How To Future-Proof Your Freelance Skills For The Long-Term

The face of work is changing as we speak. Driverless cars are poised to replace gig drivers. Drones are taking over delivery jobs. And a huge amount of manual labor tasks are said to be replaced by intelligent automation. Freelancers, especially the knowledge workers, may think that these titanic changes will not have much impact on their employability prospects. However, data indicates otherwise. Per Upwork Quarterly Skills Index , released last year, 70% of the fastest-growing freelance skills were completely new to the index. The World Economic Forum report also identified that in many global markets and industries, the most in-demand jobs and specialties did not exist ten or even five years ago. They also expect the pace of change to accelerate even further. If you want to remain employable in the long-term and get a steady stream of jobs , you should not get too comfortable with what you have now. Below are several actionable strategies that will help you ensure that your freelance skillset is up-to-date and will remain so in the future. YOU MAY ALSO LIKE Keep tabs on the emerging skills and tech tools Upwork, LinkedIn, Glassdoor and several other organizations publish the most in-demand skills and jobs indexes on an annual basis. Be sure to check those out. Acknowledging the change and remaining in-the-know is the first step towards ensuring that your career is moving in the right direction. Lifelong learning is a must The future of work will not be about degrees. It will increasingly become about the skills you have. And few (if any schools) can provide you with a comprehensive skill set that will withstand the impact of new tech disruptions on your career field. Your learning process should no longer be limited to some selected period of your life. It must become an ongoing process. In fact, freelancers are nearly twice as likely to re-skill over the course of their career, when compared to traditional employers. And that is a major advantage for sure. Cultivating the habit of lifelong learning is not that challenging at all. There’s an abundance of free and paid e-learning options available for pretty much any freelance niche: Coursera , Suffolk University and many others . But still, you’ll need to make some targeted effort to embrace the learning process and make that habit stick. Below are some helpful tips for that: Be committed: Block off specific times on your calendar and dedicate those to self-development. Create a learning plan and stick to it. And if you are having a hard time, find an accountability partner of a mentor that will give you that much-needed kick to keep going. Organize your learning: Plan a suitable method for storing your learning materials, notes and aids. Create summaries of what you have learned and put the newly acquired skills into practice. Repeat: Go through the studied information more than once as the process of repeating helps transfer knowledge from short-term to long-term memory. You may no longer need […]

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Working With Freelancers or Other Remote Staff: 13 Rules to Remember

It can be a challenge to keep team members up-to-date on changes as well as feeling connected with the rest of the team. To help ease your communication pains, as well as help improve morale, members of the Young Entrepreneur Council answered the following question: What is the most important thing to remember when working with remote staff or freelancers? Here is what they advise: 1. You Need to Establish Clear Rules Make sure to set clear rules and reminders. Before we start a remote day, I always send my team a “remote day checklist.” It includes important reminders such as setting up the workspace, ensuring you have the necessary work tools like charger and Wi-Fi, and a friendly note to message team members when off-line for breaks longer than 5 minutes. These rules are easy to follow and ensure a productive remote day. – Cooper Harris , Klickly 2. Keep Your Employees Motivated The most important thing to remember is that remote staff have a lot of the same needs as physical staff. You have to find ways to keep remote staff engaged, motivated and looking for growth. Instead of just giving remote staff task after task, talk to them like your physical staff (if you have any), and include them in more conversations to keep them in the same atmosphere and mindset as others. – Frederik Bussler , bitgrit Inc. 3. Communicate More Often They need more communication than interoffice workers. You need to stay more in touch so they don’t become disengaged and so they know that their work is important. Sometimes even an informal check in about how things are going, in general, can be effective. – Andrew Schrage , Money Crashers Personal Finance 4. Establish a Reliable Method of Communication When managing a remote staff or freelancer, one of the most important factors is having a reliable way to communicate. It’s important to have a go-to tool for online meetings, video chats, simple chats and email when dealing with different countries and different time zones. With right communication tools, you can communicate clearly and work well together to accomplish team and company goals. – Liam Martin , TimeDoctor.com 5. Focus on Company Culture Remote workers need to feel that they are a part of your team. Efforts to assimilate them in the company culture is a rewarding experience. Make sure that you do not participate in any discriminatory practices based on the employee location. The perks offered should be same for all. Communication and collaboration between remote staff and the existing team is a must for long-term success. – Rahul Varshneya , ResumeSeed 6. Don’t Micromanage Staff Just because your employees work from home doesn’t mean they need you to micromanage their every move. It takes even more trust to run a remote company because you can’t look over your team’s shoulder, but this is better for your company because it establishes the trust that people will get their work done efficiently. Trust your […]

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How to Manage Your Time as a Work-From-Home Freelancer

Being self-employed and working from home come with a staggering amount of freedom. I have a few meetings or calls every week, and I definitely have deadlines, but I mostly set my own schedule and work as much or as little as I want. During the school year, it’s fairly easy to stick to a normal-ish (7:30 a.m. until 3:30 p.m.) schedule, since that’s when my son is at school. In the summer, however, I have a 15-year-old at home, and we have all sorts of travel, day trips, and other non-work activities planned. To make my work goals, I follow a much more rigid procedure than I do during the school year. It’s a system that takes advantage of my flexibility, but also relies on a sort of personal rigidity. Being a work-from-home freelancer offers a lot of flexibility. Image source: Getty Images. Here’s how I balance work and family Over the course of this summer, I have taken three cruises, spent a long weekend in Key West, visited various central-Florida theme parks, and visited two different water parks. In the next few weeks, I have a trip to Connecticut for a wedding, three days in the Bahamas, and two different trips to Orlando (about a three-hour drive from my home in West Palm Beach). To make all of this travel work , I set strict monetary goals for my week and I never let a free moment pass until I hit that goal. That means that if it happens to be a Saturday and I’m not doing something fun, I’m working to bank completed projects (and earned dollars). In addition to front-loading my work week, I also make sure to understand my schedule. For example, I’ll be spending May 1-4 with my son and his cousin at Atlantis, a resort in the Bahamas. It’s full of beaches, a water park, and some really nice pools, so while I will work a few hours a day, I won’t be hitting my normal daily financial goal. To cover for that, I’m doing extra work in the time leading up to that trip. That means working at least partial days during my earlier trip to Connecticut, which requires sacrificing some things I would have liked to do and limits my ability to visit people while there. It’s not an ideal system, but in a summer where I have not had a single week without some sort of travel, it’s the best I can do. I’ve spent weekends working 12-hour days and late nights catching up on work so I could do things my son wanted to do during the day. I’ve been the guy in the cruise ship coffee shop putting in a few early morning hours (probably after some late night fun). You need to set goals It’s important to note that I don’t generally operate this way during the school year. If I want to (or have to) take time off, I make up for it by upping […]

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Times News seeks freelance writers

The Times News is looking for freelance writers to cover meetings and events throughout its circulation area, particularly the following areas: Lehighton, Parryville, East Penn, Weatherly, Northern Lehigh and Palmerton. Interested applicants must be available nights and weekends, have transportation and a camera. Send resumes to mgouger@tnonline.com.

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Where to find and hire freelancers (or get a job as a freelancer)

Companies across the world have developed a flexible attitude towards remote workers and freelancers. With skill gaps becoming more dominant, companies often find it difficult to find new hires with the right skills in a short time. Finding and hiring freelancers has become easier with time especially if you know the right places to look for them. The freelancer platforms discussed here are common market places for people looking to find and hire freelancers, and vice-versa, for freelancers looking for jobs. There are several platforms that are great to start your career as a freelancer. With the right skill sets and approach, you will find many projects that suit your taste and also help you earn a good income. In this post, we have listed 33 platforms where you can find freelancers with different skills sets and if you are a freelancer with good skills, you can register on these platforms and earn good money. Table of Contents General Freelancer Platforms These platforms have a broad range of freelancers with different skills sets. Whether you want a developer, writer, salesperson, marketer, SEO specialist, virtual assistant or any other service provider, there are freelancers available on these platforms. If you are a developer, photographer or an individual with a skill set in demand, you can always register on these platforms and find projects that generate interest. Fiverr Fiverr is a good platform to find freelancers for various niches like digital marketing, writing and translation, programming and tech, video and animation and many other niches. Fiverr makes it possible for clients to find freelancers at lower costs. For example, it only allows a fixed price for projects and not hourly rates. The platform offers payment protection and the payment is only released to freelancer after you are happy and pleased with the work and services provided. Upwork A few years back there were two platforms – oDesk and Elance to find and hire freelancers. In 2015, both platforms were combined to create one marketplace which was named Upwork . As a result, Upwork is one of the biggest platforms for people wanting to hire freelancers and also for people who are looking for a job as a freelancer. Currently, there are more than 15 million freelancers registered on Upwork and more than 5 million clients who post more than 3 million jobs each year. You can find freelancers here from every niche. Upwork takes 20% cut from the total project costs as fee at the beginning. It is one of the best places to find freelancers of different skills levels at lower costs. Freelancer Freelancer is similar to Upwork with hundreds of projects available for freelancers at a fixed price or hourly rates. Finding a freelancer on this platform is easy and all you have to do is job posting. Whatever your need, you will always get a freelancer to get the job done- from mobile app development, developer, web design, and product manufacturing or virtual assistants. PeoplePerHour The name of […]

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The top tech companies hiring part time, remote workers

A blog post published by FlexJobs on Monday is sure to be interesting for tech professionals looking to make some extra money, or add new freelance clients. According to FlexJobs, there are 30 companies to look to first for part time, remote tech work. With the current job world leaning hard on remote, flexible work as the new normal , it is likely tech professionals will work remotely at some point in their careers. Even if you’re not currently looking to add extra income or take on more freelance clients now, this list will be a good one to bookmark: You never know when a bit of extra work will be exactly what you need. SEE: Managing remote workers: A business leader’s guide (free PDF) (TechRepublic) Not all of the organizations in the list are looking for tech professionals: Many are looking for tutors, ESL teachers, and other telecommunication or remote work. Here are five that are specifically looking to hire those with IT, development, and other tech experience. Note: The list includes companies hiring for at most 35 hours a week, as well as those who have posted jobs that require employees to be on-site at least some of the time. Kaplan hires tutors and test prep instructors in a variety of subjects, but it’s also had postings for UX designers, software engineers, and other tech jobs. Robert Half International is a temp staffing agency that appears to regularly have postings for web developers, cloud architects, and programmers. Strayer University is an online college that has had postings for tech-related instructor positions. Want to take that IT experience and developer training away from the computer for a bit? This may be a great opportunity. Independence University is another online college that has also had regular postings for programming, graphic arts, and even for specific topics like Salesforce classes. Gun.io is geared around finding jobs for web and mobile tech professionals. It has hired in the past for positions such as iOS developer, Full Stack hybrid app development, sysadmins, consultants, and more. It also boasts an over 90% placement rate, so this may be your best bet for jobs in the tech world. For the rest of the 30-company list, you can find the link to the full post at the beginning of this article. For more on remote work, check out ” Why companies that ban remote work hurt only themselves ” and ” Why employees are sick of cities and want to work remotely ” on TechRepublic. Also see Image: Getty Images/iStockphoto

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Freelancing: What you need to know

Image credit: Efe Kurnaz on Unsplash Somewhere, early within my 24-year career, I vividly remember working as a sales rep and I told myself at the time of leaving the company that I will never again work for commission. I recall sitting behind my desk making cold calls to reach a target of 10 new business meetings per week to reach a specific sales target at the end of the month. I remember spending countless hours in traffic, driving to and from prospective client meetings, working after hours to get proposals drafted and submitted, and numerous follow up calls in attempts to close deals. The competition within the sales team was tough and not knowing what my exact income would be every month drove me to tears. Fast forward a couple of years and here I am, working as a freelancer in the competitive world of marketing having to do all those things I said I would never do again. Is it an easy way to earn an income? No! Is it rewarding? Yes! How to become a freelancer A freelancer is self-employed and hired to work for different companies on particular assignments. To be able to call yourself a professional freelancer, therefore, means that you have no other income than what you generate from your projects – you do not work for a boss and you don’t earn a fixed salary at the end of the month. Anyone in any industry can choose to become a freelancer. According to US firm Moonlighting , some of the most popular freelance skills include marketing, blockchain, writing and editing, graphic design, web design, photography, accounting and virtual admin assistance. Before you hand in your letter of resignation in pursuit of a freelance career there are a few things you need to do. In my view, the most important thing is that you need a good reputation. Start building a reputation and portfolio in your area of expertise before you quit your full-time job. If you are a bookkeeper at a corporate and you are considering a freelance career in accounting, start moonlighting by offering tax return services within your local community. This is something you can do after work to build your reputation and client base. I can also highly recommend that you join the South African Freelancers’ Association ( Safrea ). The organisation offers different types of membership based on your annual billable income. This means that if you work full-time and earn less than 60% of your income through freelancing, you can still obtain membership. What to expect from your freelance career So, you’ve quit your job and forthwith call yourself a freelancer. If you think you can now sit and binge-watch your favourite TV series during the day and do some tax returns for your new client base after dinner, you have a big surprise waiting. Taking a quick balcony moment between work. #freelance #freelancer #freelancelife pic.twitter.com/6qQIqWymhQ — Elliott Bledsoe (@elliottbledsoe) July 13, 2019 Yes, freelancing offers you […]

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Houston flourishes as one of the top hubs for freelancers in the U.S.

Houston was home to more than 117,000 skilled freelancers in 2018. Common Desk No wonder coworking is taking off in Houston. A new study shows the community of skilled freelance workers in Houston ranks as one of the biggest in Texas — and the United States. The study , commissioned by freelance marketplace Fiverr and conducted by market research firm Rockbridge Associates, indicates Houston was home to an estimated 117,260 skilled freelancers who generated more than $4.1 billion in revenue in 2018, just slightly less than the financial haul in 2017. Houston ranked second statewide and 11th in the U.S. among major metro areas for the size of the skilled-freelancer workforce and for the amount of revenue produced, according to the study. Between 2017 and 2018, Houston’s pool of skilled freelancers grew 2.5 percent. From 2011 to 2016, according to the study, Houston’s community of skilled freelancers increased 7.7 percent, while revenue declined slightly by 7.8 percent. The Fiverr study places skilled freelancers in three buckets: creative, technical, and professional. These freelancers include attorneys, graphic designers, musicians, software engineers, accountants, and consultants. Any self-employed person whose work requires “specific skills and abilities” was counted in the study; excluded were folks like Uber and Lyft drivers. “Highly skilled freelancers are an understudied and often overlooked segment of the workforce,” Brent Messenger, Fiverr’s vice president of public policy and community, says in a release . “By analyzing the data around these … workers, we’re able to get a clear picture of the types of jobs they’re doing, the amount of revenue they’re generating, and the cities in which they’re having the most impact.” DFW ranked first in Texas and seventh nationally in the study. In 2018, DFW was home to an estimated 154,617 skilled freelancers who generated nearly $6.38 billion in revenue in 2018, up 5.4 percent from the previous year. As a testament to the rise of freelancing in DFW, a survey released earlier this year by commercial real estate services company Colliers International ranked the region first in the U.S. for the growth of coworking space. “The freelance, startup, and small business economy in Dallas has been on the rise for the last five years, helping spur the initial inception and growth of coworking in our market,” Megan Kaye Marti, head of marketing at Dallas coworking provider Common Desk, told CultureMap in January. “Now, larger companies — even up to the Fortune 500 — are becoming increasingly attracted to coworking spaces, not just because of the cutting down of overhead costs, but mostly because of the collaborative, creative environment that coworking typically boasts.” While DFW dominates Texas in terms of freelance population and revenue, Austin boasts the fastest-growing freelance scene. In 2018, the estimated 67,044 skilled freelancers in the Austin metro area produced nearly $2.7 billion in revenue, up 7.5 percent from 2017, the study says. During the one-year period, Austin’s pool of skilled freelancers grew 7.4 percent. The study pegged Austin at No. 18 nationally for the size […]

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23 Online Jobs to Make Money from Your Dorm Room

For most of college, I had jobs that required me to be in a physical location. My post office job required me to be in the mailroom, while my English department assistant job required me to be in the department office. Starting my sophomore year, however, I got my first taste of online jobs when I started writing for this website. While it would take a few more years for that to turn into my main job, I was forever hooked on the flexibility that online work offers. In an effort to help you enjoy some of the same benefits, I’ve put together a list of the best online jobs for college students . You don’t need a degree to get any of these jobs, and you already have the skills to do many of them (or can learn the skills in a few afternoons). So if you’re ready to trade working in an office for working from the comfort of your laptop, then keep reading. Freelance Writer I’ll start with the first freelance gig I ever got: writing. If you know how to write, there are all kinds of opportunities for you to earn money online. You could write articles like this one, but you could also write scripts for videos or even material for web pages. What it pays: You can easily charge $50 for a 1,500-word article when you’re starting out. More experienced writers can charge $150 (or more) for a 1,500-word article. How to get the job: Start your own blog and write articles for it. Then, use those articles to put together a portfolio . Finally, start pitching your work to websites. Freelance Editor In addition to writing work, I’ve also done a fair amount of freelance editing. This category is quite broad, including everything from editing short articles to full-length books. Beyond that, you could choose to specialize in a particular topic (like my friend James Ranson does with business books). What it pays: As an inexperienced editor, I was able to charge between $350 and $500 for editing a short book. But you can charge a lot more once you have experience, or if you work out a retainer deal where a client pays you to edit a set number of articles per month. How to get the job: When you’re in college, the easiest way to get started is editing work for your friends. Getting into other positions where you can edit is also helpful (such as the campus newspaper or literary magazine). Also, meet as many professional editors as you can. Editing is a niche world, but if you can get into it, you’ll find editor friends sending you work they don’t have time for. Freelance Graphic Designer Graphic design is another time-honored field for freelancing. You can do something as simple as a logo or as complex as an entire brochure. You can even do fun illustrations for blog posts, such as Ashley does for us here at College […]

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24 Tested Ways To Get Freelance Writing Jobs

If you’re someone who wishes to become a freelance writer, let me give you a warning- it isn’t easy as much as it seems to be. It’s just like starting your own business and running it without getting help. You need to be your own boss! Be it sending pitches, managing clients, converting leads into sales and of course promoting your business, it’s all up to you. But is freelancing really a profession? According to a recent report from Nasdaq, 43% of the U.S. workforce will be freelancers by 2020. Moreover, 40% of the total freelancing works worldwide are acquired by Indians only. So this a fact that most of the people don’t get what freelancing actually is. However, if you have a skill that you think would work, you can actually pay your bills and even save for yourself just through freelancing. What does it take to become a freelance writer ? Now that you want to become a freelance writer, here are the steps that will need to take for seeking freelance writing jobs- Build a portfolio. Find prospects. Pitch to them. (if needed) Convert them into leads. And finally, write it! However, as I already mentioned, it isn’t as easy as it seems to be. The toughest step is the second one- finding prospects. Want to know how to get the best freelance creative writing jobs? I have curated a list of 24 tested ways. 24 Tested Ways To Get Freelance Writing Jobs- 1.Freelance Marketplaces Looking for freelance writing jobs for beginners? Freelance marketplaces might suit you the best. When I was just starting out as a freelance writer, I was keen to explore the best ways for beginners. And marketplaces like Freelancer and Truelancer did help me. Here’s what Abhijeet Kumar suggests about Upwork that is a top freelancing job board- Freelancing is more about skills than experience. It indeed is. I didn’t have an idea about how to start, so I joined Upwork. Even though inexperienced, I got projects when the clients were looking for beginners, at low rates, however. The competition is fierce but if you have skills, you won’t be disappointed. Sharpen them, learn to sell your services and make your way up. People are looking for you. Abhijeet Kumar 2. Leverage Your Website Want Freelance Writing Jobs? Here Are 24 Tested Ways When it comes to freelance writing, your website can be your biggest asset . Your website acts like your own space that allows you to showcase your masterpieces. Do you know that a significant number of my own clients ask me if I have any website? Also, some of my highest paying clients hired me just after they visit my previous website. So, if you don’t have a website, plan to have one soon. And make sure it reflects your profession and expertise so that people know that you can help them in their business. 3. Guest Post For Free If you know me, you must be aware of […]

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Work at Home Image Review Jobs with Vecteezy

*This post may contain affiliate links. I only share opportunities that I truly believe will benefit my readers. Disclosure. Vecteezy is hiring work at home image review specialists in the U.S. These are independent contractor positions. From the company: “We are hiring Image and Content Reviewers to evaluate vector and illustration content for their overall quality, technical execution, commercial suitability, and adherence to our image acceptance standards. This is a freelance work-from-home position using the reviewer’s own equipment and based around the reviewers’ available schedule.” Qualifications (from work-at-home job listing): Domain expertise and passionate enthusiasm for creative design with 1+ years of professional illustration/vector experience preferably as a graphic designer, stock agency contributor, freelancer or art buyer. Comfortable and enthusiastic about making many detailed judgments repetitively. High-speed wired broadband Internet access [at least 25mbs download speed]; to test: [http://www.speedtest.net/], own a PC or Mac, and own a sufficient and accurate color display for viewing large images. Adept at vector editing, image resolution, and metadata evaluation, along with a basic foundation in best practices for graphic design as well as post-production processes. Understanding of evolving graphic design industry trends, styles, and why illustrations and vectors have commercial value. Highly organized, analytical and extremely detail-oriented. Strong command of English Software: Knowledge of Adobe Illustrator, Adobe Photoshop, Google Docs and Microsoft Office Suite. If interested in this work at home image review position, please see the company’s careers page . Good luck! This home-based position not right for you? Check out the Top 100 Companies that Hire Work from Home Employees!

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Freelance Tips for Traveling and Working From China

The freedom of making your own decisions about where and when to work is definitely one of the main perks of freelancing as a programmer . Best of all, this freedom enables you to travel and discover the wonders of the world while working to fund your adventures. And coming to China should be on the “must-do” list for any traveling freelancer. This country is incredible, and immersing yourself into the Chinese culture can inspire your creativity and teach you a lot of new things. And the experiences you’ll gain here are sure to be unique and memorable. However, not all those experiences will be good. Inevitably, you’ll feel frustration and anger when dealing with China’s many internet restrictions and slow connection speeds . But sometimes, the obstacle is the way ! This is where preparation matters. Being equipped with the right tools will make your trip more enjoyable and give you a chance to actually do some work while you are exploring China. In this post, I’ll offer you concrete tips for traveling to China while working as a freelance programmer. VPN and Apple Tech to Boost Productivity and Avoid Restrictions To all the owners of Apple tech, the first and, arguably, most important thing you’ll need to do as a developer traveling through China is find an Apple-compatible way around the “Great Firewall.” Of course, this means you’ll need a virtual private network (VPN) for Mac. You literally cannot do anything even remotely efficient as a programmer in China without using it. Therefore, if you want to work while here, post to Facebook and Twitter, or even access Google, you have to get a VPN and resign yourself to everything that using it implies. As you should already know, this means that your internet connection speed will drop somewhat. Considering that as a traveler using Wi-Fi in China, you’ll be subjected to a slow speed by default, performing some tasks with a VPN can be downright painful. You’ll need to use a device-compatible VPN even if you aren’t using a MacBook for work. However, in such a case, working in China will be even worse. As a consequence of multiple blocks and restrictions, your productivity as a programmer will drop greatly by default. Therefore, you’ll need to use the most efficient tech to stay on top of your game. While many Apple resources are blocked, just like everything else in China, due to the popularity of the brand, you get somewhat more leeway with the help of the local Apple services. It’s not a perfect solution, however, especially if you are going to do any app development whilst there. VPN can interfere with the testing, and it can slow down uploads/downloads that aren’t fast to begin with. Without this solution, though, you will struggle to do much online in China. The only services and sources that will be open to you are the local ones. This means they will only be able to provide limited information to […]

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SEO Specialist – Freelance

Job description Vacancy for: SEO specialist (freelance) Based: Cape Town, South Africa Projects Abroad’s mission is to provide the gold standard of support and safety, so our volunteers and interns can fulfil their potential, discover themselves and create positive change in the world. Projects Abroad is the world’s largest international volunteering and internship provider, recruiting young people from all over the world. We’ve been running projects and sending volunteers/interns all over the world for 25 years. We have sent over 115,000 enthusiastic volunteers to 29 countries to volunteer and gain work experience in the fields of teaching, medicine, journalism, veterinary science, law and conservation. We are looking for a SEO Specialist to be responsible for assisting the SEO Manager with implementing and monitoring SEO across multiple Projects Abroad websites. You will also help advise on content across various platforms (blog posts, websites, landing pages created specifically for SEO purposes, and more) and non-technical SEO. This role involves working directly with our UK office and other offices around the world to advise on SEO. You will help with tasks such as keyword research, building keyword lists and maps, setting priorities and deadlines, making sure that offices working on SEO are on track to make these deadlines, and that every office is in line with our overall SEO and marketing strategies. The SEO Specialist will also need to be on top of the latest SEO news and monitor any developments and trends. Tasks and responsibilities: Keyword research (using multiple tools, such as Keyword Planner and Keyword Explorer) Creating and maintaining keyword lists and keyword maps Optimizing meta-data Traffic monitoring and recommendations SEO audits and competitor research SERP-ranking monitoring Recommending new pages Recommending improvements to existing pages Keeping up to date with the latest developments and trends in SEO Setting deadlines and making sure they are kept Assisting the SEO Manager with various tasks related to SEO Conditions: Freelance Self-Employed Contractor role. The complex nature of the accounts involved will require the successful candidate to spend the first 3 months of their contract in our Claremont, Cape Town office learning the job role. After this point, a combination of home/office work will be considered. Are you interested? Please fill in the application form and include: A one-page cover letter telling us why you are the ideal candidate for the role A CV highlighting the experience and qualifications relevant for this role Requirements You should: Hold a Bachelors’ degree with writing background (ideally) Preferably have some experience in digital marketing and working in the field of SEO Be proficient in the use of Microsoft Word, Excel, PowerPoint and internet Have intermediate knowledge of Google Analytics Be proficient in the use of SEO tools like Keyword Planner, Moz, Raven Tools, Majestic Have experience working within a culturally diverse environment. Have excellent written communication skills and good oral communicator with people of all ages and backgrounds Have the ability to work under pressure, meet short deadlines, and multi-task Be innovative and self-motivated, relishing a new […]

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Best Project Management Software for Freelancers in 2019

The freelance life has a lot going for it, but it isn’t all peaches and cream. Staying ahead of the competition is tough. The best project management software for freelancers can give you an edge and help put you on the road to solo success. Many freelancers neglect organization, which can be a mistake. Every mistake presents an opportunity to improve, though, and better self-management can give you more time to work and sip lattes, rather than fiddling around with admin. In this article, we’re going to look through some of the available project management tools to see how they can help you work better. Best Project Management Software for Freelancers 2019 What Makes a Project Management Tool Right for Freelancers? In our experience, freelancers range from rolling in cash to scrambling to pay the bills every month. Price will be a big factor, so we’ll look for tools that have a free or inexpensive option. Freelancers with less spare cash might also like to take a look at our best free project management tools article. The usual things we care about, such as features and ease of use, are relevant to freelancers, too. We’re also considering security and support, but because freelancers may just be managing their own data, they may not be as bothered about security as, say, a business manager. Team size and communication are less important. Many freelancers work alone or in small teams, so we’ll look more at the way projects are organized than the team features. That said, freelancers often have multiple things on the go, so we’ll favor platforms that accommodate that and let you create multiple projects easily. Because freelancers tend to be self-starters, they may be fine with support options that lean toward fixing their own problems, too. If you’re lounging around in your casual pants watching Netflix when you should be working, give Wrike a try. It does a good job of putting you in a business-like frame of mind. It has a learning curve, but once you get to know it, it’s a great way to help manage your projects. It has a free plan, too, so it doesn’t have to cost you a thing. When you’ve finished your work and want to get back to streaming, our best Netflix hacks article is worth checking out, too. Wrike lets you create tasks, break them into subtasks and add dependencies between them. That allows you to figure out which order things need to be done in. You can also make forms that let other people create tasks by filling them in. That might be a good way to capture client requirements, if used correctly. It has several views, including a list, a basic kanban board, a Gantt chart and a stream. You can use it to store files and leave comments on them via its proofing feature. The interface is crowded and the navigation has a few quirks, but there’s a lot included. Wrike’s integrations allow it to connect […]

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4 things I wish I’d known before going freelance

The term ‘freelance’ has a lot of connotations. It’s synonymous with yoga pants, mid-week brunch dates and ‘coffices’ (a.k.a. cafe offices). At best, it’s flexible working that enables you to be your own boss and build a business on your own terms. At worst, it’s juggling deadlines, chasing unpaid invoices and questioning if you can go another day without washing your hair. Follow Ladders’ magazines on Flipboard covering Happiness , Productivity , Job Satisfaction , Neuroscience , and more ! My experience sits somewhere in the middle. Four months ago I took the plunge into freelancing writing , turning my back on a stable, full-time role at a digital agency to chase my dreams in editorial and publishing. It was a decision spurred by the realization that I wasn’t living up to my potential or following my passions. I felt out-of-place, overworked and on-track to climb a ladder in an industry I’d never wanted to be a part of. So, has freelance life solved my career crisis? What lessons have I learned along the way, and would I have tackled things differently if I could do it all again? Read on to find out what I wish I’d known before jumping into freelancing. 1. Time Will Slip Away. Fast. It’s amazing what you can achieve with 9 extra hours up your sleeve. You can hit snooze, stop by your favorite cafe for brekkie, and still make your favorite yoga class. But, without office hours to hold you accountable, it’s easy to let the day slip away. My first few weeks of freelancing taught me the value of setting a clear schedule for each day. By blocking out my calendar at the beginning of the week, I quickly realized I didn’t have infinite amounts of free time to play with. With deadlines looming and multiple projects on the go , it’s crucial to allocate and block out deep-work time to ensure you can submit deliverables on-time. The good news? Without an office to commute to, you can use this time to fit in leisure activities you’d usually miss out on. Use this extra hour or two to hit the gym, head out for a run or join a fitness class you’ve always wanted to try. 2. You’ll Need To Create Your Own Routine This one might sound obvious, but hear me out. When you’re a part of the 9-5 grind, there’s a sense of familiarity to each day. You’ll catch the same train each morning, stop by your usual coffee shop on the way to your desk and order your go-to salad when it comes time for lunch. So, what’s the value of all this? Our brains are hardwired to seek out and follow a routine. To save mental energy, we develop habits that help reduce the number of decisions we need to make each day. Plus, routine helps build a sense of connection with those around us. Whether it’s working alongside the same faces or visiting our favorite barista, […]

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6 Things To Consider When Working With International Clients As A Freelancer

When businesses work with remote workers, they are able to recruit talent from all over the world. Conversely, when you work remotely, you can seek work with clients on a global scale as well. That’s a great thing for both parties involved, but international remote work also has its challenges. Here are six things you should consider before contracting with a client in another country. 1. Payment complexities Getting paid when you do work for someone in a foreign country can be complicated. Chances are, there are going to be fees. You may also face delays at the client’s end as they are trying to figure out their billing. Hence, study your options in advance and get familiar with different payment processing options out there. Just know that you could lose a bit of money in the process and face additional cross-border taxes as well. So you may want to adjust your rates to make up for this. The good news is that the expenses you encounter are likely tax deductible. 2. Cultural differences regarding presentations and meetings Part of building your reputation as a freelancer is sharing your knowledge with others. You may find yourself presenting your thoughts and recommendations as a speaker at conferences or meetings. When you do, be sure to tailor your approach according to the culture of your audience. Cultures tend to be either applications first, or principles first . For example, Americans tend to be applications first. When you present to them, they want you to dive right into the ‘hows’. How do you apply this concept? What are some examples? They want action steps. People from Germany, Spain and other European countries lean towards being principles first. They want to understand why you came to the conclusions you did and dig into your methodologies first. Imagine that you’ve determined that a business can increase sales by 25 percent if they provide customers with free samples. An applications first audience will want to know what kind of free sample, whether or not they should provide them with every order and how to follow up with customers. A principles first audience will first want to know how you came to your determination. 3. Taxes If you do any significant amount of work for a client in the US, they’re going to send you a 1099. After all, that becomes their proof that they paid you and allows them to deduct that from their taxes. With foreign clients, you may never receive any sort of tax documents. This doesn’t relieve you of any tax obligations. You are still responsible for reporting your income. To be certain your records are correct, you should contact all foreign clients to double check your numbers. Once you know this, you can do the work of figuring out what you might owe. You can also see if you qualify for the foreign earned income tax exclusion . This covers some cases where you may be able to leave income off […]

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