Have you heard a freelancer boost about choosing on projects to work on, freedom to work on jobs they are comfortable about, lots of money and time for family?
Well, if you have not, I have… actually a tonne of times. The truth is, these freelancers are happy and successful with what they are doing but to get to such a height as a freelancer is far from being easy.
It must have taken a whole lot of consistency, resilience, and certain qualities that have made them stand out and tall in the freelancing world. Let’s have a look at the 10 most important attributes of a successful freelancer.
Strong Communication Skills
Many freelancers are always online. They use voice and video calls, chats, and emails to communicate with existing and prospective clients. To give your clients the right impression of who you are, you must have strong communication skills. This would help you sell yourself and what you have to offer. Having a basic knowledge of the written language could be of help.
Professionalism
The worst thing that can happen to a freelancer is to portray himself less than a professional. You need to know how to let your clients know what you can do and when you can deliver. You must try to keep to your promise no matter what challenges you may face during the execution of the project.
Time Management skills
You must know how to manage your time well in order to succeed as a freelancer. Always schedule your daily activities. Know the number of hours to work a day and how many tasks you are taking in per day. Managing your time helps you to avoid disappointing any of your clients.
Persistence
If you are not persistent, then you may quit freelancing along the way. In the beginning, you would face a lot of rejections and find it difficult to land a job. It is not an easy ride but you must not give up. Persistently keep promoting yourself. Believe in your skills and abilities. Stick to your goals and keep pressing on.
Determination and Responsibility
The ability to complete projects is crucial to competing in the freelance world. Go out often to meet clients and always strive to stay within the project deadline. As a freelancer, you would be responsible for your actions and inactions. As you grow, you would learn how to handle different clients with varying project needs.
Initiative
When you are working full-time, you follow the instructions of your Boss. But as a freelancer, you work with your initiative. You would need to ask more questions and come up with practical ways to improve a project you are working on.
Sometimes, some clients struggle to communicate what they want or even not know exactly what it is they need. In such cases, you need to take the initiative to understand what would suit them.
Principles
Being principled as a freelancer has to do with your clients knowing what you can do and what you cannot do. Strive to be sincere in all your dealings with clients and always stand by your words. Have principles and stick to them. When you do, the clients notice, and your respect and value increases.
Goal
Skill is not only what is needed to become a successful freelancer. You need to have reasonable goals and work hard towards achieving them. When you achieve set goals, you would be moved to meet more targets you have set for yourself. Setting and attaining goals helps you stay more focused on what you do.
Flexibility
Being flexible would prove beneficial to a freelancer because he would be a better decision-maker and know how to assess situations. When you are a flexible freelancer, you would know how to look for and get new opportunities and this diversifies your portfolio.
You must learn how to adapt to new situations as a freelancer and flexibility would play a huge role in this.
Self-discipline
This is crucial in the world of freelancing. In fact, it is one of the most important traits every freelancer should have. As a freelancer, you will have a lot of opportunities and freedom and this makes some people lose sight of what they do.
Some get carried away with having fun and forget the work they have to do. You need to be self-disciplined and know when it’s time for leisure and time for work.
These 10 points have helped freelancers on Bixex to improve their work. Freelancers, whether newbie or experienced can benefit from applying these tips. To get more freelance gigs, join Bixex here.
Read Also: Why Some Freelancers Fail.