PRESS RELEASE
The recent trend shows that dependent workers are seeking to reorient their careers and become independent professionals. While self-employment doesn’t guarantee a steady income, developing a strong personal brand can allow freelancers to find steady clients, generate income in foreign currencies, and enjoy greater flexibility to balance their personal and work lives.
For many, thinking about leaving a stable job and starting from scratch represents great vertigo and uncertainty. But large numbers of employees discovered a new way of working during the pandemic, encouraging them to take on the side jobs in the face of increased free time.
According to Bitwage -the pioneer platform and leader in payment of fees in cryptocurrencies or digital dollars most chosen by workers, freelancers and service exporters- before the pandemic the average age of freelancers was 25-30 years. But as of 2020, there has been an increase in the number of users over 40 years of age.
In this sense, Juana Cervio, better known as CryptoNita, Tech Recruiter Manager and founder of Carrier, specialized in recruiting technology and blockchain/web3 profiles, adds: “It is a trend and in Latin America this is more accentuated because many people aspire to work freelance or as a contractor for North America and Europe, getting paid in dollars, euros or crypto”.
Considerations to take into account before taking the leap:
Cervio advances us three points: “It seems obvious, but the first thing is to have a good level of English to be able to target opportunities in the regions. Second, investigate well what are the expenses that you should cover on your own (retirement, contributions, prepaid, etc.) to be able to define well how much you want to charge. And third, work on your personal brand to get better opportunities”.
Tips to build a personal brand and attract clients abroad
In order to be successful as a freelancer and attract clients from abroad, it is essential to establish an online presence as they will find you. Here some tips:
1. Create professional profiles on social networks and freelance platforms to show our portfolio and generate networking:
A personal website can be a great idea, especially if you want to showcase design and development skills or want to share a portfolio of work.
GitHub, Behance, and WordPress are examples of freelance marketplaces where past work can be showcased to potential employers and clients.
Keeping an up-to-date LinkedIn profile is also important. But in addition, you must generate networking, comment on other profiles, make interesting posts about the specialty, so that the profile reaches more people organically.
2. Start promoting yourself:
One idea to start is to join marketplaces where potential customers can be found. People Per Hour, Fiverr, Upwork, 99Designs and many others that allow you to offer services.
3. Reputation management, the magic of word of mouth:
Every freelancer needs to be realistic about skills and set clear expectations with client deadlines. Jobs that are too large should not be accepted, especially at first.
That is why it is very important to discuss with clients what is possible and how long it will take. Then, it’s always nice to go the extra mile and exceed all expectations. While this is especially important for beginning freelancers, it’s a value to hold: delivering 110%.
Once satisfied it’s okay to ask them, for example, to write a LinkedIn recommendation or even ask to use the work they’ve done as part of a “success story” presentation.
