Freelancers – where can they find freelancing jobs?
Freelancing is becoming an increasingly popular work model among graphic designers, programmers and copywriters. Although it is comfortable and independent, you need steady jobs to earn enough money. This fact may be a barrier for beginners, so in this article below we explain where and how freelancers can look for jobs.
Freelancer jobs – where to look for clients?
The Internet offers many job opportunities for a freelancer:
- Groups on social media
- Portals for freelancers
- Own website
The choice of the optimal solution depends on your competences and marketing resources. So let’s check out the above options, starting with the most available one.
Social media
Social networking sites are full of thematic groups where jobs for freelancers often appear.
Virtually anyone who works remotely can find an opportunity – a content manager, UX designer or transcriber.
However, this apparent utopianism means that such places are full of competition. Each entry of a client is accompanied by dozens of comments from bidders who reduce the chance of establishing cooperation (especially if financial conditions are satisfactory).
Therefore, social media is usually the first stop on the way to lucrative orders, and more experienced freelancers look for their chance using other solutions.
Portals for freelancers
This is one of the most obvious choices for remote contractors – and for good reason, as this solution has several advantages.
Firstly, full functionality requires only a small fee, which may seem like an inconvenience at first, but it eliminates a significant portion of the competition. In addition, it is a kind of investment because it allows you to submit offers for many projects, thus maximizing the chance of establishing cooperation.
Secondly, specialized websites for freelancers allow you to promote your profile, i.e. post information about your specialties, describe your experience, add your own work to your portfolio, etc. Some websites also use a review system that rewards professional contractors with a set of stars. All this increases the success of business relationships and enables the constant development of marketing resources – each sentence is another opportunity to receive a good rating and enrich your portfolio.
The third advantage is the distinctive needs of customers. If they register on such a website, it usually means that they want to establish permanent cooperation and outsource tasks in the long term – for one-off orders they would not make such an effort to register. This is not a rule, of course, but it is worth paying attention to this feature. Overall, freelancer portals are a good place to find reliable contractors.
This solution is also not free from shortcomings – you still have to face competition, which also participates in submitting offers. In addition, portals often charge a commission per order, although this depends largely on the individual business policy of the website.
Own website
This is the most difficult and time-consuming solution for a freelancer to find jobs, but it guarantees a wide range of possibilities.
First of all, the contractor can present himself in an unlimited way – add sample projects, present the advantages of his services, create a temporary promotion, etc. Moreover, he is exempt from fighting against numerous competitors as interested clients can send their own requests for quotation.
However, to experience these advantages, the website must have sufficient visibility, which is the most problematic issue. Using paid advertising may not pay off, while positioning requires tedious acquisition of links and creation of content for the blog. The effects are therefore significantly delayed, as it may take up to several months before the first potential customer sends their message.
Summary
- To find jobs, a freelancer can use dedicated platforms, thematic groups on social media, and their own website.
- Each solution has its pros and cons, so the right choice depends on individual competences and marketing resources.
- For example, a Facebook group is a common and easy option for any freelancer, which results in a large group of bidders with whom you have to compete to take part in the project.
Leave a Reply