How many of you all have added “framebuilder” or “Owner - Brand” to your resume?
If you have, what is the general description and what are your bullet points?
I’ve used the following a few times but I have a serious opportunity at hand and I get the feeling it might be inappropriate this time around.
Elysian Bike Co. caters to the casually talented and aerodynamically curvaceous with a singular goal of replacing your best friend with one of our bicycles. Design and manufactured, by hand, in Los Angeles.
4 Likes
That’s a tough one to answer not knowing the vibe of the company you are pitching to.
If your gut feel is to dial back the less formal description and be more formal then I’d go with your gut. The banter will come naturally as you form the relationship with the company.
My email signature lists me as ‘Head Flame Controller’ but other than that it’s a formal setup.
1 Like
This feels very corporate-speak and slightly cringey to share but here’s what’s on mine:
Owner, Liberation Fabrication LLC
January 2022 - Present
Owner, founder, and fabricator at Liberation Fab. I design, fabricate, and paint custom bicycle frames in steel, titanium, and carbon fiber.
- Responsible for all customer acquisition and customer satisfaction
- Manage all aspects of business operations
- Leverage CAD and rapid prototyping (metal 3D printing & laser cutting) to speed up design cycles
- Engage in the local cycling & maker community to share skills and resources
- Use TIG welding, brazing, machining, and hand fabrication skills on a daily basis
- Research and implement modern composite fabrication techniques to improve frame performance
8 Likes
I would totally include it. Owning and running your own business teaches you so many soft and hard skills that you could never learn in a 9 to 5 job.
Framebuilding has sharpened my skills: communication, storytelling, photography, videography, organization, forecasting, finance, planning, engineering, etc…
8 Likes
Long time ago, I used to work in a HR department. I would have loved to see “Framebuilder/Owner” on a resume. I would also would have liked to see how far you scaled your business: Increased sales 35% in two years, or something like that. Plus get your portfolio ready and include positive comments/feedback, just like code warriors and artists, prospective companies want to see your work.
4 Likes
The problem for someone hiring you is to figure out what your skills are and the best way to get some reliable impression of that is looking at the things you have done (successfully). Anyone can claim they have that or that skill but talk is cheap… I would definitely include frame building and the business side of it and focus on the challenges, responsibilities and tasks that were needed for that. I would focus less on what the brand is about and who the target audience is like you did in your original post because that doesn’t give the person hiring you any direct or indirect information about your skills. Eva/Liberation Fab’s above is quite good I thought.
100% it should be on a resume.
One of the challenges I ran into last year was explaining that frame building isn’t just “playing bikes” or akin to working on a Camaro in the garage. Hence the question about bullet points and general descriptions.
As I attempt to transition out of the outdoor industry being able to word thigs so that it appeals to someone that doesn’t really know will helpful.
@Coco_PMW + @liberationfab Thanks for your insights. They’re super helpful.
3 Likes
I think it depends on the industry but as Eva does, use professional language and formatting and show metrics that are relevant to the job you are seeking. Showing you understand the whole business cycle (R&D, customer research, production, marketing, sales, invoicing etc) is huge.
My two cents: Resumes should be tailored to the job you’re applying for.
- Relevant skills and experience should be listed in detail, with “accomplishment” verbs such as “implemented”, “grew”, “established” etc
- Tangental skills and experience should appear next and can sometimes be grouped into one bullet point “Additional responsibilities included X, Y and Z”
- Irrelevant skills and experiences should be minimized or removed all together. Recruiters and hiring managers have the attention span of a 5 year old, don’t lose their attention by having things listed that don’t matter to them.
I would keep a full detail resume with all your skills and experience listed. Then, depending on the job you’re applying for, highlight the relevant items and trim the others. If design skills are most important, focus on those. If it’s project management, then highlight those skills. Same for business management, fabrication, sales, marketing etc.
3 Likes
And use all the appropriate industry buzz words to get past the AI-Powered Resume Sorter!
In fact, I would probably type up whatever I had and then run it through ChatGPT or Bing Chat to have it re-written. They really are amazing.
1 Like
FWIW, seems like the real power of ChatGPT comes with the paid engine not the free (Data gathering) version.
I use it for work and have tried both versions for things like biographies, an obituary (don’t judge me), copy, and my resume. The paid version is quite strong, the unpaid version results in odd copy that folks from Escape Collective find and mock. Regardless, whenever you use it, read the results OUT LOUD – there’s still a LOT of stupid mistakes that pop up.
2 Likes