Some self-employment jobs booming during recession

The self-employed, like everyone else, are feeling the weight of the recession on their shoulders — at least, some of them are. A few self-employment industries are booming while others are struggling to make ends meet. Maybe now is the right time for some work at home professionals to branch out into new (read: money-making) career fields? Professionals who are already thinking of making a change may want to gravitate toward the few self-employment jobs that are growing in spite of the financial crisis.

Struggling for Self-Employment

Many industries are declining as more people struggle to meet their financial burdens and strive to find new ways to make money. Many self-employment jobs attached to the housing industry, for example, are markedly down. Real estate agents, construction workers and many subcontractors are struggling to find jobs and projects.

Self-employed professionals who earn their daily bread through art, recreation and entertainment are facing a slight, recent downturn. This field includes professionals who design websites, graphic designers and writers. Recently, new updates to Google search algorithms have hurt many different types of work-at-home professionals who make their living through online page hits.

Recession-Friendly Self-Employment Jobs

Some self-employment industries are booming despite the economic downturn. Personal care services are, perhaps surprisingly, on the rise. Hair and nail salons are thriving while construction companies are closing their doors. Other self-employment jobs are helping professionals manage the rigors of the recession beautifully:

Child care. U.S. Census statistics show that home-based day care services are spiking, increasing almost 4% since the last Census was taken. Child care may be an ideal job for stay at home moms who want to pick up extra income during the recession.

Investigative services. Private investigators may seem like a luxury expense, but the numbers show that these self-employment jobs are on an upswing. Private security guards, private detectives and investigative services on the whole are on the rise, though the industry itself is rather small and can be very competitive.

Perhaps no job is truly recession-proof, but some seem to be more recession-friendly. Professionals can take their cues from where people are spending their money. Some services are in demand even when the financial crush is pressing, and self-employed professionals who pay attention can find ways to cash in on the trends. Finding new ways to make money is a big part of being successful at self-employment, and branching out into different industries opens the door to many new opportunities.

Make That Resume Look Great

It’s important to make that resume look great, no matter what it takes, even when working from home. Thought you’d be done with a resume once you became self employed? If only it were that simple! No matter the field of expertise, work at home professionals will still be asked for a resume on occasion. Potential business partners, or employers contacted about work from home positions, will want to take a look at the resume. Even in self employment, even in work from home, a bad resume can really hurt your economic future.

Make That Resume Look Great

Work from home jobs and self employment can still look great on a resume, even for those who know they work in Spiderman underoos and the keyboard in the office is covered with chocolate stains. Being able to work on your own shows great initiative and an ability to complete tasks without a boss hanging over the shoulder. It speaks for your determination and your desire to succeed on your own terms.

…No Matter What it Takes

The trick to a resume is to make the small stuff seem huge, to make everything look and sound great. Focus only on the impressive points of every job on the resume. If, for instance, the work from home is as a typist, emphasize the length of time doing that work, keying speed, and the largest typing projects completed. Mention any tight deadlines that you met or important personas you may have worked for. If any of your work appeared in any magazines, books, or online, mention that as well – this will go a long way to impressing potential employers and business partners.

If you run a home-based business, mention some particulars about the work in general. Don’t only mention the length of time the home-based business has been operating, mention the fact that you act as creator, manager, and primary staff of the business as well. Mention big jobs you have completed or large orders you have filled. Include your Web site’s address on your resume listing.