Marketing Yourself According to your Competencies: Freelancing Guide for First Timer
- rhizadxb
- Jul 2, 2018
- 3 min read
Successful freelancers don’t simply happen overnight. They have gone through a series of hardships and challenges to market themselves in the competitive internet industry. Some have struggled to go to the top but some have managed to become a fully-booked and top-rated freelancer in just months.
There are millions of job offers every single day online. But the common dilemma, especially for first-timer is how to market themselves to match with those who have already established their name. If you still have a hard time marketing yourself, here is a fresh start on how you can do it.
1. Know your Strength
If you are new in freelancing, you have to know your strength. Knowing your strength is like identifying which area you are good at. There are millions of opportunities online but we cannot just simply jump into all the job offers without assessing ourselves if we are fit for the position. Aligning yourself with the right tasks can be easy when you are in the “strength zone”
2. Do What You Are Most Passionate About
Although there are millions of job opportunities offer online, only a few are able to find significance as to why they do what they do. We can land on different jobs but there is one thing that we are skillful and that is where we grow and find more fulfillment. It is easy to market ourselves and grow in our chosen field if we are enjoying what we are doing. Studies have shown that happy people tend to earn higher salaries and it stands to reason that these high- earners are happy because they have the jobs they love. (Caramela, 2017)
Landing on the job that you are passionate about develops a sense of happiness and satisfaction. Enjoying your career should be on top of the priority over high salary and flashy titles. Most likely, those who love their jobs are more motivated and inspired to take tasks and challenges. It would be easy to take themselves to their utmost potential because it is natural and exciting for them to do it. According to Steve Jobs, “Do what you love and love what you do and success will follow”. It is easy to accomplish things when you love what you are doing. If it is your passion, you will never find your work as burdensome but an opportunity to develop your inner strength and discovering the core of your potential.
3. Master your Craft
Once you have already figured out your strength, hone your skill for it will become your market value. It is not just enough to know your strength but you have to take it to the next level. Mastering the skill is an essential part of freelancing since this is one of the values that you can market.
John Maxwell, a famous leadership author, and speaker shared some insights on how to sharpen your skill:
Gain Experience– Gaining experience will help you build confidence in the industry. You might just be a beginner in the field, but every step you take is an avenue for learning.
Get Feedback– Getting feedback whether it is positive or negative is an opportunity to grow. It allows you to evaluate which your strength and weaknesses so that things would be even better next time around.
Participate in a Small Group Discussion– Sitting with people in a group discussion flesh out great thinking. One can learn from one another. Throwing out ideas with sharp, like-minded individuals usually yield even better thinking.
Never Stop learning– Use all kind of resources to master your craft. It can either be by reading a book, listen to motivational speakers, do something innovative, etc.
4. Develop a Positive Attitude and Set the Right Character
Don’t be confused between attitude and character. They might appear synonymous to each other but they are different. Attitude is a choice. It determines how someone approach the situation he is in. On the other hand, a character is more of an identity. It is who you are as a person. Conversely, attitude may become your character if left unchecked. In the end, regardless of how skillful or knowledgeable, you are in the field if you have an unbearable character, It will drag you down. As the saying goes, “Your intellect will let you reach the top but your character will let you stay there”.
5. Be a Person of Value
Don’t just do your best, but do your work excellently. In this manner, they will recognize your potential and might hire you for a long-term job opportunity with them. Aside from that, they will give you recommendations that might be of help in establishing your credentials.
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