You’re now ready to prove that you are dreaming about freelance work, so you have quit your job, put away an emergency fund, and perfected your skill set. You meditate each morning to be more empowered to deal with the unknown. However, because no one will recognize your services, all your planning will be for nothing. These are, of course, indispensable for a successful career, but obtaining the exposure necessary to telecommute to different freelance work platforms is what ultimately enables success.
These platforms resemble marketplaces where relationships are built between buyers and sellers. According to last year’s Global Gig-Economy Index, around one-third of American workers approximately 57 million people altogether are currently independent workers and sixty-three percent of the companies surveyed hire remote employees from freelance sites. Between 2018 and 2019, the gig economy manufactured a total of $1.28 trillion in direct revenue for the American economy.
You can obtain many skills by going online. There are two primary ways for you to select freelance work in 2022. The internet is a vast global talent pool.
1. Personal Websites
Self-publishing your site is a smart decision due to the long-term impact it can have. When you’re able to get a consistent flow of work, your name will become known throughout your site.
You have the choice to make your site as a reflection of your personality and values, or you could have a hard time trying to appear on the first page of search engines. However, any new freelancer will find trouble getting noticed, while experienced people of all ages will find your site more easily. For a few years, it can take you a year or two to become widely celebrated in your chosen area of expertise, so registering in a number of freelance work websites to showcase your capabilities is a smart way to secure your customer base.
2. Freelance Websites
As you can see, there are many freelance jobs listed online that would probably be ideal for your skillset. There are also many local businesses who might want you to be a part of their development team, or simply to supply services to consumers. All kinds of needs continue to rise. Some freelance work platforms like Upwork charge fees as you search and bid on tasks on their platform; therefore, I’ll be sure to clearly explain the terms of the different sites.
Here are some of the metrics I used when making the listings for reference.
1. How many people visit the website monthly?
- Professionals within a given industry only are the intended target market for this content. If you are not within that industry, you will find the other helpful resources in our library.
- How are professionals charged for the use of these freelance work platforms? Motivational or level playing fields? How easy are these websites to use?
Rather than linking services to every social networking platform, I like establishing an account on those that have a true following, which helps me to build up a solid reputation. Then, I’ll focus my energy on competing on these social networking websites, so I can attract more and more prospective clients.
3. Freelancer.com
Freelancer.com’s milestone-based payment system protects craft producers and freelancers, protecting both parties. Payment is only disbursed after fulfillment with all the program’s main milestones. It is also possible to monitor progress by analyzing time spent working or by setting specific project milestones; the live-chat function enables members to communicate with each other easily. Freelancers also have the option to download an application that enables them to monitor their time, which may be both helpful and wasteful as you are offered a deadline you’re expected to fulfill by a certain time.
From the massively large and developing freelancer community, it hires freelancers with specialties and book out their projects according to who’s willing to bid on them.
- About 10 million visitors to our site monthly, with the U.S. and India leading the charge.
- Target audience examples of software developers, writers, data entry specialists, engineers, salespeople, accountants, and legal service providers are all formed.
- This platform is free for everyone to sign up and look for freelance work. The website’s information is clear and it s easy to establish your profile. It’s got lots of project-based tasks for busy people. Initially, at which time you are a member, you will be in a position to produce some eight propositions each month for free. And if you’re on the lookout for fixed-price projects, the charge will be 10, or $5 USD, whichever is greater. Moreover, you will be able to receive boosted versions that allow you to showcase yourself to an unlimited number of people.
4. FlexJobs
There is a subscription fee for FlexJobs. It is fairly inexpensive – comparable to the cost of going to a nice restaurant or ordering a take-out coffee. All the positions are carefully screened before being listed on the website. Freelance work websites block and ban suspicious and unexpended kinds of writing jobs in order to give writers more control over their services without risking overcharging them and thus forcing the market toward below-average rates.
There’s a learning center that provides courses to help you sharpen your skills. For example, there are graphic design courses where you can master powerful design tools or photo editing courses for learning how to work with AI photo editors. But it’s a tremendous bonus. That has resulted in adding many features over the years and continually modifying its design.
- 92 million individuals use the website on a monthly basis; approximately 1.92 million of them reside in the United States, India, and Canada. 0.5 million users master AI photo editors, graphic design software, and other professional tools every year in FlexJobs’s learning center.
- Target audience for businesses, freelancers, and entrepreneurs alike. On this site, you can discover many talents and projects, including marketing, IT, photography, and a great deal more.
- As with any experience, the many new features and choices that FlexJobs has added over the years have made the user experience even better. This freelance work platform’s cost-effective price point makes it a great choice for budgeting. Its most cost-effective package costs around 50 USD a year.
5. CakeResume
Give yourself time since CakeResume is growing at a more consistent pace. Don’t let its small scale deceive you; CakeResume is constantly attempting to expand its branch worldwide. Based in Taiwan, it has offices in the United States.
CakeResume is a web service for job opportunities in both large and lean corporations. If you are thinking of freelancing, you may not think that software development and design are the two fields with the most opportunities. Moreover, it’s really simple to dive into these jobs. For example, you just need a free design app and some time to start your design career. Nonetheless, those are two fields where there are lots of career opportunities offered for remote workers.
CakeResume comes with a selection of various design templates that can help your portfolio to be highly tailored to your account. Freelancers and creatives, this might be just the platform you have been searching for.
- Monthly web traffic of around 400,000 people every month, with the most common traffic coming from Taiwan, the United States, and Hong Kong.
- Behavioral and cognitively engineering experts of all kinds of nationalities (especially user interface designers and graphic designers).
- The platform is super easy to use, and the best part is that it remains at no cost! You will not incur any additional fees, and the platform will by no means victimize you.
6. Glints
Like CakeResume, Glints is also an Asia-based website, related to its main market being in Southeast Asia. That said, the website also features freelance work in industries like software engineering, operations, human resources, marketing, and business development. Internships, full-time jobs, and part-time services are offered as well.
Glint has 570k resumes in a pool of potential candidates for companies that require talent in Asia. The in-house initiative also has a Glint Academy that takes an interest in showcasing people coding new possibilities, helping them obtain a foothold in this bustling field.
- There has been about 1.44 million crash victims every month, with traffic from Indonesia, Singapore, and Vietnam .
- Community managers, business developers, experts with technology-based target audiences, and UI UX instructors typically benefit the most from the freelance work consultant.
- The most fascinating thing about Glints is that you can find a great deal of helpful guides by following the simple ideas such as the step by step method on how to compose a cover letter to the detailed guides that give helpful advice on how to enter into companies such as software engineering or business coaching. The only good thing about all the orientations is that they’re free. There are no hidden costs, and you’re not going to be misled by the platform. It’s a very open platform.
7. Guru
Guru is the platform that has the lowest fees, commissions, and monthly fees among the ones available to you as a freelancer. However, it uses a little higher percentage of your income than its competitors due to an onboarding charge and a monthly fee. The purpose of the free trial offered by Guru is to let you evaluate the site before investing a significant amount of time and money in it. Besides, it’s good to have a free account on this site as great-paying jobs come up on occasion. It is good to know that some freelancers have questioned Guru s payment system, claiming that sometimes you will be left in a critical situation when it comes to your compensation. Monthly traffic of close to a billion with India, the United States, and Pakistan making up the majority of that. Target group of people who specialize in using technology to build applications, educate others on UI UX, and maintain/grow communities.
On Guru, it’s free to sign up and put up jobs for freelancers to use. It has five pricing categories, and I think Basic or Basic should be enough for those merely dipping their feet into the freelancing world. You need to pay 8.95 USD for the regular subscription of 50 bids per month. Guru’s service is horrible compared to the new kids on the block. You have to wait in line to receive assistance on the phone during the weekend.
8. 99designs
99designs is only for freelance designers. It’s a website where various types of design-related tasks are all fulfilled, including logo designs, web designs, product designs, business card designs, product packaging designs, and more. The host of this site creates contests that function like the outsourcing marketplace, where designers compete for freelance work held by companies, and those who have the best ways to fulfill the brief receive rewards. If you’re a little more risk-averse, this can be the environment health lessons provide you with opportunities to level up your abilities and continue moving forward with your professional careers.
- Volumes of traffic each month thereabouts of three.44 million. These are the biggest volumes, driven by the United States, Indonesia, and India.
- You may specialize in any discipline of target audience design.
- The website provides information to help both designers and entrepreneurs learn what they need, including how to master design for designers, or to host a contest competition for businesses.
When freelance designers register, 99designs charges a 100 USD introductory fee to help them find clients. It charges for each project as well, in order to guarantee secure exchanges and fraud protection. This platform fee is calculated based on the designer’s level and ranges from 5 to 15% of the finished project cost.
Bottom Line
You might have observed that I’ve included some lesser-known platforms. In fact, websites like Upwork, Fiverr, and PeoplePerHour are somewhat saturated, making competition for freelance work positions a little challenging. My recommended websites have fewer visitors, making it possible for you to win fresh contracts without being daunted by prospective clients.
Now that you know where to look for jobs, how can you make the most of the platforms? The 6 above-mentioned websites are all different and are tailored to various skill sets. Some have low entry barriers while others require you to compete in order to bid for one project. Some cater to a larger community based on an assortment of abilities, while others draw more into The Asian market. Before you sign up, think about what two or three platforms you might be interested in. That way, you can be sure you locate customers with a similar interest cluster as you.