How do I show freelance work/side job on my resume?

In this new world of the Gig Economy, many people are either freelancers or have a second side hustle.  This is a booming industry.  In some cases, showing your freelance work on your resume will add value, demonstrating initiative, business acumen, and other marketable skills, while also filling in gaps of unemployment.  However, if the side job does not match any meaningful skills required of the position you are seeking, it may make sense to either minimize it or leave it off.   Always remember that the job of the resume is to ensure that the hiring manager knows that you can do the job for which you are being recruited - and not present your life story.  

Try to keep the freelance job description brief, and only include work that exceeds 3-months.  If you have multiple shorter contract assignments, it is preferable to group them all together.    Describe the general scope of your part-time job and include important clients, if appropriate.  If you have had positive reviews for your work, or amazing results, include that information as well.  Some examples of freelance roles on the resume are as follows:

TEMPLATE

Freelance/Contract/Consultant  (Timeline) (City/State)
Description or name of client, and overall responsibilities
List results, such as: 

Cosmetics Influencer - Social Media (freelance)  2020-2021
Advised and wrote articles and blogs for multiple cosmetic companies, including Instagram, Facebook and Twitter.  Created videos to demonstrate the products.

• Increased exposure and engagement resulting in improved sales
• Collaborated with marketing department to ensure consistency in messaging

If you have an outside freelancing job while working in your fulltime job, it is recommended that the role that exposes the best skills for the job you are seeking should be listed first.  If your fulltime job offers better experience, list that first. Underneath, you can then list your continuing freelancing role. Such as: 

English Language Instructor/Part-time/Freelance  2015 to present

• Work with non-native speakers in- person and online to assist with their English language skills to improve job potential in the U.S.  
• Students have been successful and identified career opportunities with confidence.

Freelance work can be a valued component to your resume, when listed properly, showing the recruiter that these additional skills will easily transfer to the job of interest.