How to Address Self-Employment on Your Resume with Confidence

In this article, we’ll break down how to list self-employment on your resume so it looks polished, relevant, and ready to compete with any traditional job title.

Listing self-employment on your resume shouldn’t feel like you’re trying to justify it. You weren’t “between jobs” you were working, learning, and earning. The key is to present your self employment experience in a way that makes sense to hiring managers, even if you weren’t in a traditional office setup.

1. Treat It Like a Real Job

If you ran your own business, freelanced, consulted, or took on contract work, it belongs in your work experience section like any full time job. There’s no need to stash it under “Other Experience” or hide it below the fold. If it involved working with clients, managing timelines, or producing deliverables, that’s legitimate employment on your resume.

Use the same formatting you would for any role: job title, company name, location (if relevant), and dates. If you’ve worked in a self employed capacity for years with different clients or projects, treat it as one continuous role. It simplifies things and avoids making your resume look like a patchwork of gigs.

Include:

• Job title
• Business name or “Self-Employed”
• Dates of self-employment
• Location (optional)
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Example

• Freelance Content Strategist – Self-Employed | April 2020 – Present
• IT Consultant – ByteLogic Solutions | Remote | 2019 – 2023

2. Pick a Job Title That Matches the Work You Did

This is where a lot of people get tripped up. Calling yourself “CEO” or “Founder” might technically be true if you started your own small business but it doesn’t always help your case. Your job title should reflect the actual work you did, not the structure you built around it. Think about how a hiring manager or recruiter will interpret it in a quick scan.

Stick to titles that are common in your industry and match the job description of the role you want. If you wore multiple hats, choose the one that’s most relevant to your next move. Being a business owner is impressive, but “Digital Marketing Consultant” or “Freelance Graphic Designer” helps you get past the applicant tracking system and onto someone’s radar.

Use titles like:
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• Freelance Copywriter
• Independent Web Developer
• Marketing Consultant
• Contract UX Designer
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3. Add a Business Name or Client Label

If you had a formal company name, list it the same way you would for any employer. If not, keep it straightforward: “Self-Employed,” “Independent Contractor,” or the client name, if it’s recognizable and you’re comfortable naming them. You can also mention the type of clients or industries you worked with to give more context.

The idea here is to give your self employment history a sense of structure. It shows you weren’t just floating, you had real work and a process behind it. If you handled multiple projects across industries, think about summarizing them under one banner instead of listing every single one.

You can format it like this:

• Business name (if applicable)
• "Self-Employed" or “Freelance”
• Client name(s) or industries (optional)
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Example

• Software Developer – Self-Employed | Clients: SaaS startups, e-commerce brands
• Financial Consultant – Apex Advisory (Own Business)

4. Write Bullet Points That Show Off Results

This is where your self employed resume actually comes to life. Don’t just say you “managed projects” or “helped clients.” Get specific. Bullet points should describe the work you did, the value you brought, and the tools or skills you used along the way. This is where you prove your experience wasn’t just filler, It was high-impact.

Aim to balance both hard skills and soft skills here. Hiring managers want to see technical skills and achievements, but they also care about time management, communication, and adaptability especially if you worked solo. Mention project management tools, programming languages, marketing strategy, or anything else that shows how you got results.

Good bullet points include:

• Specific projects and outcomes
• Tools and technical skills used
• Relevant soft skills and problem-solving
  ‍

Examples

• Led social media marketing strategy for 12 small businesses, resulting in a 45% average boost in engagement
• Managed multiple projects across healthcare and fintech clients using Asana, Slack, and Zoom
• Designed and launched 10+ WordPress sites for local service providers with SEO-optimized content
• Tracked budgets, handled client referrals, and negotiated contracts while maintaining strong working relationships

5. Show Freelance and Traditional Work Together

If you’ve done freelance work on the side of a traditional job, there’s no rule saying you have to hide one behind the other. Your resume just needs to make your timeline and priorities clear. If your self employed work experience is more relevant to the job you’re applying for, move it up. If not, let it sit just beneath your most recent full time job.

Mixing contract work and salaried roles can actually show employers that you’re flexible, self-motivated, and experienced in managing multiple projects at once. Just don’t make it confusing. Keep each role distinct with clear dates, job titles, and bullet points under each one.

Tips to balance both:

• Group all freelance projects under one entry
• Use job titles that reflect your actual role in the project
• Keep formatting consistent between all jobs
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Example

• Digital Marketing Specialist – Glow Media | Jan 2021 – Present
• Freelance Marketing Consultant – Self-Employed | 2018 – Present
  • Developed campaign strategies for five B2C clients in wellness and tech
  • Created lead generation funnels that increased conversion rates by up to 30%

6. Include the Skills That Got You Paid

One of the most underrated parts of self-employment? You had to deliver. That means you used real, in-demand skills technical and interpersonal. This is your moment to list them. In fact, your resume should absolutely include a dedicated skills section, and you should reinforce those skills in your bullet points.

Include both hard skills and soft skills. Think about the tools you used every day, the platforms you had to learn on your own, and the communication habits that kept your clients coming back. These are the self employed skills that hiring managers care about.

Make sure to cover:

• Technical skills (software, platforms, programming languages)
• Soft skills (communication, time management, adaptability)
• Project management or financial management tools if relevant
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Example

Skills Section:

• Google Ads, Notion, Canva, Zapier
• Client communication, remote collaboration, project planning
• Financial tracking (QuickBooks), deadline management, content writing

7. Know When to Include Self Employment

Here’s the rule to follow: if it helps you land the job, put it in. If it clutters your resume or pulls focus from stronger roles, leave it out or trim it down. Self employed professionals sometimes try to include every project they’ve ever touched. You don’t need to. Focus on the work that aligns with the role you want now.

That said, don’t leave out self employed experience just because it wasn’t a traditional job. If you delivered value, developed relevant skills, and built a track record, it absolutely counts as employment on your resume. Use your judgment and use space wisely.

Include it if:

• It fills a gap in your employment history
• It aligns with the job description
• It shows relevant accomplishments or technical competencies
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Leave it off if:

• The work was short-term, unrelated, or a stretch for the role you're targeting
• Your resume is already packed with stronger experience
• It doesn’t highlight new or valuable insights
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8. Use Strong Examples That Tell Your Story

Generic bullet points won’t get you noticed. You need specific projects, real numbers, and impact that connects to your next role. A great self employed resume example will show how you solved problems, worked with multiple clients, and made things happen on your own terms.

Every bullet point should answer this: What did I do, how did I do it, and why did it matter? This is where your freelance work and self employed skills start pulling weight.

Sample entries

Freelance Web Developer – Self-Employed | 2020–Present

• Built 20+ websites for clients in retail, fitness, and education
• Integrated SEO tools and conversion tracking, increasing average session duration by 28%
• Maintained long-term contracts with 5 recurring clients through consistent delivery and clear communication
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Copywriter – Contract | Clients: SmartBank, Nova HR

• Wrote 75+ pieces of SEO content, landing pages, and email campaigns
• Improved click-through rates by up to 40% for email sequences
• Provided strategy input and branding insights across multiple projects

Example of Self-Employment on a Resume

Self-employment deserves more than a footnote, it should look just as clean, structured, and relevant as any corporate role. Below is a sample resume section that shows exactly how to present freelance and consulting work using real job titles, clear formatting, and bullet points that highlight actual results.

Freelance Content and Marketing Resume

Copy

Avery Knox
averyknox@email.com | (555) 555-0123 | Portland, OR | linkedin.com/in/averyknox

Professional Summary
Digital Marketing Consultant with 5+ years of experience helping SaaS startups, wellness brands, and e-commerce businesses grow their online presence. Specializes in SEO, email marketing, and paid ads with a strong track record of increasing engagement and conversions. Skilled in project management, cross-functional collaboration, and creating scalable digital strategies that get results.

Digital Marketing Consultant – Self-Employed
Remote | January 2020 – Present
Delivered full-service digital strategy for small businesses and startups across multiple industries. Projects focused on organic growth, paid acquisition, and improving customer engagement through targeted campaigns.

• Increased organic traffic by 55% on average for six clients through tailored SEO strategies
• Built and optimized email sequences using Mailchimp and ConvertKit, improving click-through rates by up to 40%
• Designed and executed Facebook and Google Ads campaigns with a 3x–6x return on ad spend
• Managed content calendars and campaign planning using Trello and Notion
• Collaborated with freelance designers and developers to launch brand refreshes and new landing pages

Freelance Content Writer – Self-Employed
Remote | June 2018 – December 2019
Produced SEO-optimized content and lead generation assets for B2B SaaS companies and digital agencies. Worked directly with clients to shape voice, structure copy, and hit conversion goals.

• Wrote 100+ blog posts, landing pages, and lead magnets with an average keyword ranking increase of 30%
• Helped two clients double their newsletter subscriber base through high-converting lead magnets
• Built and maintained editorial calendars in Airtable, coordinating with stakeholders across time zones

Skills

• SEO strategy
• Content marketing
• Email automation: Mailchimp, ConvertKit
• Paid advertising: Facebook Ads, Google Ads
• Project management: Trello, Notion
• Tools: Google Analytics, Canva, Airtable
• Soft skills: client communication, deadline management, self-direction

Freelance Digital Marketing Resume

Copy

Taylor Reed
taylorreed@email.com | (555) 555-0089 | Los Angeles, CA | linkedin.com/in/taylorreed

Professional Summary
Digital Marketing Consultant with 6+ years of experience helping brands grow through SEO, content marketing, and paid social. Known for building strategies that drive traffic, generate leads, and boost conversions. Skilled in project management, analytics, and creative direction across multiple platforms.

Digital Marketing Consultant – Self-Employed
Remote | March 2019 – Present
Partnered with startups and small businesses in lifestyle, SaaS, and e-commerce sectors. Focused on scalable growth strategies across search, email, and paid acquisition.

• Increased organic traffic by 60% in 6 months for a wellness client using keyword mapping and blog strategy
• Built multi-step email sequences in ConvertKit and Mailchimp, improving average click-through rate to 35%
• Ran Facebook and Instagram ad campaigns with average ROAS of 4.2x
• Oversaw content calendars, creative production, and reporting for 8+ brands using Notion and Trello

Skills

• SEO strategy
• Google Analytics and GA4
• Facebook Ads, Instagram Ads
• Email marketing: Mailchimp, ConvertKit
• Content creation and editing
• Project management: Notion, Trello
• Client communication, reporting, adaptability

Conclusion

If you’ve built something, ran it, and delivered results, it belongs on your resume no disclaimers, no awkward phrasing. Self-employment is real experience, and the way you present it should be just as confident as the work behind it. Own it, format it right, and let it do the heavy lifting for you.