Flexible working hours and working place probably seem attractive to people of today. Thanks to online technology, people finally got the chance to work whenever they want from the park, coworking space, or anywhere else. However, becoming a successful freelancer is a process that lasts long. The skills and knowledge that people have are not enough for a successful beginning of a freelance career. People need to learn how to promote themselves. That is the reason why optimizing the CV for a freelance career is an essential move.
Highlighting your career history, the languages you speak, and the reasons why you are a good team player are no longer the essential parts of a CV. Clients want to know how exactly freelancer’s skills can help them achieve the goals they have. For instance, adding too much fluff content will reduce the quality of the CV. Despite that, freelancers often try to overdesign the layout of the CV and split impress the potential client in that way.
Finding the simplest way to design the CV and meet client’s requirements should be the goal of every freelance worker. By going through a couple of stages, they will manage to do that. It is about time to find those stages and optimize your CV for a freelance career.
The formatting should be Simple
Adding millions of details to your CV is not the way to grab the attention of potential clients. The format needs to be simple and eye-pleasing. That means people should stick to short sentences and paragraphs. Of course, if bullet lists can boost the readability score of a CV, using them would be a smart move. On the other hand, the font they are using should also be clean and simple. Fonts like Calibri, Times New Roman, Arial, and Cambria are the ones people can use.
The example below shows that you can say everything about yourself without using a complex format. Most of the sentences contain less than 20 words, and all the paragraphs are short.
According to Statista, the average daily time people spend reading is around 16 minutes. That is the main reason why you should make the paragraphs and sentences simple. The reading habits of people are not at the highest level. If the CV of a freelancer is complex and confusing, there is a big chance employer won’t even read it until the end. There is no reason freelancers expose themselves to that type of risk.
Use the Keywords and Phrases
Keywords and phrases are not only essential for the optimization of the websites. Many employers are trying to find the perfect employee for their needs by using different applicant tracking software solutions. That is the reason why people need to include them in their CV before publishing it.
For instance, let’s imagine that someone who is a content writer wants to find a job. He should start by optimizing the headline with keywords that describe his work. For instance, his headline should be – Content Writer: Blog & Article Writing for Crypto Industry. In that way, the employer won’t have a problem finding him.
Now, Start Writing about Yourself
People (including freelancers) usually try to impress employers with a long list of skills. However, there are a couple of things freelancers should exclude from their CV. First of all, outdated information is not something the CV should contain. On the other hand, adding irrelevant skills that won’t mean a lot to the client is unnecessary as well. If a person applies for a graphic design job, there is no reason to talk about video editing skills.
Every statement that a freelancer has needs to come with some evidence. For example, the employer won’t be impressed if the freelancer talks about his long working experience. Instead of that, he would be happier to see the portfolio of his potential client.
Graphic designers, for instance, should design a website and publish the logos, banners, and other promotional material they previously designed. On the other hand, social media managers should screenshot the results they achieved on their previous projects. Prepare all the necessary evidence that will confirm your expertise for a particular freelance job position.
Don’t Forget to Proofread Your CV
According to John Smith, the thesis writer at GetGoodGrades, freelancers often use sophisticated words and wordy phrases and try to confirm their expertise in that way. However, as we said, the CV needs to remain simple and easy-to-understand. That is the reason why freelancers should proofread their CV before they apply for a job or publish it on freelance platforms. They should look for the best possible way to simplify all the wordy and complex sentences and terms. In that way, they will additionally boost the readability level of their CV.
Customize the CV If Necessary
Let’s imagine that a freelance content writer successfully applied for a job. He wrote ten crypto-related articles and delivered the quality that the employer was expecting. After that, he wants to apply for two different jobs. One client asks for a guest post writer, while the other one looks for a fashion writer. Will using the same CV raise his chances of getting the job?
Different clients have different expectations and requirements. That is the reason why people mustn’t use the same CV always. Instead of that, they should always customize it before applying. For instance, in this case, one client will look for guest post samples, while the other one would like to see fashion articles. On the other hand, neither of those two clients would like to know more about your success with crypto articles.
Freelance writers can, for instance, divide the topics of their articles into different categories. In that way, they will have enough proof to confirm their knowledge and expertise. The example below may serve as an inspiration.
Source: Jennifermfernandez.com
Conclusion
Thanks to these five steps, freelancers will manage to optimize their CV and ensure a successful career. However, designing an effective CV is only the first step. The knowledge and skill improvement are the processes that last. Using every opportunity to learn something new is the characteristic of every successful freelance worker. The hard work always pays off in the end.
