All too often people are discouraged by the idea of
freelancing. Freelancing can be stressful regarding not knowing when your next
pay check will come in, but the task itself is anything but difficult to
accomplish when putting your best foot forth. Here are some tips to keep in
mind when entering the realm of freelance work.
Make yourself stand
out
The reality of competing against other applicants is that
you both may be able to produce the same results, but the client wants someone
they feel they can trust to get the job done on time and meets the client’s
standards. Differentiation is key!
Update your resumé regularly and make sure the most
up-to-date version is uploaded to your profile. Completely fill our your
profile on job sites for freelancers, as well as professional networks like
LinkedIn. Take the time to verify your account. Provide examples, references,
and any credits applicable to illustrate you have not only actually completed
the project listed in your profile, but that client was happy with what they
received! Provide examples of your projects to illustrate your greatness beyond
references and credits. Lastly, have a catchy tagline associated with your name
so people can see how capable you are of offering something different.
Where to find work
There are endless websites to find work! Websites like: Elance, Fiverr,
Freelancer.com, Guru and oDesk
are some of the more popular ones, but work can be found even on sites like Craigslist and the Facebook Marketplace. Make
sure to check the websites and your email daily for notifications and updates
regarding a job you applied. Check daily rather than every other day so the
client does not opt to give the job to another applicant over you due to lack
of response time.
Highlight your
qualities
Do not fall into the category “jack of all trades, master of
none.” Define what you are good at to a specific skillset; about 5 to 7 skills
will be fine. Try to have your skills correlate together in some aspect. For
instance, copywriting, social media, and content marketing can all work
together. Clients will be more inclined to award you with a job if they feel
your skills align, as well as possibly persuaded to hire you for more than one
job.
Keep your clients
happy
This does not change from the salary world to the freelance
realm. If your client is happy, they will hire you again over posting, finding,
and hiring another … it is simply easier and more efficient on the client’s
part. Simplicity goes far!
Send an initial job confirmation email to your client
highlighting the expected completion time for the project you will be working
on for the amount of money you will be receiving. This will further confirm you
and your client are on the same page before getting half way through the
project to realize something was miscommunicated. Proofread everything, and
cross-reference information if accessible. Make sure to save your file by a
simple to read title and the format (PDF, Excel, Word, PowerPoint, etc.) you
save will open on the client’s end. List your name, company (if you have one),
word count, target market (demographics), and title at the top of your project.
After you have completed your assignment, sent the project
over to the client, and received full payment from client for your work,
follow-up with the client saying thank you for the opportunity to work together
and if there is anything else they need completed in the future be sure to let
you know. You can even take that final step and say you will put their work first
before other clients, or some other benefit to reel them back in for more work.
If you have not already gathered, freelance work is far from
scary, just time consuming. Fill out one profile and start from there to see
who responds to your work. The worst that will happen is nothing if you don’t
try!
