Freelancing gives you the flexibility to choose your own working hours and what projects to take on. You can manage your workload and enjoy time off whenever you need it. One crucial step to thriving on this career path is creating a resume that makes you recognizable in the freelance talent marketplace.
Hope Sonam and Caitlin Mello, two of We Are Rosies “career matchmakers,” know exactly what it takes. We gathered their top tips for crafting a standout resume that will help you get noticed and hired on projects that light you up.
Our Top Resume Design Tips
1. Use a simple sans serif font
Sans serif fonts (which don’t have little feet on the edges of the letters) are clear and easy to read. They give resumes a fresh, modern look and make it easier for your reader to focus on what you’ve done rather than the font you’ve chosen. A clear, clean, and concise resume can help get your foot in the door, according to Caitlin, who supports We Are Rosie’s creative talent and is a designer herself.
Here are some classic sans serif fonts you can use: Archivo, League Spartan, Helvetica, Lato, Roboto, Heebo.
2. Keep a white background
Put yourself in the shoes of a hiring manager who’s printing your resume or has a dark computer screen. A white background makes your resume way easier to read.
3. Add bold headlines
Having a little variation in the weight of your font helps bring key information to the forefront of your resume. If there’s something you want the hiring manager to notice immediately like your summary statement and past job titles, make those bold.
4. Edit, edit, edit
Keep editing down your resume so it focuses on keywords related to your skills and the most impressive data-backed results of your work experience. The more you refine your resume, the less crammed it’ll be, which makes it easier to scan and read.
The dos and don’ts of what to include on your resume
5. Include a background or summary statement
Skip the traditional objective statement and go for a background or summary blurb instead, says Hope. Objectives, which talk about the type of opportunities you’re seeking, can sometimes come with an air of desperation. It’s more impactful to recognize your superpowers and sell yourself and what you bring to the table.
6. Use skills-based language
Think of keywords that recruiters use to find potential candidates. If they’re on the hunt for a graphic designer, they’ll probably search “graphic designer” along with the names of any important software or platforms, like “InDesign” or “Figma.” Make sure you incorporate these types of keywords and match them to whatever’s in the job posting.
7. Add data-backed accomplishments
Whether you’ve increased impressions, revenue or conversion rate, any accomplishment that comes along with eye-catching data is great material for your resume.
8. Incorporate We Are Rosie’s 4Ps (Pedigree, Passion, Potential, Play) in your own way
At We Are Rosie, we’re embracing the resume-less future. We believe it takes more than just a resume of work experience to know if someone is a perfect match for a career opportunity. That’s why we use our 4Ps, and we encourage you to bring elements of these onto your resume to show who you are as a whole human.
- Pedigree: Work experience in chronological order.
- Potential: Skills and certifications.
- Play: Work style and preferences. Answer questions like, “Are you a freelancer or full-time worker?” “How do you like to work?”
- Passion: Interests and what you’re passionate about. Are you excited about a certain industry? Add that in!
9. Discuss any unemployment gaps
Briefly explain any major time off, whether it was becoming a parent, caring for a family member, taking a sabbatical, or anything else. It’s really important to honor these seasons of your life on your resume, says Hope.
10. Don’t make it longer than 2 pages
Hiring managers won’t read resumes that are that long, no matter how incredible your accomplishments are. Aim for a single page, but if you absolutely need more space, keep it to a max of 2.
11. Save your resume as a PDF
Other file types like Word docs can reformat your resume and make it look wonky. A PDF will preserve the way it’s formatted.
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