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How to List Freelance Work on a Resume: Guide with Examples

freelance work

“Oh, so you are a freelancer?” — just a couple of years ago freelance work on a resume might have surprised some employers. Today, that’s rarely the case. 

More and more people are choosing to freelance full-time, rather than just moonlight on the side. According to Deloitte, some 57 million US workers are part of the freelance economy. That’s equivalent to 36% of the total workforce. By 2027, the proportion of freelancers and gig workers can increase to 50%. Why so?

Digital technologies and connectivity has democratized access to remote work. As long as you have a laptop and stable Internet, you can virtually “check-in” to work from any location, at any time of the day — and in any capacity. 

Likewise, online freelance marketplaces, professional social media networks like LinkedIn, and remote job websites made it easy to secure new gigs. Because almost anyone from anywhere can now find extra work online, the traditional career paths have become more diverse — and that’s a great thing!

But how do you fit your ample and varied freelance work into a standard one-page resume? This guide provides the must-know tips with several freelance resume samples! 

How to Put Freelance Work on Resume?

You have two ways to list your freelance work on your resume: by the client or under an umbrella “self-employment” entry. Both options have their merit. By listing short-term client projects, you can highlight more soft and hard skills,  plus share some project-specific accomplishments. By combining several projects into one “freelance work” entry you save some extra space for other job entries, plus get to conceal gaps in employment if your freelance work was irregular. 

You can also settle for a middle-ground, where you spell out some of your biggest clients and freelance wins, and roll the rest into a general entry. 

For example, as a freelance copywriter, you could format your resume work experience section in the following way:

Lead Copywriter, ABC Startup 

Feb 2022-April-2022 – Freelance 

Provided conversion copywriting services to SaaS startup. Collaborated with CMO and Lead UX designer on new copy for homepage and pricing page.

  • 25% increase in free demo sign-ups from the homepage 
  • 15% increase in mid-tier plan subscriptions
  • Over $15K in new revenue was generated between April 22-June 22 

Copywriter, Cool Agency 

December 2020-ongoing – Freelance 

I’m the go-to B2B SaaS copywriter with the agency. Provided copywriting, email marketing, and CRO services to selected accounts including Dropbox, Salesforce, BigCommerce. 

  • New long-form sales page for Dropbox brought a 23% lift in conversions 
  • Email sequence for BigCommerce had an 89% open rate and 15% CTA
  • After a CRO audit, Salesforce saw a 30% increase in demo requests 

Conversion Copywriter, Self-Employed 

June 2017-ongoing  

Offering freelance copywriting services for B2B SaaS and mid-market ecommerce stores. I specialize in CRO, landing page copy, product page copy, and email sequences. Have worked on a freelance + retainer basis with 15+ clients. 

What is My Job Title If I Am Self-Employed?

If you are a freelance services provider, ad a job title that best describes your line of work, plus matches the terms employers in job ads. For example, you can put “Senior UX Designer” or “UX/UI Designer” as a job title. Don’t leave a generic title like “Freelancer”, “Independent Contractor”, or “Self-Employed” on a freelance resume. 

What Do I Put for My Business Name When Self-Employed?

When listing freelance work on a resume, it’s OK to use “Self-Employed” in place of an employer name. Alternatively, if you have a registered company name or trade name (doing business as a name), use it instead as your employer name. 

man clueless

How Do You Put Your Own Business on Your Resume?

If you have operated as a registered business, include your official company name in the “Employer” graph. Then assign yourself a job title. Depending on what you did, you can go for a more generic one like “Owner”, “Director”, “Founder”, or “CEO”. Though it’s better to use a more descriptive moniker, reflective of your services. 

Freelance Resume Examples

The best way to figure out how to list freelance work on a resume is by following a professional example — and we happen to have several for you! 

Sample Freelance Designer Resume 

Andrianna Lewis 
Graphic Designer | Illustrator  | Animator 
[Portfolio URL]

Experienced graphic designer, specializing in packaging design, branding, and marketing collateral design. Additional skills include digital and hand-drawn illustrations, basic animations, and whiteboard videos. 

Fashion Illustrator 
L’Officiel – Freelance 
March 2021-present 

Originally hired to create illustrations for the print “Gilded Age Fashion” feature for July 2021 L’Officiel issue. Was offered a retainer contract to continue creating digital illustrations for the magazines’ social media accounts and blog posts. 

You can view my work on L’Officiel Instagram by hashtag #Offiielart 

Packaging Designer 
Fruity-fruits  – Freelance 
May 2020-December 2021 

Fruity-fruits is a new DTC startup, selling healthy fruit snacks (natural, vegan, no-sugar). I was contracted to design all product packaging for the brand — individual packages for 8 different fruit snack types, subscription box packaging, and regular shipping box packaging. I also helped the team with brochure design. 

You can view my work on Behance (provide URL)

Graphic Designer 
Andriana LLC – Self-Employed 
Jule 2018-present 

I’ve created logos, marketing brochures, illustrations, animated whiteboard videos, printed + digital brand assets for over 20 clients, primarily in the retail, hospitality, and fashion industries. 

My main services include:

  • Brand identity development 
  • Logo ideation and design 
  • Product package design 
  • Whiteboard animation videos
  • Digital illustrations 

Senior Graphic Designer 
Brandmix Agency 
September 2016-June 2018 

Worked as a senior graphic designer with an agency, specializing in branding and digital marketing services. Was the lead graphic designer on accounts such as Estee Lauder, Nestle, Addidas, and Cosmopolitan. 

Awards 

  • Best 2017 OOH campaign for Estee Lauder’s “Spring is in the air” posters. 
  • 2018 Pentawards runner-up for Nestle’s new packaging design 

Education 
Dallas School of Graphic Design 
September 2014-August 2016 

Associate degree in graphic design with a specialization in product design. 

For More Inspiration, Also Check:

Freelance Artist Resume Example 

Amanda Hox 
Painter and performance artist
[Portfolio URL]

NYC-based painter, working in traditional watercolor techniques and with unconditional materials. 2020 “Artist to Watch” accounting to Times Out. Former Glastonberry University Fellow and Current Guest Lecturer at NYU

Painter — Self-Employed 
December 2015-present 

I’m working out of my Brooklyn-based studio on private, commercial, and public art commissions, as well as personal artistic projects. 

Past and current clients include Brooklyn Botanic Gardens, Chastity City Hospital, LegalCorps, LLCs, Melyssa Richards Foundation. 

Prints catalog available at [portfolio URL]/catalog 

Exhibitions 
2021

  • Solo exhibition “Evolution of Nature” , Brooklyn City Museum, NYC, NY 
  • Group exhibition “Shattering the Glass”, Provance Gallery, Bridgehampton, NY

2020

  • Group exhibition “Revival. At Last”, Art Market Hamptons,  Bridgehampton, NY
  • Solo exhibition “Sounds and whispers”, Miami Central Gallery, Miami, FL 

2019 

  • Permanent collection “Nature, today”, Southampton Arts Center, Southampton, NY 
  • Two-person exhibition “Partitions”, Brooklyn City Museum, NYC, NY 

Guest Lecturer — NYU
April 2021-present 

Invited guest lecturer reading “Introduction to Modern Watercolor Painting” to Master Students. Also, host a three-part watercolor painting workshop series per year. 

Exhibition Curator — Parrish Art Museum
May 2021-August 2021 

Was invited to curate a new exhibition called at the Parish Art Museum in Water Mill, New York.

  • Selected artwork and collaborated with artists on site-specific installations 
  • Helped install artworks and assisted with event set-up
  • Hosted public watercolor drawing workshops for guests 

Art Director / Consultant — The Arts Magazine 
April 2020-September 2020 

Collaborated with the team on their special Summer 2020 issue, dedicated to creativity at home. Helped select, curate, or commission digital artwork and prints, created during the pandemic by NYC artists. 

Art Director — JazzMax Agency 
January 2013-November 2015 

Held an Art Director position with one of the leading NYC creative agencies. Past accounts include Disney, L’Oreal, NYX Cosmetics, and National Geographic, among others. 

  • Designed and conceptualized creative campaigns and features for OOH and digital mediums. 
  • Lead a creative team of 10 featuring photographers, illustrators, copywriters, and videographers. 
  • Planned and supervised on-location campaign shootings in NYC, NY, Miami, FL, and Paris, France. 

Education 

Fellowship in History of Art and Visual Culture
Glastonberry University, UK
December 2015- December 2016

Completed a one-year fellowship program, focused on studying the 18th-century watercolor painting techniques 

MA History of Art 
New York City University 
September 2011- December 2012

Awards 

  • Number 3 on the 2020 Times Out List of Artists to Watch This Year 
  • 2019 Winner of the Hamptons Art 46th Biennale Award  

For Extra Inspiration Check

Final Thoughts 

Companies across the board have become more accommodating to hiring freelancers or people looking to re-enter the corporate world after a self-employment base. So you’ve got a top chance of landing an amazing job with excellent pay! 
What you now need is to ensure that your resume represents your core strengths and competencies. Don’t try to squeeze all types of freelance gigs you did over the years. “Edit” your experience. Highlight projects or clients that best match the job you are after. It’s okay to skip some parts and direct the reader toward your personal website, portfolio, or LinkedIn profile for more deets.

Author

  • Elena Prokopets

    Elena runs content operations at Freesumes since 2017. She works closely with copywriters, designers, and invited career experts to ensure that all content meets our highest editorial standards. Up to date, she wrote over 200 career-related pieces around resume writing, career advice... more

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