At a time when COVID-19 pandemic induced slowdown is impacting jobs, planning a career as a freelancer could be a right move.
Reports suggest there may be a spurt in freelance job opportunities since businesses would prefer to get the job done from a freelancer rather than hiring a full-time employee.
So how do you get started?
To start with, look at the opportunities available in the gig economy. Match the opportunities with the skills you have or upskill to match the demand.
Here are some popular freelance job opportunities that you can explore:
- Digital Marketing: Digital Marketing is one of the highly sought-after freelance jobs in India. Various companies who were earlier not very keen on digital have already started investing in digital marketing platforms and hence require candidates with various digital marketing skills such as SEM, SEO, ASO etc.
- Online Teaching: Freelancing as an online tutor is a new age profession. With the advent and popularity of EdTech companies, the culture of online education has grown many folds. This form of tutoring is done in a virtual setting over video calling tools such as Zoom, Microsoft Teams or some other software. To become an online tutor, you need to know what’s that you want to teach online, what’s the curriculum and who’s your target audience.
- Data Entry: Companies seek potential candidates to take up data entry jobs, which may include sorting, segmenting and classifying the data for further usage. This is one of the most demanded freelance job profiles in India. To start a career in this field one should be good at handling data, should know how to work on numbers and alphabets. This is the only freelance job that may not require more than a high school or a graduation level of education.
- Social Media Influencer: Influencers are an important part of marketing for consumer businesses. Various organisations hire influencers to promote their products and services. To be a social media influencer, you need to have a good number of followers on your social media page. It’s not only the followers that matter but the kind of audience you have and what type of content you create to engage with your followers.”
- Content Writing: Content writers get a great opportunity to take-up freelance content writing jobs with different clients. Candidates with excellent writing skills and creative writing style are preferred for freelance content writing assignments. This profession has a great prospect and one may start with blogging, writing social media posts and copywriting. This is the only freelance job that has different profiles under the same umbrella. You could be a copywriter, proofreader, or copy editor among others.
- Multi-level Marketer: With the advancement in marketing there are various B2C companies that work on the model of multi-level marketing. Multilevel marketing allows candidates to have a freelance job with complete liberty. This job role allows a candidate to work at his convenience and earn commission accordingly. Candidates with good persuasion and negotiation skills are best suited for MLM marketing job.
- Web Developer: Various startups find it difficult to hire a full-time web developer and hence they are on a constant lookout to hire a potential freelance web developer who can help with designing and setting up a website for their organisation.
So, these are some of the popular choices for someone looking to make a career in freelancing.
Frequently asked questions about freelance jobs in India:
Q: How to start a career as a freelancer?
A: To become a freelancer, one needs to follow a few steps and these are:
- Look for relevant skills in you and determine your strengths.
- Create an account on a freelancing platform (such as Upwork, FlexJobs, Freelancer and Fiverr) to find a project.
- Know your worth if you have relevant experience or else do not hesitate to work and gain experience for less money.
- Complete projects on deadline to increase your credibility.
Q: What are the benefits of working as a freelancer?
A: The major benefits of freelancing are:
- You can be your own boss and work at your convenience.
- Complete work from home or remote locations.
- Fast way to earn money.
Q: Can you be cheated by fraud freelance employers?
A: Like any other digital platform, freelancing is also susceptible to frauds but you can avoid by taking some precautions such as:
- Check online about the company once you receive a call or an email.
- Check the companies rating on Google.
- Take a look on social media pages.
- Find out linked-in handle and talk to past employees if needed.
Q: How much can one earn from a freelancing job?
A: Your earning depends on various factors such as experience, your credibility, client’s budget and the profile you have.
Hope this helps you in getting started with a freelancing job that you want to pursue.
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