St. Louis Business Journal
How to re-enter the job market after being solo consultant

By Anna Navarro

October 2003 - Sam had been working on his own for five years as a solo marketing consultant.  He'd been successful, but there were still occasional times when he didn't know where his next paycheck was coming from.  This was unsettling to him, and so he was considering whether to look for a corporate job again.

The problem was he also had some concerns about looking for a corporate job.  He feared employers would be skeptical about a candidate who had left the corporate world to solo.

His concern was valid.  I've heard many employers who have hired formerly self-employed people grouse about what prima donnas they can be.

Their fears run along these lines: Did this individual go out on his own because he got along poorly with co-workers?  Did he resent authority?  If I hire this person, will he be a good team player?  Follow orders?  Operate well within the structure of the organization?  Know how to play the deft political games that are essential to getting things done in a large group?

The first thing Sam and I did in our work together was assess whether being an employee was the right direction for him.  Were the tradeoffs really worth it?  Could he give up his freedom and live happily within an organization again?

One of the insights that emerged from the soul searching was that he missed more than the steady paycheck.  At times he also missed the camaraderie with his peers and having someone with whom to confer about problems.  He even realized that having a boss had some advantages.  Occasionally, it would have been nice to consult with a boss on a difficult decision.  Neither of these issues was as central to him as the steady paycheck, but they were real nonetheless.

He concluded after deliberating that he wanted to become a corporate employee again.  Then we started to work on how to position him for a successful re-entry.

I suggested that in every interview he briefly bring up his reasons for going solo, and also for wanting to re-enter a conventional job.  I urged him to do this in a breezy way as part of talking about his background.

The language we worked out was something like this: "I'd always been curious about what it would be like to be a solo consultant.  Five years ago, I had the opportunity to try it out.  Company X, who I had worked for several years earlier, approached me about doing a big project for them.  That provided a way for me to launch my business and satisfy my curiosity.

"I'm glad I did it.  I've been successful and done some interesting work.  I've also learned a lot, including that I miss being part of an organization.  I really value the camaraderie of being in a group, with peers to bounce ideas off of.  I also like having a boss to turn to sometimes for input on tough decisions."

His resume also provided an opportunity to deal with potential concerns about his  being a solo consultant.  We emphasized his ability to work as part of a team, work in a hierarchical structure, and get things done within organizational constraints.  Sometimes just adding a few words or a phrase to a resume bullet point was enough to accomplish what we wanted.

For example, "Led a turnaround consulting project for a troubled consumer product division." was re-written as, "Led a team of internal managers to turn around a troubled consumer product division, helping them to re-align their strategies with those of the parent company".  Same result, but with a totally different flavor.

The final step came in how I coached him to approach his references.  I urged him to discuss with his references his reasons for going solo and for wanting to re-enter a corporate job.  It was the same message he delivered to prospective employers, but I suggested he provide more details in the form of brief funny stories, so it would be sure to stick in their memories.

The central concept is this: When you suspect employers are likely to have a concern which may not be articulated, it's best to address it, both directly and indirectly, to make sure it's put to rest in their minds.  And to do it in a way that is totally positive about what you are seeking rather than negative about why you are leaving.

Anna Navarro is the founder of Work Transitions, a nationwide career consulting firm that trains independent career strategists and consults with individual clients.

This column was originally published by the St. Louis Business Journal. The actual title of the column and date in which it appeared in the Business Journal may be slightly different from what appears on WorkTransitions.com.