Stage 5 · Lesson 6 of 6

Telling the story on your CV and in person

A failed startup or project can be a strong part of your story if you tell it honestly. On a CV, describe what you built, what you were responsible for and what happened, with numbers where you have them: "Built and launched a tutoring marketplace used by 120 students; closed after six months when we could not reach paying schools."

In conversation, spend most of the time on what you did and learned, and a short, calm line on why it stopped. Employers often value people who have built something real and ended it well.

Common trapeither hiding the project because it failed, or blaming co-founders and the market at length.

A question to check yourself and an AI practice session come when you add the roadmap to your account. Add it

Resources for this stage

Start with

CourseFree
Startup School
Y Combinator · Beginner
Free lessons on finding users and knowing when an idea is not working

Practise

Sefism Build and Sell Your Own Product Roadmap
Restart smaller: a plan for shipping a product people can actually try

Keep handy

Notion
Keep your project post-mortem, decisions and lessons in one place

Also worth your time

The Courage to Be Disliked (Ichiro Kishimi and Fumitake Koga)ReadPaid
On separating your own tasks from other people's judgement of them

Struggling right now? If you are in danger or thinking about harming yourself, contact local emergency services or a crisis line: Find a helpline (any country), Umang (Pakistan), Tele-MANAS, 14416 (India).