how they've learned from the experience, and then stop talking about it and move on.
Frederick Douglass said, "We have to do with the past only as we can make it useful to the present and the future." And that's a good thing to remember in a job interview.
Copyright 2008. Distributed by Universal Press Syndicate
Nick Corcodilos is author of "Ask The Headhunter: Reinventing the Interview to Win the Job" and the host of www.asktheheadhunter.com. He can be reached by e-mail at seattle@asktheheadhunter.com or at North Bridge Group, P.O. Box 600, Lebanon, NJ 08833. Sorry, no personal replies.
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