How to become a successful freelancer
Freelancing is now a hot topic for both developed and developing countries. The number of such people is increasing day by day who are taking freelancing as their livelihood. Competition is also increasing in marketplaces like Upwork, Freelancer.com, Fiver etc. A local marketplace balancer has also developed in Bangladesh. To succeed here at this stage you must present yourself differently from others. But how? Today we will discuss some key points of becoming a successful freelancer.
1. Know about yourself
There are basically three types of people in the outsourcing industry or freelancing. The first type of people are freelancing full time. They are mainly professionals who don’t like desk jobs. The second type of people are freelancing part-time. They work for a certain amount but regularly. And the third type of people suffer from indecisiveness. They think about what kind of work is right, whether to work full-time or part-time, and even suffer from the dilemma of freelancing at all. Such people are really in danger.
If you want to come out of the third type of group, first you have to have a proper idea about your qualifications, the subject you are interested in, your weaknesses, your own expertise. Be confident and set goals. No legitimate profession is impossible for a man if he starts with a strong determination.
2. Option to hold
You may find many people who are after only one goal and are determined to achieve it. If this is what you are thinking when it comes to freelancing, there are several other things you should keep in mind. Career is not a ‘mission’ but it is bigger than a ‘vision’. Hope you understand the difference between ‘mission’ and ‘vision’. Mission is short term and vision is longer term than mission. However, backup options should always be kept as one should not rely on any one marketplace or single client. Maybe your current client is great but remember he won’t be around forever. In our experience we have also seen people who lost their clients just because of the payment of the work.
In fact, the risk factor is very high in a competitive space. There could be many things like your project expired, marketplace closed, your account problem etc. And that’s why connect with more than one marketplace, grow clients, build network, build your portfolio profile.
3. Correct use of time
Time is a precious resource when it comes to freelancing. Organize your time so that it can be used properly. Use a time tracker app. Use tools like Evernote, Google Keep to take notes. Complete the client’s work on time. Punctuality and responsibility are very important in freelancing.
4. Choosing the right job
There are also many dishonest people in the freelancing marketplace. Therefore, before taking the job, check whether the client is reliable or not. Check whether the payment method is verified, what is the rating of the client, what are the reviews of others about the client etc. Contact support directly if the client is playing hide-and-seek with payment after the job is done.
5. learning something new
Until death lies in advancing one’s skills. Focus on staying updated with the world, taking skill tests, joining new communities, learning new topics related to your job field, improving communication skills, etc.
6. Learn by yourself
The most important thing as a freelancer is to learn on your own. Because if you do a normal job, there are various courses and free training to make you skilled at work or teach you work. But as a freelancer there is no other option but to learn on your own. Therefore, mastering self-learning skills is very important. You need to improve your skills by learning new things with interest on your own. Otherwise, you will fall behind as a freelancer.
But what’s more important in self-learning is what you’re learning. Instead of wasting your time learning unnecessary things, focus on skills that will help you in your work as a freelancer. Try to improve what you can before learning something completely new. In this case you can use books, online tutorials, help from other freelancers.
7. Logical reasoning
Logical reasoning is a very important skill in any job. If you cannot explain to your client why you are doing something with logic, the client can easily misunderstand you. Sometimes freelancers have to lose a lot of work due to not being able to understand properly. And so improving logical reasoning is very important.
There will be times when the client asks you why you did it the way you did it. At that time, if you can present it logically in simple language, the client’s trust in you will increase and the opportunity to get more work will be created. Therefore, it is important to learn to give correct explanations with correct arguments if you want to be successful as a freelancer.
8. Ability to think quickly
Quick thinking is a very useful skill for any job. Freelancing work is no exception. The faster you can think and organize your work, the faster you can get things done. It can increase your performance manifold.
You can charge your client extra for getting the job done faster. The faster you complete a task, the more time your client will save. So, if you can work quickly, your income will also increase. So acquire the ability to think quickly.
9. Problem solving skills
Problem solving skills are another important factor. Many times you have to face various problems in freelancing work. There is no need to rely on anyone else to solve this problem. So you have to solve all the problems yourself. The better you are at solving problems, the more in demand you will be as a freelancer. So focus on your problem solving skills.
10. Accept criticism easily
Remember that self-improvement is not an alternative to taking criticism well. Many people do not take their criticism well. But from criticism you can understand your mistake and think how to get out of this mistake. But for that, it is important to have the mindset of listening to your own criticism.
But if the criticism is constructive, that criticism will only help you improve. It is also wise to avoid all other forms of criticism. So, as a freelancer, learn to distinguish between the types of criticism and improve yourself from teaching.
11. adapt to the situation
You should learn to adapt easily to various adverse conditions. There is always uncertainty in freelancing. It can be seen that sometimes very good work is available and sometimes there is no work at hand. At these times, if you quit your job out of frustration, it becomes difficult to achieve success. Again economic recession is seen all over the world. During this time there is less work. Freelancing work is always somewhat risky as there is no fixed income. And so, if you want to succeed in spite of all these problems, you have to learn to adapt. You can become a successful freelancer only by facing difficult situations with patience without getting frustrated easily.
It is possible to succeed as a freelancer if you can make yourself competent by paying extra attention to all the above aspects. However, many people in our country want to start working without having any idea about freelancing due to the lure of foreign currency income. In this case, there is no benefit except wasting time. Because freelancing like any other job requires acquiring skills. If you want to earn by freelancing without proper knowledge, there is no chance of success. So learn about freelancing, gain skills. Then you can dream of becoming successful through freelancing.
