In the past, being a freelancer was not considered an honorable profession. But now, it has been seen that many technical professionals have turned to freelance jobs after retiring from their day jobs because they find this line of work more convenient and beneficial both financially and personally.
In today’s job market, you have a chance at becoming a freelancer as these days, more and more people are looking for freelancers compared to those who will go through the recruitment process at a company.
According to a report by Intuit, about 34% of Americans now work as freelancers.
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Steps and guide on taking the next step to becoming a freelancer
So you want to become a freelancer? That’s great! Freelancing can be an enriching career and a great way to earn some extra money.
But before you can start freelancing, you must set up your business. Here are the steps you need to take:
Step 1: Choose Your Niche
Before becoming a freelancer, you must determine the kind of work you want. Consider your skills or interests and find a matching category to help people with your services. Here are some popular freelance niches:
Programming: Do you love writing code? Great! There are lots of businesses looking for programmers who specialize in particular programming languages.
They might need help updating their websites, developing new apps, or performing complex tasks that require technical expertise.
You can sign up with sites like Upwork and Freelancer to get started.
Writing & Translation: If words are your thing, there is no shortage of opportunities for writers and translators.
Businesses always need high-quality content, and many are willing to pay top dollar for it.
You can find plenty of work by registering with sites like Problogger and Indeed.
Design: If you’re artistic and have a flair for design, you might want to consider becoming a freelance designer.
Many businesses need help creating logos, websites, brochures, and other marketing materials.
Photography: Have a knack for taking great pictures? Why not become a freelance photographer?
Many people need professional photos for their websites, social media pages, and portfolios. You can find work on sites like Shutterstock and iStockphoto.
Step 2: Get Some Training
Freelancing can be a very lucrative career, but it’s not something you can jump into without any training. You need to have the skills plus the knowledge to offer high-quality services. That’s why it’s a good idea to get some training in your chosen niche.
Many courses and programs are available online, and many are affordable or even free.
Step 3: Create a Portfolio
Once you have some training, it’s time to create a portfolio. This is your chance to show potential clients what you’re capable of and demonstrate your skills and expertise.
Include examples of your best work and a brief bio that tells them a bit about yourself. You can showcase your portfolio on your website or online portfolio hosting site.
Step 4: Start Marketing Yourself
Now it’s time to start marketing yourself. You can create a website, write articles and guest posts, set up a social media presence, or attend industry events.
Step 5: Find Your First Freelance Job
Once you’ve completed your training, you can start offering your services as a freelancer. There are lots of ways to find work, including:
Word of mouth: If you have friends and family needing your services, let them know you’re now available for freelance work.
You might also consider contacting local businesses and letting them know about the great work you can do for them.
Profession directories: Sites like FreelanceSwitch and Upwork allow professionals to post profiles and bids on jobs posted by potential employers. Signing up with these sites and uploading a profile is free, so you might want to try it even if you’re starting.
Online job boards: Job boards are another excellent way to find freelancing work because they allow employers and freelancers to connect quickly and easily. You can search for jobs on sites like Fiverr.
Websites for freelancing job applications
Dice.com – Dice is a leading career community for tech professionals, providing the best job opportunities, expert insights, and resources to help support their careers.
Fiverr.com – If you haven’t heard about Fiverr, you must be new to the freelancing industry. Fiverr is a popular marketplace for Freelancing gigs with a wide range of services. You can sell any freelancing service here.
Upwork.com – Upwork helps businesses find talented freelancers across multiple disciplines and categories. You can search for jobs by skill, rate, or location.
Freelancer.com is a global online workplace where businesses and independent professionals connect to work on projects. With over 3 million registered users, Freelancer is the world’s most extensive outsourcing and crowdsourcing marketplace.
Guru.com connects businesses with qualified professionals to complete projects, find freelance work, or get a new job. With over 1 million registered users, Guru has one of the largest freelancer networks in the world.
Indeed.com is a job search engine aggregating job listings from thousands of websites.
SimplyHired.com – Hired is another search engine for jobs aggregating job listings from over 25,000 websites.
Monster.com – Monster is one of the most significant job search engines globally, with over 1.5 million jobs listed.
Linkedin.com – LinkedIn is a social networking site for professionals with over 330 million users. It is an excellent resource for finding freelance work opportunities.
Facebook.com is a social networking site with over 2 billion active users. It can also be used to find freelance work opportunities.
Twitter.com is a social networking site with over 330 million active users. It can also be used to find freelance work opportunities.
Pinterest.com is a visual discovery and sharing platform with over 200 million monthly active users. It can be used to find freelance work opportunities.
Google.com is the world’s most popular search engine and can be used to find freelance work opportunities.
Summary
As a freelancer, you can work from home and set your hours. You are also free to choose the projects you want to work on.
However, there are some something you need to consider before becoming a freelancer. First, this job has no set salary, so you will need to charge your customers enough money to cover expenses and earn an income.
You also need to know how much you charge per hour, which might affect the type of work you accept.
It would help determine what your skills are worth and stick to your rates. Finally, you must market yourself and build a portfolio to attract customers.
The best method is using social media sites like LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter. You can also use online job boards and search engines to find freelance work opportunities.