In this guide
Resumes and cover letters
How to list freelance, contract and agency work on a resume
Group short engagements into one clear entry, name clients safely, show agency assignments and present self-employment honestly, with layouts to copy.
One entry, many engagements
Listing every short contract as a separate job makes a resume look scattered and pushes your best work off the page. A single entry with the overall period shows continuity, and bullets underneath let you choose the engagements that matter for each application.
Freelance Bookkeeper · Self-employed · April 2022 – present Bookkeeping and payroll for eight small businesses in hospitality and trades. • Moved three clients from paper records to cloud accounting software, cutting month-end close from days to hours. • Ran weekly payroll for a restaurant group of 30 staff. • Prepared year-end records for the clients' accountants.
Agency and temp assignments
If an agency employed or placed you, put the agency first and the assignments underneath. This keeps the timeline honest and shows breadth.
Illustrative example
Temporary assignments through an agency
- Temporary Administrator · Placed by Meridian Recruitment · 2023–2024
- Assignments: accounts payable support at a housing association (four months); reception and diary management at a law firm (three months); data entry for a council grants scheme (six weeks).
Naming clients
Many freelance contracts include confidentiality terms, and some clients simply prefer not to be named. If you are unsure, describe the client instead: 'a national retail chain' or 'a regional NHS trust'. The reader learns the scale and sector without you breaching an agreement.
Showing the business side honestly
Running your own practice involves finding clients, pricing work, invoicing and managing deadlines. Those can be genuine evidence for roles in account management, operations or sales, but describe them at their real scale. 'Managed my own client pipeline and invoicing' is accurate; 'ran a consultancy' suggests staff you did not have.
Choosing a title for self-employment
- Use the title that describes the work: 'Freelance Copywriter', 'Independent IT Contractor', 'Self-employed Electrician'.
- Add your trading name only if it is recognisable or a client might check it.
- Avoid 'Founder' or 'CEO' for a one-person business unless the role genuinely involved running a company with staff.
Common questions
Do I need to explain the gaps between contracts?
Short gaps between freelance contracts are expected and rarely need explanation. Showing the work as one continuous freelance period, with real dates, is usually enough.
Should I list every client I have worked for?
No. Choose the engagements most relevant to the role and summarise the rest in the opening line of the entry.
Put it into practice
See how Luceria helps with thisDrafted with AI assistance and checked against Luceria’s editorial standards. Examples are illustrative, not real people’s results. Spotted something out of date? Tell us.