Since the beginning of the pandemic, remote work has garnered lots of attention. This was mainly because many people were forced to work from home. We may have read and heard a lot of pros and cons of remote work from people who may be struggling to adapt to the new method of work that is increasingly being adopted.
On the other hand, there are people who are used to remote work and enjoy it, unlike office work. But is freelancing the same as remote work? Let us understand what both of them mean
Remote work is any form of work performed remotely. You can work remotely from your home, backyard, at the beach, a hotel, or a nearby cafe.
Freelancing on the other hand is a subtype of remote work. The major difference between freelancing and other types of remote work is that it doesn’t have to be coupled with other contracts with one company.Â
Let’s quickly highlight 5 skills that can help freelancers to be successful
- Hard Skills
Common freelance jobs that involve hard skills include writing, editing, tutoring, marketing, customer support, graphic and web design, virtual assistance, photography, sales, bookkeeping, accounting sales, and coaching. Freelancers should be tech-savvy and understand how online tools and communication channels like Slack and Trello function.
2. Soft Skills
Freelancers ought to be good at interpersonal communication and also critical thinkers. They should also be culture-sensitive since they would be working with clients from different parts of the world. It is imperative that you keep your operations lean.
3. Time Management Skills
People who decide to become freelancers must learn to manage their time. All daily activities have to be accounted for, at least in the beginning. This is even more important for freelancers with a more or less regular routine. e.g, Customer Support representatives and virtual assistants because if they fail to prioritize and allocate sufficient time for each task, they may not be able to cope.
4. Negotiation Skills
It is important that freelancers know how to convince clients that they are the right person for the job. In most cases, this convincing takes place online so it simply means your body language may play a little role in the process. But you must make sure you adhere to Netiquette.
All clients are not the same so you may often need to adapt your approach to suit each client. As a freelancer, you need to be versed in different communication techniques and have decent negotiation skills.
5. Decision Making
As a freelancer, you need to learn how to read people because not every client is honest. You should know when to accept a project and when to let go and more importantly, you need to know how to decide quickly.Â
When freelancers make bad decisions and probably miscalculate, it affects the whole plan and can prevent you from meeting your goal.
One of the best platforms where freelancers can showcase their skills and monetize them is Bixex. Bixex is a global community of entrepreneurs. Business Owners and freelancers have found the platform helpful in growing their client base. Join Bixex now and enjoy its numerous features.