Ask the expert: Marketing yourself to others

Q. I am an independent contractor and have self-taught skills in customer services, marketing, and webpage design and creation, of which I am very proud. The problem is I gained these skills working in the sex industry. How do I go about explaining how and why I obtained them to any potential straight employers who are advertising positions where these skills are an advantage?

A. If you are an independent contractor, you will be listing that as part of your employment history.

Underneath your business name and current title, you can talk about the general nature of the work that you did, and then some specific achievements, for example design marketing strategies, or web design, and talk about the results. You can also highlight your specific skills in a general summary at the beginning of your CV.

If all your clients were in the sex industry, you probably can't talk your way around this for very long, but I'm sure that you can think of some positive aspects of these jobs to include in your CV.

After all, sex is a competitive industry and high-quality marketing would make an impact.

If you have a mix of clients, this is just one more example of the breadth and diversity of your experience. Your experience is an important part of who you are and how you have developed your skills, but a CV is a marketing document, so use those skills to sell your experience and the skills you have gained.

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