How To List Independent Consultant On Resume

Example : Demonstrate The Skill Through Other Sections Of Your Resume

Ideally, youâll have some extracurricular activities worth mentioning in your resume. Think how they relate to your ability to be an individual worker. Maybe you have volunteered as a teacher, or maybe you have passed some short courses.

It doesnât really matter what you have done as long as you have done something extra. This shows that you are able to take the initiative to learn some new skills.

It shows that you donât need someone to push you in order to get things done. Especially when it comes to optional courses and volunteering, where one really needs to work independently for good results.

Should You List Freelance Work On Your Resume

Yes, absolutely! You wonât be alone in listing your freelance work on your resume. In fact, according to a 2016 study on freelancing in America, around 55 million people in the US are freelancing – and you can guarantee that many of them have had to update their resume at some point!

The skills and experience that youâve learned as a freelancer are just as valid as the ones learned in a more traditional workplace. From drafting professional freelance invoices to responsibly time tracking, all these skills can be transferable to almost any job.

As long as the freelance work has some relevance to the job youâre applying for , you should always list your freelance work on your resume.

But a big question remains: how do you put freelance work on a resume?

Consulting Resumes: Top 5 Best

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So, youve recently updated your resume and now youre ready to apply for that consulting position, right?

Wrong!

Its discouraging, but true, that the majority of job applicants never make it past submitting their resume.

If your resume is not up to par, you wont get a callback and you wont get the job.

What does this mean for a consulting position?

It means you need a high-quality consulting resume that can make it through the Applicant Tracking System .

A general resume simply wont do. In this article, well share:

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Build Your Consulting Website

Did you know that four out of five prospective buyers will check out your website before doing business with you?

Your consulting website is a marker for professionalism.

Its also a way for you to host other marketing assets that educate and provide value to your ideal clients .

If you dont have a consulting website, then youre making it that much harder for clients to find and hire you.

Here are five best practices to help you write, design, and promote your consulting website:

Your consulting website, when used right, is an incredibly valuable marketing asset. Unlike your resume, you can add whatever you want to it and turn it into a platform that educates your ideal clients and captures leads.

Use Action Words Keywords And Dollar Signs

Return to elementary school and embrace those verbs. Action words, from absorb and arbitrate to utilize, yield, and won, show that you’re a person who gets things done. Resume keywords are also important, especially if you’re applying online.

Many companies rely on an Applicant Tracking System to sort and screen resumes before they ever get to a human using keywords will help you get past the robots and on to an actual person. Analyzing the job listing will help you figure out which keywords to target.

Finally, remember that it all comes down to money, even if you’re a creative who never even speaks to the sales folks or accounting department. If you can demonstrate that you boosted a client’s or employer’s earnings, even indirectly, you’re more likely to get that first call.

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But Dont List Everything

While you certainly want to showcase the projects that youâre most proud of, be careful not to try to squeeze every single freelance project youâve ever worked on onto your resume. Only list the jobs that are strategically relevant to the job that youâre applying for. If youâre applying for a web developer position, you donât need to list the freelance transcription projects that you took on when you were just starting out.

Similarly, do not create individual headings for each project instead, summarize your freelance work within a single heading. The only exception to this would be if you changed your freelance career for example, if you started as a web designer but then moved on to web content writing.

Ways To List Contract Work On Your Resume

Writing and arranging a traditional resume is trickywriting and organizing a resume when youre a consultant is even trickier.

Why? Well, most of the workforce organizes their work history in chronological order, including with each experience their title, employer name, and dates of employment.

But that approach clearly wont work when youre shifting company and roles every three to 12 months.

So, here are four ways to organize your resume when youre a consultant.

1. Organize It by Parent Company

This approach is the closest to the standard approach. List the staffing firm you work with as the umbrella company, then underneath write the consulting jobs youve completed.

For example:

• Blue Moon Bank, Nashville, TN

• Senior Java Developer, 6/15 11/15

• Re-engineered Java User Interface and portions of core applications, resulting in additional functionality and scalability

Increased customer satisfaction with bank website by 56% according to user surveys

2. Organize It by Short-Term Employers

Another strategy to list all of your consulting jobs in chronological order under the heading Consulting Jobs.

For job seekers who have worked with a variety of staffing firms, completed many independent gigs, or both, this is a great way to present all of your experience without spending lots of space showing which staffing firm you were working with during each gig.

For example:

3. Organize It by Technology

For example:

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How To Correctly Display Your Contact Information

Now, this section is simple, but there are a few important rules to follow.

The most important rule is to make sure all information is 100% correct.

One wrong digit in your phone number can result in the recruiter offering an interview to a confused elderly lady in a nearby city.

The contact information section must include:

• Full Name
• Title – In this case, Consultant
• Phone Number Check this multiple times for errors
• Email Address Use a professional email address , not your childhood email .
• Location

Incorrect Example:

Is Including Contract Work On Your Resume Bad For You

Some people worry that including all their contract work in their resume will make them look like job hoppers.

They think employers will not risk hiring a previous contractor because they might get bored quickly and move on.

However, not including those jobs will make it hard to explain job gaps, which is much worse. Also, there is no longer a stigma in contracting. We live in a gig economy after all.

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Organize Your Experience With Subheads

It’s not uncommon for freelancers to have varied kinds of experience. While weeding out the unrelated gigs is important, even your pared-down resume will probably demonstrate that you can wear many hats. That’s a bonus if you present it in the right way.

Employers love to see that you can multitask and see things from different perspectives, as long as it doesn’t look like you’re a bad fit for the role or apt to jump ship for something else at the first opportunity.

The best way to show the diversity of your talents while still maintaining an orderly narrative is to break up your experience with subheads. For example, as a freelance writer and editor, a resume should contain headings for writing, copyediting, and editorial management.

Contractor Resume Example :

Software Engineer – ContractorMicrosoft, Seattle As a software engineer, I was responsible for the design and implementation of the payroll system used internally by the company.

• Developed the software in record 6 months and within budget.
• Implemented both the frontend and the backend while also being responsible for gathering user requirements.
• Technologies used: C#, Javascript, React, SQL Server, Azure Cloud

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How To List Self

If youve been working full time in a self-employed capacity, simply list it on your resume like youd include traditional work in a regular work experience section.

1. Choose an accurate job title

As a self-employed professional, you can pick your own job title.

However, the job title you put on your resume should reflect the actual work you do. So even if youre the owner of Aaron Chens Window Cleaning Services, list your job title as Window Cleaner if thats what you spend the majority of your time doing.

Saying youre the CEO or Director might be somewhat accurate, but may make hiring managers think youre overqualified.

When you write your companys name on your resume, you have several options. You can either:

Heres how each of these options would look:

Writing Self Employed

Listing your personal company name

Listing companies you collaborate with

If you collaborated with any prestigious or well-known companies, you can also fit that information into your work experience bullet points. For example:

• Performed 47 coding tasks for companies such as Apple, Acer, and HTC

Highlight Your Success & Achievements

One of the main sections of any good resume that a business will hope to see is a celebration of success and achievements. Here, you have an opportunity to weave in accolades and awards that didnt fit neatly into the chronological breakdown of work on your resume.

This section of information is great for contractors because youve worked on so many different projects. As such, you likely have many huge success stories to share! Pull a few key examples of accomplishments that are relevant to the job youre applying for to list on your resume. This is an excellent opportunity to demonstrate successful outcomes and sought-after qualities that you may have struggled to highlight in your work history.

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What Is Contract Work

An independent contractor is a self-employed individual who provides temporary work for clients. Similar to freelance positions, a contractor has the freedom to choose the number of projects to accept at any given time and is responsible for equipment, taxes, rates, work locations and benefits.

In contrast to a freelancer, a contractor may take on fewer long-term projects and work closely with clients and employers.

% Of Candidates Dont Get Invited To An Interview Make Sure You Are In The 25%

Remember how crucial your resume is – how over half the cut of candidates is done on the basis of resumes alone. You are going to need to make sure you resume is the very best it can be. As such, before you submit your resume, you need to subject it to some serious quality control. This is a three step process:

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Writing Tip #: I Vs We

Its very likely that you havent done those achievements alone: you were probably part of a team, or someone helped you, etc.

Yet, this is VERY ok to put those achievements on your resume.

For instance, when a Consultant says:

He didnt do this alone. Yet its fine to say so everybody knows how it works.

In other words, your resume is not where your modesty or timidity have place:

• your resume is all about you and how great you are
• you will have many opportunities during your interviews to explain further your role and the role of your team

To conclude: think I even if We were involved in your achievements.

Dont Be Afraid To List Contract Work On Your Resume

Do not hesitate to list contract work on your resume or cover letter. Yes, these positions are temporary, and often mission-specific â but they are important nonetheless. In fact, most hiring managers are now familiar with this type of employment. The key is to properly document the job, and terms of employment so that your reasons for leaving are clear.

Thereâs another good reason for job seekers to include this information, of course. Without these listings, your resume will be littered with employment gaps â and that will definitely raise an eyebrow or two. The best way to ensure that a hiring manager understands that you have been actively employed is to list those contract jobs.

If it wasn’t contract work – we wrote a good post on including temporary jobs on a resume here.

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Some Resume Writing Tips

When writing your contracting experience, focus on your accomplishments. Quantify your results and always use specific numbers to show your impact.

Show, don’t tell. Employers want to know how the skills and knowledge you gained while contracting will benefit them.

Tip: If the dates for each gig are short enough, you may omit them completely.

Requirements To Become An Independent Consultant

To become an independent consultant, you need the following qualifications:

• A verified degree from a recognized institution in the state

• A few years’ experience in the relevant field

• Certification or license from the business management body in a state

• Great observational, interpersonal and analytical skills

• Excellent verbal and written communication skills

• Able to manage hectic workflow and limited time

• A driving license is an added advantage.

Employers will only work with candidates that have exhibited the ability to move their organizations forward. Therefore, it’s essential to have everything covered in the resume if you don’t want to miss out on an opportunity.

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Consultant Resume Career Objective Examples

The motive of the objective statement in the final resume is to sketch your pivotal goals in being a consultant simultaneously with the core traits that make you perfect for the job. Your career objective must be well-researched with the help of Consultant Resume Samples available today. The key to creating a perfect career objective for a consultant is to aim at being unique than perfect.

In short, your resume objective must not be a desperate cry, but a specific and detailed statement of how passionate you are about your technical skills as well as its practical applications. An ideal career objective must state your reasons for choosing the company youre offered a job with.

What Is An Independent Contractor

An independent contractor is a self-employed person who typically works on a project-by-project basis under a contract rather than working under one certain employer. Common types of independent contractors are web developers, graphic designers and writers, but independent contracting can encompass a range of different fields, including law and medicine. Independent contractors often have the freedom to create their own hours and pay rates.

Related:Becoming an Independent Contractor: Pros and Cons

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When Are Verbal Agreements Not Enforceable

There are some types of contracts which must be in writing.

The Statute of Frauds is a legal statute which states that certain kinds of contracts must be executed in writing and signed by the parties involved. The Statute of Frauds has been adopted in almost all U.S states, and requires a written contract for the following purposes:

• The sale of real estate or vehicles
• Real estate leases lasting longer than one year.
• Property transfer following the death of the owner.
• The case of a party agreeing to pay debt for someone else.
• Any contract that requires more than a year to fulfil.
• A contract involving and exceeding a specified amount of money .

Typically, a court of law won’t enforce an oral agreement in any of these circumstances under the statute. Instead, a written document is required to make the contract enforceable.

Contract law is generally doesn’t favor contracts agreed upon verbally. A verbal agreement is difficult to prove, and can be used by those intent on committing fraud. For that reason, it’s always best to put any agreements in writing and ensure all parties have fully understood and consented to signing.

Writing Tip #: How To List Your Achievements If You Are A Student

If youre a student or a recent graduate, you probably dont have that much work experience

Yet, you can list achievements from:

• Internships
• School projects, for instance: created a marketing strategy for Company X as part of my Marketing 101 class
• University club activities, for instance: led the consulting club at XXX University
• Volunteering Experience, for instance: taught kids elementary mathematics as a volunteer at XXXs orphanage

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How To Present Skills Section In Consultant Resume

In the field of consultancy, your technical prowess proves your valuable traits useful to the company. In order to outsmart other candidates, you must list the transferable skills in addition to the elementary skills as seen in most consultant resume samples today.

Your technical skills include supremacy in managing more than the average number of cases every day to computer or software skills relevant to the job offered. When listing the software youre acquainted with, remember to separate software by bulleted points. Depending on your specialization as a consultant, the core skills also vary. Core skills seen widely in resumes are Microsoft Word, MS Word, MS Excel, Adobe, JAVA, WordPress, Joomla, EHR, MoneyDance, Evernote, Oracle, Xero, and Basecamp.

How To List Consulting Jobs On Your Resume

It is the standard Catch-22: in order to get a great job in your industry, you need experience. In order to get that vitally-needed experience, you have to have a job within your industry.

Luckily, you have some experience as a consultant. The question is, how do you list those contract jobs on your resume and highlight the skills and accomplishments acquired from those positions? You want future employers to see what a valuable asset you could be to the team and hire you, rather than tossing your resume straight into the discard pile.

Here is the good news: contract jobs often help employees gain substantial job skills within a relatively short period of time. They can also showcase adaptability, your ability to learn new skills quickly, and even your creativity. By framing those positions properly on your resume, you can help potential employers see exactly what you can offer at their company.

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