How to Put Self-Employment on a Resume (With Examples)

The employment landscape is shifting, with more and more people choosing self-employment as their career path. 

Whether you’ve ventured into freelancing or running your own small business, your self-employment experience holds immense value and deserves a place on your resume. 

However, effectively showcasing this experience can sometimes take work. 

We’re here to break down the basics of including self-employment experience on your resume, including what to add and how to format it. 

Let’s go!

How to put self-employment on a resume

Formatting your self-employed experience is similar to listing any other job on your resume.

Think of how you would format traditional work experience on your resume. You’d probably include clear job titles, company names, dates of employment, and bullet-pointed descriptions of duties and achievements. Your self-employed ventures should follow a similar format as your other experiences. 

What to include

When incorporating self-employment into your resume, it’s important to provide comprehensive information to give potential employers a clear understanding of your experience and skills. 

Here’s what you should include:

• Business name: Begin by stating the name of your business, if it has a formal name. 
• Your role/title: Specify your role or title within the business. This could be founder, owner, CEO, consultant, freelancer, or any other relevant designation that accurately reflects your position.
• Key responsibilities: Using bullet points, outline your primary responsibilities and duties during your self-employment. This could include managing operations, client acquisition, project management, financial oversight, marketing, or any other tasks relevant to your role.
• Achievements and milestones: Highlight significant achievements and milestones attained during your self-employment. Your achievements may include successful project completions, revenue growth, client satisfaction metrics, awards or recognitions received, or any other accomplishments demonstrating your effectiveness and impact.
• Duration of self-employment: Indicate the duration of your self-employment, including the start and end dates. If your self-employment is ongoing, put Present as the end date.

This consistency ensures uniformity in your resume presentation and makes it easier for hiring managers to quickly understand and evaluate your self-employment experience alongside your other work history.

Self-employment resume examples

Here are three self-employment scenarios and how you might format your resume for each. 

Freelance writer resume example 

Contract sales representative resume example

Company founder and CEO resume example

Tips for including self-employment on your resume

Remember the following tips as you build your resume with self-employed job experiences.

1. Share quantifiable achievements and details.

When describing your self-employment experience on your resume, focus on quantifiable achievements and specific details to highlight your impact. 

For example, instead of simply stating “Managed client accounts,” you could quantify it by saying, “Increased client retention by 30% through implementation of personalized customer service strategies.” 

Of course, you don’t want to make up numbers here. Only include quantifiable data if it is accurate!

2. Tailor your resume to the job you’re applying for.

Customize your resume for each job application by tailoring your self-employment experiences to align with the specific requirements and preferences of the position. 

Carefully review the job description and identify key skills, qualifications, and responsibilities the employer seeks. Then, strategically select and emphasize relevant experiences and achievements from your self-employment that demonstrate your ability to excel in the role. 

This tailored approach increases your chances of getting noticed by recruiters and showcases your genuine interest and fit for the position.

3. Showcase your transferable skills.

Even if your self-employment experience is in a completely different field from the job you’re applying for, you can use it to showcase relevant transferable skills.

These skills may include leadership, project management, problem-solving, communication, and adaptability. For instance, if you ran your own business, you likely developed strong leadership skills by managing employees. You probably honed your problem-solving abilities by navigating challenges that come with owning a business. You may be more detail-oriented than you ever were before.

Highlighting these transferable skills demonstrates your readiness and suitability for the new role.

4. Include a cover letter to address any concerns.

If you anticipate potential concerns or questions regarding your self-employment history, proactively address them in your cover letter. 

Use this opportunity to provide context and explain how your experience gave you the skills to succeed in the role. Address gaps in traditional employment or potential misconceptions about self-employment, emphasizing your professionalism, dedication, and readiness to transition into a new role. 

A well-crafted cover letter can help alleviate any doubts or reservations employers may have and strengthen your candidacy.

Embrace your self-employed experience on your resume

As we wrap up, remember this: your self-employment journey isn’t just a blip on your career radar—it’s a badge of honor showcasing your initiative, creativity, and resilience. Understanding how to put self-employment on your resume can turn your experience into a powerful narrative for your job application. Good luck!