Resume Tips: How to Include Your Side Hustle as Experience

It’s very important to make your resume as accurate and all-inclusive as possible. When you’ve got a side hustle, it’s hard to decide whether you should list it as a job or leave it off the resume entirely. If you do put it on your resume, how should it appear?

The most important thing to know is that the more good experience you list on your resume, the more attractive your resume will make you look to job hunters. Knowing how to list your side hustle can help you make a resume that will stand out and attract more attention from recruiters. In this article, we’ll talk about how to address your side hustle on your resume.

List the Side Hustle

Don’t leave your side hustle off of your resume, unless you have specific reason to think that your side hustle makes you a less attractive candidate for the job that you’re seeking. Remember that your side hustle is a business. Showing that you’re able to manage a side gig, or multiple side gigs at once, shows that you’re resourceful, industrious and good at organizing and prioritizing. Be sure to treat your side hustle like any legitimate job, with start dates, duties and more.

Don’t Lie About Your References

You may feel like you don’t have a lot of good references from your side hustle. Don’t make any up. You can offer to give personal references, if the recruiter asks. If they insist upon having professional references, get creative. Maybe you don’t have references from a boss, but what about clients, or vendors?

Include the Skills You’ve Developed

No doubt you’ve learned a lot of skills in your side hustle, and some of those skills might be surprising. When you’re running your own business or striking out on your own, you’ve got to pick up a lot of talents pretty quickly.

Financial management, time management, computer skills, people skills – think hard about your normal day and don’t be afraid to include surprising details about what you have to do for your side gig.

Use Companies Like MyPerfectResume and Grammarly

If you’re feeling stuck, use companies like MyPerfectResume.com and Grammarly to make sure that your resume is as impressive as possible. MyPerfectResume has a variety of good resume templates you can use, while Grammarly can help you avoid embarrassing typos.

About the Author: Kathryn Elwell grew up in the Midwest. She has experience in management and human resources, and has been writing on these topics and more for 12 years.