Common Mistakes in Freelance

Starting a journey into the world of freelancing, sometimes people see only a general picture of how this industry works and make mistakes due to ignorance of the small yet important nuances. However, as evidenced in practice, experienced specialists are not insured against the mistakes as well. In this article, we will present several key situations in which these mistakes occur.

Mistakes While Communication

Not only “beginners”, but also experienced freelancers may face problems while communicating with the customer. The difficulties in the communication can arise while:

• Discussing the customer’s requirements;
• Formulating the thoughts and conveying them to the customer;
• Trying to convince a client (for example, with the aim to alter project conditions or change deadlines),
• Defending your position in a disputable situation.

To make communication easier, we recommend communicating mainly live or using audio or video calls. Text messages take a lot of time and may not always be clearly understood by the recipient. We also offer to find an individual approach to each client, keep an optimal distance with the customer, respect their labor and time, and adhere to the norms of business etiquette. However, do not forget about yourself, constantly analyzing and drawing conclusions about the effectiveness of interaction with this or that customer.

Errors in CV and Portfolio Design

Many freelancers do not know how to properly present themselves and sell their services. When we talk about working within a freelance platform, the performer has to go through a whole cycle of actions that leads to the approval of the requirement and hiring for the project. Over the time, the freelancer gains experience, and for them the interview procedure, including the presentation of their skills and previous experience, becomes easier and faster. The main assistants of a freelancer at this stage are their portfolio and CV.

Many people assume that CV and portfolio are the same document and do not distinguish between them. However, today we will dispel this myth.

The CV contains basic information about the person and a brief overview of the educational background, the experience of working on projects and in the companies. The CV contains only key indicators: the date of the beginning and end of work and a brief description of the functionality performed at a particular position. The CV also contains a summary of your experience and skills acquired.

A portfolio is a document that enhances the CV. The portfolio, in addition to an overview about you as a professional, clearly demonstrates your talent, describes in detail your experience and previous achievements. In this regard, your portfolio will be more often paid attention if it contains:

• Detailed description of topics, categories, areas in which you work;
• Examples of the best works
  Note from TPT: Don’t limit your examples to only a visual demonstration, but be sure to add thorough project description. For example, what was the goal of the project, what target audience the project was aimed at, etc.;
• Detailed description of services and goods (if any).

Typical mistakes when drafting a CV:

• Undefined target. The CV must indicate the specialty, in which you would like to get a job in the project,
• Lack of information. If the CV does not indicate what skills, knowledge and personal qualities you have, then the customer simply will not be able to assess your expertise.
• Inaccurate information. All information in the CV must be reliable and accurate, do not be afraid and use specific numbers. (For example, the introduction of a new business process allowed to increase the company’s revenue by 20%, the new brand strategy in the Instagram allowed to expand the client base for 4 times).
• Errors. Errors, typos or wrong structure make the CV sloppy and difficult to read and understand.

Choosing a Project is a Challenge

When it comes to choosing the right project and applying for it, many freelancers tend to both overestimate and underestimate their strengths. You should not take on a completely new and incomprehensible job, but at the same time, you are not recommended to stagnate with the exact same work all the time, all the time fulfilling the same type of orders. Finding balance is important.

A freelancer needs to strive for self-improvement within the framework of their specialty, but know when to stop and not stray unreasonably far from their real knowledge and skills when they decide to experiment in work.

Choose a project according to your skills, knowledge and capabilities. Be aware of the time it will take you to complete all current projects. Know the measure of your potential and be able to correctly match desires and possibilities.

We hope that this article was useful to you, and with the help of our advice, you can successfully move on. And you are welcome to start working on Talent Powered Team freelance platform, which is a single digital workspace for browsing projects and earning money, you just need to click on the link and register on our website. Good success!