How To Put Self-Employed on a Resume
Most self-employed job seekers don’t need to use the term “self-employed” on their resume. This phrase is usually too vague since it applies to various professionals in today’s workforce. And by evoking your conditions of employment, it falls into a category of details about you (like past wages or reasons for leaving) generally outside the scope of a modern resume or job search.
Review and Update Your Job Titles
That said, you must indicate self-employment on your resume to frame your work. Most of the time, the best way to do this is by the job titles in your experience section.
Some titles, like Founder or Owner, already signal that the job was a form of self-employment. In these cases, you don’t need to specify further and can display the position as you would any regular job on your resume:
Owner, Company, City, ST | work dates
- [Key duty or achievement]
- [Key duty or achievement]
- [Key duty or achievement]
However, for many other self-employed jobs, you’ll need to add a clarifying term like “freelance” or “contract” to your title. Below are six template examples to consider for your self-employed resume, with the clarifying term highlighted:
Freelance [Job Title], Company, City, ST | work dates
[Job Title] – freelance, Company, City, ST | work dates
Contract [Job Title], Company, City, ST | work dates
[Job Title] – contract, Company, City, ST | work dates
[Job Title] (independent contractor), Company, City, ST | work dates
[Job Title] (part time), Company, City, ST | work dates
Tip: The term has more emphasis when you place it before the job title, so consider one of those options if you’re seeking another freelance position. But place it after the job title if you’re open to trading your self-employed status for a full-time work commitment.
These clarifying phrases are especially useful when your self-employment involved many clients and you can’t list any one company or organization, for instance:
Freelance Graphic Designer, Atlanta, GA | 2022 to 2024
See how “Freelance” here accounts for the lack of an employer name – without that word in your job title, you’d probably confuse the reader about who you were working for.
Specify the Work Commitment
For any self-employed roles not equivalent to full-time, indicate your work commitment and schedule in the first bullet point of your job description, as in:
Freelance Graphic Designer, Atlanta, GA | 2022 to 2024
- Delivered five projects per month to high-profile clients, including [Client] and [Client]
- [Key duty or achievement]
- [Key duty or achievement]
Details like this help a hiring manager understand your work history, especially if you’ve had two or more freelance roles simultaneously and your work dates overlap.
Focus On Your Top Skills
Aside from the framing edits above, you don’t need to structure your self-employed job descriptions much differently than a regular job description. As always, focus on relevant skills you gained. Brainstorm your duties and achievements on a separate document or sheet of paper, then identify the ones that speak strongest to your target job. These strong points are the basis of an effective resume, whether you worked for a large corporation or yourself.
Self-Employed Resume Examples
David Thompson
[email protected] | (555) 987-6543 | Chicago, IL | LinkedIn | Portfolio
Freelance UX designer specializing in mobile-first and responsive design
Seven years of experience delivering user-centered designs for diverse clients ranging from startups to established brands. Strong history of developing responsive websites and mobile apps that enhance user engagement and improve conversion rates.
Key Skills
- Responsive design
- Wireframing and prototyping
- User research and analysis
- Usability testing
- Mobile-first design
Professional Experience
Freelance UX Designer, Chicago, IL | January 2020 to present
- Partner with clients in various industries to design responsive websites and mobile apps, increasing client conversion rates by 20% on average
- Conduct user research, usability tests, and A/B tests to iterate designs and find ways to enhance user engagement
- Manage up to four projects concurrently, delivering wireframes, prototypes, and final designs on budget and ahead of schedule
Freelance UX Designer, DigitalWorks Agency, Chicago, IL | June 2017 to December 2020
- Designed mobile-first web interfaces for a wide range of e-commerce businesses, improved the visual design and functionality of online shopping carts, and grew online sales by 17% for a major client account
- Collaborated with developers and product managers to ensure seamless integration of UX designs into the final product
- Conducted remote usability testing with users across different demographics to gather feedback and inform design decisions
Education
Bachelor of Fine Arts (B.F.A.) in Web Design and Interactive Media, School of the Art Institute of Chicago, Chicago, IL | May 2017
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