With the increasing number of companies, there has been a constant increase in job openings. From earning money to becoming a full-time freelancer, this career is now becoming the most loved by all. There’s nothing special required to become a freelancer. All you need is a skill, an engaging portfolio, the internet, and punctuality.
Before we dive into the working of freelancing, let us first know what it exactly is.
In simple terms, we can say that freelancing is boundaryless. You are not working for any specific company, but you’re working for different companies you wish for. People who are doing freelancing are called freelancers, and they are self-employed. The heart of freelancing lies in the freelancer’s quality and the way he deals with his clients.
We will talk about “How does freelancing work” in another part. But, for now, let us focus on the scope of freelancing, who could do freelancing, what we could do in this, and what are some of the best platforms for freelancing.
Scope of freelancing: According to recent surveys, freelancers earn more than those in a job. In today’s world, no one has time to search for a worker and then interview him/her. These people are gradually shifting towards freelancing platforms and go through different portfolios and select the best one. Some companies do not have the capacity to admit a job seeker, so they turn towards freelancing and hire a freelancer who can work for them in the short-term. So yes, freelancing has a bright future.
Who could do freelancing: In one statement, anyone with the required skill could do freelancing. There’s no age, gender, language, region, etc., to become a freelancer. Even a homemaker, talented but unemployed people, and a student could become a freelancer.
What can we do in freelancing: There are numerous opportunities as a freelancer like content-writing, graphic-designing, marketing, accounting, translator, and much more. Almost everything available as a job in the real-world is available in freelancing as well.
Best freelancing platforms: 2-3 lines about what freelancing platform is.There are numerous platforms for freelancing, but the top ones include Fiverr, LinkedIn, Toptal, Upwork, Freelance India, 99designs, Envato Studio Guru. Freelance India is the best platform for all beginners and has been the most loved by all.
Things we have covered on the page
- How does freelancing work
- Why should you choose to become a freelancer?
- Step1: Acknowledging freelancing and understanding if you’re ready to dive into it
- Step2: Identify the field with which you wish to continue your freelancing
- Step3: Choosing one among many platforms
- Step4:Create your profile
- Step5: Build an eye-catching collection that supports your title
- Step6: Putting relevant price strategically
- Step7: Reaching out to audiences and showing your presence in the market
- Step8: Expanding your connections and building stronger relations with the customer
How does freelancing work?
In freelancing, we exchange money with the product. The product could be anything from a piece of information to an object. The exchange occurs between two people: a freelancer (who sells the product) and a client (who buys it). Freelancer does the work freely and not as an employee. There is a contract between the freelancer and the client. As soon as the client receives the product, the freelancer gets paid.
While thinking of freelancing, most of you might be thinking of how students, homemakers, and unemployed people could become freelancers. Let us understand it briefly.
Housewife: Just like men, homemakers are also capable and can prove themselves to be successful freelancers. They could be:
- Graphics designer
- Content writer
- Technical freelancer
- Blogging
- Photography
- Video editor
- Data entry
- Tutoring
- Fashion designing
- Web development
- App development
Students: A college student or the one studying in school could also become a freelancer. They could do:
- Tutoring
- Video editing
- Website developer
- Writer
- Graphic designer
- Typist
- Working with Excel
- Logo designing
- Data processing
- WordPress
- SEO
- App developer
- Marketing
- Gaming & streaming
Unemployed Talented people: There are so many hidden talents who haven’t yet got an excellent platform to showcase themselves. So here comes the importance of freelancing. These skilled people could do:
- Social media content
- Brand Identity
- Image editing
- Print design
- Photography
- Gaming & streaming
- Online advertising
- Website building
- Animation
- Translation
- Influencers
- 3D modeling
- Architecture
- Game development
- Software development
- Music production
- Job search
- Podcast production
- Data management
- Fun videos
- Arts and crafts
- Self-improvement
- Medical help
- Dietician
Why should you choose to become a freelancer?
There are many advantages to freelancing. Let us discuss them in detail:
- Freedom: It is your choice to choose the client, project, and time. A freelancer enjoys so much flexibility while working. He has his own environment and is free from the commands of higher authorities like the boss.
- Work continues even while traveling: Freelancing is not affected even when you are on travel. All that you are required to have is a device to work on.
- Unexpectedly high earnings: In freelancing, you can work with clients who are from different countries. Hence, there are different values of your talent in different countries. If in one country, the value is $20, then, in the other, it might be $50. Just imagine this vast difference.
- Exposure: When working with different clients rather than under any specific company, you interact with several people. You have to deal with everyone in a different way. With every new client, you have to take a new approach and talk to them strategically. You learn more in this way.
- Knowing how good you are at a particular skill: Freelancing, as we have already stated, has “skill” as its base. You can showcase your skills, and your work will determine how professionally you work.
- Learning to help others: Some people have experienced tragedies like non-payment, rude clients, and took some wrong steps while freelancing. These people do their best to protect the other freelancers from getting into this mess.
Eight steps towards becoming a freelancer
After knowing about freelancing, you might be now feeling a little bit attracted towards the same. But, before we reach a height, we take several steps. Similarly, if you have to become a successful freelancer, then you should take some steps. Let us not waste another minute and start exploring those eight magical steps towards becoming a great freelancer.
First step: Acknowledging freelancing and understanding if you’re ready to dive into it
Some people listen to their friend’s or relative’s talk, and without any second thought, they start freelancing. These people do not even know about the exact meaning of freelancing. Whenever you have a tool, you must know how to operate it. Unfortunately, when you do not know about freelancing, you could never become a good freelancer. The second thing is, though you know about this business, then also you should know if your skill at a certain level could fit into it or not.
Second step: Identify the field with which you wish to continue your freelancing
This is an obvious step because without recognizing your skill, you cannot work on any project. Everyone has several skills in them. But, while you are freelancing, you should keep in mind that you have to be the best. Hence, represent your best side on the platform.
Third step: Choosing one among many platforms
Numerous platforms are available for all freelancing aspirants. But, before you continue with a platform, you should do some research. When it is your start, you should try to work on those suitable platforms for newcomers. Subsequently, when you gain some experience, then you can shift to professional platforms. Freelance India is one of those platforms that are suitable for beginners.
Fourth step: Create your profile
Most people think that freelancing means business and hence a CV is a must. But, that is not at all true. You do not have to make a CV. All that you have to do is fill the details in a form, and that form is itself a resume. Give some time while filling in the details. Remember, no one has time to read a paragraph. So, keep your details precise but engaging.
Fifth step: Build an eye-catching collection that supports your title
The portfolio is the one that brings clients for you. It would be best if you never compromised with that. No one will believe in your skill unless you prove them with the help of a portfolio. Keep learning and then uploading your best sample works. Let us know how to create portfolios that no client can reject.
- How to build an attractive portfolio?
There are few small points that you should keep in mind while building a portfolio:
- Upload your self-made works only rather than copying them from others.
- Mention the most things in the portfolio because some people are of a different background.
- You should tell the clients about how your skill could make things better or that you are determined towards the work.
- Do not forget to mention your work details, if any.
- You can explain your sample works by telling the efforts you’ve made to accomplish it within the deadline. You can add some difficulties that you faced, but along with that, you must mention the ways to tackle them. In this way, the client understands that you have a better idea regarding the solution.
- Be straightforward to tell your choice of work and people.
- Tell everyone about your educational qualifications. This is the first thing that almost every client would wish to know.
- You can provide your clients with links to your works along with small screenshots.
- Keep maintaining your portfolio regularly. Delete the unnecessary portfolios that you do not require anymore.
Sixth step: Putting relevant price strategically
There are various categories of keeping the price of your work. The types are hourly and project-based. Choosing one among the two is up to you. While putting a price, you should consider your experience in the field. If you have less or no experience, then you cannot put a high price. If you are a 6-10 years experienced type of person, it is fair to put high pricing.
Seventh step: Reaching out to audiences and showing your presence in the market
Sometimes, when you have just started, you do not know anyone. In this case, the only thing you could start with is uploading your works and attractively describing them. Keep your prices low at the start because everyone wishes to have the best at a low cost. Slowly, you’ll start getting clients and will reach out to a more significant number of audiences.
- Best way to reach the target audience
The easiest way to get the audience is by frequently updating your portfolio. This will positively impact the clients as they will feel that the freelancer is sincere about his work. Other than this, you can use social media platforms to tell everyone about your presence and share the link with them. Another approach is to do something for others for free. Sometimes you have to give your all to achieve the best. So, when you give your works to others, they remember you and might suggest your name to those looking out for freelancers like you. You can use LinkedIn and keep others updated with your latest works. Small conferences or in-person meetings might also help you. Other than this, you can also represent yourself in events and conferences.
Eighth step: Expanding your connections and building stronger relations with the customer
Expanding the connections doesn’t mean that you have to talk to everyone and tell them what you are doing. Let us explain this step with LinkedIn as an example. All you have to do in LinkedIn is to send connection requests to all those related to your field. After that, you can start posting your works. Then, people will begin to acknowledge your works, and those who need people like you will hire you.
How to expand your connections?
- People love to connect with those who have a healthy way of interaction.
- It would be best if you talked to others in a way they feel more comfortable.
- The other thing is that people usually connect with those with a common field. Try to make your profile attractive and show that you’re the best for this role.
- Other than this, you can also set up some goals.
- How to improve your way of interaction?
- The more you are genuine, the more you are confident.
- Have a good body posture if you are talking in-person.
- Read books related to social skills.
- Stay calm.
- Try to know about others rather than just telling them about yourself.
- Compliment others
Let us summarise in short!
Freelancing is now growing day-by-day and has changed the lives of many. Freelancing could be beneficial only when you have a complete idea about it. Before you start with this, you should explore some tricks to become successful. Some of those tricks include uploading your works, having more connections on various social media platforms, attending meetings & conferences, and many more.
Choosing to freelance is a great idea because you are entirely free. But, if you do not work strategically, you might not get what you are supposed to.
