Software developer's guide to freelancing in Finland

How to write a software freelancer CV

What information should software freelancer's CV include? Witted Partners has helped hundreds of freelance software consultants to find projects. We've seen thousands of CVs and had countless discussions with hiring managers. In this article, we tell how to convince your potential client on your expertise and skills.

Software freelancer CV should

  • Be in English. You can also have it in other languages if you wish.
  • Be short. Customize your CV to fit the project you're applying to and only list relevant work experience.
  • Stand out. You don’t want to be just another frontend developer.

Github is great for showcasing your code and (hobby) projects, but it’s not enough.

CV must have

  • Bio. A short introduction about you and your special skills, tailored to match the applied role.
  • Contact information.
  • Education.
  • Relevant job history. If you have a long track record, only list the experience that’s relevant for the role you’re applying. The hiring managers often like a story-like explanation: “Customer X had a problem Y. A team was built to solve the Y and my role was Z. I defined the solution based on paradigm H. The solution was carried out by the team and I was responsible for A, B and C.”
  • Professional skills. Most of the times hiring managers would like to know how many years of experience you have from certain technologies. Hence we recommend writing the skills like this: Java 2009-2020 (11 years).
  • Certificates.

Nice to have

  • Referenssit.
  • Achievements and the greatest professional moments of your career. E.g. have you received awards or do you have patents?

Can have

  • Picture.
  • Mentoring experience.
  • Hobby projects, such as open-source projects, game projects or side businesses (online courses, SaaS, consulting…)

Witted Partners makes becoming a software freelancer easy

Setting up a company – We’ll plan the start together with you so that there is no break in the billed work. We can start looking for projects for you even if you haven’t established a company yet or are still employed. Setting up a company is fast and easy nowadays, and there’s no rush with it; we can do it together when you’ve found your first project.

Customer acquisition – Don’t waste billable hours on the lookout for projects, our agents will handle customer acquisition for you! You set your own terms, such as hourly rate and the specs of your ideal project (industry, technologies, duration). Our agents will search for suitable projects for you accordingly.

Running the company – There are over 2500 Nordic software freelancers in our community, and they have recommended several accountants, insurances and tools for fellow independent contractors. We will gladly pass on the tips so that your journey as an entrepreneur would start smoothly.

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Table of contents: Software developer's guide to freelancing in Finland