by Guest Author, Miles Oliver
There are so many advantages to being a freelancer: no buzzkill boss breathing down your neck, no hour-long commute to and from the office, and no office politics to make you bend over backward for your next raise or promotion. As a freelancer, you can set your own hours, choose your own projects, and be the captain of your own career ship.
In the post-pandemic job market, there are more freelancers than ever before. Between 2020 and 2023, the number of independent workers in the United States — which includes freelancers as well as solopreneurs and gig workers — increased by 89%. Unfortunately, over the same period, the demand for contract work has remained relatively steady; though some industries have seen the demand for contracting roles increase, that demand has certainly not kept up with the rate of growth in the freelance workforce.
Whether you are new to freelancing or have built a career in the freelance space, you need to work harder than ever to find work. To gain a competitive advantage in the job market, you need to market yourself better than the other freelancers in your field. Here are a few tips to help you build a personal and professional brand that brings in more and higher quality paying projects.
Compile a Professional Portfolio
Almost regardless of your field, as a freelancer, you will need to submit a portfolio of your past work to potential clients. A portfolio is more than a catalog of examples; it is a story of your professional history, highlighting your most impressive achievements and demonstrating the breadth and depth of your skill. Portfolios vary in format, largely depending on the type of work you specialize in, but they should always strive to stand out. For example, you might create a Dropbox folder containing dazzling writing samples, or you might build a website to showcase your web design prowess.
If you have experience working in more traditional employment, make a resume. Many prospective clients look at them alongside your portfolio, especially if they’re looking for long- term relationships. Include everything you would if you were applying for a full-time position. Consider adding a “freelancer” section to your employment history to show your experience and add a few note-worthy clients. If you have a high rating on platforms like Upwork, don’t forget to include those too.
Upgrade Your Skillset
Not all freelance skills are valued equally. According to Upwork, one of the dominant online marketplaces for freelance gigs, highly technical skills like data science and machine learning are among the most in-demand skills on the freelance job market, followed by various types of coding and web development skills as well as various marketing experience like SEO, social media, campaign management, and more. If you don’t have any of these top skills, you might acquire the skills that best complement your existing capabilities through online courses, boot camps, or unpaid projects.
Build a Personal Brand
Branding is the process of distinguishing a company (or its products or services), and personal branding is the process of giving a person a distinctive identity. Whether you realize it or not, you have built a personal brand for yourself — in how you speak, how you dress, the way you decorate your home, and how you choose to get around. As a freelancer, you can use your personal brand to stand out. You might use various tools, including AI, to develop your brand, which you can express through application materials, on social media, and in various other ways, you may connect with potential clients.
Leverage Social Media
Social media allows you to connect with all manner of people, not merely friends and family but also past and future clients. However, your personal social media account probably does not align appropriately with the personal brand you want to present to clients. Before you start using your social media profiles to find work, you must engage in a social media rebrand to better reflect the persona you want to use in your professional career.
Once your social media is up to snuff, you can start leveraging it to find gigs. You can post some of your completed projects on social media as a public portfolio. You might join social media groups in your field, where you can network with other freelancers as well as prospective clients. At the very least, you should work to build your social media following, which will increase the visibility of your freelancing business.
Network, Network, Network
Employees and freelancers have at least one thing in common: Both benefit significantly from networking. Networking, and similar traditional business strategies like mentorship, give you access to information and provide direct and indirect contact with potential future clients.
Growing your network takes conscious effort. To start, you can make sure that friends and family understand what you do, so they can help you find work through their own networks. You can attend local events, visit trade shows, and become an active member of professional organizations in your field. You might volunteer in your off time, or you might rent a desk in a coworking space, both of which put you in contact with more people. Most importantly, you need to follow up with every person you meet, maintaining your relationships to ensure your contacts keep you top of mind.
Even in a saturated job market, you can achieve success as a freelancer, as long as you remain committed to making your business stand out from the crowd.
Need more job search advice?
Join Our Discussion
For more insights and a community of like-minded professionals join our LinkedIn group Resume Help and Advice for Professionals and Executives
About the author: Miles Oliver is a freelance contributor whose writing focuses on professional development. You can reach him at moliverpages@gmail.com.
