At Artisan Creative, we often place people in contract and temp-to-hire positions, giving our talent a chance to test the waters, while giving our clients time to try out talent and find the perfect cultural fit. Freelance roles tend to be more short-term and a long list of them on a resume may make a job seeker who is also a freelancer feel like he or she looks like a job hopper, but those freelance gigs can help if you frame them well:
On your resume:
Instead of listing your freelance jobs by company, list them by category. If you have had consistent work as a Graphic Designer, for example, create a Graphic Design category and list your clients and how long you worked for them, as well as one or two accomplishments for each project as your bullet points.
Listing the projects you worked on as a freelancer between full time roles is a far better strategy than having an empty space in your employment history.
In an interview:
A hiring manager will ask about your freelance work if you have it on your resume. Talk about what you learned and the challenges you overcame working on your freelance projects. Remember–when a company brings on a freelancer, they have a problem to be solved. You solved it and that is a great story. Make sure you practice telling it.
If you have been spending your time between full-time roles as a freelancer, embrace the lessons you have learned and the relationships you have built. Those projects have more than monetary value to you if you don’t apologize for them, but rather celebrate the successes you have had, no matter where or for whom. Wendy Stackhouse, for Artisan Creative