Right now, with the way the job market is today, many job seekers are taking any kind of work that comes their way, and sometimes that means short-term contract or consulting work.

So how do you parlay that onto your resume… without coming across as a job hopper?

The best way to show that you are full of hustle and not letting the moss grow means that you need to think strategically about how you list these shorter-term stints on your resume.

You can either create your own company if your sales volume is big enough (recommended), or you can continue doing business in your own name.  The key is that instead of listing each contract, you can consolidate your contract work as follows:

Your company – City, ST
Title, YEAR -YEAR

-or-

Independent Management Consultant (or Contract NAME OF TITLE) – City, ST

Then list under either of these employment stints either a list of clients/projects or generalize indicating “small to mid-size _____ firms” or “Fortune 500 companies”.    Then get into the function and results of what you did in serving those companies.

It’s easy to feel like short-term employment isn’t going to get you where you want to be, when in fact, it can help pave the way.  It’s how you shape it on your resume that can make the difference!