Contract and freelance roles are an increasingly common part of the modern workforce. This experience is a valuable asset, demonstrating adaptability and a diverse skill set. When presented correctly, contract work can strengthen a resume by showcasing your roles clearly and highlighting the value you delivered. This guide provides strategies to integrate your contract experience effectively.
Deciding How to List Your Contract Work
The most common method is to integrate contract positions into your standard, reverse-chronological work history. This approach works well for long-term contracts or when the work is highly relevant to the jobs you are targeting. It presents a seamless career narrative without drawing attention to the employment type.
Another strategy is to create a dedicated section titled “Contract Work” or “Consulting Experience.” This format is effective if you have completed numerous short-term projects for various clients. Grouping them together prevents your resume from looking like a list of brief, disconnected jobs, which some employers might perceive as job-hopping.
A third option is the functional resume format, which emphasizes skills over chronological work history. This style can be useful for career changers, as it highlights transferable skills from various contracts. It focuses on what you can do, drawing attention away from a non-traditional career path.
What Information to Include for Each Role
When listing a contract role, include the following information to ensure clarity for both automated systems (ATS) and recruiters.
- Job Title: Use a standard title like “Project Manager” and add a clarifying term such as “(Contract)” or “(Consultant)”. This provides transparency about the employment type while ensuring ATS recognition.
- Employer: List either the client you worked for or your own consulting business name. If the client is a well-known company, listing their name can add weight to your resume.
- Dates: State the month and year for each contract to provide a precise timeline and avoid the appearance of employment gaps.
- Location: List the city and state where the client was based or where you performed the work.
Highlighting Your Accomplishments
When describing your contract roles, focus on achievements rather than daily tasks. Use bullet points that start with strong action verbs to create a dynamic picture of your contributions. This approach shifts the narrative from what you were assigned to do, to what you successfully delivered.
Quantifying your accomplishments with numbers, percentages, or concrete outcomes is effective. For instance, instead of saying you “managed a marketing campaign,” state that you “Developed a new content strategy that increased web traffic by 30% in 3 months.” This provides measurable evidence of your impact.
For contract work, show how you solved a specific problem for the client. Frame your achievements to highlight your adaptability and ability to deliver results within a defined project scope and timeline. This demonstrates you can quickly integrate into a team and contribute.
Addressing Common Scenarios
Multiple Short-Term Projects
If you have many short-term contracts, group them under a single entry like “Independent Consultant” or your business name. This presents your experience in an organized manner, showcasing a period of self-employment rather than short-lived jobs. Under this heading, list each project or client with its duration. Then, use bullet points to highlight the achievements for that specific project, allowing you to detail accomplishments without cluttering your resume.
A Single, Long-Term Contract
A single, long-term contract should be treated like a full-time position and listed chronologically in your work experience. Emphasize the duration and depth of your responsibilities to showcase stability and commitment. State the start and end dates to highlight the engagement’s length. In the description, detail your evolving responsibilities and accomplishments to demonstrate growth and your ability to handle complex, long-term projects.
Working Through a Staffing Agency
When you secure a contract through a staffing agency, it can be confusing which company to list. The best practice is to feature the client company’s name prominently, as that is where you performed the work and gained the relevant experience. You should then acknowledge the agency to be transparent about the employment arrangement. A clear way to format this is to list the client first, followed by a note indicating the agency: “Client Company Name (via Agency Name).” This gives proper credit to the work environment while being truthful about the formal employment structure.
Resume Examples of Contract Work
The following examples show how to apply these principles. The first integrates a contract role into a chronological resume, and the second groups multiple projects under a consulting heading.
Chronological Integration Example:
XYZ Corporation, San Francisco, CA
Senior Financial Analyst (Contract) | June 2023 – April 2024
Developed a comprehensive financial model to analyze a potential $5M acquisition, leading to a successful bid.
Reduced monthly reporting time by 25% by automating data consolidation processes using advanced Excel functions.
Consolidated Contract Work Example:
Jane Doe Consulting, New York, NY | 2022 – Present
Independent Marketing Consultant
Client: ABC Tech (March 2023 – October 2023)
Launched a targeted social media campaign that generated over 500 qualified leads in the first quarter.
Client: Startup Innovate (June 2022 – January 2023)
Crafted foundational brand messaging and go-to-market strategy, contributing to a successful seed funding round.