A resume is a formal document that contains an applicant’s professional background, education, skills, and experience. It is very typical for traditional companies to require resumes to employ. However, in the freelancing world, where jobs are usually short-term and are limited by contracts, you might wonder if resumes are still relevant?
The short answer to this is yes. Especially for writing gigs, you should know how to create the perfect freelance writing resume. The aspiring writer’s freelance resume is their first opportunity to showcase their talent and adeptness in creating and organizing content to give a compelling presentation.
Writing jobs aren’t the only work you can do online. There is numerous independent work available for the atypical professional who best performs outside the traditional office set-up. If you want to be one, you must learn the secret freelance resume writing strategies.
Source: ResumeGuy
Top 10 strategies that you have to try when writing a freelance resume
1. Always do your research.
Research from reliable sources that will teach you tricks to writing an effective freelance resume. If it is your first time, there are beginner-friendly, dependable guides that will help you learn how to write a resume so that obtaining the skill would not take too much time and energy.
Drafting a freelance resume is a no-brainer. But to create a resume that grabs attention and is a cut above the rest? Now, that is the challenge. Remember, evidence proves that it only takes an average of seven seconds for a hiring manager to scan each resume. Recruiters read countless applications each day. It is a tough competition, and your freelance resume writing skills should be top-notch to pass the application process.
2. Make use of tools.
Utilize professional building tools. These instant templates are convenient and very easy to use. With these excellent building tools designed by experts, even the newbies won’t have any difficulties producing a polished freelance resume.
3. Keep everything balanced & relevant.
Create an awesome freelancer resume by typing in a condensed version of your data. With regards to this business document, more does not mean better. A good freelancer resume is only one page long and possesses well-balanced text and black spaces, so it does not look cluttered and feels claustrophobic.
4. Choose a resume template with clearly defined sections.
You can edit the font and typeface, so it perfectly accommodates your information. Maintain your font size above ten, so the hiring manager does not have to squint to read your freelance resume. Avoid hieroglyphic font styles as well. Proper formatting is the key to a readable resume.
5. Work on your LinkedIn profile.
Customize your LinkedIn profile URL, so it isn’t too long. You can do this by clicking on Customize Your URL button via Linked Help or follow the instructions detailed on the page. The use of hyperlinks is discussed there as well.
You can also do this on other online platforms. Remember to present your details in an apprehensive manner for ease of reading.
If you have an account on every social platform, only prioritize the important ones. For instance, your Facebook and Instagram accounts may be more fitting if you are vying for a role that involves social media like Online Community Management and Social Media Marketing.
6. Prepare a portfolio.
Create an online portfolio so a link that can redirect or can be visited will be sufficient for recruiters to assess your professional qualifications.
This way, you do not have to send novel-thick printouts (if sent traditionally) or send a dizzying number of attachments (if sent via email).
7. Again, keep things relevant.
If you include all your skills and professional history in your freelancer resume, it will look like a biography. You do not want to do that. That will get your resume directly in the rejected stack. Pick out the details that are most relevant to the position you are applying for. For instance, the resume skillset section must detail your adeptness in tasks inherent to the job role. If it doesn’t belong, skip it.
8. List your education the right way.
Critical for freelancers, another part of being finical about is the education list of the resume. There’s no need for you to include your preschool details. Put in your highest educational attainment, and then add the training programs you have completed and certifications you have acquired. Again, choose only the relevant ones. Freelancers nowadays are multiskilled. The educational background portion of your freelancer resume is an opportunity for you to boast your latitude.
9. Take note of text lengths.
The only part of a freelancer resume that we may be lenient about limiting is the experience section’s text length. This is because any gaps in unemployment are considered alarming to some employers. Avoid this unfavorable circumstance by listing down your complete work history.
Here’s a hack: To save space, describe each of your employment not by your responsibilities then but by the achievements you have obtained during your tenure. Be sure to quantify your success.
10. Beat the Applicant Tracking System.
You gave it your all to create the best freelance resume, but if you did not design it to get past the application bot, there’s a good chance your resume will not reach human hands at all. What could be worse than that?
Here’s how to win the Applicant Tracking System:
- Use keywords from the hiring manager’s job post.
- Do not replace standard labels with unusual ones like Positions Held instead of Employment History.
- Write both the acronym and the complete form of words.
- Avoid using columns, tables, and other digital enhancements.
- Utilize online resume scanners.
Freelance resume writing example
Below is an example of a comprehensive but straightforward freelance resume:
Source: ResumeGuy
Notice how clear labels and adequate spacing neatly separate each section of this freelance resume. With a glimpse, the hiring manager can immediately locate each information.
The Name, Profession, Executive Summary, and Expertise line up logically so that it’s easy for the reader to understand who the aspirant is.
The Experience section should focus on your employment history and can highlight you as an asset to whichever company will hire you.
The Education section must be brief but on-point regarding educational attainments, training, conferences, and others.
Lastly, the Engagement section is an alternative to a resume Objective. You may also label this portion as Activities. This is more compelling than the traditional resume Objective because it explains what you are currently doing and shows your career vision. It is also more appealing and inviting because freelancers especially seek partnership rather than employment.
About the author
Moira Perez is an experienced Web Content Specialist that specializes in branding and business marketing. She focuses on SEO, Social Media Marketing, Digital & Email Marketing, Launch Business Strategy, and Integrated Marketing Campaigns to build a brand by delivering a precise story to the ideal audience. Moira is an accomplished promoter guaranteed to grow businesses.
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