How To Be A Successful Freelancer
AntonioGuillem
AntonioGuillem
During your long-term job search, taking on freelance projects is a great way to stay afloat as you work toward your career goals.
Not only does it pay the bills, but it helps you remain competitive in the job market, through keeping your skills sharp, helping you develop new skills, making connections and building your portfolio.
If you’ve decided freelancing should be your next career move, you may need some help getting started.
Here are some steps for becoming a successful freelancer and using your experience to land a full-time job:
Identify Legitimate Freelance Work
Stepping into the industry as a fresh face, take extra care not to fall victim to scam jobs. Thoroughly research the company or individual who is hiring you. Scour their social media presence online, and check LinkedIn for recommendations. If you can’t find any information, ask them to provide you with the contact information of others they’ve worked with.
Here are a few additional dos and don’ts to help keep you safe:
Do:
- Include a “terms of use” statement on your website when featuring work samples.
- Be on the lookout for fake contests. If the contest requires you to sign over all rights to the work at submission, it’s a scam.
Don’t:
- Provide any personal information early in the relationship. It’s never necessary for a client to know your driver’s license, bank account, or social security information.
- Provide the final product in full resolution or without some form of protection on it until payment is received.
Take the job if they’re asking you to cover upfront costs like “distribution fees.”
Land Freelance Gigs
One of the safest and easiest ways to obtain freelance clients is through referrals from personal connections. The people you meet and what you share with them about your career goals can make all the difference in you landing your dream job.
Attend as many networking events as you can find, both professional and social. Yes, that includes a friend of a friend’s birthday party. When asked, “What do you do?” confidently state you’re a freelancer. Mention any projects you’ve already worked on and usually, by this point, if the person you’re speaking with knows someone who would be interested in your services, he or she will let you know.
In addition to networking, develop your online presence as a freelancer. Use the keyword “freelance” in your bio on all your social media profiles, so you’ll pop up when clients search for a freelancer. If you’re still getting no bites, follow these steps for finding new clients.
Successfully Manage Freelance Clients
Once you’ve been freelancing a while, you’ll find a system for managing your projects that works best for you.
If you’re suddenly slammed with multiple projects and need some help planning, here is a list of some great tools to check out:
You don’t have to go it alone, just because you are a freelancer. Use online resources to help you successfully manage your clients’ projects and meet your career goals.
Build Your Freelance Portfolio
Keep track of all the work you do for your freelance clients by logging work samples in a digital portfolio or on your personal website. Here are a few online hosts where you could build your portfolio:
- Squarespace
- Wix
- Weebly
- Contently (for writers)
- Flavors.me (for social media butterflies)
Once you’ve been freelancing for a while and you have several pieces to show for it, don’t hesitate to use them to land a full-time job. Reach out to potential employers saying you’d like to create the same great work you do for your clients for them, as a full-time employee, and share a link to your portfolio.
Freelancing is a great way of meeting your career goals in the interim between jobs. Not only are you setting yourself up for success in the future job market, but you’re keeping your industry knowledge fresh and enhancing your self-management skills. Who knows, you might even find freelancing is the right career for you and stick with it.
What other ways could freelancing help you meet your career goals? What advice do you have for others who are interested in freelancing? Share with us in the comments below!
