Are you thinking to make a career move? From a traditional employee to a virtual one? Or you want to try some side gigs to earn extra? You may want to consider these things before making your decision. Continue reading so you'll know what I am talking about.
What is a Freelancer?
According to most websites, a Freelancer is defined as someone who is getting paid by doing some works for more than one employee, mostly short-term. Or an independent job worker who earns by doing by tasks or by contracts job. But what I love most is the definition by its origin.
Freelance comes from two words, free and lance. Free comes from a Germanic origin meaning 'to love' and lance is related to the French word for launch, meaning to discharge, throw or hurl.
From this, you can say that a freelancer is someone who is getting paid by doing the things he loves to do. If you love drawing and digital arts, you can be a graphic artist and earn. Enjoying your hobby and earning extra sounds beautiful, right?
Things to Get Ready
Before starting your journey to become a freelancer, here are the things you need to know first.
Equipment. This includes the equipment you are going to use. You can use a desktop or laptop. No need to be branded what is important here is the specification of your equipment. Some clients require dual monitors, others don't. You should also consider having a webcam for interviews and a headset. Noise-canceling headsets are the best but if you don't have them yet, a regular headset will do. There are some applications being used to cancel a noise over the phone.
Documents. This includes your curriculum vitae or resume, cover letter or proposal, and portfolio. Creating a CV is one critical step in starting your journey. As always, it is the first thing any employer will look into. Some employers don't ask for a cover letter and proposal but to give you an idea of what's inside it, its objective is to make the employer read your resume. It also displays your skills, some highlights of your career that are suited to the position you are applying for, and your offer to the company. While the portfolio is a compilation of your work creations such as your drawings, stories, etc.
Skills. There are two types of skills namely soft skills and hard skills. Soft skills pertain to the traits that make you a good employee like a good communicator, your etiquette, the way you treat others, and listening. While hard skills are teachable and can be measured, usually it is related to technology like coding, programming, the use of Microsoft Applications and Google Applications, and many more.
Mindset. Being a freelancer is not an easy job. Remember that you are selling your skills and abilities to your client. So right mindset is a must to be successful in this field. Clients would love to work with someone who is reliable and who thinks the way they think. Someone who is not only after the payment they will receive but also after the success of the business itself. You are more than an employee. You are your client's partner.
Support. It is really hard especially for beginners so having a solid support group can be a great help while you are starting up. It can be your family, close friends, or colleagues. If you have enrolled in any program, your mentor can be a good help too.
Before anything else, check these awesome people's works too. They all rock!
My Takeaway
I am still a work in progress in the new field where I am now. Every day is a learning opportunity for me. But one thing I realized, in any journey you will be taking you must know where do you want to be. If you have that figured out, it will be easy for you to start and your journey will be worth it.
My Thoughts
I still have a lot to say about this field but my time is limited as I am also a wife and a mother. Just to let you know, my hubby got his second dose last weekend and the side effects weren't really good. Just glad that he felt better yesterday so I was able to finalize this article. If you still have questions in mind that I wasn't able to answer, feel free to comment down. I will collate them and try to answer on my next article. I appreciate all your comments and responses to my previous works. Thank you, big time!💚 Xiexie ni😁
If you have more spare time, you can check some of my latest articles too! Your welcome!
I Am Getting Paid Thru BCH And I Love It
noise.cash: The Pollution I Love
Drinking Mojito in Jeju Island
Sources:
All images are from Canva.
Words have been checked thru Dupli Checker Plagiarism Checker.
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We do freelance before too. We used to arrange flowers for different events but mostly it's for weddings. What I do like about freelancing is that you hold your own time and you are your own boss.
And as what you're said above, if we will based it on it's meaning, freelancing is doing the things you love and getting paid from it. and that's just so nice. :)