The freelance economic system has been booming for the previous couple of years. Unbiased contractors now account for 38% of America’s workforce and contribute over $1.27 trillion in annual earnings to the nation’s economic system.
Being self-employed certainly has its perks — limitless incomes potential, versatile work schedule, and selection in work. On the similar time, working as an unbiased contractor can even get tiring at instances. You will have much less job safety which may result in gaps in employment and inconsistent earnings.
Whether or not you’re searching for a brand new mission or contemplating the return to common employment, your resume possible wants a refresh. And the pure query you have got is: how do I record contract work on the resume in the easiest way attainable?
We break down the resume formatting guidelines and supply a number of working examples of the best way to add contract positions to a resume.
How To Record Contract Work On Resume
How do I embody contract work on a resume? And what about freelance work — what’s the easiest way to explain it? We get these questions typically. There are many resume templates in your itemizing contract work (like our Freelancer’s template or different artistic choices!).
And listed below are the seven fast steps for itemizing contract work on a resume.
1. Resolve on Your Resume Format
The 2 resume codecs are: chronological or practical. In a chronological resume, you’ll record contract work as separate entries in reverse chronological order, including one contract place after one other.
Right here’s an instance of contract positions on a resume:
Bookkeeper – Contract
Acme Financials LLC
Jan 2023-present
- 12 months, part-time contract with an accounting companies supplier
- Preserve basic ledgers for 10 buyer accounts
- Handle accounts payables (payments, invoices, reimbursements) with excessive accuracy
Bookkeeper/Accountant — Contract
Bantra Bookkeepers
August 2022-Dec 2022
- Full-time, 6-month contract place
- Dealt with payroll processing for 8 small-to-medium sized corporations
- Offered budgeting assist and expense administration recommendation.
Whereas a chronological resume is mostly most popular by HRs, it is probably not one of the best for full-time unbiased contractors. First, it could reveal some gaps in employment. Secondly, having too many short-term entries, particularly while you did some overlapping tasks, will both make your resume look too cluttered or too lengthy. Neither is nice.
So contemplate going for the second choice — a practical resume.
On a practical resume, you’ll be able to group totally different entries by business or mission kind. Doing so helps you pack extra data into one work expertise entry to showcase a wider vary of expertise and competencies.
Right here’s how such an entry will look on a contractor’s resume:
Freelance web optimization specialist
Self-Employed
Dec 2019-present
- Present a variety of web optimization consulting companies, primarily to firms within the SaaS house.
- Carried out a technical web optimization audit and made enhancements to web site structure, which led to a 25% improve in natural visitors.
- Helped re-optimize App Retailer/Google Play itemizing for a cellular banking app, which introduced a 15% improve in app installs in 3 months.
Expertise:
- Key phrase analysis (Ahrefs, Semrush)
- Technical web optimization audits
- On-page web optimization and content material optimization
- Conversion price optimization (CRO)
- App retailer optimization (ASO)
- Google Analytics 4 licensed
To maximise the web page house, attempt utilizing a two-column resume design. It permits you to show each your contract work entries and leaves room for a resume abstract and featured expertise part.
2. Create Contract Job Entries
When you’ve settled on the resume format, begin placing down your work historical past.
For every job entry, you’ll be able to both use your registered enterprise title, temp company title, or employer title (if it was a direct contract). In case you’re not integrated, simply add “self-employed” or “unbiased contractor” as a substitute of an employer title.
Add a job title plus a “Advisor” or “Contractor” moniker. Use a basic job title that finest describes your function e.g., software program developer or engineering technician. Then add “Contractor” or “Advisor” after a comma for readability.
Record employment dates to make clear the contract period. For brief-term contracts, use the Mo/Yr-Mo/Yr format. For long-term work, use the Yr-Yr format.
3. Embrace a Normal “Contractor” Place
To current a credible one-page resume, restrict your self to 3-4 most related contract work entries.
You may “wrap” the remaining ones beneath a basic “Self-Employed” entry to focus on extra tasks and achievements. Doing so, each saves you house, plus permits speaking about some nice freelance, project-based work you probably did.
4. Curate Your Initiatives
In case you’ve been freelancing for some time, you have got plenty of gigs beneath your belt. However once more — not all of them must be in your resume.
At all times personalize your resume to the job you’re after. For instance, when you’re a contract cellular app developer, after a brand new ecommerce mission, showcase tasks from the identical business and/or those constructed with an analogous tech stack because the one talked about within the job advert. You may at all times showcase extra tasks in your LinkedIn profile and private web site.
Usually, for every job entry, record particular duties and share a number of accomplishments. Use resume bullet factors to enhance the readability of your work expertise part. Purpose for 2-4 bullet factors per job entry in your resume.
Professional tip: Don’t overlook to incorporate related resume key phrases from the job entry to make your resume extra compelling.
5. Embrace Portfolio Hyperlinks
A resume offers you restricted house for displaying your competencies. However not like common staff, you most likely have a stable exterior portfolio of labor to show. When itemizing totally different tasks, you’ll be able to at all times drop a hyperlink to a respective mission (if it’s accessible publicly) to show as your work pattern.
A well-organized portfolio places your expertise in context and demonstrates precisely the way you strategy work. In case you’re an unbiased contractor in a artistic or technical area like graphic design, structure, videography, journalism, or cellular app improvement, a portfolio is a must have!
6. Incorporate Consumer Suggestions
Whereas common staff can solely add references to a resume, unbiased contractors can show glowing consumer testimonials. First-hand suggestions improve the credibility of all of the claims you’re making, dispelling any doubts a hiring supervisor might need about your {qualifications}.
Right here’s an instance of the best way to add contract work on a resume alongside a consumer suggestion:
Videographer
Self-Employed
June 2020-present
Visible storyteller, specializing in content material for magnificence, vogue, and sports activities manufacturers. Produce content material for YouTube, Instagram, TikTok, and interactive DOOH campaigns.
Choose shoppers embody: Glossier, Lululemon, Uniqlo.
“Jemma has the creativity, technical experience, and powerful listening skills, which make each marketing campaign an absolute success. She at all times delivers on-time and on-brief outcomes. Extremely really helpful”.
Sarah Tomas, Model Supervisor, Sporty Stylish
Bear in mind: an ideal consumer testimonial is brief and to the purpose, commenting on one or two of your predominant expertise {and professional} traits. It doesn’t must be a page-long letter of advice to depend!
7. Add Additional Expertise
Nonetheless obtained some house left in your resume? Don’t go away it clean — as a substitute, pack up a few of your most marketable expertise.
You may (and may!) record additional expertise alongside contract job entries or your consolidated “self-employed entry”. Alternatively, you’ll be able to embody a options expertise part both in your resume header space or as a sidebar when you’re utilizing a two-page resume template.
Want some inspiration? Verify our options lists of expertise so as to add to a resume:
Examples of Contract Work on a Resume
Showcasing contract work on a resume isn’t a lot totally different from styling full-time job entries. Your objective is to articulate your most marketable competencies, predominant work accomplishments, and basic duties entrance and middle.
That will help you out, our group ready a number of pattern contract place resume entries for various kinds of unbiased work.
Full-Time Unbiased Contractor Resume Entry
Under is a pattern resume entry for a full-time unbiased contractor/skilled freelancer, working with a number of shoppers at a time.
UX/UI designer, Advisor
Koch Group
October 2021-present
A UX/UI advisor for cellular monetary product improvement, employed for a 6-month mission.
- Performed person analysis and behavioral research
- Optimized digital account opening course of (from 22 to eight kinds)
- Diminished churn charges by 15%
Lead UX/UI designer, Contractor
Prosacco LLC
June 2021-present
Joined because the mission lead for a group of in-house designers for an internet retailer redesign mission.
- Labored on-site with the consumer’s design and advertising group
- Offered CRO consultations for product touchdown pages
- Re-designed checkout expertise — which led to an 8% enhance in conversion charges
UX Researcher, Advisor
Berigns Basis
October 2020-Current
Half-time UX researcher, specializing in net accessibility analysis and web site testing.
- Verified and compiled new UX finest practices for net accessibility
- Performed person research and focus teams
- Delivered a sequence of workshops for enterprise leaders
Resume Pattern For Momentary Contract Work
This entry exhibits how one can finest showcase momentary contract work alongside common employment.
Manufacturing Supervisor
Shanahan Films Inc – Full-Time
December 2019-present
On-set manufacturing supervisor, accountable for managing “below-the-line” crew. Stellar funds administration expertise, robust time administration expertise, excessive ranges of non-public effectivity, and psychological resilience.
- Capturing schedules administration and coordination
- High quality management program improvement and implementation
- Over 50 vetted gear suppliers on my books
Assistant Manufacturing Supervisor
Faraway Studios – Contract
June 2019-November 2019
Contract-based place to help throughout the capturing of the primary season of a brand new journey present. Offered location scouting assist and carried out coordination on the bottom. Liaised with native suppliers, companions, and authorities in Spanish.
- Coordinated main mission milestones and deadlines
- Obtained capturing permits from the native Vacationer Bureau
- Facilitated relationships with the native present sponsors
Freelance manufacturing supervisor
Self-Employed
April 2017-present
Assisted on quite a few short-term business capturing tasks, primarily for vogue and luxurious manufacturers. Organized vacation spot advert marketing campaign shootings in Mexico, Brazil, and Argentina. Facilitated street-style shoots on the bottom in NY, Florida, and California.
Choose shoppers embody Trend Housing, Ramires, Sana Tea, and Bloomington.
Private web site [your website URL]
Ought to I Put Momentary Contracts On My Resume?
Sure, in case your contract place is related to the one you might be making use of for, do embody it in your resume. If not, you’ll be able to at all times simply add the title of a staffing company you’ve been with and supply some basic descriptions to keep away from having obtrusive employment gaps in your resume.
Does Contract Work Look Dangerous on a Resume?
Under no circumstances. Having a mixture of contract and full-time work positions is just about the norm in lots of industries — and the acceptance ranges are rising amongst HRs. Virtually 30% of staff at giant organizations are contingent (i.e., employed for momentary contracts as unbiased contractors). So having contract work in your resume is turning into fairly regular. The truth is, some employers see plenty of contract work as a bonus. Former unbiased contractors typically have extra numerous work expertise and a extra proactive “let’s make issues occur” perspective than full-time workplace dwellers.
Ultimate Ideas
Within the subsequent couple of years, 66% of companies plan to rent extra unbiased expertise, that means that extra gigs are coming to the market. Mud off your resume and provides it an excellent makeover to attain some wonderful new consumer work this 12 months!
