21 Mar How to Find Freelance Jobs
Gone are the days of working for one company for 40 years, receiving a watch at retirement, then sailing off into the sunset, carefree, thanks to a hefty pension…
Our sudden desire to generate multiple “revenue streams” is a reflection of anxiety as a result of layoffs having hit almost everyone by now, in one way or another. There is no safety net. You’re either worried about losing the job you have, finding a new job when you’re unemployed, being replaced by someone else, and/or trying to figure out how to stand out in a noisy crowd.
Welcome to the Gig Economy
As a result, the “gig” economy was born, which I believe will become our new normal. There are now millions of people out there looking for more flexible jobs than the traditional 9-to-5 (ok, more like 8-to-7) sit-in-a-cubicle type of role. Luckily, there has never been a better time to find a flexible job than there is today. There are entirely new categories of jobs that have emerged, including “V.A.s,” virtual assistants who operate remotely and assist multiple people at the same time with scheduling meetings, handling email, travel planning, etc. Whether you have technical skills, writing talent, or the ability to put together a bookcase from IKEA, there’s a job for that.
Dip Your Toe in the Gig Water
It can be time-consuming to set up a profile on one of the job sites (listed later), so search for potential jobs on each site before you commit and make sure you understand the payment terms. Some sites charge freelancers a percentage of the total job, others charge freelancers to join as subscribed members. It will likely seem overwhelming at first, but you’ll figure out what works best for you, both in terms of sites, jobs, industries and clients. Use the available search filters to target specific jobs. It’s helpful to sign up and experiment before you quit another job. You can squeeze in a few projects and make sure you like the freelance life before committing further. Some people are freelancers after hours, using their gigs as supplemental revenue.
Gotta Get a Gig
Now the question is, how do you find those jobs? I have scoured the electronic galaxy and created this rather long list of options. In this case, I was looking for freelance writing jobs. Not everyone has technical expertise, and those who do know how to search online and find those roles quickly, so I decided to use writing skills as an example.
Gigs Galore: Freelance Job Sites
In no particular order, below are individual job site links plus some typical examples of job types found on that site.
Upwork – my personal favorite, a known “go-to” source, global, no membership fee
FlexJobs – a comprehensive listing of remote jobs – membership fee required, but you can view job postings to see whether you’re interested
Freelancer – similar to upwork – search the job listings to see if the results include your type of work
Jobspresso – all remote jobs – marketing, sales, writing, project mgr, etc.
Remote– all remote jobs, everything you need to build a company from scratch, from accounting to customer service to marketing.
ZipRecruiter – traditional job site with many freelance jobs – use “freelance writer” to search, for example
Freelancewriting– Yes, you guessed it! freelance writing, blogging
AllFreelanceWriting – web content, blogging jobs
Contena – content development, translator, courseware, marketing
Linkedin Remote Writing – remote writing jobs
LinkedIn Jobs – add “remote” to search
Problogger – blogging, content jobs
Remember: add “remote” to your search on any job site, e.g. indeed.com, linkedin.com
What is a “gig,” anyway? Many people think of it as a one-time musical performance, as in a band’s Friday night gig, but now it refers to a non-traditional way of generating an income stream, that is outside of the typical one job 9-to-5 for a single company where you typically would receive benefits. The “gig economy” refers to that non-traditional job market, and includes everyone from retirees and stay-at-home parents to traditional freelancers.
Other Freelance Gig Sites
The list below provides some of those alternatives. I’m assuming you’re already familiar with Uber and Lyft…GrubHub and Instacart.
TaskRabbit – handyman, at-home DIY, chores
Snagajob – hourly jobs, restaurant jobs
Mediabistro – PR, journalism, media jobs
Postmates – local delivery service, like Uber or Lyft, only delivers items
Twitter Job Postings
Following are some Twitter handles to follow so you can see the latest job tweets. You can also search for “#jobs” to use the hashtag feature.
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