Although online freelance platforms create numerous opportunities for freelancers to land jobs , getting a contract is still not an easy task. Many clients are looking for potential people to work with, and many more freelancers are looking to do the work. But clients do not just show up; freelancers need to make an effort to lead them to themselves and encourage the clients to work with them. We have talked about two different variations of freelance platforms on previous posts (bidding and non-bidding platforms). Even though they have some differences, the tips for landing jobs on them are very similar, and here are a few:
Polish your skills
The freelancing marketplace contains many diverse skills and has various demands. If talented freelancers have advanced and polished their skills and mastered their profession, they will have no difficulties in finding new clients.
English is an international communication language. While working on online platforms, freelancers need to interact with different clients from different parts of the world, so they need to speak and write in English rather frequently. An adequate level in English makes the freelancers look more professional, and clients consider that as a big plus.
Having the upper hand in communicative and business development skills will help make the process of landing a job smoother.
Create the perfect profile
The first thing a client does to get familiar with a freelancer is checking out their profile. A freelancer’s profile is the primary way to showcase their skills and expertise and engage new clients, and they can use this opportunity to promote themselves and make a good impression.
A solid profile has certain qualities, such as the freelancer’s real name, their picture, a descriptive job title, a list of their qualifications and expertise, and so on. Some platforms even allow freelancers to link their profile to an online portfolio, and freelancers can use websites like WordPress and Behance to create one.
Freelancers can link their social network accounts to their profiles on some platforms. Having an online presence is extremely important in the freelancing world, especially on platforms like LinkedIn. It allows clients to validate freelancers and have a better idea about their personalities, so connecting social network accounts to freelance platform profiles is quite beneficial.
To remain competitive and in business, freelancers need to revisit their profiles every once in a while and take out any irrelevant skills and information and outdated data.
An incomplete and outmoded profile might give clients the wrong impression and drive them away, whereas a good one will make the freelancer stand out from the crowd and help them secure more jobs.
Place your bids carefully (bidding platforms)
In bidding platforms, like Upwork, companies submit their projects in detail, and freelancers name their price after studying them carefully.
First off, freelancers have to take the time to go through the project description. If the client feels the bid does not match the amount of work the project needs, the freelancer is less likely to make the shortlist.
A good bid has got to stand out and be competitive with other prices. Being competitive does not necessarily mean bidding low. It is okay for beginners to place lower bids than usual to gather more experience and establish a reputation, but experienced freelancers who work above the average better not place their bids too low. Some clients are willing to pay for quality, but overall, freelancers better avoid bargain hunters and the kind of prospects who focus on pricing instead of quality.
You can read more about global outsourcing rates to get an idea of the proper bid you can place on each project based on the average rate freelancers usually charge all over the world.
Online platforms often have a section that allows freelancers to write a project proposal. These sections are where freelancers can make statements about the project, clarify their bids, and write about the experiences that relate to the job. A professional project proposal draws the client’s interest and increases the possibility of winning a bid.
React quickly
The competition for winning bids and getting projects among freelancers is quite fierce in freelance platforms. But sometimes landing a job relies more on the timing rather than anything else; freelancers have to look for projects and submit their proposals or place their bids as quickly as they can, they don’t want to lose the opportunity to work on a project just because they acted slower than the others.
Freelancers also need to be available in case a client gets in touch with them, as there is a fair chance that the client has contacted other freelancers as well. If they take a day to respond to an inquiry, another competitor has probably already started working on the project.
In this case, as the saying goes, the early bird gets the worm.
Do better work, get good reviews, land more projects
Positive feedback and five-star reviews are the backbones of a freelancer’s career. When clients check freelancers’ profiles, they assess their performance based on the comments previous clients have left and usually ignore the ones with negative reviews.
Building a good reputation is vital when working on online platforms. While it is not entirely on the freelancers’ hands to control their reviews, they can get more positive feedback by keeping the standard of their work high and delivering the projects on time. Your workload will surely increase if you follow these tips. Of course, the kind of platform you want to register in also matters. For instance, WinATalent is an online freelance platform that focuses on delivering high-quality products and saves freelancers the trouble of bidding for projects. If you are interested, you can sign up here and gain access to professional freelancers and clients.