How to write a freelance CV?
So, how do you write a freelance CV? In this article, we’ll explore more about how you can write a freelancer CV, what to include, what recruiters are looking for, and how to present your CV. Indirectly, you can also understand more pros and cons of being a freelancer.
Similarly to having a portfolio, your freelance CV is something that can open doors to exciting projects, contracts, and even collaborations between you and businesses.
Whether you’re a freelance graphic designer, copywriter, social media consultant, or anything in between, knowing how to build a professional freelance resume is important for showing your work—especially when getting started as a freelancer.
As you get ready to create your CV, you should find a template that suits your style and display everything that is best for your potential client. From clearly displaying your contact information to highlighting your soft skills, we’ve put together seven ways you can write your self employed resume:
Display Your Contact Details Clearly
Your contact details are often the very first thing that a potential client will look at. This is why you need to ensure that it is easy to find and neatly laid out. At the top of your CV, you need to include ‘Your Name - Job Title.’. For example, it could be ‘John Smith—Freelance Graphic Designer.’.
You also should find contact information, whether this is your phone number or email address. Your potential client needs a way to contact you if they want to give you the work. If you have an online portfolio, website, or social profile, you should include these too.
Impact is what you’re looking for, and this is where you can make that impact. The aim is to keep everything, so people can get in touch without any hassle.
Craft a Compelling Personal Profile
A personal profile, also known as a freelancer resume summary, is your chance to capture who you are, what you do, and how you can exactly benefit the potential client or customer. For instance, you should introduce yourself as a ‘Freelance Graphic Designer specialising in digital illustration.’
This section of your CV should also include what drives you and what keeps you going and motivated to do your work. Is it helping businesses grow their brand awareness? Or improve conversions? Aim to keep it brief and memorable. You need to be on the top of their mind if they’re looking for what you offer.
Showcase Your Key Skills
Arguably the most important section of your CV—what exactly do you offer? Your potential clients want to know the answer, even though you can include it in your resume cover letter. It is a good idea to create a separate section dedicated to your core strengths.
In this section, you can show your hard and soft skills; this gives a clear overview of what you can offer. Soft skills can include adaptability, teamwork, or time management—qualities that are essential for a successful freelancer.
On the contrary, your hard skills depend on what your skill set is and what you are offering. Ensure that you relate your skills to what the client is looking for and adapt this to each client (if the offering is different).
Detail Your Work Experience
Work experience is the centre point of your self employed CV, as it showcases the kind of projects you’ve worked on and the results that you’ve achieved. When you list freelance work, you should note each role or project and how this has helped you grow and improve your skills.
You should consider grouping smaller projects under one heading, especially if you’ve had numerous short-term roles. This enables you to give more detail about the skills that you offer.
If you’re using a freelancer-style resume template, choose one that allows you to structure your work experience concisely—this way you can build your resume in minutes. This could be bullet points or short paragraphs. Ensure that the client can understand exactly what you can do for them—that is all they want to know.
Present Your Education, Qualifications, and Training
Though it is important for you to include your work experience, if you’re someone who doesn’t have as much experience, or you want to back up your experience, you should include education, qualifications, or even training you’ve completed.
You should consider adding specialised courses, webinars, or certifications. This shows that you’re committed to continuous learning and development. This reassures clients that you’re dedicated to the newest piece of information in your field.
Highlight Awards, Publications, and Notable Achievements
Don’t be afraid to showcase your proudest moments from your career or what you’ve achieved whilst freelancing. When you highlight awards, publications, and notable achievements, this can tell potential clients that you’re an expert who has been recognised for this. This can go further than you think.
Including your accomplishments can elevate your freelance CV by making you look even more credible on top of your work experience—especially as clients will just do a quick scan. You need to stand out from the competition.
Mention Relevant Professional Memberships
Lastly, if you belong to any professional associations or networks, mention them. Being a member of an association or local community can help to enhance your reputation.
This is a positive signal that you take your skills very seriously, stay updated on trends, and know exactly how you can complete the job for the client. This helps you and gives you an edge over the other freelance writers.
What do recruiters value on your freelancer CV?
Recruiters often look for a diverse skill set that showcases your ability to manage multiple projects, highlights your adaptability, or demonstrates extensive expertise. As we mentioned when crafting your freelancer CV, your recruiter will appreciate a link to your portfolio to showcase all your previous work, testimonials, and projects that you’ve completed.
Ensure that you also showcase that you’ve got self-management; they give you the work because they don’t want involvement. They’re already busy; they don’t want to manage you as well. You need to be able to meet deadlines to underscore your reliability and efficiency. This will give them an indication that they can come back to you for more work.
Top skills for your freelancer CV
Potential clients or recruiters always appreciate a balance of hard and soft skills in your digital nomad CV. Whether you use a freelancer resume template or adapt a resume example, make sure that each skill is backed by relevant freelance work. This can prove your capacity to handle diverse projects and give you the upper hand against other freelancers.
Hard Skills
As you start working for a company, they are looking for the hard skills which are included in your CV. Here are some hard skills that you could add to your CV:
Soft Skills
On the other hand, there are soft skills which are important to ensure you’re reliable for your clients. Some of these soft skills could include:
How to present a freelancer CV
As you present your freelance CV, you need to remember two things: professionalism and creativity. These are the two things that you need to reflect on your services. Unlike a normal CV, a freelance CV is part of your brand, especially when your skill set is more visual, such as if you’re a designer.
In addition, being able to show your skills and tailor your CV directly towards the job you want to get. For example, if you’re a graphic designer, show your design skills and be more creative to show off your skills. Also, if you’re a programmer, why not develop a website as your CV?
It should highlight your freelance work while keeping the core elements, such as soft skills and resume summary, and add freelance work to your CV. Here are some of the best ways to present your freelancer CV:
Freelancer CV Examples
When you’re aiming to create a standout freelance work resume, exploring different resume examples can give you fresh ideas on layout, format, and the most effective way to showcase your achievements. By looking at a freelancer resume example or a set of freelancer resume examples, you’ll notice how others structure their freelancer resume summary, list important examples, and highlight achievements.
Each resume template freelancer option, which can be created using different design tools such as Canva, can be adapted to show off your work experience in freelance sections.
As you write freelancer resume content, remember that a strong work resume often pairs well with a tailored cover letter template. Examining examples of freelancer resumes professionals have perfected will help you build a polished, compelling CV that stands out for any job application.
