How to Find the Best Freelance Jobs Online
Since all jobs are not created equal, it may take some work to find the best freelance jobs online. As you gain more experience as a freelancer, you will realize that the best freelance jobs online are not necessarily those that are listed on online freelance marketplaces. In fact, because the freelance market is becoming so competitive, you must be prepared to go the extra mile if you want to find the best freelance jobs online.
Surveys reveal that as much as 34% of the American workforce is engaged in some type of freelance work. And up to 32% of freelancers experienced an increase in demand for their services in 2017. These statistics demonstrate that freelancing is the way of the future. More and more persons are opting to go freelance business to either earn additional cash or to grasp the opportunity to work for themselves. Although freelance jobs are many, in order for freelancing to be a financially viable option, one needs to be able to pinpoint and find the best freelance jobs online and to make the appropriate pitch.
Here are a few ways to find the best freelance jobs online:
Set Up a Profile on LinkedIn
I have found LinkedIn to be a very valuable social media platform for finding the best freelance online jobs. Because LinkedIn is specially designed to help workers to find clients or to help employees to find employers and vice versa
it is the ideal platform on which to have a presence as a freelancer. But your profile must exude professionalism and must demonstrate to prospective clients that you have the requisite skills and experience to do the jobs satisfactorily. This means that your profile picture should look professional and that your profile details should be carefully filled out without any grammatical errors or typos.
You should use the summary section to your advantage by using keywords that are specific to your industry and to the services that you want to offer as a freelancer. Instead of simply stating your “job description” write your summary in such a way that you indicate to prospective clients how your products or services will be beneficial to them. Also, be sure to highlight the accomplishments that you may have made in the past and that are worthy of mentioning.
The experience that you include should ideally be relevant to the services that you wish to offer as a freelancer. In addition, fill out the skills section as completely as possible as well as the section for your educational background. Remember that your LinkedIn profile is like an online resume and therefore should be treated with the same level of care and professionalism as you would treat a hard copy of your resume.
If you do a good job of setting up your LinkedIn profile, you are very likely to receive job offers even without your having to “apply” for advertised positions. Prospects will make contact with you if they are impressed with your profile. On the other hand, the platform offers the opportunity for you to search for jobs by job title, keywords or by company name. You can also narrow your search down based on location. Some of the best freelance online jobs are advertised on LinkedIn. It is therefore important that you set up a profile on that platform.
Scan Job Boards For the Best Freelance Jobs Online
Job boards are great places to find freelance jobs online. Some of the highest paying freelance jobs are advertised on online job boards. If you are a freelance writer, there are a multitude of job boards that you can choose from.
While some are free, others demand a fee in order to access premium job leads. Don’t be afraid to invest in yourself by paying the requisite fee if your budget allows. Usually only the top paying jobs are advertised on job boards that charge a fee and if you want to find these jobs, you have to be prepared to spend some money. Usually the return on investment will outweigh the costs and will save you time and energy in the long run.
There are also some very good free job boards out there but you need to do your research to find out which of these platforms attract the types of clients that you would want to work with. Each job board tends to attract a different type of clientele and only by exploring the platforms will you be able to decide which ones are good matches for your type of freelance services and the level of compensation that you are looking for.
Google Searches
Just as in the “real” world, some of the best freelance jobs online, are not even advertised. In order to find these jobs, you have to be actively seeking them out. One of the best ways to do this is to conduct relevant keyword searches online, narrowing it down to the most eligible prospective clients and making your sales pitch.
This is similar to sending out job letters and resumes to prospective employers even if they haven’t advertised for a certain position. These unsolicited sales pitches may very well lead to very lucrative freelance job offers that you wouldn’t have found otherwise. Only relatively few freelancers use this method to find jobs so there is less competition and the chances of you being successful are higher.
Use Social Media
Social media platforms can turn out to be wonderful platforms for finding the best freelance jobs online. There are quite a few social media groups and communities that allow for the networking of freelancers and prospective clients. You can find many relevant Facebook groups, Google Plus Communities, LinkedIn groups etc that can present freelance job opportunities to you. Use hashtag searches to find jobs through social media search engines.
You just need to be strategic and wise in order to avoid those opportunities that may end up being a waste of your time. The way to do this is to know what you are looking for and to be willing to stick to your rate standards.
Blogging is also an excellent way to stand out among other freelancers. Your own blog will allow you to attract the type of clients that are looking for what you have to offer. Prospective clients who conduct Google searches are likely to discover you through an article that you may have posted on your blog. So even long after you have published and forgotten about a particular post, that post can still work as a great marketing tool for you. This is why the most financially successful freelancers leverage the power of blogging as a valuable marketing tool to find the best freelance jobs online.
Conclusion
In order to find the best freelance jobs online, you should create a LinkedIn profile for yourself. Also, be prepared to pay for finding jobs on online job boards. Google searches and social media are great ways to find freelance online jobs that may not have been advertised. Setting up your own blog is a sure way of standing out as a freelancer and an excellent way for prospective clients to find you online
Great tips for finding freelance work! I agree that LinkedIn is a must especially with all of the competition out there.
There is a blogger that I’m subscribed to, that has the best leads on work from home jobs. I always check her blog, when I’m in the market for either a new job or just extra side gigs.
Wow … these are really intriguing tips … most of all I do … just the LinkedIn I do not use. To be honest, I do not really understand LinkedIn yet. So it is time that I go into it. With this Tip I will definitely take the right direction. Thank you.
This is really interesting. I’ve been using Linked In and it’s a great platform for finding not just freelance jobs but permanent jobs too.
I am not currently looking for freelance work. I already have a LinkedIn profile and find it very useful.
Living wherever you choose and working from where ever you like is a great way to live life. Online jobs are the best way to do this so thanks for the awesome suggestions and leads!
Great tips, thanks so much for sharing! Online jobs are so highly desired these days, and the field is so competitive!
social media is def a good place to find freelance work! millions of people a day looking for freelancers and looking to work with others. its definitely important to have a good portfolio to share!
These are great tips on how to find a job online. I have used several of these methods in the past to find gigs!
I’m a freelance translator and editor, and I used different sites for searching job offers. I created my profile on Linkedin as well, and I think it’s the best way to share your portfolio worldwide, but I never considered the jobs they proposed.
You have offer some very interesting and great ways to find a freelance job online. I will definitely check these out and pass them on to others that I know are looking.
You have offered some interesting and great suggestions for finding a freelance job online. I will definitely look into these options and pass them on to others that I know are looking. Thanks!
I’ve heard that LinkedIn is the best place to connect to people looking for freelancer. I should set up my account.