Congratulations. You did what many people only talk about. You started your own business. Welcome to the Club.
You left the security of a salary, you took the financial risk, found your first clients, solved problems every day, and built something from scratch. Whether you worked alone or employed one hundred people, you achieved something that deserves respect.
I need to be blunt about this. If your goal is to get hired into a management or executive position again, the words “Founder” and “Entrepreneur” on your LinkedIn profile may be working against you.
I know that statement will upset some people. I am comfortable with that.
Caveat: This article is intended for people whose primary goal is to secure employment. If your goal is to win consulting clients, attract investors, or grow your own business, “Founder” and “Entrepreneur” can be powerful brands.
- A LinkedIn profile cannot effectively sell two conflicting messages: “hire me as your employee” and at the same time “buy my services.” Your profile has to support one clear outcome, the one you actually want.
Founder today. Employee tomorrow? Your LinkedIn profile should reflect that
After more than 20 years as an executive recruiter, I have learned that hiring decisions are rarely based only on qualifications. They are also based on perception.
Recruiters and hiring managers make assumptions within seconds of opening a LinkedIn profile. Fair or unfair, those assumptions influence who gets interviewed and who never receives a phone call.
The problem is not that you founded a company. The problem is what employers believe that title says about you.
Many executives proudly place “Founder,” “Co Founder,” “Entrepreneur,” or “Business Owner” at the very top of their profile. To them, it represents independence, ambition, courage, and success. They are telling the story they are most proud of.
Unfortunately, many employers read a completely different story
They worry that founders have spent years without reporting to anyone. Taking directions from a board is very different from reporting to a Regional VP or Country CEO.
- They question whether the candidate will stay. If someone has already built one business, what stops them from leaving in a year to build another?
- They assume the candidate will become frustrated by corporate bureaucracy, approval processes, and slower decision making.
- They wonder whether the candidate can succeed without complete control over people, budgets, and strategy.
- They fear the person will constantly compare the company with “how I used to do it.”
Companies may question whether you can influence without ownership. Or excuse yourself by constantly comparing the company with “how I used to do it.”
In your own business, you can ultimately make the call. In a multinational organization, you may need to convince five stakeholders in three countries before anyone makes the call
- They question whether the candidate can genuinely become part of a larger team instead of naturally taking over discussions and decisions.
- They may assume salary is not the real motivation. They wonder whether the candidate is simply looking for income until the next business opportunity appears.
- They worry about conflicts of interest if the consulting company remains active.
- They ask whether customers, suppliers, or employees from the founder’s company could become distractions.
None of these assumptions are necessarily true. Many former founders become outstanding executives. The problem is that recruiters and hiring managers often make decisions in seconds, especially when scanning LinkedIn profiles.
Be prepared to answer these interview questions
The questions in the bullets below appear surprisingly often during executive recruitment. As a headhunter of top executives, I ask these questions when interviewing. The irony is that none of this has anything to do with your ability.
- Is the company that you started still operating?
- Are there existing clients?
- Could those clients contact you during office hours?
- Will your own business become active again in six months?
- Will there be conflicts of interest?
- Has your spouse or another family member taken over the business, and if so, how involved are you still?
Some of the best executives I have ever placed previously owned successful businesses. They understood finance, sales, customer relationships, strategy, and leadership better than many career employees. They adapted quickly and became outstanding corporate leaders.
The problem is that LinkedIn does not explain all of that. LinkedIn gives recruiters only a few seconds to form an opinion.
That is why your profile should support the job you want, not celebrate the achievement you are proudest of.
Too many people treat LinkedIn as their career autobiography. They believe every title, every business, and every accomplishment should be displayed exactly as it happened.
Let me be very clear. Your LinkedIn profile and CV are not monuments or memoirs of your career history. They are marketing documents designed to get you your next interview.”
Ask yourself one simple question:
Does your LinkedIn profile sell your past, or does it sell your future?
There is a significant difference.
That brings us to the solution
Am I suggesting that you lie? Absolutely not. If you founded the company, you founded the company. Full stop. You can explain that in your About section and under Work Experience.
You can absolutely write: “I established a consultancy advising manufacturing companies throughout Southeast Asia.” Then talk about what you did, your achievements but without every saying you were the founder and the owner of the company.
A very concrete before-and-after section.
- Founder & CEO → Managing Director
- Founder & Entrepreneur → General Manager
- Founder & Principal Consultant → Managing Partner
- Business Owner → Managing Director
- Founder of ABC Consulting → Principal Consultant or Managing Partner
- Self-Employed Consultant → Senior Consultant or Principal Consultant
If your next objective is employment, do not make Founder, Co-Founder, or similar, your professional identity. Your LinkedIn profile should sell where you are going, not where you have been.
