Is Resume Needed for a Contractor?

Resume is a professional representation of your personality and skills available for the prospective employer. Now the question arises, if you are a professional contractor, do you need a resume to land some clients? The answer in this case is yes. Whether you take up independent contracts or if you are a private consultant or an entrepreneur, you will need a resume to promote your services. An impressive resume will help you  land new clients. If you are a professional architecture student, then you will have to build a professional student resume that showcases your skills, achievements in the most suitable way. Although, a contractor’s resume cannot be much different than that of any other professional seeking full time employment, but a well laid out resume can work wonders when contractor is seeking a client or employer. While writing a contractor resume, you can exploit several styles. However, the style of resume that you select should be based on the goal to accomplish. Following are the different formats to develop a contractor resume:Traditional ResumeThe traditional or conventional type of resume is a summarized account of the education, key skills, employment history, training, certifications, and other credentials. A conventional resume can be modified to develop a reverse chronological resume with the recent details first, followed by the earlier details.A functional resume is the format that stresses on the skills and achievements. It is suitable for people, who have a varied experience and have accomplished several different tasks. Another variation of a conventional resume format is business resume. This format stresses on the company’s achievements, the one you have worked with, rather than focusing on your personal achievements. Such a format can be used by contractors to promote themselves over the web media.Another significant format to introduce you to prospective clients is narrative bio. Such a resume format focuses on your personal achievements related to career and profession. Layout Tips for a Contractor ResumeA standard length for a contractor resume should be not  more than two pages. A lengthy resume may find it difficult to grasp the attention of a recruiter for a long time. Due to  lack of time, your resume may be skipped, regardless to the fact that you are a competitive candidate for the position.Also, the layout of a resume should be precise and summarized. You should not include long paragraphs. Strike the balance between the important and unnecessary details. Recruiter is not interested in every assignment handled by you.Organize your resume in a manner that it helps you set apart from the other resumes. The most important point that you should remember while writing a resume is that you should be able to land a few clients through your resume. The standard elements that go on a contractor resume are personal information, career profile summary of 3-4 lines, qualifications, career accomplishments, and previous employment history.If you are a contractor, and are wondering if you need a resume to land clients, the answer is yes. Regardless to whether you are an individual free agent, consultant or entrepreneur, you will need a contractor resume. If you are still studying, refer to sample student resume and build your resume.