If you’re looking for freelance work, you may need to take a completely different approach than job seekers searching for conventional employment.
A freelance career may be the answer for individuals who want complete control over their professional lives or who desire a lot of variety in their workdays. But where do you start looking for those freelance employment to begin and develop your revenue?
The Growth of Freelancing
Every year, Upwork and the Freelancers Union research the freelance sector. Their 2019 study revealed that more individuals are considering freelancing as a long-term option than ever before. It predicts that 57 million American citizens currently freelance, up by 4 million people since 2014.
The good news is that, according to a recent Freelance Trend Study by Upwork, 86% of freelancers have noticed a shifting market in the previous three years: 77% said technology has made it simpler to locate freelance work and 71% believe that people’s perceptions of freelancing are more positive.
When it comes to freelancer earnings growth, Upwork discovered that the typical hourly rate is $20, which is greater than the overall median hourly rate of $18.80 for the United States.
According to the report, “skilled services” freelancers make a median of $28 per hour. This indicates that the typical skilled freelancer makes more per hour than 70% of all workers in the economy as a whole.
Networking
This is especially important to remember if you’ve worked for one firm in the past. You’ll want to ensure that your CV reflects all of your professional achievements, contacts, and accolades from previous employment or professional activities. Always think of your network as a foundation on which you may build future employment opportunities.
When it comes to defining your network and who’s in it, don’t be limited; contacts for future freelance work may come from any source, including past professional coworkers, family, neighbours, and friends both real and virtual.
Industry Groups
Making connections with individuals in your chosen sector may lead to some leads. Identifying and joining trade and industry associations is a fantastic approach to meeting like-minded people. Attend conferences and gatherings sponsored by independent professional organizations in your field as well.
Social Media
Job seekers may use social media sites such as Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, and other platforms to promote themselves during their job search. These days, the vast majority of businesses use social media to locate the brightest new talent. If the hiring managers are congregating on these sites, it’s only natural that you should be there too.
Search for phrases and hashtags that are relevant to the position you’re looking for, such as “freelance tutoring” or “freelance software developer.” You may also share with your followers what sort of employment you want to assist them in locating you and allowing connections to assist you to find work.
Job Sites
Sites such as Upwork, People Per Hour and FlexJobs are fantastic places to begin your search for freelance work! While there are several job sites available, these sites can guarantee you a secure job search that isn’t tainted by fraud or deceptive opportunities, which is often one of the most challenging aspects of finding freelance employment.
As a freelancer, you’ll be spending a lot of your time looking for work and projects. Using job sites takes some of the legwork out of your search since we track down and authenticate job postings from all across the internet and group them into distinct career categories for fast searching.
Cold Pitching
Do you have skills that would be beneficial to a company down the road? Send them an email! Cold pitching is when you send an email or a text to potential customers in an attempt to recruit them. To make it worth your while, you must be picky with whom you contact and personal in your communication.
Potential clients will be able to tell if you’re just sending out a lot of emails to a lot of people, much as they would with applying for more conventional work. It’s critical to establish contact with those who have expressed interest in working with you, and it may help you refine your message if they’re a potential fit for the position. Take some time to research firms that specialize in the area where you want to work and reach out to only those who seem like great matches for your talents. Make sure they know
Your Own Website
To get freelance work, no matter what sector you work in, you must display it off. To promote your talents and accomplishments, start with a website. It doesn’t have to include amazing videos (unless that’s your speciality) or a lot of information.
A simple website that gathers information about your client work is a wonderful place to begin. All you need is:
- To discuss who you are, why you do what you do, and what your professional experience is, create an About You page.
- To advertise your accomplishments, create a Projects page (or something similar) on your website to highlight what you’ve accomplished for customers.
- For clients to praise the excellent work you’ve done, create a Testimonials page.
- A Contact page should be created to allow visitors to contact the business.
You might think that a website builder is the wrong choice for you, even if most provide you with a lot of assistance in getting your website up and running. After all, you’ll have to make decisions and keep the content up to date. But they are a great way to get a quick website up and running with no knowledge needed.
LinkedIn already has a large network. You may reach precious contacts by joining groups, networking with your network, and posting on their site.
A strong conclusion is a good place to start. This is essential for two reasons. First, the summary is the first thing that visitors to your profile will see. Take the time to explain why someone should consider hiring you. What are your qualifications and how did you get that way?
Second, your summary is used by LinkedIn to assist you in determining what search results you appear in. The more keywords you use in your summary, the more likely it is that you will show up in a search result.
However, don’t just throw random keywords in your summary. Make sure you’re using the “correct” keywords in your niche in a relevant way. The more focused terms you use, the more likely people will be looking for you specifically rather than someone else in general.
Finally, you may add media to your profile to spice it up. Nothing beats showing clients what you’ve accomplished. So, whether it’s a link to a live site you built or a static picture for a customer, include samples to show that you have the abilities you claim.
References
Skipping the request for recommendations or testimonials is a common mistake that many business owners make. It may be difficult to ask for one. However, because it is becoming increasingly common for individuals to give feedback on everything, it may not be as aggressive as you believe.
It also offers a chance to show off your talents and achievements. It’s an excellent marketing tool that allows you to showcase what you’ve done in the past. Plus, it’s a great method for demonstrating your abilities and accomplishments. There is nothing more impressive than a delighted client.
