5 Dec, 2021
If you — for any and every reason — have decided that you want to start freelancing
work, then read this article for you.
But this isn't your usual article about tips for first-time freelancers.
We're here to share the good, the bad, and the awkward when it comes to freelancing for
beginners. But we're also going
to give you our best tips to succeed as a freelancer — straight from real, successful
freelancers who can still remember
what it was like to be where you are right now.
Download all Killer Cover Letters
It’s true that sometimes a cover letter is a kind of spare tire. An applier wants to
have it with him just in case he
needs some emergency backup. That’s why it’s no wonder that 90% of hiring managers don’t
read cover letters. But yet
it’s been proven in a survey that 53% of employers admit that they prefer candidates who
send a cover letter. So you
might have already understood that your cover letter is positively acknowledged, but it
probably won’t get read.
01. ‘Copying and Pasting’ other’s Proposal to use as your own
Nowadays, most of the freelances have a sense of urgency to receive a new job offer,
that’s why they keep up writing
letters after letters for various job postings on job sites. And because this searching
takes a lot of time, the new
freelancers and sometimes, many experienced ones also write down their cover letters in
Microsoft Office Docs and do
just copy-paste as needed. Yes, it saves time, but it may cost you your only chance of
getting a call for the interview.
Knowingly or unknowingly, freelancers don’t make the effort to write different cover
letters for different types of
jobs. They often repeat a mistake of thinking that their old cover letter will do just
fine everywhere. But it’s not the
case at all, employers want different cover letters for different job postings. That’s
why, I strongly recommend to all
that do not just copy-paste your cover letters while applying for different jobs.
Many freelancers don’t understand how to write a new cover letter each time. Mostly,
they fail to find new words or new
topics. But you will always find new words or topics if you read the job description
carefully.
You will have to understand the required skills and examine the skills that you have as
well as the skills that you are
lacking. You should make a decision only when you get assured that you are a good fit
for the job.
Once you make up the decision, then you can easily pick up the topic sentences from the
job description and explain the
topic lines carefully in your cover letter.
Yes, you can copy some common sentences in order to save time, but always try to use new
and updated sentences every
time.
And finally, make sure you do not use same beginning and same ending over and over
again.
02. Rushing for Applying
When the competition level is so high, it’s pretty normal if the freelancers think that
if they apply faster, they will
get a job offer faster. But sadly, this is almost never the case. When a freelancer
rushes toward getting a job, he or
she is more likely to commit simple mistakes in his or her cover letter. That’s why I
always suggest freelancers not to
rush, and instead to go over each detail to ensure that his or her application is
submitted properly. It’s important to
read through the client’s job description and then apply gradually follow the 10 rules
which are stated above.
03. Always offering cheap rated hourly jobs
One common problem that can be discovered in most of the freelancers is that they think
offering cheap rates may
increase their chance of getting the job. But most of them don’t know that this theory
of theirs is far from the truth.
It’s important that you check the client’s average hourly rate before applying for the
job. Suppose one client’s average
hourly rate is $10.00 per hour, then you should apply from minimum $7.00 per hour to
maximum $9.00 per hour regarding
the job requirements.
If you apply with a rate of $4.00 or $6.00 per hour, then your client may think that you
are not a pro worker and that’s
why, most probably, you might not get the job. There’s another common tendency that
newcomer freelancers follow that
they do not check for the average hourly rate so they continue applying for $30.00 per
hours as they think $30.00 per hour
is a standard price. But I suggest that one should check out each client’s average
hourly rate first and then apply. But, for example,
there’s an exception, when a new client Upwork posts a job description, you will not be
able to see an average hourly
rate as this is his first time. In this case, you should apply according to your regular
job rate and make adjustments
as you see fit with consideration to the job requirements.
04. Bargaining over the Budget for a Fixed-Price Job
When a client posts a fixed-priced job, you will see that he has provided a budget.
Sometimes new clients are not that
much aware of the job budget, so the client may put the budget at $10, give or take.
Probably, the work is much more
harder than a $10 budget but it’s not your client’s concern. He wants someone who is
ready to work within this rate. So
if you offer $100 where the client posted for $10, you are likely to never get the job.
If you think a job budget
doesn’t match your standards, don’t waste your time bargaining on the price and find
another suitable offer.
Focusing on Experience over the Job Description
I often notice that many freelancers start writing their cover letter by talking about
all of their years of experience.
But that’s not the right approach at all.
You should understand that the company you’re applying to is hiring because they need
someone to do something for them.
It means that above all else, they want to know what it is that you can do for the
company. When it comes to show your
accomplishments, only show those accomplishments which are relevant to your client’s job
description so that you can get
in touch. It’s important to make your achievements known in a way that lends well to the
duties of the position.
06. Showing no interest in new Clients with no Feedback and Unverified Payment Method
Sometimes the freelancers do not feel interest in applying for jobs where a client does
not have any feedback or payment
method listed. But this should not stop you from applying. The new clients might hire
you and give you the chance to
show off your skills. You never know, this client may even think that you have a better
skill set than another
freelancer who has 2 or 3 years of experience. It’s true that sometimes one client may
take 3 days to verify his payment
method. And because of this reason, many of the freelancers pass up on a great job
opportunity simply because they
overlooked someone with less experience who is new to job sites and hasn’t verified
their
payment method just yet. That’s
why I would suggest that don’t let this opportunity pass you by.
07. Over Confidence
When Clients look for freelancers to hand over a project, they can see which freelancer
has 100% job success rate, 5 out
of 5-star rating, proper portfolio, proper work history, professional profile overview,
positive comments in feedback.
So when you are just relying on your profile and high ratings and thinking that you
don’t have to write much on your
cover letter, then it is a matter of over confidence. Remember, if you are applying like
you are the boss and that none
of your competition is worthy, you are making a big mistake. It is a common thing that
clients will first see your cover
letter and then your profile. So it really doesn’t matter how good you are, if you don’t
write a killer cover letter,
you won’t get the job on job sites.
08. Late respond to a Client’s Message or Interview
If you are aa new freelancer and you do not know what an interview is then allow me to
make this clear for you. Once you
finish applying for a job, a client will read your cover letter and send you a message
for an interview. If you do not
reply quickly to that call and. end up responding some couple of hours later, probably
you will lose your chance of
getting the job. It’s because if the client needs the job done immediately, he will not
wait for you. He will simply
skip you and will call another freelancer who responded in time. So it’s a must to
respond quickly when you are applying
for a job.
09. Being too Nagy
Most of the new freelancers have a bad habit of being too Nagy. Some of them, literally,
continue begging the clients to
hire them. This is not just humiliating, but also harmful for your freelancing career.
For a moment, think of yourself as a client who wants quality work in a timely manner.
You are offering a good price,
and you are sure that you will find a qualified freelancer for your project. In that
case, surely, you will not prefer
someone who begs until you give in. So it’s important you don’t act too naggy. Simply
just present yourself
professionally to get the job.
10. Losing interest after seeing Poor Feedback
I have seen many cases where a freelancer sees an appropriate job posting and is about
to apply for the job, he
discovers that the client’s feedback is 3.50 stars or less, and suddenly he changes his
mind; decides not to apply for
the job. But if you are confident enough, and you have the quality, don’t let this hold
you back from applying. Even if
you have poor feedback on your profile, don’t hesitate to apply because sometimes your
feedback is not important when
you have great skills, solid work history and support of a killer cover letter.
11. Writing short answers for additional questions
One thing that you should remember that all clients see your answers to additional
questions first and then your cover
letter. So if you provide a good answer to the additional question, then it might
increase your chances to get a job
offer.
As an example, if your client asks, “Do you have suggestions to make this project run
successfully?”
Your answer shouldn’t be just, ” Yes, I have one”
But this is not the right way. You should make clear what your suggestions are.
12. Applying for a job where interviews are already being taken
Often you will notice that while you are applying for a job, there are already one or
more interviews that are in
process. If a client ask for interview with a freelancer, that means the job is already
90% his. Why would you apply for
a job where you have few chances? Remember, just 10% of the time, clients will hire
freelancer after already conducting
other interviews only if the interviewed worker doesn’t agree later on.
That’s why I suggest you to spend more energy on another job where you have a better
chance to receive the job offer.
13. Cover Letter Formatting Mistake
A perfect cover letter 5 major parts – Salutation, Introduction, Body, Ending and
Signature. So, if you write a cover
letter with polite salutation, formal introduction, marvelous beginning, a descriptive
body and a stunning ending then
you may have a chance. I have seen many times that the freelancers rush and forget to
maintain the structure of the
cover letter. Always try to apply properly by writing a good cover letter. Yes, it’s
true that you may need to shortcut
the formalities of your cover letter, but let’s not forget that 60% of clients are still
supporting proper formalities
in cover letters. So, don’t forget the right format of the cover letter in order to save
time.
14. Mentioning the Hints
Probably this mistake is the most common one that 80% of the freelancers make while
writing a letter.For example, if you are
familiar with job postings on Upwork, you might have seen that a client sometimes tells
to mention a hint in your cover
letter.
You may not know this but if you do not use the hint, “I am qualified” in your cover
letter’s heading, the client might
dismiss your proposal without second thought. So as you can see again, a little mistake
may cost you big time.
15. Partial Matters
Let’s think yourself as a chef, think that you have cooked a delicious dish by arranging
fresh vegetables, using exotic
spices and by adding a variety of other food ingredients. But if you do not serve it
properly, all your efforts will be
for nothing.
Just like that, you have to look after all of your partial materials, such as; profile
picture, title, overview, job experience, portfolio, time availability, phone
verification and language
skills. Remember to make all of
those necessary arrangements and then send it properly.
16. Not asking enough Questions
If you are a new freelancer, then you might not know that clients actually appreciate
questions from their potential
workers. It is because if you want to fulfill your working duties, you must understand
the job properly and for proper
understanding, you must ask questions. But you have to keep in mind that the questions
you are asking are not
irrelevant. You should only ask those questions which are relevant to the job or the
post.
17. Failing to View the Requirements
Clients may set requirements for their particular job, as they want to be precise
sometimes. The clients may ask for the
“Natives Only”, “100+ hours billed”, “night work”, “4.5% plus feedback” and/or“80% plus
job success” or whatever else.
Yes, you still may apply for this job anyway. But do not forget that the clients can
always see if you did not meet all
the required fields. If you do not meet all the requirements, your chances may decrease
60% or more. That’s why I would
always suggest not to apply where there is not a 100% match with your skills and their
requirements.
