One specific CV challenge you might face as a freelancer is effectively showcasing a broad range of projects without overwhelming potential clients. Our guide offers tailored strategies to help you curate your experience into a compelling narrative that highlights your versatility and skill set.
- Answer job requirements with your freelancer CV and experience;
- Curate your academic background and certificates, following industry-leading CV examples;
- Select from +10 niche skills to match the ideal candidate profile
- Write a more succinct experience section that consists of all the right details.
Do you need more specific insights into writing your freelancer CV? Our guides focus on unique insights for each individual role:
Formatting your freelancer CV to meet the role expectations
Staring at the blank page for hours on end, you still have no idea how you should start your professional freelancer CV. Should you include more colours, two columns, and which sections? What you should remember about your CV format is this - ensure it's minimalistic and doesn't go over the top with fancy fonts and many colours. Instead, focus on writing consistent content that actually answers the job requirements. But, how about the design itself :- Use the reverse chronological order to showcase your experience, starting with your most recent role;
- Include your contact details (email address, phone number, and location) - and potentially your professional photo - in the header;
- Must-have CV sections include summary or objective, experience, education, and skills: curate the ones that fit your profile;
- Your professional freelancer CV should be between one-to-two pages long: select the longer format if you have more experience.
A little bit more about your actual CV design, ensure you're using:
- plenty of serif or sans serif font (e.g. Montserrat, Exo 2, Volkhov) as they are Applicant Tracker System (ATS) compliant. Avoid the likes of Arial and Times New Roman because most candidates' CVs are in this typography.
When submitting your CV, are you still not sure what format it should be? Despite the myth that has been circling around, most modern ATS systems are perfectly capable of reading PDFs. This format is an excellent choice as it keeps all of your information intact.
PRO TIP
For certain fields, consider including infographics or visual elements to represent skills or achievements, but ensure they are simple, professional, and enhance rather than clutter the information.
The top sections on a freelancer CV
- Personal Statement highlights your freelancing ethos, offering recruiters a quick insight into your work approach and ethos.
- Portfolio of Work demonstrates your previous project experience and skills, vital for showcasing your capabilities.
- Skills Summary showcases your abilities tailored to freelance work, such as self-management and specialised talents.
- Professional Experience details your freelance job history, providing a timeline and context for your skills.
- Client Testimonials section offers social proof of your expertise and good working relationships with clients.
What recruiters value on your CV:
- Highlight a diverse skill set that demonstrates your ability to manage multiple projects simultaneously, ensuring clients understand your adaptability and breadth of expertise.
- Include a concise portfolio or a link to an online portfolio to showcase your previous work, client testimonials, and the range of projects you've successfully completed.
- Emphasise your awareness of various freelance-specific tools, such as invoicing software, project management systems, and communication platforms, to demonstrate your proficiency in remote collaboration.
- Detail your ability to self-manage, mentioning any successful outcomes from instances where you identified client needs, administered projects, and met deadlines autonomously.
- Mention any industry-specific qualifications or certifications to establish your credibility and professionalism, assuring potential clients of your commitment to quality freelancing work.
Recommended reads:
Making a good first impression with your freelancer CV header
Your typical CV header consists of Your typical CV header consists of contact details and a headline. Make sure to list your professional phone number, email address, and a link to your professional portfolio (or, alternatively, your LinkedIn profile). When writing your CV headline , ensure it's:
- tailored to the job you're applying for;
- highlights your unique value as a professional;
- concise, yet matches relevant job ad keywords.
You can, for examples, list your current job title or a particular skill as part of your headline. Now, if you decide on including your photo in your CV header, ensure it's a professional one, rather than one from your graduation or night out. You may happen to have plenty more questions on how to make best the use of your CV headline. We'll help you with some real-world examples, below.
Examples of good CV headlines for freelancer:
- Graphic Designer | Expert in Brand Identity | Adobe Certified | 5+ Years Professional Experience
- IT Consultant | Specialised in Cloud Solutions | CCNA Certified | Seasoned Professional with 10 Years' Expertise
- Content Writer | SEO & Digital Marketing Enthusiast | BA Journalism | Crafting Compelling Narratives for 7 Years
- Project Manager | Agile & Waterfall Methodologies | PMP Certified | Driving Team Success for Over 8 Years
- Web Developer | Full-Stack Expertise | JavaScript & Python | Creating Innovative Web Experiences for 6 Years
- Digital Marketer | Social Media Strategist | Google Analytics Qualified | Amplifying Brands Online for 9 Years
Your freelancer CV introduction: selecting between a summary and an objective
freelancer candidates often wonder how to start writing their resumes. More specifically, how exactly can they use their opening statements to build a connection with recruiters, showcase their relevant skills, and spotlight job alignment. A tricky situation, we know. When crafting you freelancer CV select between:
- A summary - to show an overview of your career so far, including your most significant achievements.
- An objective - to show a conscise overview of your career dreams and aspirations.
Find out more examples and ultimately, decide which type of opening statement will fit your profile in the next section of our guide:
CV summaries for a freelancer job:
- Award-winning graphic designer with over 10 years of experience, proficient in Adobe Creative Suite, specialising in creating visually compelling branding and marketing materials. Notable achievement includes rebranding a major tech start-up, resulting in a 40% increase in their online engagement.
- Seasoned software developer with a strong history of Python and Java proficiency, bringing 12 years of experience in developing high-quality, scalable web applications. Successfully led a software team to deliver an enterprise solution which boosted the client's operational efficiency by 30%.
- Former financial analyst eager to apply 8 years of data analysis expertise to the field of data science. Strong background in statistical modeling, with a passion for translating complex data sets into actionable insights. Undertook a successful project that streamlined budget processes, saving the firm £500k annually.
- Experienced educator transitioning to instructional design, bringing a unique perspective with 15 years of curriculum development expertise. Holds a Master's degree in Education Technology and is adept at creating engaging e-learning content that has increased student performance by 25% in previous roles.
- Aspiring web developer with a deep appreciation for innovative user interface design, aiming to leverage background in creative arts to build intuitive web experiences. Completed intensive bootcamp courses in HTML, CSS, and JavaScript, and committed to continuous learning and professional development.
- Emerging digital marketing professional determined to leverage a strong foundation in content creation and social media management. A recent graduate in Marketing Communications with hands-on internship experience, poised to deliver fresh strategies to elevate brand presence and engagement.
More detailed look into your work history: best advice on writing your freelancer CV experience section
The CV experience is a space not just to merely list your past roles and responsibilities. It is the CV real estate within which you could detail your greatest accomplishments and skills, while matching the job requirements. Here's what to have in your experience section:
- Prove you have what the job wants with your unique skill set and past successes;
- Start each bullet with a strong, action verb, and continue with the outcome of your responsibility;
- Use any awards, nominations, and recognitions you've received as solid proof of your skill set and expertise;
- align your experience with the role responsibilities and duties.
For more help on how to write your CV experience section, check out the next section of our guide:
Best practices for your CV's work experience section
- Detail your relevant project management experience, ensuring to highlight projects that came in on time and within budget.
- Exemplify your adaptability by describing a range of successful assignments across various industries or domains.
- Emphasise your communication skills by mentioning complex projects where you successfully coordinated with clients and team members.
- Showcase your problem-solving ability with examples of challenges you overcame through innovative solutions.
- Include specific tools or software you're skilled in, especially those that are unique to your field or highly sought after by clients.
- Highlight any recognition or awards from previous freelance work to establish credibility and a track record of excellence.
- Mention your ability to work under tight deadlines, giving examples of when you successfully delivered quality work under pressure.
- Demonstrate your expertise in your niche by discussing your professional development, such as courses taken or certifications earned.
- Quantify your achievements where possible, using metrics such as percentage of increased sales or audience growth to give concrete evidence of your impact.
- Developed and implemented a content strategy for GoPro’s marketing campaigns, increasing user engagement by 40% and subscriber base by 25%.
- Led a remote team of 5 designers to create compelling visuals for Red Bull’s social media, resulting in a 30% higher click-through rate.
- Authored over 200 articles on technology and lifestyle for Wired, enhancing the brand's authority and driving a 20% increase in web traffic.
- Provided UX/UI consultancy services for Shopify online stores, improving user experience and reducing cart abandonment rates by 15%.
- Crafted and executed SEO strategies for HubSpot's blogging platform, which led to a 50% boost in organic search traffic within 6 months.
- Collaborated with the Airbnb marketing team to produce engaging travel content, which saw a 35% uplift in social media shares and 20% in booking conversions.
- Generated 30% more leads for Microsoft's cloud services by designing targeted paid media campaigns that resonated with the tech community.
- Spearheaded a rebranding project for Dropbox, which increased brand visibility and was met with a positive reception from the client base.
- Conducted comprehensive market research for Twitter to identify emerging trends, influencing the development of a new social media tool that gained 100K users upon release.
- Created custom illustrations for Marvel's digital platforms, which enhanced storytelling and fan interaction, leading to a 25% increase in audience engagement.
- Collaborated with Adobe to produce tutorial videos for their Creative Cloud services, amassing over 2 million views and improving user proficiency.
- Transformed complex data sets into digestible infographics for The New York Times, simplifying the information flow and maximizing reader comprehension.
- Designed and delivered a bespoke WordPress site for Sony Music, enhancing the user interface and doubling the average session duration.
- Optimized database performance for Airbnb's internal systems, reducing query times by 30% and improving overall system efficiency.
- Developed a mobile-first responsive design for BuzzFeed's new category pages, which led to a 20% uplift in user retention on mobile devices.
- Conceptualized and implemented innovative social media campaigns for Coca-Cola, resulting in a viral spread and a 10% increase in follower count.
- Managed a project for Canon's online photography classes, which expanded the customer base by successfully leveraging influencer partnerships.
- Orchestrated a multilingual content strategy for Netflix’s European markets, bolstering regional subscriber growth by 15% over one year.
- Created compelling copy for Apple’s product landing pages, which increased conversion rates by 20% through clear and persuasive messaging.
- Led an outreach initiative for Intuit that enhanced B2B partnership opportunities, securing 10 new contracts with major industry players.
- Addressed IBM's technical documentation needs by producing user-friendly manuals and help guides that significantly decreased customer support calls.
Lacking professional expertise: how to write your CV to highlight your best talents
Don't count on your lucky stars when you're applying for a role, where you happen to have less (or almost none) professional experience. Recruiters sometimes do hire inexperienced candidates if they're able to present their unique value from the get-go. So, instead of opting for the traditional, CV experience section:
- List any applicable expertise you happen to have - no matter if it's a part-time job, internship, or volunteer work. This would hint to recruiters that your profile is relevant;
- Focus your CV on your transferrable skills or talents you've obtained thanks to your whole life and work experience. In effect, you'll be spotlighting your value as a candidate;
- Separate more space for your applicable academic background and certificates to show you have the technical know-how;
- Ensure that within your objective, you've defined why you'll like the job and how you'll be the perfect match for it. Always ensure you've tailored your CV to individual applications.
Looking for more good examples for your first job? We'll show you how other candidates, with less professional experience, have created their job-winning CVs.
Recommended reads:
PRO TIP
Include examples of how you adapted to new tools, environments, or work cultures, showing your flexibility.
Key freelancer CV skills: what are hard skills and soft skills
Let's kick off with the basics. You know that you have to include key job requirements or skills across your CV. For starters, take individual skills from the job description and copy-paste them into your CV, when relevant. Doing so, you'll ensure you have the correct skill spelling and also pass the Applicant Tracker System (ATS) assessment. There are two types of skills you'll need to include on your CV:
- Hard skills - technical abilities that are best defined by your certificates, education, and experience. You could also use the dedicated skills section to list between ten and twelve technologies you're apt at using that match the job requirements.
- Soft skills - your personal traits and interpersonal communication skills that are a bit harder to quantify. Use various CV sections, e.g. summary, strengths, experience, to shine a spotlight on your workspace achievements, thanks to using particular soft skills.
Remember that your job-winning CV should balance both your hard and soft skills to prove your technical background, while spotlighting your personality.
Top skills for your freelancer CV:
Project Management
Time Management
Technical Writing
Graphic Design
Web Development
Digital Marketing
Data Analysis
SEO/SEM
Software Proficiency
Financial Planning
Communication
Adaptability
Problem-Solving
Critical Thinking
Self-Motivation
Networking
Creativity
Work Ethic
Stress Management
Negotiation
PRO TIP
Focus on describing skills in the context of the outcomes they’ve helped you achieve, linking them directly to tangible results or successes in your career.
Listing your university education and certificates on your freelancer CV
The best proof of your technical capabilities would be your education and certifications sections. Your education should list all of your relevant university degrees, followed up by their start and completion dates. Make sure to also include the name of the university/-ies you graduated from. If you happen to have less professional experience (or you deem it would be impressive and relevant to your application), spotlight in the education section:
- that you were awarded a "First" degree;
- industry-specific coursework and projects;
- extracurricular clubs, societies, and activities.
When selecting your certificates, first ask yourself how applicable they'd be to the role. Ater your initial assessment, write the certificate and institution name. Don't miss out on including the completion date. In the below panel, we've curated relevant examples of industry-leading certificates.
PRO TIP
Use mini case studies or success stories in your CV to demonstrate how your skills have positively impacted previous roles or projects.
Recommended reads:
Key takeaways
Your successful job application depends on how you well you have aligned your freelancer CV to the job description and portrayed your best skills and traits. Make sure to:
- Select your CV format, so that it ensures your experience is easy to read and understand;
- Include your professional contact details and a link to your portfolio, so that recruiters can easily get in touch with you and preview your work;
- Write a CV summary if you happen to have more relevant professional experience. Meanwhile, use the objective to showcase your career dreams and ambitions;
- In your CV experience section bullets, back up your individual skills and responsibilities with tangible achievements;
- Have a healthy balance between hard and soft skills to answer the job requirements and hint at your unique professional value.
