How to re-enter the job market after being indie for 3 years?

From my experience (20+ years in tech, 15 years on startup scene at some point, now wrking as a lead consultant), companies usually appreciate someone who has entrepreneur experience.

I would recommend consulting, unfortunately the problem there might be finding a good consulting company. I found my position through connections.

Consulting houses generally appreciate people who have worked directly with customers and if you can find a good firm you can select your gigs quite freely. Also the salary is usually quite good.

For CV just use a basic structure, even if you have worked alone use titles like "CTO", "CEO" or "Principal consultant" instead of developer or such.

Also utilize linkedin and contact a few recruiters (it's full of recruiters!), they get quite good commission for brokering people so it's on your boths interest to get you a job.

1. Since you managed the products before as a indiehacker, I would advise you to choose the Product Roles, which can make use of your Indiehacker experiences
2. If you are looking for remote jobs, there are tons of remote job boards and too much noise here. (Biased here, but check out my service https://remoteleaf.com which curates from 100+ sources and send you the relevant ones)
3. I would just talk about my Indiehacker products and achievements, nothing more. It should earn you a job.

Go for jobs you can show your work in. Even if its small projects. I have a tech focused instagram, Github, and website I rarely update, that helps show im excited by tech cause "nobody else does it". Marketing myself will get me into some exciting roles thus far without college and only a GED here in the US. Maybe its the same where ever you stay. Our market here is so badly in need for people.

Because I will burn out I avoid jobs coding and focus on DevOps and SRE roles so I can code all night and not burn out.

Good luck!

Just dive in and you'd discover over time, at least that's how I see most of my job searching escapades, I usually end up not close to my initial vision...

If it attracts you project management could be interesting... I wouldn't worry about trying for eng. some would like it better than others for sure, but that's any hiring process... leading team/management depends on what size of teams you worked with and how you like it and perform on the soft skills side..

Don't worry too much, update the CV as you see truthfully and start sending it around and talking to people.

I've got a super weird mix of experience which makes me overqualified as a developer
Usually, a mix of experience doesn't make you overqualified as a developer, only if you have PhD in CS :)))

Just focus on the position you would like to apply to, and adjust your resume correspondigly.

Job search is the same no matter if you are/was IH or not.

1. Appy according to what you want to do
2. Search in linkedin, glassdoor, indeed and any other resources.
3. Find a good example of resume on Internet and use it as a template.

I've done it several times in my life, and it always worked the same.

Hi Joseph, I have similar story.

My background is Java. Having worked for 10+ years. Then, moved to project management. After some years, created my product, bootstrapping my company.

Ended up selling it and spent some time off-work.

Fast-forwarding, after some failed attempts to launch other businesses, I started job hunting again. It was back in 2017. I didn't know, but companies normally like our experience as founder. We have to wear many hats, namely customer service, product manager, engineer, sales....

My CV was totally outdated in terms of hard-skills as I hadn't had worked as an employee for 9 years. But on the other hand, soft-skills improved a lot.

I currently work as a Product Owner and I this is one role that might be fit most founders: you need to understand business, coding, talk to users and stakeholders. But that comes down to you the decision wether you like doing it or not.

I can see the dilemma. It would be easy for you to go and get "any old" senior dev job, but it'll be a bit of a bitter pill after years of seeing life outside of the engine room and cultivating other skills.

On the other hand getting product/marketing/management roles may prove tricky - although it depends on what you can show you have done. If you've got legit numbers then maybe product (or perhaps the more attainable "technical product") manager role.

If stability is required, your easiest bet will be targeting companies where technology is the main product (you'll be treated better). You could try for some "tech lead" level roles so you can have more conversation with product and maybe do some mgt. Or maybe you just want to destress and do some 9-5 coding then work on hobbies in the eve. After 3 years of FT indie it might be good to recharge.

Will be interested to hear what you go for.

Failure or success - it doesn't matter.There are people and companies who are more than willing to have you on-board just because of your entrepreneurial background. Honestly speaking - it's damn valuable.

If I were to start a business I would prefer somenone who have gone through the struggle as you. It shows a couple of qualities like - Hustler, Smart,Thinker,Problem solver

Go for roles like Product Manager, Growth/Marketing manager, COO.

Job search, Resume - really ?

Good Luck man!

I recently re-started working as a hired dev, perhaps mentally to mix things up, idk honestly - being indie is my favorite place. I was indie for over 1 year.

I found something on ${randomJobSite} and applied. In the interview when they ask experience related questions I talked about projects I had worked on. Not about who/which company they were for and in what role I was working; just that I did thing X using technology/framework Y. I have had a side job teaching programming so I don't technically have gaps in the resume, but if you do, I would just write something like "independent consultant" or freelancer for those years. I think those terms are pretty well understood and explain the gap.

This is a very familiar situation for me! Especially the "super weird mix" you mention.

I'd recommend a step in between: freelancing. The last 20 years I have worked (in that order) as employee (dev), agency co-founder, employee (pm / scrum), freelancer (pm / dev), indie hacker (with freelancing dev here and there).

As indie hacker my psychological safety net is: "I can always go freelancing and if that doesn't work I can always find a job".

Freelancing, especially the type when you join a team 32+ hours a week, gives you a peek into to job-world without committing too much. You get a feel about how teams work in companies in 2020, which tools, how they organise their work. (ha and you even get to work from home in these times...)

I did this winter 2018 when I felt I needed to get back in touch with companies in case my IH ventures would not pay the bills (they still do). Worked as developer / scrum master fall back for a tech startup in Amsterdam for 4 months. Learned a lot! Was a fresh perspective. Then back to IH but for you it might be a taste of what you like.

Also as the other poster says, entepreneurial types are most welcome in many roles. And, 10 years ago they expected the dev to stay out of design business and the designer to stay out of busines development issues etc. But nowadays with scrum as methodology used everywhere, someone who knows quite a bit about a lot of things can be a real asset.

I'd say

1. Scrum master in combination with your best skill (be it dev, design), or Product owner if you best skill is marketing / business development. The great thing about scrum I find is that it the various disciplines work so close with each other and can put on each others hat once in a while - as you are used to as IH. Check out scrum.org

2. Ask in your network and write about what you have done so far on twitter, or linkedin post

3. Not an expert on this one.