Basic skills every Free Lancer needs.Freelance Tools:Tools What do you know what tools! When we talk about any work related to the Internet, the tools here are the backbone of the work itself, and without them, completing the work would be almost impossible.
When you enter freelance work, you will find that everything you do is mostly through tools, so do not feel confused, here we will divide the tools into general tools for everyone, and special tools according to the specialty or field in which you work.
First, general tools for every Freelancer
These tools are tools that everyone needs regardless of the specialization they work in, and they, in turn, are divided into two types:
physical tools
It is everything that is material and tangible to help you complete the tasks required of you, such as a Lancer, and one of the most important of these tools is a computer with good specifications.
intangible tools
It is a set of programs and services to help you implement what is required of you easily and in a short time, including:
- Some time management applications .
- Some Google Chrome extensions (there are add-ons for other browsers).
- Some basic programs such as Skype for communication.
Second, specialized tools according to the specialty or field in which you will work
These are also divided into tangible and intangible tools.
For example, if you are going to work in the field of photography, you will need some tangible tools such as a camera, lighting equipment, and you will need some intangible tools such as image design programs and video editing and making programs .
Each field of self-employment has its own tools, which you can discover in more depth about this field, and know the basic aspects of it, and the tasks and work required of you in it.
For a complete list of the most important freelance tools in general, and some tips that will help you choose specialized tools, you should review the lesson on that in the link below:
The most important and best freelance tools
Now it is assumed that you possess the tools and skills required in the labor market, and you want to practically start appearing as a professional in the world of self-employment… So what should you do?
Let’s first agree that in the world of freelancing you will have the ability and disposition to shape yourself in the minds of potential clients, here the client will not meet you in person, but will meet you through your identity on the Internet.
There are a lot of aspects that you have to work on in making your own brand, and these are the most important ones:
1. Your social media accounts
Your accounts on social networking sites represent one of the important aspects that you should take care of, through which you can appear as a professional in his field, and this will greatly contribute to your obtaining more job opportunities.
As a normal user of the Internet, I think that you have accounts on social networking sites, and here you are faced with two options; Either you merge your personal accounts in the world of freelancing, or you create new accounts for work.
There is no good or bad option, but from my personal point of view, making business accounts will be of better benefit, while avoiding the overlap between the personal and business side of your life.
Subscribe to groups about your business, share posts about your industry, share your news, and try to build a community of co-workers and potential clients.
2. Your accounts on freelancing sites
Freelance platforms are simply intermediary platforms specialized in freelancing. They open their door to any Freelancer who has a skill to register with, and put his skills in front of all platform users, on the other hand, they also open their door to any business owner who wants to complete one of the tasks , looking for a Free Lancer.
Freelance platforms provide a control panel for both the Freelancer and the employer, and they provide a tight system to protect both parties, and they charge commissions as a result, and the nature of commissions varies according to the platform.
Freelance platforms represent one of the important aspects in the world of freelancing, so we prepared a special lesson for them, in which you will find a lot of information about these platforms and an explanation of how they work, a list of the most important (public and private), important tips to help you use them correctly, and sources for articles Others we have explain specific platforms, and here is the link to the article:
All you need to know about freelancing platforms and a list of the best
3. Your Portfolio
A portfolio is a file for you to save your business models in your field of specialization, for example, if you specialize in the field of logo design, you can include a group of logos that you designed before in your business models file, so that your potential customers can view them to evaluate your business .
There are a lot of tools available on the internet, that you can use to make your own portfolio, and there are a lot of tools that are specialized in making a portfolio for specific areas… You can choose any of these tools and use them to showcase your business models.
For a detailed explanation of the Portfolio, and to learn about the most important sites and tools through which you can make a Portfolio, read the lesson on that in the link below:
What is a Portfolio and How to Prepare a Professional Portfolio
4. Your LinkedIn account
Linkedin is a social networking site, and I spoke above about appearing on social networking sites, but Linkedin has a special nature, so I will single out this point for him in particular.
LinkedIn is a practical social media, that is, specialized in the practical aspect, and it includes tens of millions of freelancers and business owners, and therefore it represents a real treasure for those who can use it properly.
First: You have to build a professional account on LinkedIn and take care of all its details, as it is a biography of itself for you, and accordingly you will get a lot of job opportunities.
Second: You have to build a network of other users who are related to your field of work, whether your colleagues or business owners.
Third: You have to interact on this site and give it enough time and attention.
5. Your personal blog or YouTube channel
Building a personal blog or YouTube channel to share with the world your passion (your field of specialization) is a point that not many freelancers are interested in, but it is a very important point, and it is possible to get more job opportunities.
I highly recommend making a personal blog for yourself, writing about the skills you acquire, the obstacles you face, the learning resources you rely on…etc. A personal blog can be useful to you in many aspects, including:
- Emerging as a professional in your field and then attracting new clients.
- You can help other beginners.
- You can count on it to generate profits along with your business as a Freelancer.
This of course also applies to the YouTube channel.