How should I list a paying side project that is concurrent with “real” job? [duplicate]

Question

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• How to list concurrent jobs on a CV? 4 answers

I saw other questions that seem similar to this (How to List Personal/Side Projects as a Work Experience in Resume, Are independent projects appropriate to list on a resume?) but I didn't find what I was looking for in either.

I'm currently employed full time in a "normal" software development job. For the last year and a half, an ex-coworker and I have started up a side project in whatever spare time we've had. From other advice I've read I would list such a thing in an "Other Projects" section on my resume, but in this case we have an actual registered company and one paying client. I'm not quitting my day job for it, but it's been more than just a hobby venture, too.

Anyway, it's something I would like to be able to talk about at an interview, but it feels sort of disingenuous listing it at the top of my resume (since it would be the most current). But to that, too - how does it appear if you list two concurrent jobs at the top of your resume, too?

I guess ultimately I'd like advice on how to represent this situation on a resume. I think I'd still want to list my day job as my current primary but don't necessarily want this other venture to be buried at the bottom, either.

Answer 1

First of all, it's all about how you want your startup to be perceived by a potential employer, not how you perceive it. After that, it's about what the Proventil employer thinks when you talk about your startup, not what you want to talk about. So, I'd give a piece of advice on the topic, without any hope to give a profound and complete answer:

Convince the potential employer that the risk they are going to take stands within boundaries. You've probably heard a lot about tailoring your CV to a certain job or pool of jobs. It's the right time to do so. Research your employer and try to understand if they allow or even expect an employee to be an entrepreneur-esque one (PaEi, according to Adizes, if you like), or are they too giant and slow to hire somebody who would like to jump over his head and will try doing it the moment any opportunity appears and they'd better hire a person who sits on his butt and does his work from 9 to 5 (PAei). The riskiness scale is unique for each employer, and you should be prepared.

Calculate your further commitment to both of your jobs, in continuity. You want to grow, don't you? So you may get in trouble if, at first job, you are navigated to or expected to go by yourself to a new position, while the second one suddenly demands more time than before. There are a lot of tradeoffs all the time. You'd want to literally write all possible risks and obstacles down and calculate possible outcomes. From that perspective, rethink the balance between the two jobs.

Show that you are proud, don't show that you are busy. The second job isn't actually a project but a long-term continuous self-employment, isn't it? So, at first thought, you should put it right after the latest job as an employee, at your CV. But be sure this will certainly lead to thorough riskiness scale assessment. So you should better not show off and mention this job in a more lightly manner.

Just remember, the CV isn't the end. You'll get an interview, and probably more than one, with different employer's representatives (recruiter, technical expert, manager, security, etc.). So you'll have plenty of chances to talk about your second job and explain the situation in detail. You need your CV to catch attention without causing suspiciousness. So, I'd make a conclusion that the optimal path is to mention your second job in Other Projects section while getting ready to pitch it the best way.

Answer 2

I think I'd still want to list my day job as my current primary but don't necessarily want this other venture to be buried at the bottom, either.

So you have the option of including the technical skills that you mastered in your secondary venture along with your primary skills. For instance, if you primarily program in Java at your "main" company and you programmed in Objective C for your "side" project then list both Java and Objective C in your Programming Languages section of your resume.

This way when called upon to elaborate on your specific expertise in the programming language you can include verbal references to the work you did at both companies.

You want to focus on the skills that you possess as a developer and not necessarily on which company allowed you acquire those skills. In my experience companies are hesitant to hire someone that is working at another software development company on the side.