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Ask HN: How to explain being sole employee in job title?

19 points by solodoloyolo ↗ HN
I'm polishing up my resume and I want to explain one of my recent tech ventures where I was the only person working on it. I accomplished a fairly impressive feat and I want to emphasize the fact that I was the only person responsible. (Whereas, typically, it would be better to make it sound like I was managing tons of people.)

How can I do this in the job title I give myself on my resume? Just "Founder" leaves it up to interpretation...

14 comments

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matt_the_bass
How about “sole proprietor” and putting a blurb about that in the description. If this achievement was a really big deal and it’s relevant to the new job, put it in your cover letter. Be sure to say why it’s important and how it relates to the position you’re applying for. Don’t assume the Hr person will make the connection on why it’s relevent unless you explicitly point it out
bsvalley
Simply use Founder and highlight the role you’re applying for. Indeed, it all depends on what type of jobs you’re looking for. Being a one man band in your case would be impressive for an individual contributor. For example, an experienced developer. If you’re applying for roles such as manager or product manager, this experience may not cover the major required skills. Building a team, managing people, cross-functional team work, communication or even as simple as team player.

I would personally hire someone like you any day. Having a entrepreneurial spirit and a DIY attitude is awesome and rare in more established companies. It’s also a huge plus if you’re applying at startups.

So, to answer your question: “Founder - Lead Engineer” or “Founder - Product Manager” for example.

animal531
Yeah, the only real question that will probably come up is why if that was so great do you want to work here then (and perhaps in a specific role). But that shouldn't usually be an issue to answer.
cjbprime
I think "Founder" is the correct job title, and use the description of the role next to the job title to explain that you were working solo and responsible for everything. You don't have to fit it all in the job title.
dpeck
"Principal" is a fine title for singular/small efforts where you're the prime mover as well.
xchaotic
I've used Technical Director and I use "owner" as I trade via my own company. I know some bolder people who elevate themselves to CTO, even if they are the only employee - to me that's a bit BS so I stopped at owner. In any case if "Founder" leaves it up to interpretation and leads to a conversation, they you've got your foot in the door already.
seattle_spring
Is it a real company, or just a website or project? As a hiring manager, nothing gets a resume into the trash faster than someone calling themselves a CEO of some small website or weekend project.
t3soro
Principal Software Engineer is what I use.
eridius
"Sole proprietor" is what I've used.
chatmasta
If it’s a business, you have a title: founder. Or, technically speaking, “member.”

If it’s a project then put it in a separate section for projects.

hawkice
I like "operator", particularly if you purchased the business (seems like you didn't in this case but you don't rule it out). It also shows your role was doing things, not thinking of the idea ("founder"), delegating ("CEO"), or just getting money from the product ("owner").
JunaidBhai
I think the title of Founder with a little description on the job responsibility would make sense. Having the description more in lines with the new job you're looking for would make it positive.