As a freelance stylist, the challenge of showcasing your diverse project experience without making your resume seem disjointed can be daunting. Our guide provides expert tips on creating a cohesive narrative that highlights your versatility and aligns your varied work with the targeted role you're aiming for.
- The most effective freelance stylist resume samples, reflecting on experience and skills.
- +10 simple, yet impactful methods to tailor your freelance stylist resume to the job advert.
- Using your professional achievements as the North Star to your unique value as a freelance stylist candidate.
- 'No one cares about your education nowadays …' Let's prove this statement wrong with the best-kept industry secrets to your education and certifications.
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Optimize your freelance stylist resume format to pass the recruiters' assessment
You may be wondering just how much time you need to spend on designing your freelance stylist resume.
What recruiters are looking for is systematised content that is clear and coherent. Thus, your freelance stylist resume needs to answer requirements and why you're the best candidate for the role from the get-go.
Often, a clear layout consists of:
- Sorting your experience in the reverse chronological order - starting with your most recent and relevant roles. This is an excellent choice for more experienced professionals;
- Writing your contact information (e.g. personal phone number and email address) and your portfolio or LinkedIn link in your freelance stylist resume header. If you're wondering to include a photo or not, always make sure that it's appropriate for the country you're applying in;
- Use the basic, most important freelance stylist resume sections - your experience, education, summary, etc. Use your resume's real estate wisely to tell a compelling, professional story and match job description's keywords;
- Don't go overboard with the length of your resume. One page is absolutely fine if you happen to have under a decade of relevant experience.
Are you still wondering if you should submit your freelance stylist resume in PDF or Word format ? The PDF has a few more advantages, as it doesn't change the format and the text can't be altered upon application.
Format matters most when your freelance stylist resume is assessed by the Applicant Tracker System (or the ATS).
The ATS parses resumes, looking for specific keywords, skills or experience that match the job description.
P.S. We recently did a study on how the ATS works and were able to demystify three of the biggest misconceptions about how it assesses candidate resumes.
To pass the ATS evaluation, select any of the serif or sans-serif fonts. Popular choices that would help your freelance stylist resume stand out include Raleway, Exo 2, Montserrat, etc.
Most traditionalists go for Arial or Times New Roman, but it's often the case that many candidates choose these fonts, and you'd thus lose points on the uniqueness front.
Different regions expect different formats – Canadian resumes, for example, may look unique.
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The more time and effort you've put into obtaining the relevant certificate, the closer to the top it should be listed. This is especially important for more senior roles and if the company you're applying for is more forward-facing.
The five (plus) definite sections your resume for a freelance stylist job should include are:
- Header with your headline, contact details, and/or a preview of your work
- Summary (or objective) to pinpoint how your success aligns with the role
- Experience with bullets of your most relevant achievements in the field
- Skills to integrate vital job requirements (both technical and personal)
- Your further dedication to the field, showcased via relevant higher education and/or certifications
What recruiters want to see on your resume:
- Portfolio of previous work showcasing diverse styles and client projects
- Demonstrated knowledge of fashion trends and ability to anticipate industry shifts
- Experience with a variety of clients, including personal styling and editorial/commercial projects
- Strong networking skills and relationships with brands, designers, and industry professionals
- Testimonials or references that vouch for the stylist's professionalism, creativity, and client satisfaction
What to include in the experience section of your freelance stylist resume
The resume experience section is perhaps the most important element in your application as it needs to showcase how your current profile matches the job.
While it may take some time to perfect your freelance stylist experience section, here are five tips to keep in mind when writing yours:
- Assess the advert to make a list of key requirements and look back on how each of your past jobs answers those;
- Don't just showcase you know a particular skill, instead, you need proof in the form of tangible results (e.g. numbers, percent, etc.);
- It's perfectly fine to leave off experience items that don't bring anything extra to your skill set or application;
- Recruiters want to understand what the particular value is of working with you, so instead of solely featuring technologies, think about including at least one bullet that's focused on your soft skills;
- Take care with wording each bullet to demonstrate what you've achieved, using a particular skill, and an action verb.
The below freelance stylist resume examples can help guide you to curate your professional experience, following industry-leading tips and advice.
- Developed unique styling concepts for editorial shoots that increased publication visibility by 25% as featured in mainstream fashion magazines.
- Negotiated partnerships with fashion designers to source exclusive garments for celebrity red carpet events, securing on average 10 high-profile projects per year.
- Implemented a social media strategy to showcase styling work, growing online following by 15,000, significantly enhancing personal brand recognition.
- Cultivated a diverse clientele through effective networking, leading to a 40% increase in client retention for private styling consultations.
- Orchestrated full wardrobe overhauls for high-net-worth individuals, consistently resulting in marked improvements in client satisfaction.
- Initiated a collaborative project with local boutiques to curate seasonal fashion looks, boosting boutique sales by an average of 18% per quarter.
- Pioneered virtual styling services adapting to global changes since 2020, leading to a 50% rise in international clientele.
- Facilitated educational workshops on sustainable fashion practices, influencing over 500 individuals to adopt eco-friendly wardrobe choices.
- Expanded service offerings to include image consulting for corporate executives, resulting in a 30% revenue increase in the corporate segment.
- Curated on-trend apparel and accessory selections for online fashion marketplaces, driving a 20% increase in eCommerce sales.
- Coordinated with photographers and models to deliver 12 successful fashion lookbooks that enhanced the brands' visibility and customer engagement.
- Crafted engaging blog content related to fashion tips and trends, attracting over 30,000 monthly readers to the marketplace’s website.
- Implemented strategic styling techniques for advertising campaigns of SMBs, resulting in a 35% boost in consumer traffic and engagement.
- Led wardrobe design and styling for indie film productions, receiving accolade for Best Costume at local film festivals.
- Spearheaded the launch of a successful fashion blog that educated readers on affordable styling, which garnered 10,000 subscribers within the first year.
- Headed costume design for theatrical productions, adhering to tight budgets while maintaining high aesthetic standards and authenticity.
- Fostered relationships with local artisans to include handcrafted pieces in styling which supported community businesses and enriched production designs.
- Initiated and managed a costume rental program for small productions, increasing resource utilization and generating additional revenue streams.
- Oversaw fashion direction for music videos, aligning artistic vision with performers' personal brands and achieving viral status for multiple projects.
- Conducted trend analysis to advise music labels on wardrobe investments for artists' promotional tours, reducing wardrobe costs by 22% without compromising style.
- Guided emerging artists in developing their visual identity through style, contributing to their increased media presence and fan engagement.
- Collaborated with major athletic brands to incorporate sportswear into everyday fashion on social media campaigns, influencing an uptrend in leisurewear.
- Executed sports-themed editorial spreads that effectively merged athletic performance wear with high fashion, eliciting positive feedback from industry critics.
- Leveraged expertise in athletic apparel to advise on product design, contributing insights that led to the development of a top-selling sneaker line.
Quantifying impact on your resume
- List the number of styling projects completed to showcase your experience and reliability.
- Include the percentage by which you've increased client retention to demonstrate client satisfaction and loyalty.
- Specify the average number of clients served per week to highlight your time management and organizational skills.
- Indicate the revenue growth achieved for businesses through your styling advice, showing your direct impact on sales.
- Mention the number of fashion shows or editorial shoots you've worked on to illustrate your industry involvement and expertise.
- Quantify the size of the wardrobe inventories you've managed to display your ability to handle large-scale projects.
- Include the number of personal shopping clients you have successfully assisted, reflecting your interpersonal skills and client satisfaction.
- Provide the range of styles and budgets you've worked with to show your versatility and adaptability to various client needs.
Action verbs for your freelance stylist resume
What if you don't have any experience?
There are two very common scenarios about candidates with less experience. They are either:
- Fresh out of college in search of a freelance stylist role
- Transferring over from a completely different field
Both of these types of candidates still have a shot at landing their first job in the industry.
All they need to do about the experience section of their freelance stylist resume is:
- Consider their strengths - would the outcomes of their previous roles or niche skill sets impress recruiters? Feature those towards the top of your resume
- Exclude any and all irrelevant experience items - remember that at the end of the day, you're telling a story that aims to align with the ideal candidate for the freelance stylist job
- Win recruiters over with personality - perhaps your ambition, dreams, and diligence would make you the perfect fit for the freelance stylist role. Dedicate resume space to detail your personality traits by showcasing how they've helped you succeed in past roles
- Tailor your experience to specific job requirements - ensure your freelance stylist resume answers the advert in the best way possible.
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Always remember that your freelance stylist certifications can be quantified across different resume sections, like your experience, summary, or objective. For example, you could include concise details within the expertise bullets of how the specific certificate has improved your on-the-job performance.
Freelance stylist skills and achievements section: must-have hard and soft skills
A key principle for your freelance stylist resume is to prominently feature your hard skills, or the technologies you excel in, within the skills section. Aim to list several hard skills that are in line with the job's requirements.
When it comes to soft skills, like interpersonal communication abilities and talents, they're trickier to quantify.
Claiming to be a good communicator is one thing, but how can you substantiate this claim?
Consider creating a dedicated "Strengths" or "Achievements" section. Here, you can describe how specific soft skills (such as leadership, negotiation, problem-solving) have led to concrete achievements.
Your freelance stylist resume should reflect a balanced combination of both hard and soft skills, just as job requirements often do.
Top skills for your freelance stylist resume:
Photoshop
Illustrator
Fashion Styling Software
Color Theory
Textile Knowledge
Sewing Techniques
Wardrobe Management Tools
Digital Lookbook Creation
Virtual Styling Platforms
Trend Analysis Tools
Creativity
Communication
Attention to Detail
Time Management
Adaptability
Client Relationship Management
Problem Solving
Networking
Collaboration
Self-Motivation
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List your educational qualifications and certifications in reverse chronological order.
Freelance stylist-specific certifications and education for your resume
Place emphasis on your resume education section . It can suggest a plethora of skills and experiences that are apt for the role.
- Feature only higher-level qualifications, with details about the institution and tenure.
- If your degree is in progress, state your projected graduation date.
- Think about excluding degrees that don't fit the job's context.
- Elaborate on your education if it accentuates your accomplishments in a research-driven setting.
On the other hand, showcasing your unique and applicable industry know-how can be a literal walk in the park, even if you don't have a lot of work experience.
Include your accreditation in the certification and education sections as so:
- Important industry certificates should be listed towards the top of your resume in a separate section
- If your accreditation is really noteworthy, you could include it in the top one-third of your resume following your name or in the header, summary, or objective
- Potentially include details about your certificates or degrees (within the description) to show further alignment to the role with the skills you've attained
- The more recent your professional certificate is, the more prominence it should have within your certification sections. This shows recruiters you have recent knowledge and expertise
At the end of the day, both the education and certification sections hint at the initial and continuous progress you've made in the field.
And, honestly - that's important for any company.
Below, discover some of the most recent and popular freelance stylist certificates to make your resume even more prominent in the applicant pool:
The top 5 certifications for your freelance stylist resume:
- Certified Image Consultant (CIC) - Association of Image Consultants International
- Certified Professional Fashion Stylist (CPFS) - Fashion Stylist Institute
- Master Stylist Certification (MSC) - Fashion Stylist Institute
- Personal Stylist Certification (PSC) - School of Style
- Fashion Industry Essentials Certification (FIEC) - Parsons School of Design and Teen Vogue
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If you happen to have some basic certificates, don't invest too much of your freelance stylist resume real estate in them. Instead, list them within the skills section or as part of your relevant experience. This way you'd ensure you meet all job requirements while dedicating your certificates to only the most in-demand certification across the industry.
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The ideal freelance stylist candidate resume summary or objective
You may have heard that your resume top one-third plays an important part in your application.
It basically needs to show strong alignment with the job advert, your unique skill set, and your expertise.
Both the resume summary and resume objective could be used to ensure you've shown why you're the best candidate for the role.
Use the:
- Resume objective to pinpoint your current successes, that are applicable to the field, and your vision for your career. Remember to state how you see yourself growing within this new career opportunity.
- Resume summary as an instrument to pinpoint what is most applicable and noteworthy form your professional profile. Keep your summary to be no more than five sentences long.
At the end of the day, the resume summary or objective is your golden opportunity to shine a light on your personality as a professional and the unique value of what it's like to work with you.
Get inspired with these freelance stylist resume examples:
Resume summaries for a freelance stylist job
- With a vibrant track record spanning over a decade, I am a freelance stylist renowned for curating visually arresting styles that have adorned magazine covers and red carpets alike. My proficiency with modern styling tools, coupled with a natural flair for color theory and fabric selection, cements my stature as a trendsetter in bespoke fashion statements.
- Transitioning from a successful career in graphic design, my keen eye for aesthetics and composition now fuels my fervor for fashion styling. Bringing 8 years of design experience, my approach to styling is rooted in a deep understanding of visual harmony, which I'm eager to translate into creating groundbreaking personal and editorial looks.
- Formerly an art director with 12 years in the visual arts sector, I’m venturing into the world of freelance styling with a fresh perspective. Leveraging a vast background in conceptualizing and implementing visual narratives, I'm poised to innovate styling concepts that resonate with contemporary fashion narratives.
- Forging a new path as a freelance stylist, I possess no prior direct experience in styling but bring a prolific background in theater costume design. With over 15 years crafting character-driven attire, my transition to styling is fueled by a passion for storytelling through fashion and an innate ability to anticipate and set trends.
- Eager to embark on my journey in fashion styling, I come armed with an ardent desire to learn and a diploma in fashion design. While my hands-on experience may be nascent, my knowledge of current trends, coupled with a commitment to master styling techniques, embodies my potential to flourish as a freelance stylist.
- As a fresh talent in the freelance styling arena, I am driven to cultivate a unique style ethos centered around sustainability and ingenuity. Although starting with a blank stylistic résumé, my academic background in fashion marketing and my relentless zeal for pushing boundaries showcase my readiness to embrace and elevate styling artistry.
Miscellaneous freelance stylist resume sections for a more personalized approach
Your freelance stylist resume can reflect even more upon your personality and best qualities - that is if you decide on including a couple of additional resume sections to support your application.
Some of the best-accepted industry-wide choices include the:
- Resume projects - getting into the outcomes of your most important work, so far;
- Languages on your resume - detailing your proficiency level;
- Special recognitions - dedicated to your most prominent industry awards;
- Hobbies and interests - defining how you spend your free time.
Key takeaways
Securing your ideal job starts with crafting a compelling freelance stylist resume. It should not only highlight your professional strengths but also reflect your personality. Key aspects to remember include:
- Choose a clear, easily editable format, allowing more time to focus on the content of your resume;
- Emphasize experience relevant to the job, focusing on your impact on the team;
- Opt for a resume summary if you have extensive professional experience, and a resume objective if you're just starting out;
- Include technical skills in the skills section and interpersonal skills in the achievements section;
- Recognize the importance of various resume sections (e.g., My Time, Projects) in showcasing both your professional abilities and personal traits.
