The freelance marketplace has become the fastest growing industry, especially in these pandemic days. Daily, many new freelancers get into this marketplace and start their freelance career, some become successful in making their market value but some face misfortune. This does not mean that they do not have good freelance skills or talent but there is a lack of only a few things that must be taken into account while starting a freelance career. These things will give a successful initiative in the freelance marketplace. So, if you are planning to start a freelance career, or want to know how to become a freelancer, here are the five important things that must be done before starting.
1. IDENTIFY YOUR FREELANCE SKILL
Freelance skill is the digital talent that enables you to earn money online by facilitating your client. You must be aware of the service which you can provide to your client efficiently. Your expertise in that service is your skill. There are many freelance skills e.g. writing, photography, drawing, web designing, programming, data analysis, etc. Think about the skill in which you are good. Some people assume that their academic qualification is their skill. It is true in some cases but not in all. There is a slight difference between your skill and your academic qualification.
Your skill is related to your natural ability and your interest. For example, someone is an engineer but he is fond of reading books and he also writes articles in magazines or newspapers. So, he can pursue his career as a freelancer in content writing. Someone good at drawing and sketching can be a professional graphic designer in a freelance career by learning some related software. It will be good for you if you groom your freelance skills by learning some related software. You can do it by doing some internet research. So, know your skill, not necessarily that it belongs to your academic qualification.
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2. BUILD YOUR FREELANCE PORTFOLIO
After the identification of skills for a freelance career, portfolio building must be your next step. A freelance portfolio acts as your curriculum vitae (CV) in getting hired by the client. It is the summarized presentation of your previous work. Before assigning you any task, every client first surveys your freelance portfolio. Because he wants to know the quality of your service. He also wants to know whether you can perform the task in the manner he wants or not? If he likes your ideas and quality, he assigns you the task. So, it is very important to include your previous work in your freelance portfolio. But…not always the employee has experienced for the job. What will you do if you are fresh and don’t have experience with the job?
You will be happy to know you can still build an attractive and amazing portfolio. Just collect samples of your work which you did as a hobby or practice your skill. For example, if you want to be a web designer, obviously you already have designed something to enhance and practice your skill. So, show them in your freelance portfolio in an attractive manner.
3. EFFECTIVE COMMUNICATION SKILLS
Communication is the bridge between you and your client. If you are very extraordinary in your skill but are not communicating properly with your client, it becomes trouble. Effective communication is very important for your freelance career. It builds trust and bonding between client and employee, It’s are often seen in freelancing that old clients approach the same freelancer for their jobs or they have worked together for years, It is because of effective communication skills.
So, improve your communication skills and for this, you have to remember some basic points.
- Respond immediately to your clients. It expresses your devotion and commitment to your job. The delayed response, not only irritates your client but also portrays the negative image of your job. So, reply to your client as fast as you can. It
- Be Punctual for important dates related to the job and in delivery of the completed task. It builds the trust of your client in you and he most likely assigns you the next task. So be punctual because ”Time is money”.
- Stay to the point with your client. It is very necessary. If you are not giving the point or related answer or giving too many details that are not necessary, it will ruin your image. The client will think you are lacking in expertise in your skill. Remember, your client is very far away from you, so choose your words carefully and avoid unnecessary detailing. Improve your grammar and writing skills because your client is not in front of you. He is reading your messages, so use good and concise words.
Remember, your communication will bring back your old clients to you. They will approach you if you have the expertise and effective communication skills. They will give you good reviews which are also very important for bringing new clients to you. It will boost your freelance career.
4. SEARCH YOUR MARKETPLACE.
A freelance marketplace is a platform where you are hired and get paid for your services. So search the marketplace where your skill is in demand. There are many freelance marketplaces where you can start your freelance career and polish your skill, such as Upwork, Freelancer.com, Fiverr, people per hour e.t.c. To choose your online marketplace, search varieties of published freelance jobs on their websites related to your skill and analyze the market value at that freelance platform. Make your profile there, upload your freelance portfolio and start your freelance career.
5. MARKET YOUR SERVICES
Market your services to tell people about your skills and expertise. It is very important for your freelance career because if people know about your services, they will easily approach you whenever needed. Social media is the best platform to do this. So, tell people in your social circle about the services you provide and show them your expertise and quality. You can do this by making groups, pages, or simple posts about your work. Social networks such as Facebook, Twitter, Linkedin, WhatsApp are the best platforms to market your services.
Conclusion
Before starting your freelance career you have to take into account five important points.
First, identify your freelance skill. That will be the service that you want to sell. Build your freelance portfolio because it introduces the quality of your services to the client. Make sure that you are punctual and have effective communication with your client. Search your freelance marketplace and market your services by telling them in social groups and pages. So, start your freelance career successfully. Best of Luck…!
Here is the link to the video to explain the content as we
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