According to the 2019 Deloitte Millennial Survey, 49 percent of millennials would quit their job in about two years of joining. Among the many reasons contributing to dissatisfaction at work, lack of appreciation, and low pay are two significant reasons why we are known as the “job-hopping” generation.
If you too are unsatisfied with your current work, then instead of hunting for a new employer, you should consider becoming a freelancer.
Freelancing is considered by many as just a way to generate some passive income.
However, it is far from the truth. If you are skilled enough and professionally motivated, then earning similar to what you got paid on a 9-5 job, if not more, isn’t nuclear science.
Skilled and experienced professionals can easily find gigs such as providing medical translation services to a translation company or developing software for foreign clients.
Companies also are very interested in hiring freelancers as it eliminates the need to hire full-time professionals for tasks that aren’t essential for business operations.
Content writing is among the most sought after freelance career options and if you too are interested in pursuing a career in content writing, then below are 6 things I learnt during my 5+ years of working as a freelance content writer.
Establish Yourself as an Author
Establishing yourself as a writer/author will give your profile a boost when pitching clients for content writing gigs. Maintaining your blog or publishing content on popular sites are two of the easiest ways to make a name as a recognized author.
Experiment With Different Forms of Writing
Getting out of the comfort zone is difficult for all of us. Writers usually stick to a specific type of content as it becomes easier to craft them with more experience.
However, if you try to create boundaries as a writer, then you will lose better opportunities than what you currently have. So, always be willing to venture out and gain experience in different forms of writing and niche.
Use Tools to Write Great Content
It is not easy to maintain the same level of quality in all types of articles. Luckily, several tools can help you write great content with minimal effort.
Among all, Grammarly is one of the tools that every content writer must use. Grammarly is a spelling and grammar checking tool and is probably the best one out there. Apart from correcting grammar and spelling errors, Grammarly also help writers to frame sentences correctly and make the content easy to read for all.
There are several other tools such as plagiarism checker tools, topic idea generation tools, etc. that help to create exciting content without any hassles.
Always Be Clear About Client Requirements
Not every client will have a similar content requirement, and it is the responsibility of the writer to know the needs of the client before beginning to craft the content. When working with a new client, provide them with some of your previous work so that they can evaluate your writing style, and give you details about how they want their content to be written.
Correctly understanding client requirements before beginning the work will save both yours as well as the client’s time in reviewing and editing the content.
Beware of Fraudsters
Freelancers rarely meet their clients in real-life. Therefore, many people take it as a chance to cheat freelancers and get work done for free.
Regardless of whether hired by a company or individual, make sure to take a closer look at your client’s profile before accepting any gigs. It is always a good idea to stay away from clients that raise a red flag, thus to save your time, effort, and money.
Also, have a clear conversation on the charges for the work done, accepted mode of payment, and how the payment will be cleared from the client’s end.
Always Be Ready to Revise Your Work
“Customer is King” is a phrase that is very relevant in the world of freelancing. It may not be easy to satisfy each client, but always remember that a happy customer is a returning customer.
If clients are not happy with your work, always offer to edit or redo the work to match their requirements. By doing so, you are only proving that the quality of work is what matters the most to you.
What’s More?
Even though freelancing does mean flexible work hours and not having to leave your home, having a routine is essential to get things done on time. Also, being your own boss is not awesome all the time and there are definitely going to be ups and downs which may leave you disheartened at times.
Never take up more work than what you can manage as it is also essential to give some time for your personal and social life. Working as a freelancer can get pretty dull and lonely as you work alone most of the time. Hence, if you do not devote enough time for yourself, then you will experience burnout pretty quickly.