Digital technology has drastically altered the ways in which humans interact, from the gas station to the office and beyond. Increasingly, technological advancements are helping to create an employment landscape that looks vastly different than the workforce of the past. Today, workplace collaboration can be done on a remote basis, and the job search can be done from the comfort of one’s living room couch. Freelancers can even become entrepreneurs, taking charge of their own future on both a personal and professional level. [Read more…]
How to Find Recession-Proof Writing Gigs
The recession has hit most industries hard — freelance writing is no exception. A Freelancer’s Union survey from early April found that 76% of freelancers had contracts cancelled and 65% had difficulty finding new clients as a result of the virus.
I was really shocked to see that a lot of freelancers are losing work because of the pandemic, mostly because I’ve been busier than ever. Clients are giving me more work since the recession started.
So why are so many freelance writers struggling right now? [Read more…]
Why Freelance Writers Should Learn the Art of Doing Nothing
As I was looking into existing articles about “The Art of Doing Nothing, ” I came across two phrases how they described it in Italy and in India.
The Italians call it “La Dolce Far Niente” which means “the sweetness of doing nothing.” And it was a concept one author learned while watching Elizabeth Gilbert’s Eat, Pray, Love. The scene was set in a barbershop in Rome. Julia and her newfound friend are scarfing down napoleons while the men of Italy are educating them on the ways of the Italian. [Read more…]
Best Ways to Market Yourself as a Freelancer
Being a freelance writer offers flexibility, a chance to learn new things, and it’s a great way to make extra money. The freelancing world requires time and commitment, and if you’re new to this world, you may wonder how to land high paying jobs and begin making a name for yourself. The best way to be successful in this type of work is learning how to market yourself. Clients look for individuals with talent, experience, and reliability, so you need to have ways to showcase that you have what it takes. [Read more…]
How to Quickly Increase Your Rates as a Freelance Writer
There are two major camps when it comes to freelancing. The first camp gets the best jobs, great clients, and earn a great living. The second camp gets the leftovers and seems to be fighting a race to the bottom. Penny pinching clients, vague assignments, and impossible work hours are the norm.
If you’re like most people in the world, you want to be in the first camp while doing work you care about. Normal advice will tell you that it takes years to accomplish those kinds of results. I disagree.
In this article, you’ll learn practical ways to earn more money as a freelancer without having to spend 10 years in the trenches. There’s just one prerequisite, you have to be able to deliver. [Read more…]
Tenant and Freelancer Rights – UK Edition
There is a time when your choice to be a freelancer and work from home could impact your right to live in your house. It seems so simple nowadays. You can use the internet to connect with clients, and from there you can earn a wage without commuting. One in four people in the UK agrees with you, as the gig economy continues to grow in influence. However, with the increased numbers comes increased scrutiny from the Government and the taxman. Therefore, it is not so simple as just getting started and seeing how it goes. Let’s guide you through some of the essentials. [Read more…]
12 Productivity Tips For Small Business Owners
There’s a lot to juggle as a small business owner and you have to make the most of every minute to move your business forward.
Unfortunately, many fail to optimize their productivity. Some ignore self-care to the detriment of their mental clarity and ability to focus while others spend their time on low-value busywork that doesn’t yield high-impact results.
Here are 12 tips to help you stay productive throughout the day: [Read more…]
Cover Letters That Stand Out: This is What They Have in Common
In 2012, there were more than three million job openings. If you think about how many people will have applied for those jobs, then the number of job applications is off the charts. Throw the world of freelance writing and design, and outsourced projects into the mix and this number likely doubles.
With so many freelancers and professionals applying for jobs, it’s easy for your application to get lost in the crowd. You might be the perfect candidate for the job, but if you don’t make the interviews, they’ll never get the chance to find out.
Before they even get to your resume, recruiters will look at your cover letter. Creating cover letters that stand out is vital if you want your resume to make it to the right pile.
Read on as we look at the characteristics of the best cover letters.
Create a Strong Opening
Imagine you’re hiring for a position. Then imagine how bored you’re going to get from reading the following line: I am writing to apply for the position of blah, blah, blah.
As a freelancer, you are already fighting for posititon amongst millions of other freelancers. This is why it’s impotant to make your cover letter stand out by opening strongly. They already know what job you’re applying for, so get straight in there and tell them why you’re the person they should be hiring.
Tell Them Why You Want the Job
You would be amazed at how many people never mention this in their cover letter. And also keep in mind, this isn’t just for your benefit, but also for anyone who is looking to hire as well. The easier you can make the hiring and decision process for the end user, the more likely you are to get the job.
They fill it with information about their experience and skills and why it makes them the ideal candidate. But they never actually say why it is that they want the job they’re applying for.
Tell them why you want the job and you’re in a much stronger position.
Be Specific About Experience
It’s all too easy when writing your cover letter to get bogged down in generalizations.
Saying you have “four years of experience in IT” doesn’t really say anything at all. Four years doing what, exactly? What kind of IT?
Be specific about your experience, but also make sure that the specifics that you focus on are the ones most relevant to the role. Telling them about your excellent Word skills is not much use if the job requires you to work in Google Docs.
Cover Letters That Stand Out Are Brief
We’ve already looked at the sheer number of applications that get submitted every year.
Pity the person that has to read them all. They will honestly thank you for your brevity if you keep your cover letter to just the important information, and nothing more. Make sure you use a lot of empty space rather than cramping all your text together making it harder to read.
You should also try to make it look as appealing as possible. There are plenty of cover letter for resume templates out there that you can use.
Build Your Presence and Brand on Social Media
Having a website is now standard practice for freelancers and anyone who might be looking for new work. However, it would also be a huge mistake to not take advantage of social media as well. This is especially true if you want to use social media for business.
Just some quick reasons to include your social information within your cover letter are:
- To make it easy for employers to find your social profiles online
- The benefit of seeing a strong knowledge of online branding and social media
- Some employers prefer social media contact methods over email
In short, unless you have a bad history or content on social media, there is really no reason for you to not list your social profiles amongst your general contact information on your cover letters.
Your Cover Letter is Like Your Presentation to the World
For freelancers in content writing or design, it’s extremely important to make sure you have a cover letter than stands out and grabs the attention of the user’s eye. With hundreds or thousands of potential hires submitting resumes for new work, you need to take advantage of every opportunity available.
If you aren’t a graphic design, adding some color and excitement to your cover page can be as simple as loading your Word Doc of files into PowerPoint or Google Slides, and then creating a presentation, but then also saving it as a PDF file.
Lastly, if you are taking the time to critique your resume for each different job or opportunity you are applying for, you may want to look over the job training specs listed on their site. That way, if they are listing Microsoft Word or Excel program training, and this is something you are already specialized in, then this is something you would want to highlight or point out.
You can then submit this more attractive cover sheet or resume the same way you would submit any other PDF files.
Are You Looking for More Great Business Advice?
As a freelancer, creating cover letters that stand out is only the first step on your journey to your dream job. If you’re looking for more tips and advice then you’re in the right place.
For more great content on all aspects of business and the world of freelancing, be sure to check out the latest job openings and articles posted on Freelance Writing Gigs.
Instagram, Facebook, or Twitter: Which is Better for Freelancers?
Social media is a marketing powerhouse, and no matter what platform you want to use, there are benefits all the way around. Put simply, the short answer to “which is better for business?” is that you should be using all three; but for the sake of this article, we’re going to compare Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter in terms of marketing benefits, company growth, and the ability to help brands reach a wider audience. [Read more…]
5 Reasons So Many Freelancers Are Behind On Their Taxes
Depending on your field, freelancing doesn’t need to have a lot of expenses. All you really need is a computer, internet access, and plenty of coffee. One cost you can’t avoid as a freelancer, though, are your tax bills. Unlike typical W-2 employees, freelancers have to pay quarterly taxes at a rate of just over 15%, and that’s a big bill, especially if you’re not being paid on a regular basis. This leads many freelancers to fall behind on their taxes. [Read more…]
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