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?

I'm a sole trader. It wouldn't occur to me to put managing director because I've got no experience in that role and aren't applying for jobs as a managing director! If I was applying for jobs, it would be in my actual field (the thing I am self-employed doing) so that is the job title I put on my CV.
All he's going to do is put people off looking at him for jobs he's got experience in because it will look like he hasn't got experience in the thing he's applying for.

And FWIW, 2 sides max, but I'd cut 50% of the waffle and get it onto one side. Employers will spend 2 minutes at most looking at his CV on first sift, and will have decided after reading the first 2-3 entries whether he's going to be a good fit for their company or not.

I can't believe these careers advisors! They're clearly very inexperienced in the world of work because they think that a "top-end" job title means you'll get hired for everything beneath it which is rubbish.

But being a sole trader or being self employed is not the same thing as being a company director
A company director is employed by the company which is a different legal entity to the ierson who owns it

Yeah we've been through all that, took ages to get the license back! He has to renew it yearly I think.

Even if he'd operated via a limited company for his self employment (which lots do), it's still twatty if it's a "one man" company even if technically correct.

2 pages is the MAX a CV should be in almost all circumstances

Thanks, that's what I thought.

Any ideas on how to cover the last year out of work? 6 months has been very part time on and off doing the HGV skills bootcamp thing that he got on through the government, but the rest was practically housebound with crippling depression.

You think it is better to put something something that is incorrect on your CV? As an employer I would find someone who has operated via a limited company describing himself as a ' sole trader ' or ' self employed ' very muddleheaded

Aim for one page. I have never seen a two-page CV that didn’t need to be cut back to one.

Yeas, I know someone whose email signature ends with CEO of <small group he runs himself>

Funny thing was, when they were being chased for outstanding payment he suddenly denied he was in charge and said the group was nothing to do with him... still signing off with the same signature.

I'm pretty sure 'Managing Director' has some legal standing, so although it's unlikely he'd get into trouble for using that title, he's not supposed to. My DH is a company director and he wouldn't have a clue about running his own business as a sole trader (I used to be a sole trader) Your DH should be proud of running his own business, it can be hard work and risky.

Vaugly remember something about company directors being bared from the role if they have a history of MH but that might be CEOs.

It wasn't a limited company, it was just sole trader/self employed so not even a Company to be MD of.

I know someone who does this. They are named as the md of their husbands business for 'tax reasons' in truth she hasn't worked for 30 years.

I actually googled what to put on a CV to cover this as I have been semi-retired for 18 months and now I'm looking for work. An article on LinkedIn said to put something like a break to prioritise mental and physical health, which is what I did. After the last two and a half years I would think that a lot of people are taking time out and re-assessing their lives, and if anyone wants more detail he can think of something sufficiently vague. If they press on the issue they probably aren't someone he wants to be working for.

www.makeuseof.com/how-to-add-career-break-to-linkedin-profile/

No. Just no. An MD is a Managing Director. Who runs the company. What a twat that careers service person is.

I am classed as a sole trader - I have a "business" but don't manage any employees as it's just me. I wouldn't put "sole trader" on my CV though as many people equate trader with buying and selling which doesn't reflect what I do.

In your dh's position I would put plumber (self-employed) or freelance graphic designer, or whatever most clearly describes what he was doing.

Re the gap in employment could he just write his sole trader business as (start) to date? It’s not like he will be getting a reference from that job.