7 Tips On How To Become A Successful Freelancer

Business LoungeFebruary 2, 2018

Freelancing is a new age business – it actually refers to a person who is self-employed or not necessarily dedicated to one employer for a long time. Freelancer or a freelance worker sells his/her skills to clients using professional platforms. There are many fields for freelancing, for example, music, writing, computer programming, illustrating, translation, and many others. In the year 2013, the number of freelancers grew significantly. It is estimated that 1 of 3 workers in the USA is self-employed, which counts about 42 million only in that country.

Freelancing offers numerous benefits – starting from its comfort and discretion, flexibility and avoiding any kind of ordinary gender for religious or customary reasons. Here are 7 tips on how to become a successful freelancer for those who are starting this kind of job.

Research for the best option for you

SarkisSeysian/Depositphotos

There are many freelance platforms out there. Considering your best skills, try to find out which one best suits you. It is good to talk to people who are already successful freelancers so you could know what to expect. In the end, choose at least two platforms and register. With time, you can dedicate your time for just one of these two, when you realize which one is good for you.

Promote your skills

… and be persistent in it. Freelancing sometimes requires much effort. It really sounds good to earn over $1000 a month, but before that, you have to try hard. You have to build your profile and promote yourself by applying to many jobs. Try to find jobs which suit you well and then write good proposals. In addition to this, you may also build your LinkedIn profile, since this is a profile which you may include when applying for a job that makes you will look more professional.

Organize your time

Try to apply for different jobs every day, until you get a full-time job (or at least some stable half-time jobs). Afterward, make sure to organize your time accordingly, so that you do every task/job in its due time. That will give you a good reputation and you’ll get used to doing everything when it should be done. It is better to give up on some jobs than to procrastinate on all of them. You surely don’t want to get a bad feedback and prevent yourself from getting the successful career in freelancing!

Start your own projects

When you enter the freelancing world, you’ll slowly begin to understand what you want to do the most or what is the best way for you to work. Anyhow, try starting your own projects which you can also forward to your potential clients. For example, if you see that certain topics are searched a lot, you may prepare a few short projects about it, so that clients can see your style and get interested in your work soon.

Make sure your clients are satisfied

There are many elements to this. At first, give your maximum effort to do the job as it should be done. If something is missing or not done right, offer to do it for free – you’ll earn their trust and even get them come back to you. Of course, an essential part is a communication. Ask questions about the job and don’t be afraid to ask for advice, too. In the end, when the job is done, politely ask the client to leave you a feedback. This will help you get your future clients.

Don’t become dispirited

Man looking at a computer screen, thinking about the job at hand

Being a freelancer may be very stressful sometimes. It may happen that you don’t get any job for months. However, it is important that you have optimism and persist in trying – it must get better! If you don’t have a job, invest your time in yourself and acquire some new skills by attending the online courses. You could also just read through some online articles written by successful people in the field of your interest.

Don’t say yes to every job offer you get

Yes we know, you can hardly wait to get a job, but still, this isn’t the reason to accept every invitation you get. Try to analyze the job post well so you can be sure what is the client actually offering. You may also ask questions even without accepting the offer. Don’t feel obligated in any case. If you see that you can’t do it, apologize politely and search for another job which you can do. Also, try to appreciate yourself and don’t lower your price nor your standards – quality is important and you shouldn’t forget that! That is if you want to become a real professional. So ask yourself, Is this what you want?