To think putting 'Managing Director' on your CV sounds twatty unless you actually were one?

[RagzRebooted]

DH currently retraining as a lorry driver after nearly 2 decades of self employment. Hasn't written a CV for a very long time. He's been out of work for a year after a mental health crisis/long period of depression (has bipolar) and is having support from JobcentrePlus and other agencies in terms of back to work stuff like CVs and interviewing.

A few different people have written his CV for him (I would do it, but I have been trying to stay out of it as I do everything!), last one was pretty rubbish and the latest one was done by someone from the National Careers Service.
They have put his most recent self employment down as him being Managing Director. Now he was a sole trader, always has been. Never ran a company as such, just him doing jobs and being paid for it.

To me, MD sounds like he was running a company of people. Using it in this context smacks of Boss Babe, CEO of my life MLM crap. I'm a cynical cow though, so am I being reasonable that it's silly and he should change it or AIBU and should butt out and leave him to it?

Yes you’re correct, he’ll get lots of questions about what he actually did, which may be awkward. He should tell the truth and be proud of it.

Yes he should put sole trader as MD will invite a lot of questions about what the role actually included.

Thanks. It might make sense if it was a business type role, but he is applying to drive lorries.
I worry that National Careers Service would give such crap advice!

As someone who’s looked at a LOT of CVs in their lifetime, you’re absolutely right. I’d certainly be raising my eyebrows at someone who called themselves an ‘MD’

Being a sole trader has its own challenges and achievements in itself, not least of all spending a lot of time on your own which I’d imagine is a key skill for a lorry driver!

I’d definitely change it OP.

Yep, it’s irredeemably naff.

Yes definitely trade it. Sole Trader has its own merits which may be more useful in this sense. Agree is does have a bit of a CEO of my life vibe to it.

**Change it!

Definitely change it, it sounds disingenuous and self aggrandising. It would put me off hiring him. Much better to put Self Employed - and list what he did in that capacity. I would respect that far more and it's granular and accurate.

YANBU, I was a Company Director of a small Ltd company, and I still avoided using the title, it made me feel like a twat!
I even had a conversation with another company director, when I first met her I asked about her work and she said she worked for this particular company, when I asked her how long she had worked there she simply said she owned the company. She was very modest about her company and her role within it, I really admired this as the company she owned was much bigger than mine and many may well have jumped at the chance of showing off.

Better than people putting CEO on their CV

I'm self employed
Wouldn't occur to me to word it any other way

Are you a director though?

If you’re a sole trader then you’re not and this is the wrong thing to put on your CV.

I had my own sole trader business for 8 years and would never have put this.

It's not technically wrong to call yourself a director if you are. And anyone can be a dirfector just by starting up their own limited company.

However, I think most job titles are supposed to be a bit descriptive of the job you do and not conjure up something different which "managing director" would do in most peoples thoughts. Putting manager director will not only be unhelpful, it may even cost him some jobs as people might view lorry driver as being beneath him.

I would put down Self Employed X, then maybe in the CV refer to running a limited company. Being previously self employed is probably a great plus for a lorry driver application, because lorry drivers work a lot on their own, need to be self motivated and self reliant, so that is something I would emphasize.

Lying, or self-inflation on a CV is self defeating.

IF he gets to interview, lies and pretences will unravel.
Either, a reputable employer rejects applicants who lied to them and faked he CV.
Worse, it's the kind of dodgy employer who welcomes crooks and conmen.

Thanks @GasPanic I will suggest he adds those bits about being self employed into the CV somewhere.

Anyone have a strong feeling on how long it should be? DH insists they used to be 3 pages long as standard, I'd have said 2 sides of A4 and a covering letter is more than enough.

I work in the NHS, we have a jobs portal thing for applications so I haven't had to do a CV myself for years either.

Yeah I don't know why the advisor thought it would be a good idea. I'm concerned that their job is helping people get jobs and yet they can't see that this would have the opposite effect.

The other CV he had s

I'm concerned that a careers service advisor would give such rubbish advice. Although, outhe other CV he had written for him by another service advisor was also rubbish. Really badly written/worded and made me wonder how on earth they got their own job.

Argh, bloody MN site keeps crashing and reloading the page, apologies for the messed up posts.

Just as another little add on make sure the dvla know about his bipolar because that would mean losing driving license and then job if they get a report from anyone.

from someone who has bipolar :)

CV should be 2 sides of a4 max. Make sure he is not putting his date of birth or his references on it, and keep it succinct and relevant to the job he's applying for. Covering letter should be a page max (in my opinion).

I presume his name and address are on the CV. I could look him up and find out in less than a minute that he isn't / wasn't a Director. It's stupid to lie about something that is so easy to check.

So many people do this as sole traders. It just makes them look silly imo.

I agree with this.

Two sides of A4 max and not right back to when he started work. I have the last 10 years on mine.

No I own a company and I wouldn’t put director on a cv not actually sure I could even fill one A4 sheet either tbh.