Include a link to your online portfolio at the top of your resume. Employers need to see your work.

Highlight special projects or collaborations in your experience. This displays your range and ability to work with others.

List technical skills you use, like Adobe Creative Suite or other art software. This shows your technical proficiency.

Include soft skills like time management and client communication. These skills are important for a freelance artist.

You need to show the skills on your resume that the job asks for. When you do this, the person reading your resume can see you're a good fit. Here's how you can tailor your resume for a freelance artist position:

• Look at the job post and use the same words for skills they want. If the job needs someone who is good with digital drawing software, make sure your resume says you're good with programs like Adobe Photoshop or Procreate.
• List projects where you used your creativity to solve problems. For example, add Developed unique character concepts for a children's book. This shows you are creative and can work on different projects.
• Include any times you worked with others on a project. For instance, write about when you've worked with writers, designers, or other artists. Use phrases like Collaborated with a team of five on a comic series.

When you're putting together your resume as a freelance artist, the verbs you choose can make a big difference. Think about the action words that show your creativity and how you bring ideas to life. It's good to pick verbs that give a clear picture of your skills and how you work.

Action verbs are especially important for freelance artists because they convey your ability to create, manage, and deliver projects. Make sure you use verbs that match the job you want and show how you have succeeded in past projects.

• To display your creative skills, use designed, illustrated, crafted, conceived, and envisioned.
• Show your project management skills with coordinated, executed, planned, organized, and oversaw.
• To highlight your collaborative work, choose partnered, collaborated, consulted, networked, and united.
• For the business side of your freelance work, use negotiated, marketed, promoted, generated, and secured.
• And to show the results you achieve, verbs like delivered, enhanced, achieved, expanded, and captured are effective.

Want inspiration for other action verbs you can use? Check out synonyms to commonly used action verbs like Gained, Performed, Assist, Presented, Followed.

As a freelance artist, you may not have traditional promotions, but you can still show growth and leadership. Think about times you led a project or helped others improve their work.

• Managed a team of artists for a collaborative project, ensuring deadlines were met and quality standards upheld
• Took charge of art direction for a local gallery event, coordinating with artists and curators for a successful exhibition

Highlight these experiences on your resume. If you've trained or overseen other artists, even in informal settings, that counts too.

When you're a freelance artist, showing what you can do is key. Your resume should clearly list the tools and techniques you master. This helps employers see your skills at a glance.

Here are some skills you should consider:

• Adobe Creative Suite
• Storyboarding
• Graphic design
• 3D modeling
• Drawing and Illustration
• Photography
• Motion graphics
• User interface (UI) design
• Printmaking
• Color theory

Include these skills in a dedicated section, so they stand out. Also, tailor your skills to match the job you want. You don't need to list every skill you have, just the ones relevant to your work. If you're applying for a job in graphic design, focus on those skills. Remember, some companies use software to sort resumes. These systems look for keywords. So, use the exact terms from the job description.

As a hiring manager, I've seen how numbers can make a resume stand out. When you're a freelance artist, this means showing the value you bring with clear metrics. You need to think about the results of your work and how to measure them. Here are two ways to do this:

• Consider the number of projects you've completed. This can show your experience and reliability. For example, 'Completed over 50 commissioned works in one year, resulting in a 25% increase in client base.'
• Think about the sales or audience reach your work has achieved. If you have created artwork for products, highlighting 'Artwork featured on products that sold over 10,000 units' can be compelling.

Remember, you may need to estimate some figures, but try to be as accurate as possible. Even if you're unsure, consider the following:

• If you've participated in exhibitions or shows, estimate the number of attendees who saw your work. 'Displayed artwork in 8 gallery shows with an estimated total attendance of 3,000 visitors.'
• If you've worked on a project that led to a client's increased exposure, you can state, 'Designed promotional material that boosted the client's social media engagement by 40%.'

Using metrics like these helps to show the tangible impact you've made in your field. It tells employers that you understand the business side of being an artist and that you can contribute meaningfully to their goals.