The concept of ‘freelancing’ isn’t new. It can be dated back to the 18th century when many people moved to cities during the Industrial Revolution in search of jobs. Due to the job crisis many of them started doing business from home. In the early 1900s, businesses started hiring workers for a short time to complete certain tasks. Many companies started hiring workers as freelancers and not as a full-time employee. Today people are working online as freelancers and it’s possible due to the wide availability and usage of the internet. The internet has opened up new job possibilities for people all around the world.
What Is Freelancing?
In the digital world, a freelancer is a person who earns money on a per-work basis for a short term. As the person is not a full-time employee of a company, he or she can work for simultaneous companies. A freelancer works as an independent contractor or self-employed basis and signs for jobs to be done on a predetermined fee. The payment system can be per hour, per project, or even per day.
👍 Advantages
Freelancing provides a wide range of job opportunities. You can work on journalism, graphic design, digital marketing, advertising, content writing, typing, tutoring, research, photography, programming, web design, and others. It allows a person to work in a flexible schedule and so a freelancer has a better work-life balance. You can take up freelancing jobs as a part-time or full-time career.
👎 Disadvantages
Freelancing jobs are not permanent. So, at any time you may not get any work from the client. You won’t have a steady cash flow every month. There is no insurance, retirement plans, or other benefits. You will not get promoted as well.
How To Do Freelancing?
Many companies today hire freelancers. You can get these jobs through referrals or networking. There are lots of online platforms for freelancers as well including Freelancer.com, Upwork, Craigslist, Fiverr, LinkedIn, and others.
To become a freelancer, you need to have good communication skills. As you will be working from remote locations, the employers won’t be able to meet you in person and analyze your skills. So, you need to properly communicate your skills and deliver the work on time.
If you want to start working as a freelancer online, then you should first choose a platform like Upwork or Fiverr. You must sign up and create your profile mentioning your education, work experience, and other details. Every day hundreds of projects are posted on these platforms in various categories. You need to bid on your selected projects. These platforms have membership options that give you access to more projects and other benefits.
Before bidding on a project, you must thoroughly read the instructions. In your project proposal write about your experience and the reasons you fit best for the job. Most of these platforms offer security for your hard work. For example, on Freelancer.com, you can set up milestones for your work to ensure that you get paid once you submit your work. Also, this way the Freelancer.com team can resolve any dispute with the client related to payment.
If you are chosen for a job then communicate the terms and conditions clearly before accepting the offer. Ask the employer about the method and frequency of payment. There are many ways you can get paid for your freelancing work online, for example, Payoneer, Skrill, PayPal, Express Withdrawal, and other methods. Do some research on these payment options to find out what will work best for you. Make sure that the payment system you choose is accepted in your country.
Freelancing Career Options
If you are thinking of quitting your 9 to 5 job or planning to start a part-time work then you have a lot of freelancing career options. Try to develop your skills in these fields to start earning money on various freelancing platforms.
🔯 Start Writing Blog
You can start writing your blog and monetize it through affiliate marketing, sponsored posts, or digital advertising. You should first choose a niche and start making valuable content. You must promote your blog to increase traffic.
🔯 Content Or Article Writing
There is a lot of demand for content or article writers. You can find these jobs on the online freelancing platforms. To get this kind of job you should develop your work profile and highlight your experience.
🔯 Virtual Assistant
If you are good at multitasking and organization then this type of work is for you. You can work remotely and provide administrative help to your clients. Your work may include managing emails, bookkeeping, scheduling appointments, and others.
🔯 Graphic Designer
If you are trained in graphic design, then you can get high-paying freelancing jobs in this category. Graphic designing is needed for a lot of work and so the demand for graphic designers is high. You may need to create a logo, marketing materials, website layouts, and other similar tasks.
🔯 Social Media Manager
Many companies now depend on social media to promote their products or services. So, they are looking for someone who is an expert in social media marketing. If you know about the various social media marketing tools then you can help promote other’s products or services.
🔯 Web Developer
Every business now requires an online presence. So, the demand for web developers is high. As a web developer, your job will be to create and maintain websites and ensure they are search engine optimized.
🔯 Tutoring
If you are a teacher, then you can consider online tutoring. You can teach the subject of your preference to people in any part of the world. Many people consider online tutoring to help with their academic performance.
So, you can see that there are many options to make money through a freelancing career. Choose the category of job you want to do and try to develop relevant skills in that area. That way you will get more high-paid job offers.
Online Freelancing Platforms
The freelancer community has thrived over the years and much is to be contributed to the various freelancing platforms available online. If you know about these platforms, then you can decide where to work.
🔀 Freelancer.com
This is one of the oldest online freelancing platforms. You can get various works here like web development, content writing, data entry, digital marketing, tutoring, graphic designing, and others. Reviews from previous clients will help you to secure more jobs in the future. Your earning will be tracked which will indicate how skilled you are at the job and so it will rank you higher when bidding on a project. Once you are awarded a project, this platform will deduct 10% of your earnings for fixed projects. Here you can take part in contests as well and earn money. Different membership options are available to maximize your chance of getting a job.
Find Freelance Jobs On: Freelancer.com
🔀 People Per Hour (PPH)
As the name suggests, freelancers work here on a ‘Per Hour’ basis. You can bid for projects in different categories like content writing, SEO, website development, logo design, and others. The site guarantees on-time payment. You can work here full-time or part-time basis. The platform ensures smooth communication and good project management.
Find Freelance Jobs On: PeoplePerHour.com
🔀 Upwork
Upwork is the result of merging between ODesk and Elance freelancing platforms. Here you can get works related to programming, web development and design, brand marketing, and others. Upwork cuts a commission for each project. However, as you start earning more on this platform, the amount of commission that is cut reduces.
Find Freelance Jobs On: Upwork
🔀 Fiverr
Here you will find projects in categories like website design, virtual assistance, content writing, and more. They don’t offer any hourly rate; you can work on a per-project basis. They offer different payment options like PayPal and wire transfer. You will get 24/7 support from this platform.
Find Freelance Jobs On: Fiverr
🔀 Flexjobs
Like in other online freelancing platforms, you can work in different job categories including content marketing, writing, web designing, tutoring, journalism, and others. Here you can get part-time and full-time job opportunities as well along with freelancing jobs. The platform filters away fake companies, so there is a minimum chance of any fraudulent activity. Various subscription options are available here.
Find Freelance Jobs On: FlexJobs
LinkedIn is a popular job searching site where you can find your desired job as a full-time, part-time, or freelance worker. You can either apply for a job that is offered on this platform or create a post mentioning your area of expertise and the type of work you are looking for. This platform offers a great opportunity to network with professionals all over the world.
Find Freelance Jobs On: LinkedIn
🔀 Behance
If you are into creative work, then this platform is for you. Here you can get jobs in photography, illustration, animation, or web design. You should showcase your portfolio of works to attract clients. Once you sign up here, you will get a customized job recommendation depending on your skill set.
Find Freelance Jobs On: Behance
🔀 Dribbble
This platform is for creative people who are interested in animation, mobile design, illustration, or related areas. You need to develop your portfolio here to get jobs. So, make sure you upload your designs here so that prospective employers can have a look at them before hiring you.
Find Freelance Jobs On: Dribbble
🔀 ServiceScape
If you are looking for writing jobs then you should sign up on this platform. Here you can get academic writing, content writing, editorial, and translation jobs. Here you don’t have to bid for any project. You need to upload your profile and wait for the clients to offer you a job.
Find Freelance Jobs On: ServiceScape
How To Highlight Yourself
Getting freelancing work online is very competitive. So, you need to look for ways to make yourself noticeable to prospective clients. In some of these online platforms, you need to take some exams to stand out from others. This also tells the employer that you have the expertise for the work. Another way to highlight yourself when bidding for a project is to pay an extra fee to rank yourself at the top of others. This increases the possibility that the prospective employer will view your profile. Today many employers conduct job interviews through Skype or other means. So, you should be well prepared for the interview. You must be ready to share your specific freelancing experience with the client to convince them about your expertise. To stay competitive in the online freelancing platform, you need to get positive feedback from the clients you work for. The better feedback you get, the more chance you have of winning projects in the future.
Conclusion
Finding work as a freelancer is not a complex process. The various online freelancing platforms have tools to help you find jobs within a short time. Once you start building your profile by working with different clients, the opportunity to get more jobs will increase. Millions of freelancers are now working all over the world and you can become one of them with the help of various freelancing platforms.
