How to become a freelancer from scratch?

The freelance profession is becoming more and more popular and in demand every year. And this is not strange, because such specialists may not be tied to the office, while earning much larger ordinary employees. A distinctive feature of a freelancer is that he does not visit the office, but personally monitors his time, chooses projects for implementation and can work from anywhere in the world.

To be successful in remote work, you need to have some qualities. Of course, you can also be a freelancer without them, but the challenge is to become an effective remote worker. Therefore, it is better to develop relevant skills.

Having professional skills is good, but without certain qualities, they will not bring tangible income. Among the things that ordering companies usually pay attention to, the following points can be highlighted.

• A responsibility. If the order has been taken, then it must be handed over at the agreed time. The main problem is that a freelancer does not have a boss who could push him to complete a specific task, so it is necessary to force yourself to be responsible from the first day.
• Desire to develop. Orders are given to a person as long as he does a good job with them. Nobody will pay for mediocre work. That is why you need to constantly learn something new, develop in another industry or become better in your own. It will also allow you to move into more profitable areas.
• Mobility. The main principle of a freelancer's work is that he can work from anywhere in the world. But in practice, many find it difficult to force themselves to work outside their comfort zone. It is necessary to develop skills in such a way that the presence or absence of certain objects or items does not affect the quality of work in any way.
• A broad outlook and loyal attitude towards customers. For many clients, a personal relationship with a partner is extremely important, so they try to cooperate only with people who are polite and loyal to them.
• Ability to delve into the essence of the matter. Only by fully understanding the project and its features, you can do the work at the highest level. Without studying the details of the technical assignment, it will not be possible to write a good text, correctly translate it or make a website design.

Working from home for beginners seems like something simple, so they often perceive it not as a regular job, but only as a kind of part-time job. The development process of a freelancer includes many nuances that you need to pay attention to in order to become truly successful.

There are a huge number of specialties on the modern market in which novice workers can provide their services. Finding the best one for yourself is not difficult. You need to write a list of your professional skills and choose something suitable. For example, if a person is a certified translator, then it is quite logical that he will provide just such services.

You can also work at home as a programmer, florist, designer, analyst, etc. It is enough just to understand what you are good at and start looking for your first orders. The following popular directions can be distinguished.

• Working with text documents. These are various copywriters, rewriters, translators, editors and proofreaders - real masters of the word. If there are no problems with literacy and the ability to cope with a large amount of information, then you can try yourself in this direction.
• Programmers. Today, the real "gold mine" is the ability to write programs, create scripts and sites.
• Designers. Every day there is a growing demand for people who can create unique design projects. To do this, you need not only to have a sense of beauty, but also to be able to work with various graphic editors, to know the features of graphics.
• Marketers, which are distinguished by their ability to promote any projects and products on the Internet.

One of the most important aspects of a freelance job is the organization of the workplace. This means that it is necessary to provide for everything: the presence of a computer or laptop, a camera for video communication, high-speed Internet and other specialized equipment. Besides, you should understand the peculiarities of this technique in order to quickly set up and use it if necessary.

Modern work in the network is impossible without instant messengers, so you definitely need to install WhatsApp, Viber or Telegram on your smartphone. The workplace should be as comfortable as possible so that no one interferes in the process of engaging in professional activities. This directly affects the efficiency of work and the speed of order fulfillment. If it is not possible to create such a place at home, then you should think about renting.

To work as a freelancer, you will also need an excellent command of an office suite, including Word, Excel, and PowerPoint. If you plan to work with text, then be sure to install software for reading suitable formats. Careful attention should be paid to the choice and installation of the browser. It should be as convenient as possible and "sharpened" for freelancing.

In the process of starting work as a freelancer, you need to pay close attention to registering accounts. First of all, we are talking about the following points.

• Email. The most popular resource for this today is Gmail. It is best to make the name of the mail from the last name and first name.
• Online wallet. Not all clients and exchanges use bank accounts for mutual settlements. In the vastness of the Russian-speaking Internet, electronic payment systems are very popular, among which three are the leaders: “Yandex. Money ”, WebMoney and“ Qiwi ”. Sometimes it happens that the customer pays through some rare system. In this case, you will have to register there as well.
• Social media accounts. They will be an excellent solution for advertising their capabilities and services. It is worth remembering that a profile is a business card, almost a resume on the global web, so filling it out cannot be neglected.
• Accounts on exchanges. Depending on the type of activity, it is worth choosing several specialized exchanges where you can provide services and look for orders.

One of the most crucial steps is developing a portfolio, which usually includes completed projects. The more works presented here, the better, because clients will be able to find something similar to what they are planning to order. To choose the best performer, customers usually thoroughly study his portfolio, so it should be done correctly. Freelance services are a commodity that needs to be promoted.

If the client is satisfied with the quality of the work performed, then do not hesitate to ask him to leave a review. In freelancing, success depends on how well a person is able to show and present himself. There is no need to reduce prices in order to collect several orders, otherwise it will never be possible to get out of such a pit. Human psychology is arranged in such a way that, having seen an affordable price tag, he is looking for a catch, so he may decide that the quality of the performer leaves much to be desired.

You can search for orders and place a portfolio not only on stock exchanges, but also on specialized forums. Recommendations work well on the Internet, therefore, with the conscientious performance of work, there will definitely be no end to clients.

Most beginners make the same mistake: they buy paid courses right away and try to become pro. It will not be possible to reach such a level in a short period of time. For the first two months, you shouldn't think about such training materials at all, regardless of what their authors promise and at what price they offer their product. Today, the Internet is simply replete with various offers to take courses, webinars or training seminars. Most of these products are outright dummy. And if the project is worthwhile, then it will not go anywhere and will constantly attract a new audience, so there is no need to rush. The first two months of self-study will allow you to understand if you have the ability to this type of activity.

On the Internet, you can find any materials for free, so you just need to make an effort and search for yourself. You can read various articles and training materials on websites and blogs of famous people in the profession. For copywriters, the personal sites of experienced text gurus, who very often conduct free webinars, will be useful. They are an excellent chance to acquire basic skills in the chosen field of activity. If you go through a webinar with various speakers, then it will be possible to fill 70% of the basic gaps in knowledge in the specialty.Do not neglect advertising that promises free training.

One should study wherever possible. YouTube video hosting has a huge number of channels that are dedicated to one niche and profession. After watching a few videos, it will become clear that paid courses, in principle, are not needed. Moreover, they usually provide the same information. A distinctive feature of freelancing is precisely that you can learn everything on your own, but with proper motivation and desire.

Earning big money from the very beginning will not work, because for this you need to consolidate skills, gain experience and get regular customers. Freelancing is to some extent reminiscent of your own business, which cannot bring tangible income from day one. However, with the right motivation and constant work, impressive results can be achieved.

The main thing is to take a responsible approach to the performance of any tasks. If a certain agreement has been reached with the client, then it is imperative to follow it. Otherwise, you can get a reputation as an unreliable performer, which will negatively affect the rating and reduce the likelihood of receiving the next order.

Let's take a look at some useful tips for beginner freelancers.

• There is no need to be afraid of difficulties at the beginning of the path. Of course, at the initial stage there are always difficulties due to lack of experience. It takes a lot of time to develop skills in scheduling work hours, finding clients, and even getting the best out of your desk. All this is necessary in order to lay a solid foundation for a future career that will bring tangible income.
• Don't trust every customer. The best way to work is prepaid. You cannot trust strangers too much, otherwise you can fulfill a large order one day and be left without payment. Or, after the completion of the project, you can send only a part of it to the customer so that he can be convinced of the quality of the work done. And the second part should be sent after full payment. If a person does not want to pay, then you need to say goodbye to him, and the prepayment remains to the performer as compensation for the time spent.
• It is worthwhile to draw up a technical assignment in advance and carefully discuss the scope of work so that in the future there will be no problems with the customer. TK is necessary in order to fix the basic principles of its implementation even before the start of work. This will provide protection against customer demands to complete more work than originally anticipated.
• It is worth learning to refuse. You cannot earn all the money on the planet, so you need to adequately assess your capabilities and not take orders for execution if they are not within your power or there is simply not enough time. If you constantly take everything in a row, then sooner or later this will begin to affect the quality of the work performed. You do not need to load all your time with orders, since no one canceled the rest.

Thus, freelancing is an excellent start for your own promotion and self-realization. If you approach this process correctly, you can get a good income from professional activity. Plus, you can gain valuable experience and new clients to build a professional portfolio that offers new opportunities.