Updating your skills – Freelancers

A freelancer thrives in an environment full of various skills. That is precisely the reason why he has chosen freelancing. He feels at home in a breeding ground of such skilled people. Else, he would be elsewhere working on a mundane job. It is his confidence in his skill sets that has leaded him to choose freelancing as a career.

A freelancer is often a big dreamer. He will have dreams of being successful. Dreams in which he will see himself as a successful business man running his own freelancing unit. There are very creative dreamers as well. Those dreamers, who read this and identify themselves with this role, will have more to add to this statement.

Let us continue with an intention of success, to everyone who reads this. Let us also peep into the pre-requisites that will enable freelancers realize their dreams. First and foremost, a freelancer should know why he is doing the job, which he is doing, as a freelancer.

Freelancers who consciously choose their particular jobs, knows how to go about it, is confident of delivering the work well and knows his strengths and weaknesses. He will know if the project is favorable or not, to him. He will know exactly how much effort needs to go in.

But at times, freelancers are at a loss to understand why they are doing a particular kind of job. To overcome this sense of deficiency a freelancer has to update him frequently on all the topics that summons his interest.

Learning is essential for a freelancer. It may be through work or through colleagues or by any other means including training classes. Individual learning again, can be diverse, ranging from the core subject matter to personal development. Advantages of meaningful learning are that the freelancer is full of information required for his work. Day to day situations that he may face also helps him with informal learning. These lessons, each freelancer has to identify and inculcate within him.

Learning is easiest while teaching others. A freelancer who has the knowledge can offer to impart his knowledge to teach others. The students may have new ideas and questions to ask. The freelancer gets an opportunity to learn while answering those questions. Teaching is the best way to learn as it helps further your knowledge, and gives a foundation that is stronger. Teaching can open up new avenues that you can explore to pursue your interests.

Good people are a boon to be around. Since freelancers do not get an opportunity to work with a team of members, they are isolated, except when they work as part of teams. So when there is an appropriate opportunity, for a freelancer to work with good people, the suggestion is to grab it. You may find people who can be your role models, especially, with regard to their approach to life and work. People who do work with a good attitude and also teaches you lessons that are worth learning, without offending you. Friends and mentors and bosses and peers, who will hand hold you and groom you, bringing happiness around. People who can get work done!

While working with good people it is also important that we have to change ourselves a bit. We should learn to take criticisms, both positive and negative. Work on the positive criticism and improvise on the work that we do. Positive criticism coming from people worth listening to, and learning from it is a boon. Only well meaning people will give you criticism worth working on.

Take on new challenges as part of your learning. You may inform your team that these are not your core strengths, but attempt to work at it and do a good job. There are times when you are in the right mental frame work; and the attempts that you make bring positive results. When this happens, you know that it is worthwhile doing another attempt and try to hone your skills further. Freelancers are lucky to get openings where the client is willing to experiment with their talent. If you a lucky person, you will find the right kind of person to give you the right opening.

Last but not the least is the inspiration and motivation that one has, which helps you to learn by yourself. It is essential that one has the motivation and inspiration to learn more. Only when the passion comes from within, can a person go about learning new and more beneficial things. One has to align the instructions received, the practice he has had and the assessment of the job at hand, and connect these thus enabling one to benefit from what he has learnt.

Keep your spirits high even if you don’t succeed the first time

Failures are stepping stones to success. So, as a freelancer, if you do not succeed at first, try again. Freelancing is no exception when it comes to failures and successes. One has to have the fire in him to surpass these failures and come out successfully. Failures as such do not wait to pounce on you. You need to know that failure is around the corner, when things don’t come up the way they have to. And need to take corrective action immediately.

What is the reason for your failure? This is the first question one may ask himself. Look at yourself and determine why you have failed. If you are not sure, ask your client. Ask friends who know your work. They will have a better idea.

Once you get to know the reasons, work on them. Work on the weak areas which need attention. Sometimes your over confidence needs to be brought down. Anyways do your self appraisal and you will know where you have faltered.

Another question you need to ask is whether you or another party caused your failure. Reasons for the failure could be many. You may have been in the picture and involved in a small way. Is the failure because of non availability of resources or any other factor that was not in your control? Then you do not have to take the blame. Things beyond your control really do not matter.

But if the failure was due to your incompetence, assess the factors that caused the incompetence. Assess what more you could do. Assess the kind of help you should have asked for. Assess the amount of help you should have taken from others and other resources.

If it was due to lack of knowledge, assess if you really would like to work on that area again. If yes, upgrade knowledge by going for a course. Crash courses are available. But choose the one which will provide you with good knowledge on the subject. Check if the teachers are qualified to help you further upgrade. If yes then it is the right place to go to.

Ask the right questions to understand why this failure happened. More over it is important not to play the blame game. Accept feedback in good manner. Accept what needs improvement and there you will be among the best again after a few months and years.

Once you have, upgraded skills approach you employer. He may give you another chance. Most of them would like to work with familiar personnel than go for newer freelancers each time. So make sure you upgrade your knowledge and continue accepting feedback to improvise and improve.

Was it your kind of work? This is another question worth to think about. Was it your area of expertise? If not, move away. If you still want to continue with it, upgrade skills. You may choose to move away in to a lateral field as well. As a freelancer, there are ample opportunities available to showcase skills that relates with each other. You have to have the determination to learn yourself. Self help is important at times because it will stand you in good stead with your employer. Basically, you do not have to cry out for help at every given opportunity.

If failure was due to lack of resources, get help to research, and make resources available. At least for your next assignment these resources will be helpful. These resources can be page marked and filed so that they are always at your hands length whenever required. Availability of resources cannot be a reason for failure these days as enough and more resources are available at the press of a few buttons. But to choose amongst the best and most suited needs intelligence and discrimination.

Friends can provide you with great inputs. Do you home work on the work assigned. You may take hours to formulate your strategy on getting work done. But all that matters is not the time spent, but the quality of output given.

Failure is opportunity to begin again. It points the way to success. Begin your work more efficiently and logically and you are sure to succeed.

Bringing corporate work experience to freelancing

Individuals bringing corporate work experience to freelancing have a whole range of advantage. First of all, they have the education, skills, and the required determination to excel in the new area of work.

Many corporations today have their own training and development departments. These corporations ensure that they bring up their employees to have a successful career with the company; they work for, till the time of retirement.

But with instability in the job market, employees change jobs frequently and hence we have a large pool of trained professionals who are ready for employment, with skills that are developed. However, you may find a large number of them opting to work as independent consultants or freelancers offering their services to employers who are ready to hire them.

Qualities and Expertise

Individuals from the corporate world commit to freelancing due to their passion for doing what they love. The proficiency acquired during their stint in the corporate world is helpful to a large extend in carving out a successful career in freelancing. More so because many skills acquired from work experience is acquired on the job.

Soft skills are the most important skill that a freelancer require, basically to deal with prospective clients and peers in the industry. This expertise teamed with good communication enables a them to conduct his business well. The standards set by a writer who has the above dexterity will definitely stand to gain in the long run.

The competitive advantage one has over a person who does not have training is also beneficial in making a rewarding entry into the freelancing world. These experienced professionals are just not lucky but are at the top when it comes to giving chances to work for. Knowledge related to the work in hand is another advantage that these professionals have. This enables them to deliver the project well after evaluating the requirements thoroughly.

These individuals are able to plan better as their aspirations are in line with what they are committed to. They are highly motivated and this will reflect in the work they deliver. Companies have their own quality standards and hence individuals with exposure would have these inculcated in their work. Successful completion of work complying with quality standards would be their forte.

Where there is a requirement for further knowledge base or information, they would not hesitate to network and understand the required information. Results would be the top priority here. These techniques are of paramount importance to get work done properly.

Another vital quality that a professional will bring to the freelancing world is the ability to track, collaborate, and complete a project within timelines. All in all a professional brings in the best from the work place he has been in to the new area of work.

Education, ability, and wisdom can get you anywhere and freelancing can be only a stepping stone in setting up a successful business. High volume of work requests can easily completed, managed and stream lined to suit the needs of the client. Maturity levels in handling issues at work are also higher in individuals with corporate know-how than with others who do not have any background.

Getting bored of the routine does not happen in the case of freelancers. There is no room for complaints as the individual gets a break after each project or he himself times them in such a manner that it does not affect his schedule for leisure.

There is no reason why a person should switch jobs frequently in freelancing, as the work schedule itself is such that there would be multiple clients giving in work at the same time at different intervals. Getting continuous work without breaks does not happen most of the time. Travelling to places for work is another major reason why individuals prefer working from home. In freelancing, you may either work at the clients place or work from home whichever is convenient to you.

Acceptance to change and readiness to work are the two important factors that will see you through as a successful freelancer. You might have to work through tough schedules during a particular time period and adjust to a more lenient schedule at times.

Poor economy and less work may affect the freelancers earning capacity. But if you have the grit and the determination to find work and handover the same, nothing can beat you to success. Workplace etiquette and conduct is not followed while working from home.

Well, readers, that is all about corporate experience and freelancers. Trust you will be successful in your endeavor.

Evident positive outcomes of freelancing – story of a freelancer

Success stories about freelancing are available everywhere, on the internet and in magazines. What does it take to become a successful freelancer? A good question. But many cannot answer this well. But some can answer this with confidence.

What success does freelancing offer? What are the positive attributes associated with this work? What do freelancers have to say about their work and benefits?

Well, to begin with, this is a relatively new area of work. People across the globe are taking to freelancing because of the positive attributes it has to offer. The most outstanding among them is the freedom to work from any where on the globe at any time. Money involved in this work is another bonus. Admirable work commands good remuneration. Specialized work gets paid even better.

Freelancers always write realistically, but there are a lot of times when editors require good fiction as well. When you are too good at imaginative writing, try your hand at writing fiction as well. To be truthful is being original, but to write a good story which is as good as true is sheer genius.

Inherent talent needs polishing. Freelancers pick up business skills while at work. They do not have another person to market their skills, they do it themselves. That turns a freelancer, into a marketing professional, finance expert, writer, and manager all at one go.

Negotiating skills strengthen with each work that you accept. As the work increases in volume, the market value of the freelancer tends to increase. This in turn affects the remuneration earned. Yes, there would be good alternatives available in the market at lesser prices. If your work is credible, the client would pay a handsome reward.

Most of the time positive results appear while the writer does a free sample or a guest post. The quality inspires the client to offer a valuable project to the freelancer. There are times when a client sees the quality of work at done by the freelancer and calls in to offer a project.

The worst critic a freelancer or a writer can have is himself. Every time the work done gets a review, keep in mind that there will be handful changes that needs better execution. Each time the freelancer is able to recognize these, he is doing a great help to himself. This reflects in improved quality of work and enhances his confidence to do better and better.

When you work with a team, often people share their fears and desperate moments. But freelancers do not have such comfort. The disadvantage is that bad moods, etc affect some. But smart individuals learn to control their mind. There are exercises that help to overcome bad moods, so that you emerge a winner even during testing times. Keeping a friendly and positive attitude will help a freelancer earn a whole lot of network in their business.

Here’s a story of a freelancer. He started quite late but tried his best to do a good job of every assignment. The first few jobs were a little tough to cope up with. The clients were not too happy. But he kept his communication channels open. He accepted criticism about the work and worked on it. He went about enquiring with his friends about how they became successful.

His learning curve was quite impressive after reaching out to peers in the industry. He started with a positive attitude. Yes, of course, he did his prayers and homework well. Each project that he landed from then on was his baby. He took care to write down carefully what went well on each project to make it stand out. And today, he is writing for very successful magazines. He is continuing to build his career.

You will not know the name of this freelancer. But he can be you. So gear up to do your homework and put your best foot forward. Work that is sustainable has takers anywhere in the world. The idea, skill, knowledge, and time put in for work that sells, is the key to success.

Value your talents and you will find others valuing them too. This is another aspect of freelancing. Many freelancers just write for fun and are not serious about a career. If you are not too good at freelancing, do not attempt it. Attempt writing that works for you, that will pay you well. That will bring you success.

Once you identify what works for you, attempt advancement in your area of work. But if you do not know your strengths then it is better not to even think of writing.

Do You Have It In You To Make It As A Freelancer

To be our own bosses is a dream come true job everybody in the world. Most people see freelancing as a chance of working on their own time, enjoying breaks when they want, billing hours from café while sipping a cup of fresh coffee and working, taking projects which they want, skipping a day without having to apply for leave or taking permissions. But are these perks enough for you to leave your regular job and take up freelancing jobs?

The answer is a straightforward ‘no’. On the surface you might see a freelancer as a master of his/her will but in reality before giving up your full time job or choosing between freelancing and full time job you need to know think carefully about whether you have the qualities and skills needed to make it as a freelancer. There are some things which you will need to give up and some things which need to adapt to succeed as a freelancer. In this post, we will take a look at some of the things, which will help you decide whether you are up to it, or not?

Can you survive with variable income?

A freelancer’s income depends on the type of project he or she has in hand. Some months you will have many projects in hand and earn more than your average but in some months you might not have so many projects in hand and the income might not be so much. Also you will not be paid when you are on vacation or have to leave a project in midway. Therefore, think whether you can manage your finances even in slump.

Also when you are just starting your jobs you might not be paid as much as you want, therefore can you manage in the starting days?

Can you work alone?

As a freelancer you will have to work alone a lot. There will be no time for office gossips or taking help from your friends. Most of the times you will be sitting alone on the desk of your home or rented office space and working. Therefore it will be entirely up to you to make your workplace as conductive as work at you can.

Can you push yourself out of bed even when you have nowhere to go?

Most of the newbie freelancers fail because of they cannot push themselves to get out of bed because they have nowhere to go. Think about it hard whether you can pull yourself out of the bed and fix a working time for yourself when you have nowhere to go.

Can you take criticism and failure?

As a freelancer you will not get every job that you will apply for. Also sometimes it might also happen that the client will reject your work or criticize it rather harshly. You will have to take the flak alone and might have to meet very tight deadlines. Therefore ask yourself how well you can handle criticism and failure. You can take the help of your family and friends and they will be truly able to help you figure out your this nature.

Can you deal with difficult clients?

Each freelance project that you will be getting will have a different requirement and every client needs to be handled differently. Do you have any experience in handing difficult clients and do you have the ability to self-market yourself to even the pickiest of clients? These are the two questions, which you need to ask yourself before starting out as a freelancer. Remember everything including marketing, gathering the required equipment, doing research and delivering the project to the client will have to be handled by you and you alone.

Top 10 reasons why Freelancing is fun

Freelancing life has a lot of benefits. It’s not the same as the software engineer’s life or a business man life. You get all the freedom to work independently without anyone controlling you… While you have the liberty to work you also enjoy the money that you earn all by yourself. Work can be done anytime as you control it, being a freelancer and you make the schedule. The dependency is reduced; this is one of the major advantages of being a freelancer.

Some other reasons why freelancing is fun:

Sharing and its benefits

Sharing is taught at a very early stage to a person. For a freelancer sharing is a basic criterion to succeed. The way to achieve this comes with the knowledge you have and your experience. The more you share the more chances you get to interact with people. This helps to stay updated of the current happenings in the industry. Being a freelancer and working from home helps to get to know more contacts than people in business.

The work a freelancer gets is discrete and smaller in quantity. Hence the opportunity increases proportionately.

Freedom and no need to quit your day job

By choosing freelancing as a career path, people enjoy more freedom and they need not report to any senior authorities on the work they do. This benefits many workers and they have the flexibility to do work when they can.

Freelancers also get to continue the day job and work in their free time. This gives double income and helps when the need could not be satisfied. You might not be occupied all the hours at work so when you find time in your breaks or when you travel to your day work, you can do your assignments or meet people.

Owning

Owning is a gift. Not all get the chance to own something. A freelancer is gifted with this chance. It makes the individual feel as an entrepreneur and he takes it serious and puts all the effort he can to make it a success. A freelancer never has to rely on someone to give work. Owning your own business in turn allows you to create and contribute, which gives you personal satisfaction. You can participate in every step of the decision-making process, or you can hire competent people to make decisions in the best interest.Productivity, pricing and marketing plans are all under your control, and the income you earn relates to those activities.

Passion

Any individual can be a freelancer either by necessity or by passion. Many of them who wanted to develop their career and who has a passion to do a specific take up freelancing. The more passion you have the interest is high and belter quality work you deliver.

You tend to search and collect a lot of new things by which new products are developed.

Group fun

You can work individually or with a group of people based on your convenience. Some people are forced to work alone because of the household hurdles in that case an individual can take ownership of forming groups in that particular area or particular subject where they work. This type of like-minded people being together increases the integrity and the interest. While you do this kind of get together meetings not only you get introduced to many people but will make you feel fresh. The ideas in you will get cultivated and thoughts will be invoked. You can help out each other to find clients or share work in critical situations.

Level of exposure

Freelancers have the benefit to work in different assignments. The assignments might be small or large but to do a specific work on a platform a person has to have a good knowledge on the subject. With this the person is technically improved and as he gets the chance to deal with various people the exposure is huge.

No commute

For a freelancer travel time is completely not present. This adds extra time for you to do work. As a freelancer the expenses can be completely avoided for travel, fuel and other maintenance. The stress involved while traveling is no more present for freelancers. The virtual world internet has helped people sort out these issues.

Credit you receive

You own the entire credit for what you do when you are a freelancer whereas other individuals will not be able to enjoy this benefit. The work and the money you get out of it is entirely yours.

Many people who are recognized around the world are successful in the freelancing industry. The exposure you get makes you reach enormous heights.

Job security

Even when the market is low and when many people are forced to leave out of their jobs a freelancer has no worry about it. The market trend does not hugely affect the freelance contributors. With many contacts they have and the regular clients they meet, freelancers continuously get assignments. The job security is maximum in this case.

A freelancer also has the credit of changing clients every time they are not comfortable. While they can work on a particular job they also can search.

Industrial politics

This field also doesn’t involve politics. None is present to form groups or compete with each other to showcase better. Of course there’s competition but here it’s smooth and it’s based on an individual to compete or not. The forceful work and team politics is null. Meetings and business trips are non-existent for freelancers.

Having said about all the benefits of a freelancer one must be now proud of the career path they have chosen as a freelancer. It’s us who has to decide how interesting we could make our life to be. The more you focus on the goals to succeed the more interest you will tend to show on the job.

Remember, its happiness and the feeling you get when helping others which makes you stick to the freelancing industry.

Hourly Jobs Or Fixed Price Jobs

There are mainly two types of payments for any freelancing job: fixed price or hourly payment. For freelancers one of the most crucial questions is how much and how to charge for a job? How does one fix the rate for his/her work? These are not questions, which are never easy to answer. There are no general rules, which can be listed on this topic.

The reason that this topic is so debatable is because the answer depends on both the freelancer and client. A freelancer always looks for a good payment for his/her work and a client is always looking for high quality work at the most reasonable cost. What a client wants to pay and what a freelancer wants for the job is not always necessary the same but between the two they can work the amount of payment. However the mode of payment will have to be either a fixed price or an hourly rate. So how do you choose? Let us take a look at the pros and cons of both and hopefully it will give you a clear idea of which once you should select.

Hourly Rate Job

An hourly rate job is a job for which you are being paid by the hour. Depending on your agreement with the client the formula for keeping a track of your hourly work can easily be worked out. Most of the times the client will ask you about how much work you can do in an hour before fixing the hourly rate for the job.

The Good

  • Has a scope for changing payment and time.
  • You will surely get paid for the amount of work you do.
  • You gain more client trust because he/she can easily keep track of your progress.
  • Lower financial risk
  • Changes are adapted easily on both sides because no side feels shortchanged.
  • Changes and extra time can be easily accommodated.
  • Perfect for working in a variable environment

The Bad

  • Hourly rates have a limit.
  • Income is not always constant.
  • It is difficult to predict the workload in advance
  • More chances of miscommunications are more.

There are many things, which you need to consider when applying for hourly jobs. These include things like billing of time that will be required to search the web and time required discussing the project with client and the team etc.

The amount you charge for an hourly job will depend on the skills and expertise required to complete the job. Check the industry rates and calculate your personal factors before deciding an amount.

Fixed price job

A fixed price job is one in which you get paid a fixed amount to do the job. A fixed price job does not take into account the amount of time and energy that you will put in completing the job. There payment of the job is decided upfront and there is a little chance of flexibility. The client will pay you once the job is done in the stipulated time and he is satisfied with your job.

The Good

  • Income is fixed
  • You can ask for a part of payment upfront.
  • The work outline is clearly defined
  • You can use your resources
  • Work on your own time.

The Bad

  • Risk of running a feature creep
  • Risk of losing payment
  • Likely to take financial burnt on yourself.

The biggest risk that a fixed price job runs into is the ‘little extra’ that some clients might want you to do. A little changes and additions can be adjusted in the job but you will have to draw a line if these demands do not stop and become a condition of payment.

The right formula

Some freelancers prefer to work for a fixed price job and some prefer to work for hourly jobs. My advice is to strike a balance between the two. Take the advantage of the good in both and you will never go wrong. When working for fixed price jobs I usually take 40% of upfront payment, which acts as a surety on both sides. When you are in doubt about the profit you can get out of a job then go for hourly payment otherwise opt for fixed price.

Of course the client will have a lot of say in this because it is he/she who is offering the job. But if you have a clear mind about what and how you want to charge for the job you will be able to negotiate better and both parties will benefit.

Working remote and benefits

Over 43 million people in this works have taken the advantage of working remotely from their homes or other locations. 21st century has seen a revolution in remote working which many people thought was impossible. Of course technological development has contributed in a great way to this revolution but mainly it has been because of the many advantages or benefits that it has.

What is working remotely?

You will be working remotely if you are working away from your employers business place. Even if you are in the next block it is still working remotely. Working remotely largely happens over computers and internet.

Working remotely should not be confused with freelancing though. You are freelancing when you are not working for a particular employer but choosing the projects you want to work on whereas in working remotely you can be working for a particular employer or freelancing.

There are many reasons on why working remote is fast gaining popularity. Let us take a look at the most popular benefits of working remotely:

More family time:  Around 51% of people who were working remotely have confirmed that they get more family time. The flexible working hours and the time saved in commuting gives them more time to concentrate on their children, spouses and relatives and be more involved in family activities. A better work and life balance is good for your own well being too.

Better productivity: Both the employers and the employees will confirm the fact that the ability to work remotely gives better productivity. This has also enables the employers to post a better retention. Also working remotely you can concentrate more on the job because there are no unnecessary distractions, not surprise meetings and no cooler talks. One more factor that contributes to increased productivity is the need of remote works to prove them because they are not present in office.

Less Stress: When you work remotely, you are subjected to less stress than the regular office environment. There are a number of factors that contribute to this; the first once is the reduction of commuting stress, secondly there is a reduction of stress from peers and thirdly there is a reduction of stress caused due to extra activities.

More earnings: This may sound a little strange to you but working remotely does save you a lot of money. You get to work in the environment that you are comfortable in and therefore you work more, which means more earnings. You save money on commuting and other small expenses that you may incur during traveling to and fro from office.

Remote working also benefits the employers because they do not have to invest in office space, heating costs, security, transports etc.

Better for the environment: Working remotely decreases the net CO2 emission. Telepresence, paper less working, less emissions from the building all contribute to reducing the CO2 emission in the environment. Therefore, by working in the remote office you are contributing to making the world a better place to live in.

Flexibility: The most popular benefit of working remotely is the amount of flexibility that you get when working. Most employers are not concerned with the timings you keep as long as you turn in your work in time and do it correctly. You can set up your own work timings. This also helps cuts down on absent employees in the organization. Flexible working hours also mean that leave planning becomes easier.

Working remotely is a win-win situation for both the parties and it definitely makes more sense than opening a new office in the world of today. All you need a laptop, the adequate skills and the willingness to try something new to make a success of it.