Monthly: September 2009

There is definitely no doubt that there has been a great decline of work opportunities these days. The global financial crisis has led to an employment recession around the globe. The scenario: employees losing their jobs and graduates leaving college in uncertainty. Unfortunately, nobody is safe from its consequences; even clueless students.

Now, you may not entirely believe this notion as you may feel that students are not directly affected by this problem unless they work part time- you are wrong. Students will face one of the biggest burdens on this issue and that will be their inability to provide for themselves yet. Students will usually be entirely dependent to their parents- and their parents are not in any way safe from employment recession. Similarly, the job opportunities and the industries for whom they are studying for is never secured from this unfavorable employment situation. Thus, their future is affected and the need for them to be even more competitive for the industry and job for which they are preparing for is augmented.

If you are a student, you may already be frowning in sadness and in doubt now, but we assure you that there is no need to fret YET. Unless you don’t do something now, you have the virtual world of freelance jobs to back you up in this relatively difficult point in your life. Freelancing will not only allow you to have a source of income, but will also provide you with work experience relevant to your studies. This prepares you for the competition that you need to face right after you graduate. Afraid to plunge into the deep waters of freelancing? Here are 4 valuable tips to help you jumpstart your freelancing career in no time.

Have a CV handy.

A lot of people think that working on freelance jobs meant working in pajamas all the time- this is so untrue. Your distance from your client is no reason to be unprofessional. It is critical that you realize that you are a worker and you need to act like one whenever you transact with clients. This doesn’t only hold true in good grooming, but in client correspondences as well. Be it a simple chat or an e-mail, you will need to be a professional communicator. In this sense, you obviously need to start with a good CV and a cover letter! No job seeker will bag an opportunity without these essentials.

There are freelance bidding sites that will require you to complete a profile instead of submitting a CV. In such cases, you will need to complete your profile in the same manner as you would your resume. You need to make it as true, detailed and impressive as possible. These documents are a way to get your name and services out there. Therefore, make sure that they speak the best of you.

Your efforts not paying off yet? – No need to fret. Simply keep trying. The virtual world of freelance jobs is as competitive as the employment arena of the real world- you will be constantly asked for a relevant work experience. However, there are always ‘excellent firsts’ and it will be entirely up to your skills how you are going to be able to convince the client that you can provide them with such a positive experience.

Value client relationships.

As implied earlier, an impressive resume and a professional cover letter are your tickets to landing your very first freelance job- and once you have already jumpstarted your freelance career; expect to enjoy a constant stream of work from then on. And when that happens, the challenge starts. How does 4 freelance jobs while studying sound to you? Exciting and exhausting, probably. You may end up serving one religiously and neglecting the other. Worst, you may end up hurting your feedback score and overall ranking as a freelancer. This is a challenge, but you may choose not to be in such an unfavorable situation. All you need to do is to simply accept freelance jobs that you can handle and those that fit your schedule. Staying organized will also help.

Have a work time and a break time.

Similar to a regular job, all work with no play is no fun! Freelance jobs can occupy so much time PLUS your studies. You’ll need some slack time off work. In the same way, you also need to have your work time. Keep your schedule balanced and stick to it. This way, you’ll be able to avoid missed deadlines and burn out.

Learn, learn and learn!

A work experience in your resume alone is not enough to prepare you for the challenges of employment that you will have to face after you graduate. Acquired skills and good references are more important than a visually appealing CV. Therefore, take each freelance job as a learning opportunity. In fact, your ability to apply, to land and to keep a freelance job is already a valuable education that you get to keep for a lifetime.