A friend of mine recently told me that she wanted to try web working. Her biggest problem, though, was getting clients. They didn’t seem to think that she was a “real” person, and not a team of scammers planning to run away after they’ve sent the initial deposit. “The problem,” I said, “is that when clients probably Googled you, as I did, you didn’t have a social networking account, your blog has very few posts… you really didn’t seem real enough.”
Anyone who looks you up on the web, whether it’s a client, contractor, or potential employer, should be able to see that you’re a real person (and not, say, a Cylon). This is especially true for web workers who provide services outside their home country. How can you show your credibility in a digital world where it’s so easy to create fake evidence of a digital footprint?
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Freelancers take pride in their independence. But no matter how independent you think you are, you’ll need to work with a team and handle your difficult clients well. Sometimes, the work can be so overwhelming that you think you’re left with no choice except to find a partner to help you out.
Whether you’re getting someone to share the work (and the profits) with you 50-50, or you’re looking to hire a helping hand, there are some advantages and disadvantages you need to consider before taking in a new working partner.
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Online workers usually don’t receive an automatic raise from clients. But this doesn’t mean that we aren’t entitled to one from time to time. Raising your rates is one of the many ways you can go a step further on your personal career ladder. But with people throwing around the words “downturn” and “layoffs”, is this really possible?
I believe it is, and here are seven simple things we can do to make it happen:
Add new skills and credentials. Adding more skills, projects, and credentials to your resume, usually means that you’ve gained more experience and will have more to offer your clients. When this happens, it only makes sense to raise your rates because of the new and improved contributions you’ll be making.
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One of the things I love about online freelancing is the flexibility. I can choose the projects I want to work on and have a customized schedule. It’s this kind of freedom that entice many traditional employees to become freelancers, or at least to work from home.
But there are times when becoming a freelancer seems like a regular 9-to-5 job. This usually happens when we pull all-nighters, do repetitive work, and can’t seem to find peace of mind during a busy week. It’s these times that make freelancing seem so much harder than traditional employment. The good news is that there are ways to minimize the chances of this happening, or to avoid it altogether.
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Web Work 101: How To Escape The Cubicle
