Resume template · Updated October 2026
Resume template for freelancers and self-employed work
Short answer
Daniel suits a freelancer moving in-house or pitching for bigger clients: design tools print first, then one entry for the whole freelance business, then a few selected client projects, under soft rounded heading pills. The fictional sample is a brand and web designer with five years running her own studio after four at an agency. Gig and platform work fits the same single-entry approach.
Download the freelance work sample
Kai is a fictional brand and web designer. Replace every detail with your own before you send it.
The files are made in your browser by Resumity's own exporters, from this sample. The builder opens it as your own resume: click any line to replace it. Free plan, no watermark.
Why Daniel suits a freelance work resume
Daniel prints skills right after the summary, then experience, then projects, so tools come first and selected client work follows the freelance entry that frames it. Its rounded grey heading pills are aimed at designers, and the softer look sits naturally beside a portfolio link.
Second choice: Olivia. Olivia keeps the same section order behind a solid blue header band; choose it if you want the page itself to stand out on screen when it reaches an agency inbox.
What goes in each section, in Daniel's order
Daniel prints its sections in a fixed order, the same in the PDF and the Word file. Here is that order for this sample, and what to put in each section.
- Professional Summary. Say how long you have freelanced and for what kind of clients, then the job you want next. If you are applying in-house, say so plainly; it answers the worry that you will go back to client work when a big contract appears.
- Skills. Daniel shows skills in a grid without group labels, so put your specialisms first and the software after them. Add the business skills freelancing taught you, such as scoping and quoting, because they show you can run your own projects.
- Work Experience. One entry for the whole freelance business, under your trading name or "Self-employed", with the full date range. Its bullets cover the client mix, repeat work and the business side; individual projects go in the section below.
- Projects. Two or three client projects that match the job you want, each with what you made and a result the client reported. If a client cannot be named, describe it by type ("an outdoor gear retailer"), as the sample does.
- Education. Degree, school and year. For a designer the portfolio carries more weight than the degree, so keep this entry short.
The sample resume as text
The same content as the files above, so you can copy a line or compare it with your own.
Kai Nakamura
Brand and Web Designer
Portland, OR | kai.nakamura@example.com | (503) 555-0193 | linkedin.com/in/sample-kai-nakamura | portfolio.example.com/kai-nakamura
Brand and web designer with five years running a freelance studio and four years at a creative agency. Has delivered identities, websites and packaging for 28 small businesses, handling every project from quote to launch. Looking for an in-house senior designer role on a consumer brand team.
Experience
Freelance Brand and Web Designer, Nakamura Studio (self-employed), Portland, OR (03/2021 to Present)
- Designed brand identities and websites for 28 clients, mostly food, outdoor and wellness businesses with fewer than 50 staff.
- Run every project from quote to handoff: scope, timeline, invoicing and a style guide for the client's team.
- Earn about half of yearly revenue from repeat clients, including two on monthly retainers since 2022.
- Rebuilt a coffee roaster's online store in Shopify; the owner reports online orders roughly doubled the following year.
Graphic Designer, Fernwood Creative Agency, Portland, OR (06/2017 to 02/2021)
- Designed packaging and campaign assets for regional grocery and beverage brands.
- Prepared print files for press and checked proofs with three local printers.
- Mentored two junior designers on typography and file setup.
Projects
Brand refresh for an outdoor gear retailer: Logo, colour system and store signage for three locations, 2024.
- Delivered a 30-page brand guide that the client's in-house team still works from.
Booking website for a physiotherapy clinic: Webflow site with online booking and a simple content system, 2025.
- The clinic counted about a third fewer phone booking requests in the first quarter after launch.
Education
Bachelor of Fine Arts, Graphic Design, Cedar Hill College of Art and Design (05/2017)
Skills
Brand identity, Web design, Packaging design, Art direction, Figma, Adobe Illustrator, Adobe InDesign, Webflow, Shopify, Client communication, Scoping and quoting, Deadline management
How to make the sample yours
Use one entry, not a list of clients
Twenty short client entries make a freelance career look like twenty short jobs. Group them under your business name and pull the best few into Projects.
Give numbers about the business
Number of clients, share of repeat work, retainers, the size of the largest project: these show you ran a business, which an employer needs to believe before hiring a freelancer onto a team.
Gig work goes in the same way
Delivery, rideshare and task app work belongs in one entry ("Independent delivery driver, self-employed, via two apps") with dates and two bullets on reliability and volume, such as deliveries a week or the rating the platform shows.
Read your contracts before naming clients
Some clients forbid naming them or showing their work. Check each agreement before a client name or a project link goes on the page.
Make the portfolio match the resume
Put the portfolio link in the header and make sure every project named on the resume appears there under the same name.
Keywords to keep where they are true
Terms this kind of resume is usually searched for. Use the posting's exact wording, and only for work you have done.
- brand identity
- web design
- Figma
- Adobe Illustrator
- Webflow
- Shopify
- packaging design
- art direction
- client management
- project scoping
- style guides
- freelance
- self-employed
Mistakes to avoid
- Giving a one-person business a title such as "CEO" or "Founder". "Freelance designer" or "Owner, self-employed" is accurate and reads better.
- Leaving out the dates of the freelance period or calling it "ongoing" with no start. It needs the same month-and-year dates as a job.
- Naming clients or linking work that your contract says must stay confidential.
- Presenting a quiet stretch as continuous client work. If you took a part-time job or a break, list it with its dates.
How the sample PDF reads in text extractors
We exported this sample with Resumity's PDF exporter in Chrome on 2026-10-29 and read the file back with three open-source text extractors. This shows whether software that turns a PDF into text can recover it; it is not a test of any commercial applicant tracking system. How we test templates.
| Extractor | Name, email, phone | Headings | Bullets intact |
|---|---|---|---|
| pdf.js 4.10.38 | All found | 5 of 5 | 9 of 9 |
| pdftotext (Xpdf) 4.00 | All found | 5 of 5 | 9 of 9 |
| pypdf 6.13.0 | All found | 5 of 5 | 9 of 9 |
Frequently asked questions
How do I put freelance work on a resume?
As one entry: a title such as "Freelance Brand Designer", your business name or "Self-employed", the location and the full date range. Bullets cover the client mix and results; selected projects can go in their own section.
Should I list every freelance client?
No. Name the range in a bullet ("28 small businesses in food, outdoor and wellness") and pick two or three projects that match the job you want.
Can gig work count as experience?
Yes. Delivery, rideshare and task app work is paid, self-employed work. List it in one dated entry and write bullets about reliability, volume and any rating the platform gives you.
Will employers worry I will go back to freelancing?
Some will. A summary that names the in-house role you want, plus a line in the cover letter on why, answers it. Be ready to say how you will wind down or pause client work.
Do freelancers need a portfolio as well as a resume?
For design, writing and development work, yes. The resume shows the career and the business; the portfolio shows the work. Link it in the header.
Will applicant tracking systems read this Daniel PDF?
The sample PDF read back with its contact details, all 5 section headings and all 9 bullets intact in three open-source text extractors (pdf.js, pdftotext and pypdf). Commercial systems such as Workday, Greenhouse or Taleo were not tested, and each employer configures its own.