Freelancer Job Description, Skills, and Salary
Get to know about the duties, responsibilities, qualifications, and skills requirements of a freelancer. Feel free to use our freelancer job description template to produce your own. We also provide you with information about the salary you can earn as a freelancer.
Who is a Freelancer?
A freelancer is someone who earns money on a per-job or per-task basis, usually for a short duration of work. A freelancer is not a full-time employee that is on the payroll of the organization but may be assigned some tasks by the organization to complete. Freelancers are independent workers and may work part-time or full-time for an organization. Freelancers can also be called independent contractors and the jobs freelancers do are usually given a deadline. The deadline may be weekly, monthly or quarterly basis. An example of a freelancer would be independent journalists who report on stories and the highest bidder sells the story to them. Another example is a web designer who works on a particular project for a client and moves to another client.
Freelancing jobs are called gigs by a freelancer that allows you to work from home but freelancing is not primarily a work-from-home job. Freelancers work on platforms like Fiverr, Upwork to get clients to provide services to these clients.
Fields of Freelancing
- Administrative
- Accounting & Finance
- Writing
- Customer Service
- Bilingual
- Computer and Information Technology
- Medical & Health
- Editing
- HR & Recruiting
- Education & Training
Benefits of Freelancing Jobs
- Freedom of Clients
Freelancers as the name implies can choose the clients they want to work with. They may also choose more than one client to work with for a particular time. Freelancers get jobs on platforms like Upwork and Flexjobs.
- Flexibility: freelancers can work from the comfort of their homes at their own pace and time. Freelancers can also choose to work on a full-time or part-time basis. They also decide the clients they want to work with and the workload.
- Independence
Freelancing jobs a wide range of comfort. You have the chance to work at your convenience, you can also work alone. This job gives room for freedom. For instance, you can be on your sofa doing your work.
- Control of Workload; one of the core benefits of freelancing is the ability to choose your workload. You can work as much as you want or take up smaller projects that are meaningful to you. You can give your full attention to the workload and avoid office distractions like meetings and other coworkers disturbing you.
- Exposure:
Freelancing opens an employee to a wide range of opportunities and projects. As a freelancer, you get the first-hand opportunity of working for people around the globe and also interact with different people. Working for different clients will give you the requisite experience in other industries and career areas.
Cons of Freelancing
- Isolation: Another common downfall of a freelancer is that you will be lonely because you are working in isolation. Freelancing jobs deprive an employee of interacting with other coworkers and being a good team player. Unless you have people around you to work with or else you will be working alone.
- Taxes: one of the cons of freelancing is that freelancers have to pay taxes to the platforms they work on. As a freelancer, in every project you embark upon; there must be tax deductions on that project based on what your commission is. Taxes can be a disadvantage of freelancing, so be sure to carefully consider regulations and laws when setting your rate.
Freelancer Job Description
Below are the freelancer job description examples you can use to develop your resume or write a freelancer job description for your employee. Employers can also use it to sieve out job seekers when choosing candidates for interviews.
The duties and responsibilities of a freelancer include the following:
- Developing assignments by prescribed specifications
- Editing assignments to ensure that they are accurate and well presented
- Liaising with the line manager to clarify assignment–related expectations as required
- Delivering completed assignments in stipulated formats
- Meeting deadlines of a particular assignment
- Cataloging and filing copies of all completed assignment
- Keeping an accurate record of hours worked and income received
- Registering as a taxpayer and filing your tax returns on time
- Ensuring that your work equipment remains in an excellent working condition
- Interacting with clients by chatting or mails
- Holding online meetings via zoom or Skype to communicate with clients
- Interacting with other freelancers through the freelancing community
- Follow-up clients to get more online jobs
- Reviewing of clients working relationships on the freelancing site
- Signing a contract with clients to work on a job that takes a longer duration
- Building a strong online presence to bid for more gigs
- Being active on other social media platforms apart from freelancing sites to get more gigs
- Advertising services via social media
Qualifications
- Bachelor’s degree in the relevant discipline
- Prior freelancing experience in a similar role
- A list of completed projects
- Access to all equipment needed to complete tasks
- Excellent organizational and time management skills
- Excellent writing skill
- Outstanding interpersonal and communication skills
- Ability to meet up with deadlines
- Computer and technical skills.
Essential Skills
- Computer and Technical: a freelancer should possess technological and computer skills because most freelancing is usually done online with the use of a laptop. A freelancer must be someone who has technical skills; that is to say, he knows how to operate computer software or gadgets.
- Communication Skills; being a freelancer involves communication; a freelancer always negotiates with clients professionally. A freelancer will end up working for the client that he or she is satisfied with his terms and condition. There is no one to negotiate for you but you have to do it all by yourself.
- Pro-activeness: a freelancer must be someone who is comfortable with clients and is not afraid of meeting new clients. You don’t need to be outgoing in the traditional sense but you should be a little aggressive sometimes. You should not always be caught unaware by a situation but you should always offer immediate solutions to situations.
- Organization: you are responsible for different tasks; it is your sole responsibility to follow up with your clients and to keep proper track of income and expenses. Make sure you meet up with deadlines, keep files sorted and make sure your workload is streamlined.
- Discipline: as a freelancer, you can sit in the comfort of your home and carry out your tasks but you must employ discipline for you to carry out your tax as expected. You don’t have a boss to discipline you so you have to discipline yourself. Create an office in your home to avoid distraction and also dress like you are going to work. Self-discipline is necessary to stay on track.
- Persistence: as a freelancer, you need to persist while working with clients. Persistence is highly paramount and one tries to track down work.
- Resilience
There is a word one word as a freelancer you will keep hearing which is “no”. Rejection is the name of the game and you will keep getting it once you start applying for gigs. Some people will turn you down once you are just getting started as a freelancer. Do not give up but keep applying for work.
How to Become a Freelancer
- Acquire a Bachelor’s Degree
Although no formal education is required for one to become a freelancer some recruiters may prefer an employee that has acquired a bachelor’s degree. For instance, if you want to be a freelancer working in an accounting firm; it is mandated that you must have a bachelor’s degree in accounting.
- Find a Platform
Most freelancers make use of the available freelancing sites to get a job. As a freelancer, you can use platforms like LinkedIn to build your online presence and start applying for a job but freelancing websites are surely the best. Using a freelancing website is the best because it allows you to connect with clients on the lookout for freelancers. There are always jobs available on freelancing websites.
Most of these platforms have policies and offer protection both to freelance workers and those doing the hiring. On freelance platforms, any project you take is on the contract; both you and the client are mandated to work on its terms.
Choosing platforms with the model that suits your need and salary expectation is very much paramount to your success. Being a member of a freelancing platform offers you fist hand opportunity of connecting with clients.
- Build your Profile
You don’t have to prepare a formal CV or resume as most freelancing websites have predesigned templates you will fill in all your information. You need to make your profile marketable; take time to create a substantial profile that will inform the potential clients about your education, skills, expertise, and experience. Ensure you don’t fill your profile with too much information but make it concise as possible. Itemize your skills, experiences, and any special achievement and also explain why you are the best candidate for the job.
- Build your Portfolio
your profile may state that you are an accountant, unless you upload a selfie that shows you working in an accounting firm, potential clients are likely to believe you. When you create a profile, ensure to provide a portfolio that illustrates your skills and experience. If you are a novice in your chosen field, take out time to create a portfolio with your previous work or you can also accept jobs at a discounted rate in exchange for experience
- Set your price
Freelancers work at an hourly rate on a project and this depends on your skill and experience but does not work for peanuts. If you have some years of experience; you can charge the same rate as freelancers that have been working for a decade. However, if you want to be a full-time freelancer, the rate should cover all your monthly expenses. If you don’t set your rate as a freelancer; clients can take advantage of you and pay you peanuts.
- Find Work
Make your profile acts as a freelancer and start applying for jobs. Apply for jobs that you are confident you can do. There is no point in applying for a project that you cannot set up with the deadline. Asa freelancer, it is highly paramount for you to build your reputation from scratch to secure positive feedback from clients.
In addition, draft a relevant cover letter that projects why you are the best candidate for the project. Highlight the requisite skills and experience you possess to attract clients. Over time, freelancing websites clients with badges, lower fees, and access to specially tailored job offers, so it is of the utmost value for you to keep your clients happy.
Some freelancer avoids some online platforms that freelancers 5% or 20% per project and so they prefer to use platforms like Facebook or LinkedIn to find work. However, this is highly risky because there is no contract and the client you are working for can run away with your payment at the end of the day.
- Build your Relationship with Clients
In freelancing jobs building relationships with clients is the key. By maintaining a good connection with your current clients and providing quality work, you will be more likely to secure more consistent jobs in the future. Ensure you follow instructions and meet up with every deadline. Communication is the key; make you available to clients in case they have any questions, requests, or concerns.
More so, build your portfolio to attract new clients. Having a good reputation is very paramount as a freelancer. Some clients you have worked with may go to your profile to write awesome reviews about you if they enjoyed your working relationship. Ensure you deliver your best work and earn high reviews or ratings. You can also make use of social media to advertise your services and also continue to update your profile regularly. A strong online presence is critical so that clients can trust you and brand you before working with you.
Where Can a Freelancer Work?
As a freelancer, most of the jobs you will do will be online, and below are some websites a freelancer can work;
- Upwork
- Designhill
- Toptal
- LinkedInor LinkedIn ProFinder
- We Work Remotely
- Behance
- SimplyHired
- Dribbble
- Fiverr
- PeoplePerHour
- Guru
- Freelancer
- AngelList
- DesignCrowd
- 99designs
- Working Not Working
- Webflow Experts
- YunoJuno
- Authentic Jobs
- TaskRabbit
- Flexjobs
- SolidGigs
Salary Scale of a Freelancer
The salary scale of a freelancer varies based on experience and skills. An experienced Freelancer will earn more than an entry-level freelancer. Below are the salaries of freelancers from some countries:
- In the United States of America, a freelancer earns $167,000 and as low as $13,000. The majority of freelancers usually earn from $40,500 to $78,000. The average pay for freelancers is $37,500 which suggests there may be many opportunities for advancement.
- In Nigeria, the salary scale of a freelancer is 1350NGN per hour and they earn 25,000NGN per month. The salary scale varies based on the kind of freelancing job. A freelance video editor can earn 25NGN million per year while a Copywriter can earn 90,000NGN per month.