A multi-talented job seeker asked about how and if she should include her side business and blog in her resume –
I graduated a year ago with a marketing degree and have been working as an Admin/Marketing assistant for the past 8 months. My employer is great but there’s not a lot of room for growth and the work isn’t very interesting, so I’ve started job hunting.
But I was wondering what your opinion was on including side businesses in your resume? For the past year and a half I have been hand making and selling fashion hair accessories to my friends and family, as well as on Etsy. Although it’s not completely job-related, I feel it shows that I have an entrepreneurial and creative side and would like to include it on my resume. I also contribute to an occasional food blog that reviews restaurants around town, could I include that as well? If so, what’s the best way to do that?
You can and should include both of these on your resume! As you mentioned, the accessories business show’s entrepreneurship and creativity which are qualities often appreciated in marketing professionals. The same goes for your food blog which demonstrates your writing abilities, also key in marketing roles.
But be careful how you include these. Even though it’s something you’re currently involved with, don’t be tempted to put it at the top of your ‘Professional History’. You still want to top-load your resume with your current and relevant on-the-job work experience and achievements.
If your accessories business has a comprehensive brand presence e.g. registered business name, logo, website, then you can consider adding this after your work history as an extra work history item. However, if it’s just a simple side project, include it in an ‘Interests & Activities’ section or similar on your resume. This should also be where your role as a blog contributor should be included.
These are great talking points for your candidacy but you don’t want to distract from the valuable paid work experience that you also have.
