These days, online freelancing marketplaces have increased in the Caribbean region. Here we outline key strategies to increase the success in landing jobs on these platforms.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n
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If there is anything we have learned from the COVID-19 pandemic, is that life is, and continues to be, uncertain. Depending on the industry, the job market was hard hit, with people either being furloughed, laid off outright, or being asked to accept lower salaries and wages, due to the adverse situation being experienced. Many who found themselves in a bind, career-wise or with declined earnings, had explore alternatives to generate additional income, such as by becoming an independent contractor and taking one freelancing work.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
There are numerous ways of sourcing independent contracting work, such as via word of mouth and engaging in government procurement process. However, one of the most popular options is online freelance marketplaces. Although there are global platforms, such as Fiverr and Upwork, over the past several months a number of Caribbean-based marketplaces have emerged, including:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Without a doubt, these online marketplaces open up a broad range of opportunities for existing and prospective freelancers. Below are six tips through which to maximise the benefits of becoming a freelancing, and more specifically, in using these online freelancing marketplaces.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
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First, it is important to be clear on the depth and breadth of the expertise you possess, and accordingly, whether you could considered an expert in your field, and for what specific areas. Although there is benefit in being a generalist, such as a management consultant or a lawyer, it means that that potentially, you are competing with all of the management consultants or lawyers on the roster. However, if one also specialises in human resource management or in corporate law, for example, the size of the talent pool would become decidedly smaller, thus making it comparatively easier to stand out and improve your visibility.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
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Almost regardless of the freelancing platform, the odds are that there will be competition in your specialty area(s). It is thus beneficial to get a sense of the scope of that competition, including how plentiful projects in your specialty areas. In a similar vein, and for people who are new to working as an independent contractor, setting their fee or work rate can be daunting, as one does not want to price themselves out of the market, and neither do they want to be significantly below the going rate.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In the Caribbean region, understanding the market and benchmarking professional fees that could be charged can be a challenge, as limited data is publicly available. As a result, people tend to rely on their own observations, what they have been able to glean from colleagues and friends, along with whatever anecdotal information to which they might have access. Although under the circumstances these options are a place to start, a mindset of continually refinement is recommended, thus allowing you to adjust your understanding of the market when more information is received.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
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To some degree, signing up to online freelancing platforms can be a good way to secure projects, especially when you begin to gain some visibility on the platform as an expert who has been rated highly by previous clients. However, getting to that point does take time, and it is important to ensure that you understand how the each of the platforms works.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Although online freelancing marketplaces might operate in the same way generally, that is to connect clients with projects to the expertise that can execute these projects, there would be differences that you ought to understand. Some of the areas worthy for careful consideration include:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
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Depending on the circumstances, and from time to time, it is likely that you will be juggling more than one freelancing project. Some of you might be taking on freelancing work, in addition to the fulltime jobs. Although the opportunity to earn more money may always be welcomed, you also need to be honest about the time you truly have to allocate to the (side) projects you accept.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
For those who execute projects poorly, reputational damage can result, which may make it more difficult to secure projects in the future, and to grow their business, if that is the goal. Additionally, it is unlikely that the client will pay for the corrections needed to achieve the quality of the deliverables agreed, resulting in the contractor operating at a loss by ultimately spending more than had been initially budgeted and agreed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
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Following from the previous point, and in juggling multiple projects and other commitments, a freelancer\u2019s time and project management skills need to be on point. In the freelancing space, there tends to be constant battle between the fees payable for a project, which is usually fixed and based on the anticipated amount of effort, versus the actual amount of effort needed to successfully complete the job. Therefore the objective of the contractor is to ensure that the effort needed to execute projects does unduly exceed the effort agreed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Calendars, schedules and to-do lists are useful tools that ought to be leveraged. However, depending on the complexity of the project, whether you are collaborating as part of a project team, or just your experience and comfort with project management tools, applications such as BaseCamp, LiquidPlanner, Project Bubble and Wunderlist are also recommended.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
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Finally, and although among independent contractors there is a constant focus on the next job, in order to not experience a decline in their income stream, it is critical to also keep track of and document the projects you have worked on and have successfully completed. The work being secured through online platforms may only tell a small fraction of the story of your brand, and so you ought to be intentional in not only being able to communicate that, but also to be supporting documentation as needed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In the event you are bidding on opportunities, be they online or offline, having a comprehensive Curriculum Vitae or portfolio on your expertise could increase the possibility of securing projects. However, discipline is essential to document the scope of the work done, who the clients were with their contact details, plus have copies of testimonials. Additionally, it is useful to keep copies of the final outputs (as appropriate) as part of your records. All of those details may be needed in the future, and it recommended that a consistent effort is made to maintain those records and keep them up to date.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
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Image credit: Andrea Piacquadio (Pexels<\/a>)<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n