How to Find Freelance Work? Best Tips

In this article, we reveal our top tips to help you get started as a freelancer. Find out how to find freelance work here! ✍️

How to Find Freelance Work?

These days, more and more people want to become a freelancer to enjoy total freedom. 🕊️ Being your own boss has many advantages (but also a few disadvantages).

As well as choosing where and when you carry out your tasks, you can choose your customers. 🙌 If freelancing is the dream of many of you, it’s important that you find work.

When you’re self-employed, finding work isn’t as easy as you might think… 😅 Above all, you’ll need a lot of patience!

You may not realize it, but most of the work you’ll find will come from word-of-mouth. 🤫

However, there are strategies you can use to increase your visibility on the web. 👀 If you’re wondering how to get freelance clients, read our tips below.

1. Invest in your Personal Branding

Before trying to sell yourself, think about creating your “personal branding” and online presence. 🥸 What’s your favorite field, your specialization? What expertise would you like to offer your customers?

Whether you’re a copywriter, salesperson, content creator on social networks… this is the best approach to get started! 🏃

Take the time to list your key skills, the subjects you’re best at, that excite or challenge you in a positive way, as well as those in which you feel comfortable. 💯 Highlight your strengths and look for your qualities that will set you apart.

Are you a trilingual copywriter? A seasoned salesperson? An influencer with over 20K followers? Come on! Put it in your presentation 😉

It’s not that different from a traditional job search. That’s right, whether you’re employed or self-employed, the main objective is to stand out from the crowd!

2. Update your LinkedIn profile

To help you showcase your expertise, consider updating your CV, LinkedIn profile, portfolio… 🎨 You want to sell your services, so make sure you have a great showcase!

When you’re looking for freelance work, just as when you’re looking for salaried employment, you need a fully optimized LinkedIn profile, 🤩 especially if you intend to prospect online.

In truth, what’s different from a classic job search is the way you present yourself: in particular, your CV needs to be highly detailed and highlight your service offering.

It can be digitized on your personal site, or you can make a small presentation of yourself, in the LinkedIn summary. 👇

Make sure you have a well-documented CV detailing your previous roles, even if you haven’t had any freelance experience yet. 🤭

This is not a failure! On the contrary, it shows that you’re open to new challenges. 💪

So, if you work as a graphic designer, developer, designer, comm or marketing professional, the portfolio is an indispensable tool for promoting yourself. 📣 It’s especially important to take care of your LinkedIn profile in this launch period!

3. Use your existing Network on LinkedIn

To continue on the “tips” on LinkedIn, we also advise you to use your existing network to the maximum! 💥

If we know that developing your LinkedIn network increases your chances of finding a paid job, it also increases your chances of finding freelance work! 💸

All freelancers can agree on this point: you don’t get anywhere without your network. 🌐 But don’t panic, if you don’t yet have an armored address book, a good network can be built!

However, it’s all about being patient and accepting that it takes time to get there… 🙏

You can also follow the Favikon “rankings” to spot recognized profiles on LinkedIn, which will help you find inspiration for optimizing your profile.

And, why not, get in touch with them and ask them for advice on how to get started? 😎

Here are a few examples of optimized freelance profiles: 👇

4. Work with Specialized Agencies and Platforms

LinkedIn is a great way to find a freelance job. 🤔 However, the surest way to find regular missions is by looking for partnerships in specialized agencies or freelance platforms!

There are many freelance agencies, with networks of professionals who work with freelancers to place them with their clients. 👌

It’s a win-win solution that allows you to work for many companies to get your first experiences. ✨ This type of agency or platform functions as a service provider to companies and takes care of establishing links with freelancers.

So, how do you become part of these agencies? 🧐 These organizations often work by recommendation and co-optation. But, they can also establish a selection process similar to recruitment, to ensure the quality of the freelance profiles they integrate into their agency.

As far as platforms are concerned, it’s much simpler! 👏 Once you’ve created your online profile, there’s no need to search for leads – the site will take care of sending you requests from people looking for your services.

We’ll introduce you to the best-known platforms right after! ⏬

5. Learn to Negotiate your Rates

Just like classic recruitment, the final step to successfully completing your first freelance mission is… negotiating your rates. 🤑 As a freelancer, your basic reference should be the ADR or Average Daily Rate.

And that’s even if you price your services by task or project, because it’s essential to think in advance about how you want to price a day or an hour’s work, based on your expertise, the value on the market and to keep that price in mind before you meet your potential clients! 🧠

To sell yourself at the right price, take the time to ask yourself questions about your market and analyze the situation of the business in question: 👉 what do other freelancers charge? How much would it cost if the company hired an employee for this type of task? What are your expenses for this assignment (travel, expenses, fees, etc.)?

In the end, we all have acquaintances who are already doing a freelance job, so don’t hesitate to ask the people around you! 🗣️

What Tools to use to Find Freelance Work?

Now that you’ve read these tips, you may be wondering if there’s a tool to make your job easier? 🤖

Then, good news, there is an accessible tool to prospect your future customers, and it’s Waalaxy! 🥳

Here’s everything you can do with Waalaxy to find freelancing jobs:

• Expand your network by sending invitations from a LinkedIn post like/comment.
• Auto-import into a campaign, people who have visited your profile, commented on your LinkedIn posts, sent you a connection request or new prospects into a saved search. 🧨
• Send messages to your core target customers in an automated way. 💘

Here are some message templates you can send to your contacts, from Waalaxy, to highlight your services: 👇

Also, don’t forget to post regularly to tell your network about your new freelance status! 👀

Conclusion: How to Find Freelance Work?

In the end, while the steps involved in getting a job or freelance work don’t differ much, the main nuance lies in the “freelance business” mindset, and in the way you present and sell your services. 🏆

Don’t worry if the first assignment takes a while to come… it’ll be like waiting for a little baby! 👼 And through experience, you’ll see, you’ll gain confidence and gradually take on your new identity as an independent person.

So the most important thing is not to rest on your laurels. 😴 Take advantage of your spare time to hunt down the next opportunity, don’t wait until it’s over to start a new mission search… otherwise you’ll find yourself stuck.

In short, keep a proactive attitude so you’re always one step ahead!

FAQ : Find Freelance Work

Where can I find freelance work?

If you’re not sure where to find clients as a freelance consultant, here are some sites you can use to create your profile: ⏬

• Upwork.
• Fiverr.
• Malt.

And of course, think word-of-mouth! 👄👂 It’s one of the best ways to get jobs easily, and they often pay better since you already have a recommendation.

What are the most sought-after freelance jobs on LinkedIn?

The most sought-after freelance jobs on LinkedIn are roles in software and web development, particularly for technologies such as JavaScript, Python and mobile applications. 📱

Experts in digital marketing, including SEO, social network management and content creation, are also in demand.

Graphic designers and copywriters with SEO skills are in high demand. 🪶 Finally, freelancers in the fields of project management and “data analysts” are experiencing growing demand, as companies seek to harness data to make rapid decisions.

How do you create a freelance status?

To become a freelancer, you need to choose a self-employed legal status, because of its simplicity. 👍

For tax purposes, you’ll declare your sales revenues and pay proportional social contributions. 💰 Income tax is paid by direct debit (if conditions are met) or by annual declaration.

Finally, the typical tax system will apply if your sales exceed certain thresholds, and is exempt below.

Should I put “freelance” in my LinkedIn title?

Yes, adding “Freelance” to your LinkedIn job title can be beneficial in attracting potential employers and clients who are specifically looking for freelancers.

By mentioning “Freelance” followed by your specialty (e.g. « Freelance SEO » or « Freelance Web Developer »), you immediately indicate what you do, which can make your profile more attractive. 😍

Also, remember to add relevant keywords related to your expertise to improve your visibility in searches. 🔍

Now you know everything there is to know about how to find freelance work… just do it! 😜