Best Freelance Resume: Examples & Templates

freelance resume example
Created by CakeResume

Freelancers are considered “contractors" as they take on contract work for companies and organizations instead of being employed as company staff.

It’s common for them to work on multiple jobs or projects at one time, but some may be restricted to one certain project. The fields that hire the most freelancers may include computer & IT, writing & editing, translation, design, marketing, etc. 

As a freelancer, you get to be your own boss and set your own hours. No wonder the idea of becoming a freelancer is very appealing and makes this job type highly competitive in recent years. 

The key to landing your desired freelance job is to build a winning freelance resume that showcases your core competencies, experience, and skills.

Step 1: Pick the best layout for your freelance resume.

Regardless of what field of freelance work you're in, e.g. you're preparing a freelance photographer resume, a freelance translator resume, or a freelance video editor resume, the top priority is conciseness and readability. 

5 standards you might consider to secure a great layout for your freelance resume: 

1. Resume length:

Ideally, the resume for freelance work should be one page long, especially for fresh graduates and freelancers with below 10 years of experience.

Note that if you’re required to submit a freelance CV, the length can range from 2 to 8 pages. 

🔎 Read about the key differences between a CV and a resume to make sure you don't mix up these two terms. 

2. Letter font & size:

  • You may find it confusing to determine the best font for your freelance resume among a lot of options. Some of the best fonts for resumes recommended by resume experts and recruiters include Arial, Cambria, Calibri, Times New Roman, and Helvetica.
    
    It'd be fine to adopt any font or style that you think can make your freelance resume and your personality traits light up if you’re working in a creative field. 
    
  • Just keep in mind to use a professional and easy-to-read font with the standard size of 11-12pt, and use bold font styles to highlight section headings. 

3. Resume margin: 

Don't overlook this standard because setting the margins correctly can determine whether your freelance resume looks professional or not.

Most employers prefer ½”–1″ margins, depending on the amount of information you include on your resume.

4. Resume spacing: 

The proper spacing for a freelance resume is 1.0 or 1.15 between text and double lines after subheadings.

Feel free to adjust this accordingly based on the white space of your resume as well as the freelance resume format and the letter size you adopt.

5. Freelance resume format:  

Sending a resume as a Word file may have been the best practice of earlier years. However, with many advantages, PDF is being commonly opted for by both applicants and recruiters nowadays.

We don't have to worry about formatting errors, optimization for ATS, or edit permission. 

🔎 ATS (Applicant Tracking System) is a software application that provides recruiting and hiring tools for companies, such as collecting, screening, and filtering job applications.

👍 Note: If you're seeking a creative freelancing career, exhibit your creativity and uniqueness in your freelance fashion designer resume or freelance musician resume to get you noticed by the reviewer.

Step 2: Adopt the right freelance resume format.

Here comes the next important and challenging step - opting for the right freelance resume format among 3 types of resume formats to best fit your professional level. 

Now you may find your own answer below.

🏷️ Chronological resume format

  • For this resume format, work experience is greatly emphasized and arranged chronologically, starting with the most recent job and then gradually dating back to the earliest one.
  • Who should use this? 
    - Professionals with considerable freelancing experience
    - Freelancers without career gaps
  • Example: 
    - 02/2019 - Present: Freelance copywriter | NHA Books 
    - 11/2010 - 10/2018: Freelance copywriter | Copify Blog

🏷️ Functional resume format

  • The main focus is your skills and achievements rather than each work experience. 
  • Who should use this? 
    - New grads (Entry-level freelance resume or freelance resume with no experience)
    - Freelancers with employment gaps or in the middle of a career transition 

🏷️ Combinational resume format 

  • With this format, you can showcase both your skills and freelancing experience in reverse chronological order. 
  • Who should use this? 
    - Career changers (from office staff toward a freelancer) 
    - Professionals with some freelancing experience

No matter if you're a seasoned professional or a fresher, you can create a powerful freelance resume using CakeResume and get your dream job with ease!

Step 3: Start with personal details and contact information. 

Obviously, the personal information (or resume profile) section is your first opportunity to introduce yourself. Get it wrong at this early stage and you can miss the chance of getting an interview.

So, what personal details should or should not be included in your freelance resume? 

✅ Should 

  • Full name
  • Email
  • Phone number 
  • Personal website (optional)
  • LinkedIn (optional)

❌ Shouldn't 

  • Date of Birth 
  • Identifying information (weight, height, gender, ID number)
  • Religion 
  • Marital status

Further reading:  10+ Personal Details in Resume Samples

Step 4: Create an intriguing freelance resume title.

Labeling yourself with a well-branded title can mark you as a strong candidate. 

How? By stating your professional level and expertise in the field. This way, you are starting on the right foot and properly introducing yourself to the client/employer.

Examples of resume titles/headlines for freelance jobs:

  • Freelance marketing resume: Content Marketing Freelancer adept at strategic marketing planning and digital marketing on social media
  • Freelance architect resume: Freelance Architect skilled in both residential and industrial construction
  • Freelance interpreter resume: Experienced Remote Spanish and French Interpreter

Step 5: Craft a freelance resume summary.

This part is well-worth your time and effort as the reader can find it more convincing to dive into your freelance resume after reading the summary statement.

What to put in a professional freelance resume summary:

  • The summary of freelancing experience you've obtained 
  • Outstanding accomplishments
  • Freelancing skills 
  • Relevant certifications

Examples of well-written resume summary for maintenance jobs:

  • Freelance translator resume: Freelance Translator with a track record of success in translating documents and spoken words. Converses efficiently in Chinese, Korean, and English.  
  • Freelance video editor resume:  Creative and detail-oriented Video Editor with 8 years of hands-on experience in editing videos for business and individual clients. Adept at pre- and post-production editing and visual effects application with excellent time management and writing skills. 
  • Freelance musician resume: Freelance Musician & Composer with a strong love and working-knowledge of music and music theory. 10+ years of extensive experience in orchestra, band, and theater settings, as well as teaching all age groups and ability levels. 

💡 If you are writing a freelance resume with no experience and not sure what to write in the summary statement, this comprehensive resume summary guide will help you out!

Step 6: Include key skills relevant to the freelance job.

Your freelancing core skills are divided into three basic types: 

  • Hard skills are technical knowledge or training that can be taught and measured, such as how to use certain software or tool. 
  • Soft skills are personal traits that make you a good member and colleague in the workplace, such as behaviors, communication, leadership, etc. 
  • Others: They can be any linguistic ability, knowledge, and hobbies you have. 

Below are key skills to put in a freelance software developer resume: 

Hard skills

  • JavaScript  
  • HTML 
  • CSS
  • Adobe InDesign
  • Adobe Photoshop

 Soft skills 

  • Attention to detail
  • Active listener 
  • Communication
  • Result-driven 
  • Critical thinking 

Languages

  • English (native)
  • French (professional)

👍 Reminder: Only list the skills that are beneficial for the freelance job you're targeting.

Step 7: Highlight your best experience and accomplishments.

When listing freelance work on a resume, note the following things: 

  • Provide an accurate but brief description of what projects you worked on (job title, client name, date of starting and ending, and job duties).
  • Quantify the results that you've achieved in your last jobs. 
  • Mention and tailor relevant work experience to the specific job.
  • Use action verbs and keywords from the job description.
  • Include references or testimonials to gain trust from the clients/recruiters.

Example of writing freelance work and accomplishments on freelance content creator resume

  • Produced 5 SEO-friendly articles on Ragic blog on a weekly basis, generating approximately 130 new readers per month. 
  • Managed the daily content creation on Ragic Instagram, gaining 3000 followers after 2 years.

Step 8: List educational background.

Does your freelance resume need an education section? Of course, it does! But don't panic if your educational background is irrelevant to the freelance job you're applying for. You can also add any relevant training and online courses.

Your education section in a freelance resume should include:

  • School/university name
  • Degree type
  • Majors & minors
  • Graduation year

Step 9: Add an extra section to highlight your qualifications.

Go the extra mile to make your freelance resume stand out from the competition by adding any of the extras: 

  • Linguistic abilities 
  • Certifications 
  • Hobbies and interests
  • Volunteer work
  • Awards
  • Side projects
  • References

📝 Reminder: Remember to only feature what is related to the job you're applying for.

Step 10: Craft a convincing cover letter for the freelance job.

At its most basic, the cover letter for freelance work is no different from a generic one.

You will need to cover the following information in your freelance cover letter: 

  • Contact information: Full name, email, personal website (if any)
  • Introduction: Who you are and what freelance job you're seeking 
  • Motivation: Why you intend to apply for this freelance work
  • Qualification: What skills and work experience you have that make you qualified for this job
  • Closing: Express an appreciation for the reader's time.

Further reading:  Dos & Don’ts of Writing a Cover Letter

Freelance resume sample

Kaylie Hanes

Freelance Graphic Designer with Extensive Experience in Print Design, Multimedia, and Photography.

[email protected] 
(+890)-890-8900
Upwork: Kaylie Hanes

Professional Summary

Highly creative and performance-driven Freelance Graphic Designer with 5+ years of work experience in a variety of industries, including education, fashion, cosmetics, tourism, and automobiles. Able to set up unique trends and visual strategies that revolutionize corporate branding. Committed to delivering the most satisfactory performance in deadline-driven and fast-paced environments. 

Work Experience

Freelance Graphic Designer & Photographer 
2/2015 - Present 

Clients: Fashion Nova, Merzy Beauty, Gopedia, Vinfast Group

  • Created logo and business card
  • Designed printed and non-printed materials for company events 
  • Developed websites on different CMS platforms 
  • Created and increased social media channels 
  • Handled product photography and edited 6000+ raw photographs and videos  

Key achievement: Rated 4.8/5* by clients on Upwork. 

Web & Graphic Designer
University of Maryland, Baltimore County
09/2012 - 12/2014

  • Redesigned web design standards for 5 departments within the campus; achieving 87% overall satisfaction from students and Professors
  • Assisted with the modification of the UMBC logo
  • Designed web interface and printed materials for 20+ events such as Opening Convocation, TEDxUMBC, Summer Camp, etc

Education

BA in Graphic Design
University of Maryland Baltimore County
Class of 2010 

Skill set

Print design

  • Business card
  • Company logo 
  • Poster & flyer 
  • Brochures 

Multimedia 

  • Social media post 
  • Video editing 
  • Video photomontages 
  • Website design 

Photography 

  • Product photoshoot
  • B&W photography 
  • Retouching 
  • Photographic storytelling

Certifications

Graphic Design Certification by Cal Arts (Coursera), 2015

--- Originally written by May Luong ---

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