More and more people are becoming freelancers in whatever career they have chosen. As this becomes more common, the question of how to present this information on your resume crops up.

The key is to tailor your resume each time for every job you apply for. Present the information that relates specifically to the experience you have that makes you ideal for the job you're applying for. This means that you don't need to include much detail on jobs that are unrelated.

You might want to, therefore, split your resume into sections. Head the main employment experience section with the actual job you are applying for, for example: "Experience in the hospitality industry".

List the jobs you did in this industry, and include a paragraph or two explaining how you performed in this position. Highlight all the positives you contributed to this job.

If you have a mix of temporary and permanent jobs, you might want to include a note to that effect in brackets after the date. Listing jobs that are only a few days or weeks in duration can look suspicious without the words "temporary position" to qualify it.

Create another section for general temporary jobs. This usually looks best in a simple table format, listing just the name of the company, the date(s) of employment, and the position occupied.

There is rarely a need to indicate which employment agency, or agencies, you have been employed through. You might be applying for a job through another agency and may not want to impart that information. However, if you are applying through an agency you have worked with before, do remind them of your previous employment record with them.

If your references are on the thin side, you may want to approach an employment agency, for whom you have done a number of jobs, and ask them to provide a reference. Many are happy to do this, but be aware that some may say it is against their policy. There is no harm in asking, though.

When potential employers see that you have spent time working for yourself, they can assume certain things that could put you in a negative light.

The first is that you are "overly" motivated. A person who has the discipline to run their own business is often seen as someone who will have difficulty reintegrating into the workplace - ie, having to report to a boss again and work within a team.

Pre-empt this assumption by checking carefully what type of working environment you will be going into. If you will be reporting to a boss, you might want to include a subtle paragraph illustrating, for example, how closely you worked with your clients and were able to take instructions from them on what they required from you.

The second assumption is the opposite: that you chose to work for yourself because you are lazy and undisciplined.

Again, include a paragraph that illustrates how hard you work and what you have accomplished.

Generally, employers will want to know why you are making a change. You need to be prepared for hard questions like whether your business failed and whether you can be trusted to make good decisions. If you can address questions like this (briefly and subtly) in your resume, you may stand a greater chance of being called for an interview.

Many companies approve of international work experience. It shows that you are capable of fitting into a different culture, and it demonstrates adaptability and flexibility. Play up these strengths when you include your international experience.

The drawback of international experience is that references are more difficult to check, and may take longer to go through. This may put a potential employer off, or it may mean that it simply takes a while for you to find out whether or not you got the job.

If the overseas work experience doesn't relate to the job you're applying for, list it rather in a general (tabulated) section, but include "Country" in your table if you have experience from more than two countries. If you have just a single job in another country, rather include it in brackets after the company name.

To most employers, job hopping can be a red flag indicating a lack of commitment and focus. You may want to play this down by pulling out all the jobs that really relate to the job you're applying for and writing specific paragraphs that explain exactly how the experience you gained there relates to what you will be doing if you get the job.

Again, relegate all other jobs to a table where you list just the company, date, and position. This helps to take the focus off the possible indecisiveness factor, and show that you know what the job entails.

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