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Becoming a freelancer has its pros and cons, and many of new freelancers have doubts as to whether or not they will be able to find enough jobs to earn just as much (or more) as they would on a full-time job.
The truth is, there are tons of ways for freelancers to get freelance work. We have gathered a list of the best sources for all kinds of freelancers–beginners or professionals, designers or writers, students looking for an additional source of income or full-time workers who want to earn money from home.
So, if you are reading this article, you have already considered the opportunity of working in freelance and are now wondering how to find freelance work. Before you begin your searches with our useful resources, however, there are a few things you should consider:
- Is freelance a kind of job for you?
- What skills do you need to develop to keep up with a fast-pacing freelance market?
- What kind of jobs will you be looking for?
Don’t worry, these aren’t the questions you will be wondering about on your own. Before moving on to our handpicked advice on how to find freelance work, we are going to help you to figure out where you stand in the freelance market.
Despite the initial allure that the freelance job has, there are still some possible pitfalls, such as:
- Working on your own. Freelance market is very different from office work; there is no one to push you into finding clients or to control your actions. This is both an advantage and a disadvantage of this kind of job: what you earn depends only on you. No one will force you to work extra hours, but no one will give you a paid vacation either. So, if you have too much going on in your life and you won’t have enough time to do your work thoroughly, there is no point in looking at freelancing jobs from home.
- Earning money. The vast majority of jobs posted on top freelance websites are paid. Nevertheless, if you are at the start of your journey as a freelancer and don’t have a dashing portfolio yet, you will not earn as much as most experienced freelancers do. So if you are considering freelance as an opportunity to get money fast, don’t expect to get higher-than-average paychecks in the first couple of months.
Now:
Somewhere between making sure that that freelance is the right kind of work for you and before wandering to search pages with a request of “how to find freelance work”, you will also need to understand the skills each freelancer needs to develop.
- Time-management. Here’s the trick: we all procrastinate. Whereas working in the office gives you less freedom, at home your talents of procrastination will be at their finest.
Don’t worry:
We all go through phases where we wait until the last day to start the order and then rush to send it away by the deadline. However, a good time-management strategy could help you to defeat the procrastination demon and to be more efficient in work, resulting in you earning more per hour.
- Professionalism. Talking to clients will be part of your freelance work from home. And, despite our best hopes, sometimes this communication may not be as pleasant for both parties as it should be. A professional approach to every client will aid in dealing with any customers’ complaints or inquiries.
Want to know the best part?
A professional attitude will also increase your chances of getting hired, even if you’re just getting started as a freelancer.
- Grammar. Whether you are a freelance programmer or a literature student looking for freelance writing jobs, you should be able to write grammatically correct. A simple typo in an introductory message could ruin your chances of getting hired or create a wrong impression. To avoid that misfortune, either learn grammar textbooks by heart or go for an easier option and use proofreading tools, such as Grammarly.
Finally, the one thing separating you from knowing how to get freelance work is deciding which part of the freelance market you want to be working in.
The field of freelance work is large and diverse, spread across many countries and professional areas. Hence, both of these features have to be taken into account.
- Geographical area. You can either choose to work with clients from your country or enter a broader global freelance market–it’s entirely up to you. There are, of course, some limitations to both options: for example, if you decide to focus on your area only, you might end up working with the same client more than once, which is good for some freelancers and bad for others. If you enter a global market, however, prepare to overcome language and cultural barriers to reach a wider pool of potential clients.
- Professional area. There are many specialized websites with freelance job listings in all the various fields of specialization, from art and design to IT. However, there is always an option to look for websites focusing on jobs in your professional area only, such as freelance programming jobs or freelance graphic design jobs. Whereas the first choice would get you smaller and easier orders, specialized websites will give you access to bigger clients who are more likely to provide you with large amounts of work and fair pay.
So, once your mind is all set, here comes the big question: how to find freelance work?
Here’s the deal:
Whereas most people entering freelance business might think that the only way to get a job is by looking at freelance websites and listings, there are a lot more opportunities to choose from.
1. Job websites. Sites such as Indeed or Monster Jobs have many project-based, distant, and flexible opportunities to choose from, as well as advanced search tools that will help you find freelance jobs that are suitable for you.
Use one of the following keywords or combine them together to find a needed vacancy among a large variety of office jobs:
– Distance
– Freelance
– Online
– From home
– Remote
Things to pay attention to:
– Notice, many distance vacancies demand on your presence in a specific city for meetings with the team or clients.
– Learn all the possible titles for your job vacancy. For example, if you’re a copywriter, search your vacancy as a “content manager”, “writer”, and “author”.
– Search for schedules in job descriptions. Do you search for a full- or part-time job? Regular work or a couple of projects? On job websites, you can find any type of schedule you may need.
2. Professional forums and websites. These can be of great use to professionals looking for freelance clients. For example, DeviantArt is a website that allows artists and photographers to promote their work to a wide audience, including potential clients, or to sell completed work for commission. There are also various forums for other professionals–for example, Ghostwriting Uncovered provides a great list of writer forums.
Here are the most popular websites for various professions:
– Etsy. One if the most popular platforms to sell your craft. Etsy takes only 3.5% from every transaction. It’s less than on many analogical sources.
– Redbubble. If you’re an illustrator, try out this source to sell your art. There’s a large choice of tees, bags, cases, pillows, or mugs.
– Textbroker. This website offers hundreds of orders for writers and editors. You can choose a comfortable payment option and work on flexible schedule.
– AIGA Design Jobs. Are you a web designer? Try such sources like AIGA to search vacancies and projects.
– AWWWARDS. This platform presents vacancies for developers and designers from all around the world.
Here are some examples:
- Freelance Writing Jobs
- Creative Superheroes
- Freelance Graphic Design jobs from home
- Freelance Jobs, Work from Home Jobs, Online Gigs And Everything In Between
- SG Full Time/Part Time/Freelance Jobs
- Freelance, Gig, Part-time & Temp jobs Canada & USA ONLY
- Freelance Opportunities
6. Creating a website or a blog. Once you are more confident with your freelance work and have a good portfolio, don’t hesitate to start your website. Make sure to update it regularly with articles related to your field or recent jobs, as well as to include full contact information and a brief CV. If you don’t have any experience, use a guide to building an effective freelance website and pass several courses on Coursera or Lynda.
Here are some fundamental steps in a website’s building:
– Choose a platform. The most popular platform for placing a website are WordPress and Joomla. They’re easy to use and save a lot of your time.
– Buy hosting. To set a website, you need to buy a storage for it. Surf Hostwinds, GoDaddy, or FatCow to get more information.
– Develop a design. Many platforms offer their own designs, but it’s much better to customize your website according to your color schemes.
– Fill the website with content. You can whether hire a copywriter or write articles on your own. Learn internet-marketing and SEO to increase your traffic.
A short list of big companies hiring freelancers:
8. Agencies. Some recruitment and headhunting agencies keep a list of highly-skilled professionals available for immediate freelance work. If you fit the criteria, don’t hesitate to search for such agencies, as it might be your chance to find offers from top clients.
Read the List of Employment Agencies sorted by industries. You’ll definitely find a couple of interesting links.
9. Newsletters. Some websites for freelance workers have newsletters you can sign up for to receive the latest freelance offers, as well as useful advice and articles about the market–definitely worth the look.
At first, the number of websites providing freelance job listings is truly overwhelming, and it might be hard to choose the best freelance sites for you. Gladly, our list of top sources to find clients in every professional field is here to help.
General freelance
If you haven’t decided on your particular area of interest yet or are wondering about how to get freelance work that is diverse and suits your personal needs and wants, these are our top picks:
- Upwork is one of the most popular global freelance listings in play today. Best of all: it’s free to join. The site offers opportunities for all kinds of workers, from web developers to voice actors, so you are sure to find something to suit your taste on there. The platform has an easily understandable interface and a simple yet pleasing design, which also contribute to it being one of the best freelance websites around.
- iFreelance is another international platform with many daily opportunities. We say it is best for writers and translators, but there are many other categories to choose from, such as programming, photography, business consulting, and so on. There are also no commissions or fees, meaning that you get the entire pay for the project with no deductions. The design is a bit outdated, but overall the platform has great functionality and diversity of orders.
- Fiverr is also one of our favorites. Now, this is a site that takes freelancing to a whole new level of flexibility. Instead of focusing on the big professional jobs, Fiverr allows freelancers to create their own custom offers. So, whether you are into drawing comic style buildings or just want to find an SEO work from home–this would be the place to look. The site has a modern style with bright accents and a functional interface, making it enjoyable to use.
- Freelancer.com. If you’re still wondering how to find clients, our last pick might be just what you need. Spread to 247 countries and regions and with more than 10 million of jobs posted, Freelancer Com is the largest platform around. Don’t get excited just yet: it also comes with mobile and desktop apps to keep you connected to your work and clients at all times. A basic profile is free and allows you to bid on 8 projects per month–as long as you use your bids wisely, it’s a great deal!
Writing and copywriting
If you decided to focus on the creative side of freelance rather than diving into programming or accounting opportunities, starting as a freelance writer with these top freelance writing websites couldn’t be easier:
- Essaywriters Net is an amazing opportunity for students or those particularly skilled in the tough craft of essay-writing. It allows you to earn up to $30 per page, as long as you can work quickly and efficiently. One of the best features of this platform is online support for writers, which attends to any questions arising.
- Freelancercareers Org provides a wider variety of writing jobs with adequate pay. The website is aimed at targeting your interests, whether you are a technical writer, an article writer, or a resume writer. The website is easy to use and only requires a quick grammar test to get you started, which decreases the hustle of finding the best freelance writing jobs online.
- Cracked. Finally, if you want to find a writing job that is both enjoyable and well-paid, why not consider writing for a particular website rather than looking at how to find clients? Cracked provides fun opportunities for freelance writers on a pay-per-article basis, and you can write on anything that interests you as long as it will get the website some extra hits.
Design and programming
Another big part of the freelance market is situated in the web design and programming field. There are many websites based in this professional area, but these are the ones that caught our eye:
- 99Designs is the number one stop for logo makers. Did you know that Nike only paid $35 for their logo? Don’t let your work be underpriced–this site will make sure you get the paycheck you deserve for your work. If that’s not enough, it offers free membership, intuitively understandable interface, and a nice design (could’ve probably guessed the last one).
- EnvatoStudio is a great place for finding clients for software development. It lets you set a price for your work and find projects that interest you, which is perfect for anyone working from home. There is a small membership fee to pay each month, which gives you access to the entire variety of job offers for some of the finest freelance projects in the field. Moreover, the site requires employers to pay a fee, too, which means that the companies and individuals advertising on there are serious about hiring you.
- Crew. Similar to the previous site, Crew has a great selection of design and development projects to choose from. There is no question of how to find freelance jobs here; in fact, Crew is so popular among the professionals that there is a waitlist to sign up for before you can start browsing orders. Don’t let this put you off–it is actually a small price to pay for the opportunities you can find there.
With all honesty, finding freelance jobs from home requires a lot of dedication and the knowledge of trustworthy resources–which, hopefully, we have provided you with. Using the best sources for finding freelance work will help you not only choose the right orders, but also to confirm your employer’s reliability, which is a vital factor for you not to waste your time on working for free.
For sure, there are still many ups and downs in the work of a freelancer today, and we hope that this article aided you in minimizing the second category. Working as a freelancer allows you the freedom you would never get anywhere else, and now, with the question of how to find freelance work solved, you can finally start enjoying this freedom (while also earning money, of course).
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