Freelancing: Skills of Excellence
What are freelancing skills? Freelancing, the easy, sit-at-home formula to employment. Freelancing, it is the secret to everyone’s richness. Freelancing made easier than a puzzle made for babies. Freelancing, any Tom, Dick and Harry can do it.
All of this could not have been more false. As Freelancing evolves into an exciting job opportunity especially for people who crave independence, the misconceptions around it grow bigger and bigger. Many people have begun to think that Freelancing is easy money. They think that Freelancing will enable them to earn in their free time. Many have gone as far as to say that freelancing is not a real job.
The truth is Freelancing,
just like any other job is full of its advantages and disadvantages. It has its
benefits just like it has its struggles. What does that mean? That just like
any other job Freelancing too requires skills relevant to the work. A lot of
people leave the idea of behind as soon as they hear it. Think about it, if you
go to an office for an interview what is the one question they are bound to
ask? What are your skills that can be an
asset to us or what your strengths?
“Without sharpening
your weapon; standing in the battlefield would not increase your chance of
winning.” A wise man once said.
Here comes the big question, what are Freelancing Skills?
Freelancing Skills
Education cannot guarantee employment but skills can. Skills are an ability gained through practice or proficiency acquired through training. Freelancing skills are those skills that are essential for success in this field. Freelancing skills can be technical like relevant talents. They can also be emotional. Qualifications that you have earned will also be Freelancing skills.
Different Freelancing skills are required by different Freelancing jobs. Can you assume an author and an engineer to possess the same set of skills? No, just like that a Freelancing job for graphic designing will require a different set of Freelancing skills than a content writer.
Specific Skills
These are a set of requirements that are specific for each job. For example, to become a business analyst you require a degree in business and to become a psychologist you need one is psychology. Freelancing skills also work the same way. So if you are a content writer you should have a basic knowledge of your language. If you wish to do Freelancing as a graphic designer you need to know how to do it well. These are specific Freelancing Skills.
General Skills
General Freelancing Skills are common throughout all job types. They will be required by all people who wish to start their jobs as freelancers. One should think of these Freelancing Skills as the batter in a cake. While toppings and cream can vary the cake cannot be prepared without a batter. However, one should not be scared off by this. These general skills are usually available in everyone and if they are not they develop as you progress. You might not know how to talk to your first client but as you progress you will gain proficiency in it.
Every Freelancer has to possess some communication skills. You have the talent and the relevant specific Freelancing skill combined with experience, but your client does not know that. You have to tell them what you have done before this so they can understand your proficiency and skill. Make a first great impression and the job is yours. Not only that, but this Freelancing skill will also come in handy when you have to report to your client about the project. It will let you paint a picture before the client before the work is done and it is something that is bound to impress the client.
It is a very important Freelancing skill. You are meeting a potential client for the first time on the internet; your resume will make you appear distinct. Make the resume precise do go on and on about one achievement. State your qualification in a concise manner. Write the most client relevant qualifications you can muster. Mention your skills and the time you take for one project. Use any LOR from before and be sure to mention your experience.
Let’s be real, a singer who cannot sing, a mathematician that cannot do the math and a freelancer who cannot type are all very questionable ideas. This increases the importance of Freelancing Skill. As a freelancer, any client will expect you to be a walking typewriter. If you do not have the most professional typing skills than consider taking one job at a time. Do not overburden yourself with work especially when you are still in the learning stage. No matter what type of job you take, content writing, graphic designing, website development, marketing or anything else. This Freelancing skill is a must.
Emotional Skills
These Freelancing skills go a long, long way. These are the ones that will keep you motivated when every project will turn out to be more difficult than the last. These are the Freelancing skills that stop you from ruining your mental health as you work. As an HR is to a corporate, emotional Freelancing Skill are to a Freelancer.
- Time Management – It is easy for a Freelancer to procrastinate. We may think that a deadline is weeks away but there is no telling what will go wrong. Time Management is the golden Freelancing skill.
- Motivation – It is easy to question oneself when you sit and work without a lot of colleagues beside you. Motivation as a Freelancing skill will go a long way when you have to pull all-nighters.
- Self-Discipline – This Freelancing skill will keep you vigilant in absence of authority.
- Good Focus – It is easy to get distracted when more than half of your work has to be done online, so having the focus span of a goldfish would not have. The ability to concentrate is hence a very important freelancing skill.
Now that you know what you need why not try for yourself and test how skilled you truly are. Do not be scared while some skills are present others develop over time. Keep in mind what Will Smith said, talent comes natural, skill is developed by hours and hours of beating on your craft.