I’ve been asked the question about including a failed startup or project on a CV or Resume on Quora not once but twice.

Both times, I’ve endorsed its inclusion because I believe it shows a lot about the calibre and qualities of the professional in question that might not otherwise be noticed including leadership skills and the willingness to pursue an idea.

For the professional who took on the adventure of a startup dreaming he would be the next Bill Gates or Steve Jobs or even Jeff Bezos, worked the hours and then found certain things didn’t go the way he or she had expected and instead of an Entrepreneur of the Year Award, found they were saddled with a startup that had gone belly up, it is painful.

If you’ve been a successful employee and a star performer before your startup endeavour, having a pet project failing hits our sense of self-esteem, confidence and fear of lost credibility.

Nobody likes to be a failure – I don’t.

But at the same time, an initial failure can lead to a future success.

Edison’s story of untold success post startup failure

The prolific inventor Thomas Alva Edison was expelled from school because he was considered unteachable.

Imagine, if his mother had not believed in him, perhaps we wouldn’t have had the various inventions that provide essentials in our modern life or it would have taken longer.

If you think Edison got the light bulb to work on his first attempt, then guess again. It took lots more than a hundred.

In spite of all of his failures, Edison was a prolific inventor who had amassed several patents by the time he died, including the light bulb and the movie projector.

It’s all about the mindset, robust planning, getting help when required and having a mentor or coach who can guide you through the uncharted waters of a startup.

Not every startup is a success and many fail despite a successful launch. That’s the way it is.

According to an article in FastCompany, “Why Most Venture Backed Companies Fail,” 75% of venture-backed startups fail with 30 to 40 percent of those liquidating assets where investors lose all of their money.

In a more recent article, I read that according to Forbes, 90% of startups fail.

There are often various factors at play in a successful startup as well as in its failure. Some of these factors could be related to you while others are not your fault.

Predicting the success or failure of a startup is difficult even for seasoned Venture Capitalists so why should a budding entrepreneur take the full fall for failure?

I remember back in the early 2000s, when a number of highly respected colleagues who had years of experience in the banking and finance sector and enviable credentials lost money during the dotcom bubble.

It took them some time to recover the losses but the wealth of experience they acquired helped them bounce back with bigger and better ventures.

In case you were too young to remember the dot com bubble, here is a short 1 minute video about it.

Sure, it’s great if you were successful, but even an unsuccessful startups shows initiative, a variety of experience, and many other positive traits.

It’s not just a mildly positive thing to list; if you position it properly, it can become the best part of your resume and a point that might intrigue the interviewer to ask you about it giving you a chance to showcase your true experience and qualities that can be transferred to the job you’re applying for.

The same goes for professionals who start a business but find they cannot make it work and want to go back to a regular job with a steady income.

Here are 3 good reasons for including your failed startup in your Resume or CV.

Reason 1 – You have gained experience that you otherwise would not have gotten in a job

Let me explain, the experience in itself is a small success because you now know what works and what doesn’t and you would have a better idea of where things went wrong and what you could have done differently.

It could have been a good idea, perhaps even a great idea which sounded good enough on paper for a venture capitalist to invest seed money. But the market might have changed, or the product/service might have been ahead of its time.

Think objectively about the reasons why your venture failed.

Then consider and make a list of all that you learned and what you would do differently.

After that, decide how you will present this information in covering letter, curriculum vitae and interview. The latter is important because this question will definitely come up in an interview.

Make the most of the opportunity to shine.

Reason 2 – Employers are looking for accomplishments

Accomplishments matter more than the job description because they indicate your caliber rather than what you have been trained to do.

Even in the days when I was in the corporate world, my CV highlighted what I had achieved in a particular position. The interviewer already has an idea about what the previous job would have entailed. They are looking to see if you added value to the previous organization.

For example, being able to say that you had reduced the debtor cycle from 180 to 45 days. This means you improved the cash flow of the company which adds more value than saying you managed the debtor list.

Likewise, in the case of the failed venture, not everything would have been a failure.  Focus on what you did achieve.

For example, the number of clients you acquired and closed successfully. The training and employment you provided during the startup. Or even the amount of investment capital or funding you raised in the market.

Reason 3 – Those soft skills are valuable to your future employer

Employers want measurable skills but in today’s world, soft skills matter as you rise up the corporate ladder.

The best way to demonstrate them is to incorporate them into your CV along with tangible facts or better yet, include them while wording your hard skills.

Let me put it into perspective.

The Davos Forum, also known as World Economic Forum, is held every year in Switzerland to discuss and analyze the main issues of international concern. This meeting is attended by the most important leaders worldwide.

The topic for 2016 was key competencies and skills that companies will demand in 2020. Based on a study carried out in 15 countries 10 top soft skills were identified.

These skills are relevant to any professional who wants to stay in the job market and get ahead in their career.

While formulating your CV or Resume, consider these skills and look for instances where you can demonstrate the skills while documenting your accomplishment statement (which is what we did in Reason 2).

For example, you could write about your skills of cross-functional co-ordination where you worked across departments to ensure that all contracts complied with business requirements.

The wording you use can incorporate soft skills like people management and co-ordination with others.

Update September 2023: What Skills are Relevant in 2023 and Beyond

The needs of the market change as we undergo technological advances and new industries. As professionals, while our existing skills are important, we need to be ready to upskill or upgrade our skills as required.

The World Economic Forum’s Future of Jobs 2023 report finds analytical thinking, creative thinking and AI and big data will be top in-demand skills by 2027.

Leadership and social influence and curiosity and lifelong learning are among other skills expected to see growing demand.

Six in 10 workers will require training before 2027, but only half of workers are seen to have access to adequate training opportunities, according to the report.

In the future jobs market, it will pay to have skills that are in demand.

The World Economic Forum has predicted these likely skillsets – and how demand for them could grow – in its Future of Jobs 2023 report.

The report further states that between now and 2027, businesses predict that 44% of workers’ core skills will be disrupted. This is because technology is moving faster than companies can design and scale up their training programmes.

Here are some key growth skills for workers and employers wanting to stay ahead of the change curve.

Final words

If I haven’t already convinced you that it is fine to include your failed project in your CV, then here is a statement of fact that you need to consider.

Your startup might have failed but, and this is an important but, you had the courage to step out of your comfort zone and take initiative on an idea. You worked to make it happen or at least hit some milestones. Your investors liked your idea enough to invest money in it.

You have already proven that you are a leader and can not only think of creative solutions but are able to do the critical thinking to plan and implement those solutions.

Startups have chaotic environments often requiring on the feet thinking. You’ve done it and survived.

Positioning this information properly, you’ll demonstrate many traits that employers would find valuable. If an upgrade of skills is required, they would sponsor it because you’re valuable.

Besides that’s the kind of hands-on experience worth sharing proudly, right?

PS. Want to polish up your CV? Click below to pick up my 19 tips with my compliments.

Will your resume jump out at the Hiring Manager whose desk is already flooded with applications for that position?

Facts of life, for any given vacancy, there will always be lots of applicants and your first task if you really want to guarantee that you will get an invite for an interview is to get shortlisted –no easy task.

In my post 10 Tips guaranteed to make your Cold Call CV impress, I point out that 85% of Curriculum Vitaes never get read or even looked at. Given that most employers do not spend more than 2-3 minutes reading the CV, you need to make sure that your covering letter and Resume catch their attention right from the word “Go”.

One of the 10 tips I recommend is:

Put your career objectives or a career statement after your name and contact details. Your career objectives/statement should reflect what you intend to do with your career now and in the future, your career aspirations and level of ambition.

So I was surprised when I read a post a few weeks back which recommended job hunters to remove the Objectives paragraph entirely because the writer felt that in “most cases employees used the paragraph with 5 sentences of fluff which came off as delusions of grandeur.”

Was that true?

I admit that some people get the Objective Statement wrong but it still did not feel quite correct. And I reverted to a trusted Career Coaches Group back at LinkedIn for some consultation and confirmed that yes, the current trend is to use a summary or profile statement.

That being said, there are exceptions to the rule when using an Objective is a better choice.

The purpose of including an Objective in your Resume

In the past, most job seekers included a Career Objective on their Curriculum Vitae to let the recruiter or hiring manager know what type of a position they were looking for.

However, the current trend is towards indicating the value that you can offer to the prospective company and improve your chance of being invited for an interview by drafting this section to help an employer fill an open position rather than to tell them what you want.

There are exceptions to the rule of course and in some sectors and countries, job applicants are expected to include an objective.

Another exception would be if you are new to the workforce and do not have much work experience. In such a case, including an Objective with or without a professional summary is useful because you are telling the recruiter or hiring manager about the type of position that you are interested in.

If you are in such a situation, always remember to reword the Objective Statement to match the Job Title or position for which you are submitting your application. Generic objectives do not help your cause.

What about more experienced professionals?

Although the recent trend is to include a summary statement or professional profile in place of an objective, some professionals include both an objective and a summary tailored for the specific job that they are applying for.

This can be done in 2 ways. It depends on what you wish to highlight and which you feel will serve the purpose of helping you to position yourself better to get that coveted job interview invitation.

If your intention is to highlight key things that you want the recruiter or hiring manager to know about you, then a Career Profile which summarizes your experience and highlights specific skills or experience focusing on accomplishments that are relevant to the vacancy might be a good option.

On the other hand, if you want to place emphasis on your experience and skill sets that you believe you will need for the advertised job, then a Summary Statement highlighting the key points of your Curriculum Vitae in a short paragraph or bullet points would be a better fit.

How to position yourself and improve job interview chances 

This section is premium real estate when it comes to catching the recruiter’s attention and you need to apply your judgment on how to capitalize your 10 seconds of eyeball time.

Here are a few essential guidelines to keep in mind:

The decision to use an Objective Statement, Objective & Summary, a Career Profile or a Summary Statement will depend upon your work experience, the requirements of the position advertised, the norms of the relevant industry and what you believe will showcase you in the best light possible as a strong candidate.  I suggest you do your research about the prospective employer and industrial norms before you draft this section of your resume.

Read the job description carefully and focus on writing this section with the view of helping the prospective employer to short list you as a desired candidate. To achieve this, modify your objective or professional statements to fit in with the core requirements of the position. Make sure that you stay authentic otherwise your resume may still get binned!

Before drafting this section, brain storm and decide the most important idea about yourself that you want to convey in this section. Keep it brief and succinct – no 5 sentences of fluff.

Depending upon what you come up with, you can write a sentence or two about what value you can bring to the organization in that position or even a few bullet points that list your relevant skills and achievements that enable you to add value.

Are there any words that are relevant for the position that you are applying for, or any key words in that industry? Include these in your summary where relevant so that it jumps out at the hiring manager.

You may have the best resume in town for the job but a poorly formatted one with spelling mistakes is the best way to indicate that you are careless. Pay extra attention to this point.

You will find more pointers in the post Get your CV past the online gatekeeper .

Your turn now, which one of these statements do you use to position your resume for the job interview invite? Is it based on your industry, work experience or a tactic that works well for your goal? Do share in the comments box below!

PS. Need more guidance on filling out online job applications? Click on the ebook image and acquire your exclusive copy of this special report.

Written By: Vatsala Shukla

Sending a cold email with your CV takes courage – plenty of it, because the move can boomerang.

However, you can also hit pay dirt with this tactic. You may discover a rainmaker who might either help you to find a job or at least point you in the right direction.

Would your CV make the right impression on a stranger with 10 seconds to peruse it? 

A Tale of 2 Cold Call Resumes

A few years back, I received an application seeking employment.

The covering email and the Curriculum Vitae would have been appropriate except for one thing – it was sent to the wrong person. It was not my field and I was not hiring.

Yet I was impressed enough to pick up the phone and make an inter-city phone call to the job seeker who I didn’t know. I gave a few leads that I was aware of and tips on doing a focused job search. The candidate went on to send me a thank you email and all was well.

On the other hand, around the same time, I also received an email that inspired me to pen this blog post – for ALL the wrong reasons.

Impression?

Yes

Impressed?

NO!

For starters, the cover email was too generic quoting LinkedIn and social networking sites as reference sources that did not match on checking.

When you are cold-calling and claim references, be aware that your target recipient might actually do a few checks.

There was no career objective other than wanting to change jobs and a short description of the various processes handled.

The recipients (undisclosed and bulk email) were being asked to forward the CV to friends and peers. It felt like a chain mail except for the dire consequence part.

The CV in question was a 1 MB pdf file, 4 pages long and full of images from free sites.

Critical information was strewn all over the document and at the end of it, I was wondering if the sender was joking or serious? If you’re looking for a picture book, then it did the job.

Sadly, it wasn’t a document one would forward to one’s network and put one’s credibility at stake.

It was apparent that the individual, who was ironically looking for a Human Resources position, had worked hard to create the document.

It did not achieve the goal – using a stranger’s network to circulate the CV.

Did you know 85% of CVs get binned; they never get read or even looked at?

Most employers don’t spend more than 2-3 minutes reading the CV, so getting your covering letter and CV right is crucial. Especially if you are cold emailing and expecting that the recipient will forward the entire cover email and CV.

Update: Surveys show that perhaps this time is now down to 6 seconds max unless you stand out.

Pick up 19 of my simple tips that will improve your chances to appear viable here.

Both your covering letter and your CV are the first impression a prospective referrer gets of you – Make it last for all the right reasons!

Many executive search firms have tips and techniques for candidates for not only formulating their CVs but also for covering letters and interview preparation.

10 pointers if you decide to send cold-call job hunting emails

• Do your research and select target prospects that would be able to help further your interests, not wonder why you are sending a general email. If you are a specialist in industrial relations and send your CV to a sole proprietor, your specialist skills in managing flash strikes will have no relevance!

• Personalize your covering letter/email – Unless you are writing to a company and do not know whom to address it to, write the name of the person; particularly if you are claiming to have received the reference from LinkedIn. If you are members of a Group, mention it.

• Consider putting in a link to your LinkedIn Profile so that the receiver has a place to check your references and endorsements.

• Make sure your contact details are available both in the covering letter email and at the beginning of the CV.

• Put your career objectives or a career statement after your name and contact details. Your career objectives/statement should reflect what you intend to do with your career now and in the future, your career aspirations and level of ambition.

• Focus on what will get you that prized introduction for an opening. Consider whether the CV format should be a Reversed Chronological CV or a Functional CV.

• Format it in the manner that prospective employers would be interested in looking at it. If you are targeting multiple strangers – make a Master CV and customize it to make it relevant for the recipient to send it forward.

Don’t ignore these last 3 pointers!

• Make sure your document is no more than 3 pages. If you are a new entrant to the job market, make it 1 page.

• Check and double check for formatting, spelling errors, typos & poor grammar.

• Make your CV readable – remember the other person does not know you from Adam (or Eve) and is doing you a favor by even opening your email, leave alone reading your CV. Bullet points and indents work better than long paragraphs. Try the 10 second test by asking a friend or family to read your CV for just 10 seconds. Did the key points come across? If it did not for them, then they certainly will not for the stranger.

If you get the elements right, then you might just land an introduction for the opening you want.

In any case, if the recipient writes back to acknowledge and regrets they cannot help, do make sure that you write back to appreciate the time they took to read your CV. That way, they will remember you when the right opportunity comes along.

Think Professionalism.

A new job-hunting trend you need to avoid

There is a new trend that I’ve observed on the social media/networking platform LinkedIn. This involves connecting with a senior professional and then immediately sending them a resume asking for help in getting a job.

Please note, this isn’t how professionals operate. Just because someone accepts your invite doesn’t give you a permission slip to badger them without first introducing yourself properly.

You shouldn’t include them in a bulk email with a demand to share your resume within their network.

It doesn’t mean you can expect anything of them. By accepting your invitation to connect, they are already tacitly endorsing you to their network.

Build the relationship first and ask politely. Do your research and if a connection can get you an introduction, then ask for it with politeness and professionalism.

Would your CV make the right impression on a stranger with 10 seconds to peruse it? I’d love to read your answer in the comments box below.

Additional Resources for Job Hunters:

In the years since I first wrote this blog post, I’ve compiled different resources to help job hunters. I invite you to check them out as they supplement the 10 points I’ve shared in this post.

Job Search Success – Find your hidden professional opportunities 

Are you successfully positioning yourself for a job interview invite with your resume?

Are You Successfully Alienating People in 10 seconds over the phone?

Your social media profile job search jeopardy

Getting your CV past the online gatekeeper

Online Job Applications Guide

5 Reasons Your Job Hunt is Failing

This post was originally published in March 2013 and has been updated in June 2024 to improve its relevance for serious job seekers.

We often do a lot of volunteer and unpaid work for a cause. Here, the goal is not monetary benefit but the achievement of a desired outcome. We know our efforts count to achieve something greater than ourselves.

In the process, we learn soft skills that we might not in the corporate world like managing a group of 4-year-olds at a birthday party or babysitting. My two cents? It requires the qualities of patience, tact and alertness as any parent would tell you. 

Why it’s important to record these skills in your resume

Well, for starters would you like to change your career?

Have you been out of work? Do you need to justify how you spent your time? Other than putting it down in your resume that you have been applying for jobs in a recessionary market?

Everyone knows how difficult it is but yet the question can be asked at an interview.

As a successful criminal lawyer friend of mine who often does pro bono work tells me repeatedly, if you’ve done the work, put it in your resume.

Experience counts. 

Volunteered my time for Bow Wow Canine Shelter for 2 years where my key role and responsibilities included:

• Reported on time in the morning to walk the dogs/ change dressing of injured dogs
• Planned and coordinated fund raising and pet adoption drives
• Liaised with local authorities when abuse cases were brought to the attention of the shelter
• Provided unpaid staff leadership in the absence of the supervisor
• Was in charge of petitions for preventing cruelty to animals

There may be milestones you achieved.

For example, getting stray dogs vaccinated through the local municipal office’s sponsorship, more volunteer surgeon vets for serious cases, more adoptions and more awareness of kindness to animals in general.

As a starting point, make a list of all the unpaid or volunteer work you have done. Like with regular jobs, compile the dates of the beginning and ending of the volunteer/unpaid work, organization name, position held, job description and any significant achievements and contributions.  Depending on the job you are applying for; bring out the specific skill sets you used. 

Last but not least, do remember to ask the organization that you volunteered for to give you a reference.

Bonus Tip: Update your LinkedIn Profile for Volunteer and Unpaid Work

Once you’ve updated your resume, I recommend you head over to your LinkedIn Profile and update the section Volunteer Experience & Causes for the specific charity that you worked for including dates and the kind of work you did.

A LinkedIn survey reports that volunteer experience can give job candidates an edge with hiring managers.

41% of the professionals surveyed stated that when they are evaluating candidates, they consider volunteer work equally as valuable as paid work experience.

20% of the hiring managers surveyed have made a hiring decision based on a candidate’s volunteer work experience.

Make your profile noticeable by also adding information about the specific opportunities that you are available for. Include your favourite causes like wildlife conservation, animal shelters, autism and similar causes. Here’s how I put my important volunteer work in my profile.

Add your volunteer and pro bono work in your summary. State what motivates and drives you to offer your time and experience for noble causes. If you’re between jobs, include this in your work experience to fill the gap in your employment history.

A word of warning for your resume and LinkedIn Profile – make sure that the information is genuine and correct because potential employers will crosscheck as part of their recruitment process.

Have you ever had a career change because of the skills you picked up while you were unemployed or in between jobs?

Written By: Vatsala Shukla

Updated: 27 May 2023

Does your Resume include Hobbies & Interests?

If you answered in the negative, then read on because this blog post is important for you. Especially if you are seeking a job or career change and need to add value to your Resume or Curriculum Vitae.

The Hobbies and Interests section in the Resume or Curriculum Vitae is often neglected by the job seeker focusing more on work experience and career achievements.

However, this section can play an important role in giving you the edge in landing the job you are pursuing.

This section provides you with the opportunity to showcase your personal side to the interviewer. It also indicates that you do have a life outside of the workplace and are a balanced person.

In some situations, like a first-time job where you don’t have enough work experience or if you have been out of work for some time, including your hobbies and interests can add value to your resume.

Then there are times when it would be provident not to include your hobbies and interests because it might give the wrong message or isn’t required.

What we mean by hobbies and interests 

A hobby by its very nature is an activity that you do in your leisure time. It is something that you’re doing outside of educational and work activities. It might lead to developing a skill that can be transferred to a job description requirement or quality that an employer is seeking.

For example, painting or candle-making hobbies require an eye for detail and patience. They also require creativity. These skills are valuable in the corporate setting too.   

Interests on the other hand are topics that you find interesting and are willing to spend time learning more about them.

For example, traveling, adult education and animal welfare might be topics that interest you and you spend time traveling to new destinations or volunteer your time to organizations that deal with your topic of interest.

What your Hobbies and Interests can reveal about your other skills and talents

There is always a chance that your interests might be shared by the potential employer in their Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) Program. In this case, you would provide value to them along with all the other professional skills you possess.

For example, during my consulting and corporate world days, my interest in Tiger Conservation and children’s education matched that of one of my client’s. They had projects in both areas as part of their CSR initiatives.

I got the prestigious assignment because I had an edge over other equally well-qualified candidates who didn’t possess the passion, interest or additional knowledge about those areas.

Sometimes you don’t need to be an expert in an area but need to be well informed.

Done correctly, the right mix of hobbies and interests demonstrates you are a well-rounded individual.

It gives the interviewer a chance to ask you more questions about yourself and the inherent qualities that you bring to the organization apart from your professional skills. 

Are you interested in helping out at the local community centre on weekends? Or support a local charity for fund raising? 

Don’t miss the opportunity to show case your achievement. It demonstrates your Time Management skills as well as civic mindedness.

Remember, not every activity we do requires remuneration. I discuss this more in Putting Unpaid and Volunteer Work in Your Resume.

Taking part in a walkathon and raising funds for an animal shelter is no small achievement. It points to your other talents, attributes and your personality.

An unusual hobby like candle-making or origami would create an interest. It would also demonstrate skills of focus, creativity and problem solving. 

You would also get a quick feel if the interviewer has read your Resume if you are asked about it especially since the location of this section would be towards the end of the Resume.

Do’s and Don’ts of including Hobbies and Interests in the Resume

You need to adapt this precious document to target the position and company that you wish to work for.

You may have 10 different hobbies but not all are required to be put in your Resume. Instead, research the company first. See if these hobbies or interests are relevant to the position and company as signs of non-technical skills or aptitudes.

3 reasons for including your hobbies and interests:

• The application form specifically asks for this information
• You’re new to the workforce, lack sufficient work experience
• Your hobbies and interests give you skills that are relevant relate to the company and/or position

There are times when you shouldn’t include these items in your Resume.  This would be when it is detrimental to your primary goal of getting the job interview invitation or may invite discrimination.

Companies may state they are equal opportunity employers or anti-discrimination but remember, your resume is being looked at by another individual. Their interpretation of company policies might inadvertently go against you.

3 reasons for leaving out hobbies and interests would be:

• Unless relevant to the job you’re applying for, leave out hobbies that reveal your politics, religion, ethnicity or age. Anything that opens up a chance for discrimination is to be avoided.  
• Including the hobbies means leaving off some important information about your career or prior experience
• You’re aware your hobby or interest conflicts with the company’s culture or values

As with all other areas of your Resume/Curriculum Vitae, make sure that you are being honest and truthful. You need to be able to elaborate on the activity if asked a question at the interview.

How should you showcase your talents and skills that are different from your professional credentials?

Key points to consider while drafting this section of your Resume would include:

• Give it a separate title like Additional Professional Activities and Competencies or a simple Hobbies, Interests and other Achievements
• Make sure that it is short and to the point
• Think of 2-3 achievements where you have actually added value to yourself and others that also showcase your talents

I used to mention having played elephant polo in my Resume years ago. During an interview for the position of a Finance Manager with a reputed MNC, I was asked about it and what I learned from elephant polo.

My happy ending was landing the job as I also had the required skill sets and references. Seems the interviewer saw more to me than met the eye!

Learn how to craft a CV or Resume that showcases you in the best light in front of recruiters and potential employers with my CV tips.

Click on the below image and download your copy today.

What about you? Have your hobbies and interests helped you to get to the next stage of the interview process or land a job?