Manila Freelancer

If you’ve always dreamed of a life and career as a freelancer, here are the steps you can take to become one:

Understand your skills

It’s not enough that you know what your skills are; you need to know how well you can do them. There is a level of expertise required in many jobs, regardless of what their nature is, be it copywriting, graphics, editing, photography, blogging or programming.

Familiarize yourself with your competition

This is a good way of determining whether the industry you wish to join is already saturated or if there’s still room for you. Knowing your competition will also help you with some of the most important decisions you’ll ever make as a freelancer, such as:

•  where to find good-paying, reliable markets
•  what topics or skills sell best
•  what trends are currently in demand
•  correct pricing

Show proof

The next step on how to become a freelancer is to build a portfolio. You will need this to prove to your potential clients what you can do. As a beginner, though, this could be a stumbling block for you, albeit something that is easily surmountable. Besides, you have to start somewhere.

Begin producing proof of your ability. Write articles, essays or copy if you wish to become a freelance copywriter or start keeping copies of your work as a graphics artist or photographer. Clients are sure to ask for your previous work, so when they do, you’ll be ready.

Market

Start selling your skills. You could create your own website, which can double as your online portfolio and marketing arm. You could also apply for jobs through online jobs boards and classifieds where freelance and project-based jobs are posted. You could also ply your trade offline by offering your services to friends, family, neighbors, small businesses and companies. If you’re still trying to build a clientele, start small first and then build from there.