7 Things to avoid as a freelance worker

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Freelancing is a wonderful opportunity that you can use to make money while working from home. However, freelancing is a whole way of life, and thus there is much more to it than just the money. Therefore you need to be extra careful with freelancing and get it just right, so that you can not only support yourself off freelancing but also enjoy the whole process to the full extent, utilizing your new found freedom on other more productive things.

Here are a few things that you should not as a freelance worker. By following this guide, you can avoid the common mistakes that freelance workers make, and you can get a good understanding of how the freelancing world operates.

Don’t bid below your rate: At times it can be frustrating. C++ programmers at $2/hour? Project Managers at 1.5$/hour? Technical writers at $1/hour? Welcome to the absurd world of bidding at freelance projects. This is a common sight in almost all freelance sites. However, you for one sure know that your skills demand much more than this rate. Therefore you should not go into a price war while bidding on projects.

Buyers know that if they throw peanuts, they are bound to attract monkeys! This is the reason serious buyers will simply neglect bids that are too low. In the end, the buyer is looking for good quality work, and therefore will ideally give this the maximum importance. Of course you should be reasonable with your rates, but never go below what you think you deserve.

Perhaps the only time you can make an exception to this is when you are looking for your first job. However, the reason for this is that your first job is more like a platform to establish yourself rather than making money. Of course if you can bag a great first assignment, there is nothing better.

If you are only aiming at getting a great feedback, it makes sense to work for less. But when you want to work on projects to support yourself, do not go into a bidding war with the other providers. Retain your identity and at some stage you surely will get the right projects coming your way.

Don’t use standard cover letters: All buyers can make out when a cover letter is not written specifically for their purpose. Therefore when you apply for the job, be sure to discuss the project in your application. There is nothing more annoying for a buyer than looking at a good profile of a provider who is capable but who cannot put together a cover letter suitable for the job she is applying for.

By making a personalized cover letter for the job, you are showing that you care for the job. In addition, you are telling the buyer that you are genuinely interested in this particular job. When you write your cover letter, talk as much about the job as you are talking about yourself. Therefore when you mention your skills, talk about them in relation to the project you are bidding for, and not in isolation. This gives the buyer a very strong reason to hire you and not the others, since you are demonstrating your skills particularly suited for the project at hand.

Don’t be a robot: This is true – buyers are looking for self-motivated providers who are able to provide a good value addition to their team. This is important to remember. You are not just there to follow instructions like a robot. Instead, you should fully engage yourself into the project and feel a part of the team. Only this way can you go over and above and impress your buyer.

The first way to do this is by asking questions. Ask the buyer what his requirements are, and understand them thoroughly. This will help you come up with your own ideas that you can put forward. Do not try to blindly follow instructions – instead, be proactive and give your own suggestions for the project, so that you can work together in harmony. Buyers like providers who can think independently.

A good way to start this is by providing some basic ideas about the project in your cover letter itself. This will help the buyer understand your frame of mind and your work attitudes. You don’t need to elaborate on them – simply mention what you think can be done on the project and how you can do it efficiently.

Don’t be closed to ideas, suggestions and improvements: Take all suggestions for modification of your work in the spirit and try to deliver better each time. Also, if a client is not completely satisfied with your work, make sure you offer to make it right, even if this means more work for you. When you are able to accept that you may not have delivered to the highest quality but are willing to work to make it better, you show a level of professionalism not very common in the freelancing world. Therefore you can then expect to bag a positive feedback from the buyer.

Don’t keep yourself exposed to high risks in payments: This is important to note as a freelance worker, because the last thing you want in your professional life is having worked really had for the project and then not getting paid for it. Therefore always look for ways to minimize your risks.

For example, if you are working at oDesk, the hourly assignments are protected and you are guaranteed to be paid for every hour you work. This is not true with the fixed-rate assignments. Therefore make it a point to ask for periodic payments from the buyer as and when you progress in the project. This is especially relevant if you are working on a big project that takes time to complete.

For other freelance sites like Elance or Guru, you should simply ask for an Elance Escrow payment or Guru Escrow payment option from the buyer, so that the money is already there in a third party account that will be released to you on completion of the work.

Don’t shy away from networking and marketing yourself: Just like in the offline job market, even the online job market involves getting jobs and projects through connections and known acquaintances. This also means trying to tell your family and friend about your freelancing.

For example, your friend might be working for a small company and would like to have the marketing material of her company revised to attract better sales. You might mention to her that you are a freelance copywriter and show her some of your work. If she finds value in it, she may hire you for the job as a freelancer, because you can provide her company with good quality work at affordable prices.

This works similar for the clients you have worked with. After the assignment, you can ask them to hire you again in the future or just tell them to recommend you to other businesses they know which can benefit from using your services. This way you build your network and can promote yourself. You can read more about job networking and building your connections here.

Apart from these, there are tools available with oDesk that help you advertise your profile on social networking sites like Facebook. This may be a good idea as you can now display your skills to all your friends, who can then help you bag some coveted assignments they know of at companies they work with or are in touch with. This will surely help you get good quality assignments.

Don’t apply for jobs you cannot do well on: Many freelance workers try to bid on too many things at the same time. If you are a web designer, don’t bid on data entry projects. This is because by diluting yourself you are not going to help your cause in the future assignments. In addition, by moving away from your main area of expertise, you are risking your feedback, because if you cannot deliver well, your feedback will suffer.

Don’t simply look at the budget of the project or ease with which you can do the work. Only bid on projects you will really enjoy working on and can do well. Otherwise the buyer may not be fully satisfied with your work and therefore give you a not so great feedback. Patience is the name of the game.

By following the above tips, you will soon become a successful freelance worker and will find the whole experience much more rewarding and pleasant than your day-job. The reason is simple – as a freelancer you are your own boss and therefore there is complete freedom and independence to work when you want and how you want.By enjoying your job, you can gain much more than money, as Aristotle aptly put it,”Pleasure in the job puts perfection in the work”.

By observing the above mentioned points, you can create a niche for yourself in the freelancing circuit and therefore be sure of bagging some of the best assignments available out there. If you want to read more about getting started with freelancing, here is a guide to help you out.