Unemployment options during the COVID-19 Pandemic

Finding Job during the COVID-19 Pandemic

As a freelance teacher, we feel as if it is necessary to, once again, write about how the COVID-19 pandemic is affecting the gig industry.

In the past, Freelancing Buzz has helped individuals learn about top freelancing sites. While we have helped you improve your Upwork skills, we have also assisted you in finding the best freelance jobs. We have also given you plenty of work from home tips.

Since we have helped you get started on your freelance work from home jobs, we would like to continue assisting you by discussing what happens when you face unemployment as a freelancer.

Today, we would like to discuss a few options that you may consider if you are losing clients because of the coronavirus pandemic.

Consider changing your industry.

In the past, Freelancing Buzz has emphasized the importance of developing a niche within your industry. For example, we recommended that if you worked as a freelance content writer, that you try to find work in a particular sector, such as education, real estate, or gardening, which would enable you to become a niche writer.

While we stand behind that advice, we know that some of those industries right now are reeling because stay at home orders have disrupted their ability to earn money. If you are a travel writer, fashion writer, or interested in freelance sports writing, you are probably struggling to find clients right now.

Unfortunately, we don’t know when these industries will recover. Instead of waiting for new contracts to appear in your inbox, you may need to switch gears and refocus on a different sector that is not affected as much by COVID-19.

The good news is that even though you may know a lot about your particular subject matter, you are still a freelance CPA, freelance content writer, or freelance webpage designer at heart. This means that you are highly skilled in your area, and unlike other people who have worked for the same company for decades, you know how to be flexible.

So instead of working as a freelance travel writer, you may want to begin creating DIY content to help individuals who are stuck at home complete renovation projects. Instead of advertising your skills in fashion web page design on freelance job sites, you may want to help small business owners set up online stores.

Consider learning new skills.

When something terrible happens, it is incredible to watch how quickly some businesses scramble to provide support. Although some of the companies may indeed be philanthropic at heart, other companies know that showing support in a time of need is a great PR tactic.

Companies that offer online learning have recently opened up some of their content as a result of the pandemic. While some of the courses merely provide a diversion, others will teach you skills that can be marketed as a freelancer.

To find such courses, search for the knowledge you would like to acquire plus a “free online course.” You may also add “COVID-19” to your search to find classes that have been recently opened up to the general public as a result of the pandemic.

We know that training yourself a new skill is not going to be easy, but if you have worked as a freelancer, you must be good at figuring out problems on your own. Freelancers have a stick-with-it attitude that others may not have.

Consider collecting unemployment

You probably began your freelancing career slowly. In fact, you probably didn’t quit your day job until you had established several good clients.

Since you have been a part of the gig economy for a while, you know how many proposals you had to write before you landed your first job. And you know how many bad clients you had to work with before you found reliable, high-paying customers.

If you need to temporarily change your industry focus or retrain yourself for a different job, you may struggle to earn your regular income. In that case, you may need to apply for unemployment benefits.

The recently-passed CARES act expands unemployment benefits to those in the gig economy. To qualify for Pandemic Unemployed Assistance, you need to certify that you do not qualify for regular unemployment. You also need to show that you are able or available to work, but you can’t for one of the following reasons:

You have been diagnosed with COVID-19 or are experiencing symptoms and seeking a diagnosis of the virus
A member of your household has been diagnosed with COVID-19
You are providing care for a family member or household member who has been diagnosed with COVID-19
You are providing care for a child or other household member whose school or care facility has closed
Check your state’s unemployment website to learn how to apply and other restrictions.

This article was originally posted at Freelancing Buzz.

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Freelancing Marketplaces -How to Start

Signing up in top freelancing marketplaces is aneffective way to get your first few clients. Through freelancing sites like Upwork, Guru, and Freelancer.com, you have the chance to find the best jobs that matches your skill, work history, level of expertise, and expected salary. In this blog, we will cover what you need to know about freelancing marketplaces and how you can start your career using these platforms. Freelancing Marketplace: What Is It? A freelancing marketplace is a site where freelancers apply to jobs, and clients hire freelancersto help them with their business. Many freelancing job sites are available online, but not all of them perform the same in terms of effectiveness, ease of use, and technical support. You must learn the features of each platform and how to use them to your advantage. Creating a profile on several platforms helps increase your chances of getting clients, but also causes you more time to manage multiple sites. You can also use the site to discover top freelancers within your niche. You can use their profile as a way to assess your competencies and your rate. Take time to read their profiles and compare them to your own. By doing this, you can get an idea of how to improve your profile and make it stand out from your competitors. Some sites publish blogs that teach newbie freelancers different strategies to become competitive in their niche. For example, Upwork has a blog category where you can read success stories, market trends, tips and tricks, and other informative features that teach you how to create a better profile, send winning proposals, and develop marketing strategiesto reach more prospects. For more practical advice for freelancing, try Mike Volkins Freelancing Blog . Some freelancing platforms like Upwork use an algorithm to rank its freelancers based on several factors. The ranking is represented by its Job Success Score (JSS), where a freelancer can get the highest score of 100%. Clients can set the minimum JSS that they would like to hire for the job. A higher JSS means thatyou are qualified to apply to more posts. The same rule applies to Freelancer.com, where freelancers are ranked based on bids. Its ranking algorithm assigns a score to each freelancer. The clients will get to see the proposals coming from the top-rated freelancers first beforethe other bidders. If you know which factors affect your score, you can get an idea of how to rank better. Most freelancing platforms have internal communication feature which allows freelancers and clients to send and receive messages. They can also take payment from the client on behalf of the freelancer. The amount is released once the client approves the time stamp or the submitted works of the freelancer. How to Start in Freelancing Marketplaces One of the biggest mistakes most newbie freelancers make is joining all the freelancing sites available to them. You don’t have to this because you’re just wasting your time in creating a profile and sending proposals on […]

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Should my company bring digital marketing in-house or outsource? Try a combo of both

Shana Bull is a Santa Rosa-based marketing educator and digital storyteller, working with wine, food, hospitality businesses, teaching classes on marketing, and freelance writing. (RACHELLE RAWLINGS PHOTOGRAPHY) Shana Bull is a marketing educator and digital storyteller, working with wine, food, hospitality businesses, teaching classes on marketing, and freelance writing. Reach her with your questions about digital marketing at shana@shanabull.com , @sharayray on Instagram or at shanabull.com . Digital marketing has proven itself to be one of the most effective types of marketing. Email, social media, content marketing, search engine optimization, digital advertising — each of these tactics can be essential to business success in 2020. Especially during a crisis when your customers can’t make it into your retail location. That’s probably why as many as 95% of organizations have increased their digital marketing budgets in recent years, according to DigitalMarketingInstitute.com . Right now is the time to change your mindset when it comes to a “budget” for digital media marketing. Social media is the best way to communicate with your customers, and putting your dollars into creating content, and pushing digital ads should be on your radar. Especially for businesses that are currently pivoting to provide e-commerce products and services. We know that we need to put some of our marketing efforts toward social, but we’re often not sure where to start. Here are some of the things to think about when setting a realistic digital marketing budget for your business. How much you should spend depends on your business? According to Google Ad management company WorkStream, the general rule of thumb is that a brand-new business should spend more (about 12%-20% of their gross revenue) on their marketing efforts because they are not known. It typically costs more to gain new customers than to keep the ones you currently have. Established companies should be contributing 6%-12% of their gross revenue to marketing efforts, as a whole. Of course, this is definitely not a hard-and-fast rule. If you’re an established business looking to expand into new channels, you may want to temporarily increase your marketing budget to gain new customers. The same goes for smaller businesses: If you have more business than you know what to do with at the moment, scale your budget back for a bit and reinvest the allocated money into production efforts. Your budget is dependent on where you are in your business journey and what you realistically want to accomplish with your marketing. This part is key. Be realistic. If your company wants to spend zero dollars on digital marketing, then it’s really just a self-fulfilling prophecy that your social media and digital marketing efforts won’t work. You have to invest in it. Looking back on marketing efforts The beauty of digital marketing is that it allows you to gain an understanding of which tactics are working for your brand and which are a waste of resources. Before moving into the future, dive into your analytics to see what is currently working, what roadblocks […]

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Hollywood Professional Association Expands Virtual Content Offerings

The Hollywood Professional Association (HPA) has unveiled a robust suite of virtual programs to provide the production and post-production industry with critical technical knowledge and offer opportunities to build community both during and beyond the COVID crisis. The slate of content is free with registration for the foreseeable future. The content, created and moderated by industry leading volunteers along with HPA staff and leadership, begins with a focus on the key skills and technology necessary for remote workflow and will continue to center on topics of critical interest to the industry. A few of the new offerings are under the auspices of the NET (Networking, Education and Technology) committee, which will continue to augment future in-person NET events. HPA NET Presents: Critical Conversations Webinars: A series of moderated webinars and video interviews featuring industry experts in conversation. Critical Conversations launched with “What We Learned from Creating in the Cloud: A Case Study,” focusing on the technology featured in the virtual production of “The Lost Lederhosen” at the 2020 HPA Tech Retreat; followed by “Collaborating in the Cloud Part 2,” presented in collaboration with American Society of Cinematographers and featuring the director, DP, VFX supervisor, and camera operator from “The Lost Lederhosen;” and “Government Support for the Industry During the COVID 19 Crisis,” featuring experts from Ernst & Young. Webinars, post event, are available at https://hpaonline.com/event/ . Video Interview Series: Launching in early May 2020 is a video interview series produced by industry vet Mark Chiolis (HPA Board, Mobile TV Group) who will dig into incisive conversations with thought leaders. HPA NET Presents Critical Conversations with Mark Chiolis will debut with Dolby Chief Scientist Poppy Crum. AVID President Jeff Rosica and Mark Radonis, SVP of Bunim-Murray Productions follow in upcoming episodes to address today’s most relevant topics. HPA NET Presents: Through the Frame with Jesse Korosi (podcast) Korosi brings deep experience and perspective as a workflow expert to a lively podcast that explores what’s happening behind the scenes of a number of compelling projects with knowledgeable experts. Through the Frame launches with Ben Gervais, freelance technical supervisor known for bringing new technologies to current motion picture processes. His credits include “Gemini Man” and “Billy Lynn’s Long Halftime Walk.” Upcoming guests on Through the Frame include Chad Peter, Tai Logsdon, and Rachel McIntire. HPA Women in Post Webinar: Aiming for Equilibrium While Working at Home During COVID Leadership coach Diana Tauder leads an interactive, collaborative webinar to help attendees reconnect with our community and build their toolkits for working at home during this turbulent time. HPA Tech Retreat 2020: Incredible Content In the next month, important content from the 25th HPA Tech Retreat, including sessions and interviews, will be available at no cost at hpaonline.com SOC-AFI cinematography sessions In collaboration with the Society of Camera Operators (SOC), HPA will share the expertise and insights from sessions with American Film Institute (AFI) graduate cinematography students. Seth Hallen, President of HPA, commented, “HPA is the hub that provides our community with incredible information, […]

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Lockdown Leads to Massive Leap in Freelance Numbers

As the world’s economy and business ecosystem remain in a state of flux following the outbreak of Covid-19 , the UK’s leading freelancing platform, PeoplePerHour, has reported an unprecedented rise in both freelancer signups and demand for talent in certain areas. During the first 26 days of March 2019, the platform gained 25,673 new signups. During the same period in 2020, signup numbers surged to a massive 96,123, signalling an almost four-fold increase year on year. Although an increase in freelancer numbers may not come as a huge surprise at a time when businesses are scaling back, the new figures released by PeoplePerHour provide an interesting overview of how each region is being impacted by the pandemic in business terms. While London has experienced a 485% increase in the number of people turning to freelancing, the number of freelancers in Leeds is only up 5%. In fact, the increase in London freelance signups is more than 7.5 times higher than any other city in the UK. Sheffield came next, with a 64% increase in freelance signups. While signup numbers in Edinburgh are up 63%. Strangely, as England’s ‘second’ and ‘third’ cities, Birmingham (16.22%) and Manchester (22.90%) are both towards the bottom of the list in regards to changing freelance numbers. The full breakdown of PeoplePerHour’s signup increase by city can be seen below. London – 485.37% Sheffield – 64.29% Edinburgh – 63.04% Cardiff – 53.33% Liverpool – 50.00% Nottingham – 39.34% Bristol – 32.53% Leicester – 30.95% Glasgow – 26.09% Manchester – 22.90% Birmingham – 16.22% Leeds – 5.32% While freelancer signups are up, a number of key business skills have also experienced an upturn in demand. Most notably, requests for enterprise resource planning experts leapt by 500.00% between February and March 2020. Demand for media planning is also up by 400%, and brand development by 200%. Other areas experiencing amplified demand include: SEO writing (158.33%), marketing management (140.00%), customer support (111.54%), logistics & shipping (100.00%), medical translation (100.00%), CRM (88.89%), and pay per click advertising (50.00%). Xenios Thrasyvoulou, founder and CEO of PeoplePerHour, comments: ‘Six months ago, it would have been impossible to imagine a scenario that could lead to such a monumental shift in the global business infrastructure. But while the impact of Covid-19 has been devastating, it has also highlighted the incredible adaptability of the small business scene. ‘In financial terms, SMEs and entrepreneurs have been among the worst affected by the global pandemic, with millions of employees being laid off and governmental support and benefits being slow to materialise. Although various support packages are now in place, the delay has led to a huge number of people to take matters into their own hands with many individuals signing up to find freelance work using their skills base to carve out a freelance career. While SMEs have been turning to the growing freelance network to attain the talent they require to keep their businesses going at a time of social distancing. ‘I have little doubt that […]

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How to Get Work Done When Your Family is Quarantined With You

Completing a Job While Family on Quarantined With You

We understand that everyone has been affected differently by the recent pandemic. If you do freelance graphic design work or work as a freelancing content writer, you may have been barely affected at all. You may be used to working in sweats from home, and the only change that has occurred over the last few weeks is that you have ordered your groceries online instead of going into the store.

Others of you may be feeling as if your life has turned topsy-turvy. Whether you are a member of the freelance marketplace or a member of the workforce now required to work from home, you may find yourself surrounded by your babies, toddlers, school-aged children, teenagers, college-aged children and (gasp) your spouse.

How in the heck is anyone supposed to get any work done with all of these distractions? Here are some tips on how to be productive when your family is quarantined with you.

Get up early.

Sorry. We would love to give you a magic formula that would promise an increase in productivity without any pain. That’s just not feasible. Instead, get up as early as you can to take advantage of a quiet house before your kids and spouse awake. Of course, your labradoodle will get up with you, thinking that he is in for some extra playtime, but at least everyone else will be quiet while you are productive.

Dust off your noise-canceling headphones.

You were excited to get noise-canceling headphones because you thought they would work great the next time you were on a late-night flight. Little did you know, that those headphones would be just the trick to block out the constant whining of your teenaged daughter.

Do you not have noise-canceling headphones? Just use your earbuds and classical music to try to block out the extra sound.

Tag-Team Parenting

Some of you having whining four-year-olds instead of 14-year-olds. If that is the case, you can’t ignore the screams coming from upstairs because they could actually be screams of pain instead of screams of irritation.

If you and your spouse are both trying to work from home, you may need to work out a system of tag-team parenting. You can keep the kids quiet throughout the morning, and he can do the same for you in the late afternoon and evening.

Use Screens to Keep Your Kids Quiet

We know that your parents and pediatrician have warned you about the detrimental effects of your kids having too much screen time. But during a global pandemic, let’s all give ourselves permission to bend the rules. You have to be on a conference call, and you can’t be interrupted. This means that it is video game time for your grade-school kids. You know that your kid playing video games is the only way you can get guaranteed silence for any length of time. You can go back to normal parenting when the world returns to normal.

Hang a Stop Sign on Your Door

Perhaps the problem isn’t kids. Maybe your spouse has a chatty personality and is excited to spend extra time with you. If this describes your situation, you may consider printing out an image of a stop sign to tape to your office door. Lovingly remind your spouse that when the sign is up, you cannot be interrupted.

Run Your Household as Efficiently as Possible

Think of the next month or two as boot camp. You know it’s going to suck, but you don’t have a choice in the matter. While you may be tempted to grab the remote and a bottle of wine each night, instead try to run your household as efficiently as possible. Plan meals, keep the house tidy and do a bit of laundry every day. You will feel better, and after a few months, you may not even return to your slovenly ways.

Pay Attention to Your Mental Health

We are all feeling stress right now. We are frightened about our health, the health of our loved ones, and the economy.

To relieve some of the stress you may be feeling, remove yourself from social media for a time. We know that this takes social distancing to a whole new level, but it may help keep you calm and focused until this all goes away.

Limit your exposure to the news. You don’t need to watch your county’s medical expert’s daily report. You don’t need to know how many more cases of the virus were found in your community, and you don’t need to be updated every day about the number of deaths.

Instead, stay home, wash your hands, try to work as much as possible, and stay healthy.

This article was originally posted at Freelancing Buzz.

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How freelancing can make you stay productive during lockdown

Freelancing has become one of the biggest industries for earning and generating money. You only need to have few analytical skills, good know-how of English, and a laptop with Wifi connection and that’s it. Pakistanis are well-aware of the online industry today. According to the eRozgar website, Pakistan is considered to be amongst the top five countries, ranked fourth in the Online Labor Index published in 2017 by Oxford Internet Institute, where people earn approximately $0.5 billion from freelancing. Similarly, the average salary of a freelancer is Rs. 28,909 per month in Pakistan. This means that Pakistan has the potential to compete with the world’s biggest markets such as the US which according to the Global Gig-Economy Index, generated 78% of freelancer earnings through gig economy in 2019, followed by U.K (59%), and Brazil (47%). While Pakistan stood fourth with 47% of the increase in its freelancer revenues in the previous year and stood among the top 10 countries of Asia that enjoyed generating money through the online industry. However, from the very beginning of the year 2020, the world has experienced major economic crises due to COVID-19. Even, the biggest economies of the world such as the US, the U.K, Italy, Spain, and France have encountered havoc due to this pandemic. Despite taking all the possible measures from increasing medical staff to complete lockdown in the country, they have been unable to overcome this catastrophe. Then how could a developing country like Pakistan be expected to control the coronavirus cases which has its 40% population living below the poverty line. Certainly, the current lockdown situation in our country is creating panic and distress in nearly the people of all ages. The mainstream and social media are thoroughly engulfed with the news of increasing coronavirus cases and the number of casualties daily. This created anxiety, suffering, and perturbation among the youth. Schools, colleges, and universities are closed which has limited the students to stick to their homes. Many institutes came up with the idea of arranging online classes using online media forums which have badly failed in our country. Teachers and students are not satisfied with the unplanned mechanism that is adopted for online classes. As a result, most of the institutes canceled the online classes and thus looking forward to June for resuming the semesters. In current circumstances, the youth of Pakistan seems to be directionless, completely bored with having no physical and mental activity. I have heard many students complaining about their monotonous and dull sort of routine. They seem to be perturbed for not having interesting and thought-provoking activities nowadays. Those who are interested in working as freelancers find no direction of where to start. Especially, the ones having social and technical writing skills find no reliable site where they could articulate their talent. Because, where there are many benefits of online earning, certain cases of frauds have also been reported by the writers who work with full honesty and dedication but fall victim to fraudsters. […]

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