Do you guys think "owner" or "president" on a resume is interpreted as a euphemism for "unemployed"? (employment, consulting)

[Wavelength]

I've seen so many people lately that are either new to the workforce or have been unemployed/"underemployed" for a while that put titles like "CEO", "president", or "owner" of some made-up business on their resumes and Linkedin pages.

I know that are trying to give the appearance of having work experience or fill in employment gaps, but I have just seen it so often lately that it's starting to seem like a euphemism for "no actual experience" or "unemployed during this time period". It even kind of makes them seem a bit like bulls*****rs to me.

What do you guys think? Do you think it's just been overused to the point of being a negative mark or a red flag on your resume?

[ocnjgirl]

You can't just put a title, you also have to put what your job/duties as owner of a business entailed, so I'd say how it's perceived depends on that. They'll also ask about it in an interview.

[Hemlock140]

I put owner as my most recent experience as I had a business for 16 years, and the detail on the resume demonstrated the relevant experience from that business. Faking a business ownership will be caught in the interview questions, but of the 100 or so people I have interviewed in the last few years none used that deception, nor were any actual business owners. Most were already employed somewhere else, or had been unemployed 1-6 months.

[MJ7]

To answer your question in short, yes I think some people use Owner.

I currently am self-employed. I own a small business and it is my job title. It has nothing to do with my standard professional background, however.

[Serious Conversation]

Some people use "owner" for their freelancing gigs where it's not a day-to-day operating business.

[jwiley]

I do not think it is a euphemism for unemployed, as in an interview you will get busted pretty quickly if you have never owned a real business. Between the internet confirmation and the differences in the way an owner or former owner of an actual business think it is pretty easy to tell the truth.

[lurtsman]

I learned sometimes it is better to list a job title related to some of your other descriptions so you can get past the simpletons in HR. I've already done more in my life than they will do before they reach the grave, and I can't expect them to readily accept that if they have the option not to.

[slim04]

Every mid-career or higher professional I met that was unemployed basically took free lance, ad hoc consulting jobs to bring in cash while looking for a job. They usually put Joe Doe Associates or some name of a firm as their employer on their resume.

So yeah, it is well known that this is a cover for periods of unemployment or underemployment. But merely being a business owner doesn't mean you are automatically in this category. The easiest way to figure it out is simply ask how much revenue the business generated. Most real businesses that are succesful will actual put this in their resume to differentiate themselves.

[blktoptrvl]

Yes. It looks like a dodge.

Unless... You actually list the names of clients you worked with.

[Mnseca]

It was a red flag for me 30 years ago, when I was actually filtering resumes for a company. People would put that they were CEO of some company they owned, but obviously the company wasn't very successful or they wouldn't have been applying for an entry-level job. A real CEO of a really successful company might sell and go to work as CEO for another company, but not apply for entry-level jobs while still running his company. So overall, it just said to me that they failed at their own company. Not impressive.