Working as a freelancer can provide many benefits. When you decide to work as one, you’ll have the opportunity to choose clients and projects, enjoy flexibility of location, and be able to experiment with your own craft. And, because you can choose who to work with and when to work, being a freelancer can also become your ticket to earning more.
The quality of your life will improve when you work as a freelancer, but joining the industry isn’t a walk in the park. According to statistics, there are over one billion freelancers in the world. Thus, if you want to become one, you need to exert a lot of effort to stand out from the competition.
To help you out, follow these tips if you want to start working as a freelancer:
- Check Online Platforms
One of the best things you can do if you want to take on some freelance work is to go online and see what kinds of job opportunities are available. Some people choose to join platforms designed for freelancer so that they can have a chance to look around and see which jobs are in demand and which ones aren’t. Gigworker.com, for example, is a great online platform as this offers hundreds of different freelance jobs that you can apply for regardless of what your interests or skills are.
There are many sites that will offer freelance jobs to anyone. While some online platforms post jobs ads and all you have to do is upload your CV, others will allow you to directly communicate with clients. You’ll never run out of online platforms to check today; you just have to scout for options, and navigate through these websites to determine which ones suit your needs or skillset. - Choose A Niche
One of the first things that you must do is find a niche within your expertise and, then, work on building a portfolio of samples that you’ve created for that niche. For example, if you want to work as a freelance writer, you should compile some of the articles and blog posts you’ve made and show them to potential clients. Your portfolio works as your resume in the freelancing industry—its content can make or break an employer’s decision to hire you.
Aside from the samples of your work, make sure that you have a written description of what you can do and how you can complete it in your portfolio. As a novice in the niche you wish to work in, make sure that you can show at least two samples of your best works. This will give potential employers an idea of what type of work you can do.
Always take your time to get your portfolio organized so that you and the employer can easily access your samples. As a freelancer, it’s important to keep track and regularly update your portfolio so that you’ll know which areas to improve on so as to become competitive in the market.
- Educate Yourself
The number of people working as freelancers today imply that you’ll be competing with a lot of people for a job. If you’re going to apply as a virtual assistant for a client, for example, expect that you’ll have to compete with several other freelancers, some with more experience than you. Competing against these individuals when you’re still new in the industry might be tough, but this doesn’t mean that there’s no way for you to stand out.
Another tip that you should follow if you want to start working as a freelancer is to educate yourself by learning skills and acquiring knowledge necessary for your chosen niche. If you want to work as a virtual assistant, you should get your basic skills right, which means that you should be comfortable in using different operating systems, can type more than 45 words per minute, know how to use the Internet and do some emailing, as well as have basic knowledge on social media marketing.
As a newbie, you should join as many online training courses for your chosen niche to increase your chances of getting hired. The more knowledgeable and skilled you are in your chosen niche, the easier it’ll be for you to land a project as a freelancer.
- Learn Basic Business Skills
You should make sure that you’re able to communicate well, write effectively, and have an easy-going personality to ensure that you can work well with different kinds of clients.
Learning basic business skills should be on top of your to-do list if you want to start working as a freelancer because this is the only way to keep your clients happy and satisfied. This remains true regardless of the niche you want to enter and excel in.
After you’ve done this, you’ll be able to work with countless clients and earn more money easily. Always keep in mind that for you to become a successful freelancer, you should always exceed your client’s expectations, and you can only achieve this goal if you know which skills to develop over time.
- Remain Persistent
As you’re starting to work as a freelancer, you need to be persistent and never give up. With the number of freelance workers in the world today, finding a stint that suits your skills can become challenging. However, this doesn’t mean that you should immediately give up after weeks or months of trying. You’ll need to be consistent with your efforts to find work because the rewards will be worth it in the end.
It’ll Be Worth It
The maxim that states, “The beginning is always the hardest,” remains true in the freelancing industry. If this is your first time to work as one, expect that you’ll have to accomplish several tasks before you can start offering services and experience the benefits of working freelance.
But, if you’re truly willing to work as a freelancer and make a name in the industry, learning the ropes won’t become a problem. Besides, all of the time and effort you’ll put into learning the process will surely be worth all the hard work.
About Carson Derrow
