Freelancers are self- employed people who offer up their expertise for a short amount of time. They aren’t interested in a long- time employer and prefer working from the comforts of their home; usually in their own time. It’s a good way to earn an extra money if you have time to do extra work. If your job is something that you can offer online, try your hand at becoming a freelancer.
Some freelancers who are looking for work sign up for forums and post an ad telling people about the services that they’re offering. But now, with the popularity of freelance sites, it really is the most popular and go-to way to get a freelancing job. All you have to do is sign up, customize your profile, and look at job listings for ones you could apply for. The best thing about it is that these sites usually offer free membership for freelancers.
What You Need
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Membership in freelance site.
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Payment gateway – Any of the following:
Paypal – Sign up at http://paypal.com
Skrill – Sign up at http://skrill.com
Local bank account
Setup Steps
Set up your Upwork account.
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At https://www.upwork.com, click on Become A Freelancer on the upper right-hand side of the page.
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Fill in the form with your details, tick the box next to the user agreement and then click on Get Started.
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Verify your email address by clicking on the verification link sent to your inbox.
Set up your Upwork profile.
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Once taken to the page to set up your profile after email confirmation, set up your service and expertise profile then click See Recommendations.
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You will be directed to a page of job recommendations for you based on your profile. Click Continue to Create Profile at the top right of the page to be taken to the page where you create your self-introduction.
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Complete the self introduction page with your professional portrait, details, hourly rate and availability then click Review Profile & Submit > Submit Your Profile.
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Choose your membership plan.
Find work.
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Click Find Work > Find Work.
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Set up your job search categories under My categories on the left pane. Once set up, click on a category to view available jobs. Just click on the job post that you are interested in and click Submit Proposal to send a proposal to the client.
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Check your answered proposals by checking your active candidacies. Click on Find Work on the top menu > Proposals.
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Check for direct messages from potential clients who requested to interview you after reading your proposal for their job post by clicking Messages on the top menu.
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Find a freelance site to sign up for. While there are many successful sites available, Upwork is one of the most notable ones that you could try out.
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Prepare your samples for your portfolio.
Marketing Setup
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Get involved in social media – Create a Facebook page presenting yourself as a brand and add your Upwork link to the Add to Website section to redirect potential clients to your profile. Join LinkedIn, connect with potential clients and lead them to your Upwork profile.
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Create your own website – Exhibit your expertise, skills, and passion on a website and add a “Hire me on Upwork” link to the page/s. Also, add your website link on the Upwork proposals that you send to potential clients.
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Publish YouTube videos – Create videos to intrigue potential clients and interest them to visit your Upwork profile. Videos you create can also generate traffic to your website.
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Network with brand advocates – Build relationships and organize events, programs and interviews with leaders, coaches and speakers who can promote you and you brand.
Timeframe
Time to do: 1 day
Time to see results: 2 months
Additional Tips
Make your profile 100% complete.
Compose an appealing introduction on your profile page.
Focus on gettings high ratings to boost your public credibility, and request clients to provide public feedback on your work.
Upload and update a portfolio and a video to your Upwork profile page.
Set a competitive but worthy rate. Offer discounts.
Ask your clients for referrals in exchange for a reward.
Potential Results
A full-time freelancer can potentially earn a minimum monthly income of $1000. But starting out, you would probably earn something around $300 for the first few months. Just apply for as many job opportunities that you can apply for and steadily gain the connections and recognition that you would need to generate $1,000 every month. It won’t be easy, and it will definitely take a while, but you’ll get there.
