At the job post · 6 min read
How do I put freelance work on my CV?
List freelance work as one role with a clear title, a date range and three or four client results. How to name clients, handle NDAs and show it wasn't a gap.
The short answer
Put freelance work on your CV as one role: a clear title such as 'Freelance copywriter', 'Self-employed' as the employer, one date range, and three or four bullets on what you made, for whom and what changed. Name clients where you're allowed to, describe them where you're not, and include part-time freelance alongside a main job if it proves skills the post asks for.
Key takeaways
- One role, one date range, a few strong client results.
- Describe clients you can't name: 'a UK fintech with 200 staff'.
- Lead with the projects closest to the job you're applying for.
- Freelance alongside a job can sit in its own section.
- Have a portfolio link or samples ready, because people will ask.
On this pageA layout that works
A layout that works
Freelance copywriter, Self-employed, March 2023 to present. Wrote web and email copy for 14 clients, mostly in health and finance. Rewrote a physiotherapy clinic's booking pages, after which online bookings overtook phone bookings. Wrote a 12-email welcome series for a UK fintech with about 200 staff.
Illustrative example. One heading, one date range, a sentence of context and two or three results. The reader sees a line of work, not a scattering of gigs.
Choose the projects that fit the post
Freelancers often have many projects and list them all. For each application, choose the three or four that best answer the post's must-haves and lead with those. Keep the full list in a master CV or portfolio.
Naming clients
| Instead of the name | Describe |
|---|---|
| A bank under NDA | A UK high-street bank |
| A start-up you can't name | A Series A health app with 40 staff |
| An agency's end client | A global drinks brand, via a London agency |
Moving from freelance to employed
Employers sometimes wonder whether a freelancer will settle into a team. Answer it in your cover letter or interview with something true: what you've missed about working with others, or what you'd like to go deeper on. Show you know the difference between delivering to a client and working inside one team.
- Mention projects where you worked closely with a client's team.
- Show repeat clients, which shows you're reliable.
- Keep self-promotion modest; you're joining a team, not pitching for work.
OffLadder CV, our free Chrome extension, rewrites your CV for the post you have open, in the post's own words and order. Every change is checked against the CV you gave it, so it never adds a skill, a number or a job you don't have. You download it as a PDF or Word file.
What happens to the gaps
Applying shows you what employers want that you can't show yet: a must-have your CV doesn't mention, or a question you couldn't answer well. Hand the job from OffLadder CV to Laddie, our AI coach, and it turns each one into three steps:
- Learn the skill: a short lesson on what the post asks for, starting from the basics.
- Try the work: a 15-minute task taken from the job itself, so you have a real example to talk about.
- Practise the interview: a five-question mock interview for that role, weighted to the parts you're least sure of.
The conversation stays in your OffLadder account. Once you've done the work, add it to your CV in your own words, and the next post you tailor for can point to it.
Questions people ask
- Does freelancing count as real experience?
- Yes. You did the work, delivered it to clients and were paid for it. Employers mostly care whether it proves the skills they need. Present it as clearly as any other role, with results, and it reads as experience, often with more independence than an employed role.
- Can I name clients on my CV?
- Only if your agreement allows it. If you signed a confidentiality agreement, describe the client by type and size instead: 'a national retailer with 300 stores'. That still shows the scale of the work without breaking a promise.
- What job title should I use for freelance work?
- The title that describes the work, such as 'Freelance graphic designer' or 'Independent bookkeeper'. Avoid inflated titles like 'CEO' of a one-person business, which read oddly to an employer hiring for a team role.
- How do I show freelance work wasn't just a gap?
- With specifics: named or described clients, what you delivered and a result for each. Add how much of your time it took if it was substantial, for example 'about 25 hours a week across six clients'. Detail is what separates a business from a placeholder.
- Should I include freelance work done alongside a full-time job?
- If it proves skills the post asks for, yes. Put it in a separate section such as 'Freelance projects' so the dates don't look like overlapping jobs, and keep it to two or three bullets.
Exercises are practice, not evidence of career fit or a qualification. How to read our guides and report a correction.
Sources
- Resume guide: work experience · CareerOneStop, sponsored by the U.S. Department of Labor
- How to write a CV · National Careers Service (England)
How this page is written
Sources support the factual background, not a guarantee that an exercise predicts career fit. Fictional practice material is labelled. Dates record content updates; no independent expert review is implied. More about OffLadder.