The ‘secret sauce’ to making freelancing work for you

If you’re sick of the drone of 9 to 5 and crave flexibility and freedom of choice, then working as a freelancer could be your ticket to your dream job.  More and more people are joining the freelance community every day and especially millennials who are breaking away from the traditional working environment in droves. Although freelancing is hugely rewarding (over 9.5 million people worldwide can’t be wrong), be prepared for plenty of uncertainty and learning as you build your business. It’s not always as ‘cushy’ as it sounds. But in saying that, if you have all the right ingredients, then you’ll make a successful freelancer and enjoy an amazing job where you control your destiny.

Specialise and find your niche

The first ingredient is doing something that you truly enjoy. If you love what you do, you’ll be more engaged, enthusiastic and driven to succeed. People will recognise your ‘passion’ and you’ll find you’ll become more creative and daring. Instead of doing something exactly the same as everyone else, find out where the gap in the market is. Play where no-one else is playing.

Find the right projects and people

Once you’ve identified your niche and the market needs, start looking for the right projects that will position yourself as the expert in that field. Join groups that attract others just like you as well as your target market and learn everything you can about the industry, technology, new developments and how things can be done better. The more you know, the more you’ll be equipped you’ll be to grow and develop with your market.

Represent your experience

Many freelancers find it difficult to outline their experience on a piece of paper. Most have a lot of short-term projects with a multitude of clients, so condensing this down into something that resembles a readable document is quite hard. If you’ve written press articles or done any online interviews, these are also difficult to represent in a resume. A simple solution is a digital portfolio or visual resume. They’re ideal for showcasing multiple projects, utilising tagging technologies and providing a more engaging way to tell your unique story. New technologies like Trumpet Page give you the tools to easily create your own digital portfolio and with built-in writing support and insider freelancing tips, you’ll also learn how to better market yourself for work and get noticed by recruiters and hiring managers for their next big project. To find out more about creating your own digital portfolio or visual resume, go to http://www.trumpetpage.com.au

Although working freelance has it’s own unique set of challenges, if you work with these 3 key ingredients, you’ll be well on your way to a successful freelancing career.