How to List Self-Employment on Resumes [+ Examples]

Self-employment comes in many forms, whether freelancing, consulting, contracting, or running your own business, and it counts as real professional experience. Too often, job seekers wonder if they should include this work on a resume, but the truth is that self-employment history can be one of your biggest assets when presented the right way. This guide will show you how to highlight your self-employed professional experience with clarity, treat it as credible employment, and use examples to help potential employers see the full value of your work.

Why Self-Employment Belongs on Your Resume

Self-employment is more than a stopgap between traditional roles. It shows initiative, resourcefulness, and the ability to manage multiple responsibilities without a safety net. Running your own business, freelancing, or contracting requires skills that potential employers want to see, including problem-solving, time management, client communication, and adaptability.

Hiring managers now recognize the professional value of self-employment experience. It signals independence and drive, and it often demonstrates leadership and technical skills that are hard to capture in standard job descriptions. When framed correctly, a self-employed resume can showcase achievements that align directly with career goals in a way that stands out.

Leaving this experience off your resume can create more problems than it solves. At best, it leaves employment gaps in your work history. At worst, it undervalues years of effort and results that could strengthen your candidacy. Including self-employment on your resume is not only acceptable but often essential to presenting a complete and credible professional story.

How to List Self-Employment on a Resume

Treat your self-employment as professional experience, not a footnote. It belongs in the work experience section, formatted the same way you would list any other role. This approach signals to hiring managers that your independent work is relevant work experience, not something less credible. A good resume writer knows that consistency in formatting is key, so keep job titles, company names, and dates aligned with the style of your traditional positions.

Choose the Right Job Title

Your job title shapes how employers view your role. Avoid vague labels like “Self-Employed” or inflated titles such as “CEO of Myself,” which can weaken credibility. Instead, use clear industry terms that match what you did and what employers seek, like “Freelance Web Developer” or “Independent Consultant.” If you worked as an independent contractor, tailor the resume title to reflect the type of projects you delivered.

Decide What to List as the Employer

When it comes to the company name, you have options. You can list your registered business name, simply write “Self-Employed,” or highlight major clients you worked with. Each has advantages: a business name shows formality, “Self-Employed” works when you have multiple clients, and client names can boost credibility if they’re recognized by potential employers. Choose the option that best supports your career goals and how you want your self-employed resume to be read.

Use Strong Bullet Points With Measurable Results

Bullet points make your self-employment history easy to scan. Lead with action verbs and pair them with quantifiable achievements. Instead of writing vague responsibilities, focus on specific projects and notable achievements. For example: “Increased client revenue by 20% through targeted social media campaigns” communicates value more effectively than “Managed social media accounts.” Strong, results-driven bullet points show that your independent work carries the same weight as traditional employment in your work history.

(Pro Tip: Struggling to phrase your results? Huntr’s Resume Bullet Generator can help you turn projects into strong, results-driven bullet points in seconds.)

Add Dates and Context Clearly

Be upfront about the timeline of your self-employment. State clear start and end dates, whether it was full-time, part-time, or overlapping with another role. This prevents confusion and eliminates the appearance of employment gaps. Framing your employment on your resume with accurate context helps potential employers understand how your self-employment fits into your overall work experience and ensures your background looks complete and relevant.

Ways to Showcase Self-Employment Experience

Your self-employment experience does not have to live only in the work experience section. A strong resume writer knows how to weave in different elements that highlight the full scope of your self-employment history. The key is showing potential employers the skills, achievements, and professional certifications that matter most to your career goals.

Include in Your Resume Summary or Objective

A resume summary is prime real estate to establish credibility. If your self-employment was a major part of your career path, call it out directly in this short summary so it grabs the reader's attention right away. For example: “Freelance Web Designer with five years of experience creating responsive websites for multiple clients across healthcare and retail.” Or: “Independent Consultant helping small businesses increase revenue through social media marketing and brand strategy.” A self-employed resume summary works best when it frames your unique value proposition clearly and ties directly to your next career goals.

(Pro Tip: Use Huntr’s Resume Summary Generator to quickly craft a concise, tailored self-employed resume summary that highlights your career goals and unique value proposition.)

Highlight Relevant Skills You Built

Self-employment often demands a mix of technical and soft skills. Make space in your skills section to list hard skills like coding languages, bookkeeping software, or project management tools. Pair those with soft skills, such as client communication, time management, and adaptability. If you’ve earned professional certifications or developed technical competencies during this time, include them. The balance of hard skills and soft skills shows that you didn’t just work independently, you advanced your professional value in measurable ways.

(Pro Tip: Make sure your skills section aligns with job descriptions. Huntr’s Resume Skills Generator and Keyword Scanner can help you surface the right hard and soft skills that match what employers are looking for.)

Create a Projects or Portfolio Section

Sometimes, the best way to show impact is through a dedicated projects section. Use it to highlight specific projects that showcase your most relevant work experience, especially if you managed multiple projects at once. Each entry should include a brief description, quantifiable outcomes, and, when applicable, client references. If you work in a creative or technical field, link to a portfolio that demonstrates your work. This approach helps hiring managers see the scale and quality of your self-employment without overloading your main work history.

Self-Employment Resume Examples That Work

Including self-employment on resumes is about clarity and credibility. The following self-employed resume examples show how different professionals can present their work history in a way that highlights professional experience while keeping formatting consistent with traditional jobs. These samples are not full resumes but short snippets you can adapt into your own self-employed resume template.

Full-Time Freelancer Example

If freelancing were your main career, frame it as a core role with multiple clients.

Freelance Web Developer | Self-Employed | 2019–Present

• Designed and launched websites for 15+ clients across healthcare, retail, and education.
• Improved site load times by 40% and reduced bounce rate by 25% through optimized coding practices.
• Managed multiple projects at once, consistently delivering ahead of deadlines.

This resume example works because it uses measurable results and positions freelance work as sustained professional experience.

Side Hustle or Part-Time Example

If your self-employment was secondary to a primary job, include it without overshadowing your main role.

Freelance Copywriter | Self-Employed | 2021–Present

• Produced blog content for small businesses, averaging 5 articles per month.
• Strengthened SEO performance, increasing client website traffic by 18%.

Listing this in the work experience section or under “Other Experience” ensures the side hustle adds relevant skills without distracting from your primary career.

Small Business Owner Example

Running a business demonstrates leadership and entrepreneurial ability.

Owner | Bright Path Marketing | 2017–2023

• Built and managed a digital marketing agency serving 25+ small business clients.
• Oversaw social media marketing campaigns that generated an average 30% increase in engagement.
• Earned Google Analytics certification and HubSpot Inbound Marketing certification to enhance services.

This self-employed resume example shows how a small business owner can present achievements with the same weight as paid employment. Including the company name adds formality and positions you as a self-employed professional with credibility.

Consultant/Contractor Example

Independent contractors should highlight consulting services and specific projects that tie to the employer's needs.

Independent Consultant | 2018–Present

• Provided contract work in operations strategy for mid-sized companies.
• Led cost reduction project, saving a client $75K annually through workflow redesign.
• Delivered staff training sessions, improving team productivity scores by 22%.

This approach makes consulting experience tangible and signals transferable skills. Client references or project outcomes can add extra validation.

Common Mistakes to Avoid When Listing Self-Employment

Your self-employment history can strengthen your candidacy, but only if it’s presented with clarity and focus. Here are pitfalls that often weaken a self-employed resume and how to avoid them.

Inflated or Confusing Job Titles

A job title like “CEO of Myself” might sound clever, but it will not help you with potential employers. Instead of exaggerating, choose titles that match industry standards, such as “Freelance Designer” or “Independent Consultant.” Clear, professional titles show that you take your self-employment experience seriously.

Listing Irrelevant Gigs or Side Hustles

Not every project belongs on your resume. If your work history includes side hustles unrelated to your career goals, leave them out. Hiring managers want relevant skills and results, not a list of odd jobs. Keep the focus on the experience that supports the role you are targeting.

Treating It Like a Hobby Rather Than Real Work

Some job seekers undersell self-employment by writing vague descriptions. Avoid language that makes your work sound casual or inconsistent. Use strong action verbs and measurable results to demonstrate professional value, just as you would for traditional roles.

Overloading the Resume With Every Freelance Project Instead of Tailoring

Listing every client or small task can overwhelm the reader. Instead, highlight a handful of specific projects that showcase your strongest achievements. A tailored self-employed resume is easier to scan and makes a stronger impact with potential employers.

(Pro Tip: If you’re not sure which projects to highlight, Huntr’s AI Resume Review and Job Tailored Resume features can help you focus on the most relevant achievements for each role.)

Conclusion

Framing self-employment on resumes with relevance, clarity, and impact can turn independent work into one of your strongest career assets. When you treat your self-employed resume with the same weight as traditional employment, hiring managers see initiative, adaptability, and real results instead of gaps or guesswork. Tailor your examples to align with career goals, highlight the skills you’ve grown, and position your self-employment experience as proof of your professional growth. Ready to put this into practice? Sign up for Huntr today to build your own resume that shows employers the full value of your work.