Freelance work presents unique challenges when creating resume

Dear Sam: I have been reading your column for years, even when I was employed in what I thought was a “forever” job. I have since, however, come across a new issue and need some help. I am an over-60-year-old technical writer. Following in-house jobs in the ’80s, I embarked on a consulting career that lasted until 2008. In 2008, I landed my dream job, but unfortunately was downsized in 2016. Since then, I have taken some time off for health reasons, engaged in a fivemonth contracting role and returned to freelance work. Due to my journey, my resume contains a lot of “consultant” titles. While I have only explored the past 12 or so years of my career, a recruiter recently told me that it looked like I had “hopped” from one job to another. I really did not move from one role to another; I simply engaged in a project, completed the project and assumed the next consulting opportunity. The recruiter told me that even though I spent nine years with my past employer, because I had served in freelance roles before and after that — creating the appearance of “job hopping” — that no employer will look at my candidacy because I have “jumped around.” He said there is no way to present myself in an advantageous manner and that I would have to hope I would have the opportunity to “explain myself” if I manage to get an interview. Do you have any insights? — Anonymous

Dear Anonymous: Wow, I am so sorry you were told there was no solution! I am shocked that with your consistent history of freelance work, not to mention the solid career history with your employer from 2008 to 2016, that the recruiter could not see past your superficial appearance as a job hopper. I often work with clients who have been freelancing for some time, and I have a couple of tips for you. To create a more solid picture of your candidacy, try grouping all of your freelance engagements together. Since you were a “1099 employee,” this is a perfectly appropriate way to convey your experience. To do this, present an overview statement about the types of tasks you were charged with. Then in the highlights section, note the clients’ names (you could even present their logos, if available), and add some bulleted highlights of what you did for each one. Doing this will eliminate the appearance of moving around, and instead will reinforce a track record of value-added contributions. I did this for a client recently; while he was in a slightly different situation, we needed to showcase highlights from some of his earliest experiences. To engage the reader, I created a highlights section that preceded the professional-experience section. In the highlights section, I presented the logos of his key clients and employers, and included highlights of his experience with each company to the right of its logo. The look this created was visually appealing and took attention away from the potential disqualifier we were trying to minimize. I think this approach would work really well in your situation. To round out the professional-experience section, you can add your employer-employee experience going back to 2008. If you think it will add value, you can add a byline beneath that section that presents just a snapshot of your earlier experiences. Doing this will allow you to communicate the information without dates, eliminating the possibility of unnecessarily aging your candidacy. So, there is indeed a solution! It just takes a little creative thinking and the ability to see beyond unfortunate assumptions. I wish you tremendous success. — Samantha Nolan is a certified professional resume writer and the owner of Ladybug Design, a full-service resumewriting firm. Email resume or job-search questions to dearsam@arkansasonline. com. To find out more about Nolan, visit www.ladybug-design.com.