What Is A Freelancer Job?

What is a freelancer job? 

Now, that’s an interesting question and one which comes with various explanations. But it essentially boils down to whether you prefer to work for yourself or someone else. For example, if you are employed by a corporation/organization and would have to report to work each morning – that makes you an employee.

But when you work as a freelancer, you could work for several companies – from home or a cafe. You would essentially be working for yourself, on your own time and pace. That makes you a freelancer. So if you ever wondered about the mechanics behind ‘what is a freelancer job?’ Read on.

What does a freelancer job entail?

Regarding the “job description” part, you will find that a freelancer tag can be almost exclusively applied to any particular job. Moreover, jobs that fall under this category rarely carry any job designation. In short, a freelancer works exclusively for himself; therefore, there’s no need for tags such as “manager,” etc. 

Most fields allow for a certain degree of ‘freelancing,’ and that’s why as a freelancer, you would find the jobs often range from – writing, editing, graphics, and social media management to being a virtual assistant.

First step – create a portfolio:

If you are starting your career as a freelancer, then the first thing you need to do is to create your portfolio. 

Essentially, you are creating a folder containing some of your best works to date. And you are ensuring that your prospective employers can review the same at their convenience. 

You may also want to include comments and testimonials from your other customers in the portfolio.

Be proactive:

Be it messageboards, online forums, or communities, you must be proactive when interacting with prospective clients. These online forums and message boards help you get the word out about your services as a freelancer. 

And likewise, it can enable you to interact with other freelancers who can give you a heads-up” about a particular client, and you may need to avoid working with him.

When it comes to your career as a freelancer – you need to interact, interact and interact. Jobs or projects will not fall into your lap – you need to connect with the customer, make your case as to why you would be the perfect fit, and land the project.

Use social media:

As a freelancer, you would be wise to use online social media platforms such as “facebook,” “twitter,” and more. You may also want to focus more on platforms like Linkedin, designed to bring prospective employers and job applicants together. Moreover, platforms like Linked in often provide you with a powerful online tool by which you can essentially market yourself to others. 

Start a blog or a website:

Another way to kickstart your freelancing career would be to start a blog or website. It can be on general news or any topic you are interested in. You are utilizing the blog/website to showcase your ability and why an employer may want to hire your services. 

For example, if you are a virtual assistant, you would start a blog post titled “the advantages of being a virtual assistant” and include details, including your background – in the post. That should certainly help your post get the right attention, for starters.

Network:

When it comes to being a freelancer, you will find that one of the effective ways to land projects is through referrals or by networking with others. And platforms like Linked in allow you to do just that. Make sure you develop a network of like-minded freelancers who can refer one or the other, and you should be able to land the perfect job soon.

This is what a freelancer job is all about and how you can kickstart your career as a freelancer from scratch! Good luck!