If you have chosen a career of becoming freelancer, now you need to make efforts to make it a success. Working as a Freelancer demands more responsibilities than as a employer. An employer works in a office, in a specific city or country, under supervision of a single boss, or a few seniors with similar nature of work. While a freelancer got opportunities to work with different international clients, with different, languages, natures, country codes, work practices, time zones, currencies and work type. They have to do a lot of research to keep themselves updated. They have to spent several hours of brainstorming for selecting the job to send a proposal. In office, this part of job is done by bosses or managements. You simply need to obey orders. You are guided by your seniors and colleagues to complete the task. But a freelancer has to be a boss, manager, accountant, receptionist and employer all by himself. That does not mean you cannot be a freelancer, but you need to take tips and guidance for freelancing to become successful. There are numbers of books and guides available on the topic. You may contact any successful freelancer to get helped. I just tried to write down something from my little experience that might help you.
1. APPEALING PROFILE:
If you got an opportunity for interview physically for a employer job, you have noticed that interviewer use to ask questions or topics that you have mentioned in your CV or resume. It is recommended to make a simple CV with all true facts so that you cannot be confused by what you have written in CV. That means you have written it yourself, not a copy paste. Same rule apply to the profile for freelancing. Please be true with the skills you have mentioned in it. These freelancing site have tests options. Take a test of your skills and earn a skill level. Selecting an accurate work rate that is according to your skill level. Mention clearly your work hours. Develop a portfolio with your projects description and permissible project images to attract more clients. Make it as simple and as professional as possible.
2. RESEARCH BEFORE SUBMITTING PROPOSALS:
This research include research for work and client both. You must know about client, his country, currency and time zone. I would like to share one of my personal experience. I was asked to model a structure on software and I have to submit this job within an hour. I was already working on some other job. So I asked him a budget estimate of $100 considering it a tough and urgent job. Client burst into anger "Are you serious" , " Why you think I will pay you $100?". I was shocked at it because the estimate was fine for that job. I will get 80% of it. If converted to Pakistani Rupees it will be about 8000/- something. Then I tried to find out what make him angry and I came to know that he is from Chile and 1 USD equal to 650 Chiliean Peso, that means $100 equals to 65000/- Chiliean Peso, that will obviously a big budget for one hour job.
3. BE WITH YOUR COMMITMENTS
As a freelancer, you are your own boss. You can select flexible deadlines, work hours and time estimate. So be with it. Don't mention that you are available 24/7, If you cannot work on Sundays. Try to complete your task before deadline to avoid delay due to internet connection unavailability or electric power failure or something unpredictable. As a beginner these things matters a lot. If you did a perfect job and hoping to have 5 stars feedback but due to some unexpected guests coming, you submit it the next day and get a 4 star will effect you Job success score.
4. BE COMMUNICATIVE:
Communication is the Key to Success. This also applies to Freelancing. Discuss your project with your client in detail. Ask if any confusion. Don't assume. There are different ways of working a job country wise practice change. So you must research as well as discuss to get clear what your client is asking to you. If you just start without clearing concepts, and completed it as per your practice. Then either you have to re do all, or client may chose some one else to work for him. He may or may not pay for the time you spent. Negative feedback will also be added to your account.
5. KNOW YOUR WORTH:
Don't be underrated or overrated. Freelancing does not mean you are working for free. Ask for suitable pay for your work. You can describe your work in detail to client, so that he could understand. You can divide a big job in a series to milestones so that both client and you are satisfied with working and payment. Tell your client you availability time as per UTC so that he could blame you for not responding immediately. Know your worth and present it so other may also know it. Give respect, earn respect.
6. RESPECT YOURS AND CLIENTS TIME
Submitting proposals to jobs irrelevant to your skills will only lead to a wastage of time for both you and client. For Client, he will spent time read all proposals he received and next he will interview few of them to select the best outfit. As freelancer, you will spent time interviewing, answering and trying your foot to get fitted in someone else shoe. In case don't have any job available currently. Spent time to learn something new. Make researches. Or try some experiments. If you are good at using any software, make software tutorial videos of your own. Or if you have done some new research write it down. Practice some skills to make it polish further. These may act like a back up. May be some day you get client to ask for an academic write up on the topic you have already researched or ask for help learning software. You will not have to wait for a century for such opportunity, because this types of job are posted daily on various sites. You just have to have an Eagle Eye and good internet connection.
7. EARN TRUST
In order to be a successful freelancer and earn money, First you have to earn trust. Your client can't see you physically working on job like bosses can do with a CCTV camera in his room. He has to trust you with his money. You have to earn trust first. Your new client will see the previous record before hiring you, but what about the first client? You have to make your offer such that he has no option but to hire you. Once hired, make your 100% efforts to get it a success. Be nice in communication. Update your client with work progress. You may need to do video conferencing or sharing contact details to make sure that you are a human not a robot. As freelancer, we may not select client that do not have reputation or unverified payment method. So its two way. Remember, Trust is your driving licence for freelancing.
8. UPGRADE YOUR SET UP
To continue your success journey, you need to have a upgraded system with adequate storage capacity and speed. You have the required software and gadgets installed in your system. Your system and software are as per International Standards. You have books, codes, other required material that is needed to complete the job. You have good internet connection and downloading speed. Also you, yourself upgraded with subject knowledge. You have good command on English. Because it is the International language and only mean of conversation with international clients.
9. BE UPDATED
Each day hundreds of new words are added to dictionaries. New technologies invented. New software come in market and compete all the previous one. Working with International Client will need more being updated than for local. We are developing country, technology which we are following here, may have been outdated for them. They might ask to do billing quantities using any specific software, not Ms Excel or make animated presentation on Prezi instead of Power Point. So be updated.
10. MAINTAIN WORK QUALITY
Don't compromise quality in any case. Being freelancer you have a plus point to work from any where and any time. You can work sitting in a comfortable sofa, or in a garden or cafe, but that should not effect your work quality. It is not like being an employer who will get paid at the end of month, and his mistakes may cover by senior fellows or company reputation. Here you have make your own image and reputation.