Showing posts with label freelance work. Show all posts
Showing posts with label freelance work. Show all posts

Saturday, April 13, 2013

How to Become a Successful Freelancer

Freelancing is the idea of working somewhere far away from the office and safely in your own home. It’s very tempting for those who can’t work well in an office environment. Not having to go to work and pay for the commute, freelancers essentially work the way they want to work, not being bound by anything, and some have met success in this field. It’s not just for anybody, though it is something anyone should consider. For those that do consider the idea, here are some tips to help you become a successful freelancer: 

First of all, you have to make sure that you really want to freelance. If you’re already working in the office, ask yourself if you are willing to give up the weekly wages, the pension, the company of your office mates and the paid holidays. Ask yourself if you really are suited to freelancing. To help with this, start with part-time, so you can ease yourself into freelancing. 

Second is to ask yourself if you are marketable. Know if there are people who will desire your skills. As there is competition in freelancing, you have to be sure if you have the skills people will want, so you can land yourself a freelancing job. It is, however, easy to market yourself in the Internet; someone is bound to notice you when you market yourself.
 
Third is to join a union. It sounds pretty old-fashioned and out-of-place for a freelancer, but joining a union still gives you benefits. Freelancing is a mostly lonely job, so being in a union with other freelancers who probably have the same problems as you do, as well as being able to ask others for advice, will be a big help. 

Fourth is to be aware of the computer. A freelancer’s main tool is the computer; it’s where you do your work. It is also where you go to when you want to watch YouTube videos or read something funny in one of the usual sites you go to during your off-hours. Don’t let yourself get distracted when you’re supposed to be busy working. 

Fifth tip is to remind yourself that you are your own company. You are now every single department in one person, responsible for managing your money, marketing, publicity and all other things a normal company has different people doing. 

Sixth, do whatever it takes to get your name and business out there. Being a freelancer means having a tough competition with everyone else so you can land a job. This means competing with every company out there for work. 

Seventh, don’t get sick. As a freelancer, you are your own boss, which means a day of work missed means a day of where you don’t get paid. If this idea bothers you too much, don’t become a freelancer. 

Eighth tip, learn to deal with bad days. You are pretty much in charge now, so every bad day you have will only feel much worse as a freelancer. Learn to accept that fact and cope with it, as tomorrow is another day. 

The ninth tip is to plan ahead. Aside from balancing your work and your life and putting your work over life, you need to know where and when the work will come from. Plan ahead so that you will have something to fall back on after your current job is finished, then plan ahead for after that other job is already finished. 

The tenth and final tip is to have a life. Since you’re freelancing, you’re more or less always “on.” Every now and then, switch “off” and do something unrelated to work. It will take your mind off of it and you can start off fresh the next day. 

Author Bio: Austin Richard is an IT professional from Pass Certification. It provides you 100% 70-481 exams. Let’s take benefit of 70-448 Exams material efficiently and get guaranteed success. Check out free demo of all certifications Exam.



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