If you have kids to send to school, a mortgage or loan to pay, a sickly family member, then those are just the tip of the iceberg that you have to deal with and make sure that are carefully addressed. It’s good to be filled with enthusiasm when you are starting on freelancing but the fire of enthusiasm can be doused if you take things for granted.

1. Savings

There is actually no exact figure or amount that you should have in your savings to start a freelance homebased work. But as a rule of thumb, it is advised that you have funds that can sustain your needs for a 6month period. That is considering unexpected end of work, low income flow, or a sudden sickness which means no earnings for you. This is also to buffer the transition period of your 9-5 work to the freelance home based work.

2. Health Insurance

Health is wealth. I think that is something that we can all agree on. And if you do agree, you ought to agree as well that getting a reliable health insurance is a must if you will be hopping on the freelancer’s wagon. If you are enjoying free medical and dental benefits, hospitalization for you and your dependents, then you “must” (emphasis added) also ensure that you and your family enjoy the same benefits after you resign from your 9-5 work. It will make you feel more secure and confident that your funds will not be depleted in cases of sickness in the family.

3. Skills and Education

At this point, your resume and experiences, as well as the skills acquired will be your key in securing a job. Your marketability to employers will depend on how well you have established your skills and your proven track record will mean a lot. But the more well rounded you are, the more opportunities will be available for you. If you know just the basic, try to at least advance your knowledge. Take as much relevant training and certifications that you can and make sure that you brush up on your English communication skills. Make sure that you can effectively communicate not only on your line of expertise but also on a personal level. Remember that you are not only selling your service, you are selling yourself.

4. Materials and Equipment

Many online opportunities are available today and one of them is online tutorials. And if you would consider applying for such a position you must take into consideration the material requirements of the job. Do you have a reliable internet connection? Is your office conjucive for classroom type of environment, no noise, no distractions? Do you have a noise cancelling microphone? etc. etc. This may not be true in your case but it would also be a good thing to consider. Whether it is just plain writing that you do, or coding and other programming jobs, your clients may call you from time to time and may bring a bad impression if your room is noisy, your internet connection disconnects. It would be a wise investment if you can purchase the following:

UPS or uninterrupted power supply
printer, scanner, and copier
mic & headset
back up wireless internet subscription
portable HD drive

5. Network and Resources

Working online as a home based freelancer doesn’t mean that you have to alienate yourself from the outside world. It is even more advisable that you create a bigger network now, whether online or offline, than ever before. Why? Because your network can be a good source of referral projects. Word of mouth can travel at lightning speed and creating a good network that can help you spread the word about your work. It can bring countless potentials at your doorstep. Join likeminded people. There are freelancer forums and discussion boards, as well as websites that cater to online freelance works. And remember, always maintain a good reputation with the people you deal with, both client and colleague because a bad reputation is a devourer of your income.

Create a list of where you will get your clients. Evaluate the Terms of Service and check for user feedbacks.

NOTE: This post was originally posted on my blog: DrEy’s CaLl CeNtEr WeBlOg under the title: Cheklist for Online Homebased Freelancer

Why is there a need to be an effective freelancer?

Ecclesiastes 9:10 says it better: Whatsoever thy hand findeth to do, do it with thy might for there is no work nor device, nor knowledge, nor wisdom in the grave whither thou goest. The thing with freelancing is, a single instance of a bad output or a messed up project can spell the last thing you’ll ever hear from that client again. The lifeblood of successful and thriving freelance career is word of mouth. If people only hear how bad you work, you will never go far enough. You will either find yourself diving with your rate just to be able to get some work. Else, you’ll be deserting this profession with a not so graceful exit.
If you want to be able to demand good pay rate, keep your clients happy. If you want to benefit from free advertising through word of mouth, be an effective freelancer. Bottom line is, if you want to keep a job for a long time, be an effective freelancer!

Challenges to becoming effective

There are various reasons why we are ineffective in what we do. Based on my observations and personal experience they include:
1. Distractions
2. Doubts in what you can do or achieve, skills, education etc.
3. Communication breakdown – when we stop communicating with
4. Greed – when it’s all about money that you think of and not your client’s needs
5. Procrastination – need i say more about this?
So How do we become effective?

Tips to Effective Freelancing

1. Keep the focus – multi tasking is a practice not many will be good at. Being focus is still the best way to go. But does this mean that I’ll only take one client at a time? Not necessarily, focus simply means devoting a specific time for a specific client.
2. Nurture the existing – I’ve been taught in my call center training that retention is better than acquiring new customers and it’s still the same principle with freelancing. If you have a way of keeping the existing clients. After all, when their business grows and they’ve seen your dedication, you will eventually reap the rewards of your loyalty.
3. Pray – this may be new to your ears, but prayer has been a secret weapon in my work as a freelancer. I do not have a college degree. But I must say that by prayer, I’ve learned things I never imagined I could do if I only relied on my own.
4. Stay Connected (communication) – Business is all about connections. The better connected you are the better chances of opportunities coming your way. There are so many social media platforms that you can use to stay connected. Twitter and Facebook, as well as blog commenting have been my primary choices in networking and the effort and time investment has paid off well.
5. Keep on learning – every search you make on Google or Bing or Yahoo is a step to learning new things. All major how-to’s that can pull you through the tech stuff is just a click away. All we have to do is to be diligent in finding them. Learn from you connections. The people around you, no matter how different their line of business or work can give you a big step towards learning new ideas that you can implement sooner or later in your freelancing.
6. Learn from mistakes – We don’t necessarily have to learn just from our mistakes but from other’s experiences as well. But I have proven that going through the situation is the most effective form of learning (at least for my experience) We you have a personal, first hand experience of a problem, you are better off at solving it than those who just read it in books or seen it on tv. So don’t frustrate when you commit mistakes, cherish them and keep them always in mind.
7. Maximize time – You can’t borrow from the past to make up for tomorrow’s lack. Use the time you have “now” for the things that needs to be done “NOW”. Think like a sprint runner or an F1 racer. A split second can mean a whole lot. When you work, every micro second counts. Make sure you don’t waste their time because you certainly wouldn’t want to waste yours too! Punctuality is not only about being on time, it’s all about character.
8. Honesty at all times – honesty is about setting the right expectation and delivering what you promised.
9. Get some feedback – there is no better way of knowing if you are being effective or not than asking the clients who you work for. That is why it is imperative to get a feedback from them. It would be ideal if you can create a list of questions to provide to them that focuses on certain criteria that you would like to evaluate, such as: deadlines, communication, language (are thoughts and ideas properly communicated?), etc. This will also help you better understand their needs and personalize your approach in providing your service.
10. Enjoy the privilege – there are millions who are out of work who would love to take on your work. So don’t just get frustrated with little challenges. Be happy you have a job. When you are happy with what you do and appreciate the privilege you have been granted, it’s easy to be effective. No matter how small or big your project is, learn to take it as a privilege and not a right.

Whether you agree or not with the above statement by the Bureau of Local Employment (BLE), let’s face it, finding a job is not as easy as you think it is. And getting an education doesn’t even guarantee a job for you in the future. It’s really difficult to pinpoint the main culprit in this case because there is a myriad of reasons and a million other factors why people are unemployed or have a hard time getting employed. But there are three things that I have noted about this problem. First thing that I have noted; skills, then education, then business needs. But the main gist boils down to: “Are your skills and education fit for the current business need?” As simple as that.

The fact is, even if you have finished a degree with flying colors if I’m in need of a Chef for my food business, your IT education and the skill you have acquired is futile (at least for my need). It’s difficult to put a square peg in a round hole. That’s what it is. Will you then have to get another education, just to suit my needs? I don’t think that would be wise. First of all, it will take you time. By the time you get the skill that I need, I may no longer require what you can offer me.

This is becoming a common problem in our society these days. You can see this scenario in almost every college or university. You will find students enrolled in courses that are the current need of most companies. Unfortunately, before they complete their 4 or 5 year study, it would already be filled and thus, are no longer in demand like when they first heard about it. 

Supply and Demand

The labor market as with any other market that we know abides by the basic principle of supply and demand. If the supply is low and demand is high, price goes up and if the demand is low but supply is high, the price goes down. The case of nursing graduates in the Philippines is a concrete example of how the law supply and demand affects our employment climate. Many student nurses have actually focused their goals on works abroad because there is an increasing need for medical workers (demand). Thus many have looked into it as an opportunity. And every year we have been producing thousands upon thousands of nurses. But the country’s demand could not measure up to the supply. There’s just too many of them. Even if there is a good demand outside, it’s still an uphill climb to many graduates considering the financial aspect of applying abroad.

Melting Pots

The BPO industry have become a melting pot to many skills and talents that was not absorbed by the current businesses that is more specific with its talent requirement. Thus, when you work in a call center you’ll be surprised to see how diverse the pool of people are in terms of the college degrees that they have attained. You will find graduates of education course, medical related courses and other unusual degrees  that you expect to find in a specific niche. It’s not bad to see them there of course. It’s good, because at least, they are being productive. But it is also disturbing because they are not where they are supposed to be. It’s good to have a hand, but if your hand is on your forehead, then that’s a different story. The same thing goes with our labor market. It is disturbing, in a sense that people who should be teaching are not in the schools (unless they are in the training departments), and nurses who should be taking care of patients are up on their toes with headsets.

These people are working in the call center, not because they lack the education. You can see them in these areas because that is where opportunities are available. Who could have known or even imagined that they will be working as call center agents? I bet not one of them thought about that when they first enrolled for college. The only thing that I can surmise is that, they are all excited in being a nurse because in 4 or 5 years time, they are hopeful that they will be getting their dream job. They will be landing on high paying job.

Government Solution
A recent labor market study by the Department of Labor and Employment called Project JobsFit: The DOLE 2020 Vision aims to solve the problem of skills mismatch and prepare the labor force to job opportunities that are expected to have a good demand for manpower.

The result of the study highlights the in-demand and hard-to-fill occupations of the key industries that are projected to be the main source of employment growth in the country for the next ten years. This study will impact the incoming college students as this will help them choose the right course that will give them a greater chance of landing a job once they graduate.

If you are about to make the big decision that will impact your future career and employability, why not spend a few minutes and see whether some of these suggested fields will fit you.

Get a glimpse of their findings and weigh out if the agency really pinned down the 108 in-demand and hard to fill occupations. You can also download the complete list here:
Image credit: Bureau of Local Employment
Thumbnail: GenXFinance

Job Satisfaction

Many people walk to their offices and perform their duties with a heavy shoulder because they are no longer satisfied with what they are doing, their salary and other areas of their employment. A Conference Board’s survey which polled 5,000 households in the US, found that only 45% were satisfied in their jobs. So why burden yourself and struggle to believe that that’s the right place or the right job for you?

Work on something you are happy doing. If you are feeling obliged to do something because there’s a supervisor who’s prying on you, a boss that you simply can’t get along with or a policy that you can’t agree on, then that’s reason enough to look for windows of opportunity. If you can’t help yourself but keep an eye on the ticking of the clock to hit 5 PM then it’s high time to reconsider your options about getting yourself into freelancing.

Family Preservation

I have been a strong advocate of online freelancing for one important reason, and that’s family preservation. I understand that many people are aiming at overseas works in the US, Canada, UK and other parts of Europe and the Middle East. But if many Americans are already unsatisfied with their jobs, I don’t think it would be any different to me.

I know the salary is way higher than what you can get (probably) But I believe that freelancing gives more benefit in terms of the bond that you’ll get in your family’s presence. Would you like your kids to grow without your guidance? And I’m sure, a million dollar can buy a lot of heaters but it won’t be warm enough to comfort your wife on a cold night. If you want to cultivate your career without sacrificing your family then working online at the comfort of you home is a perfect alternative.

Computers as Investments

There are a lot of people who are addicted to computers. Some would spend long hours in games and chatting and many other unproductive activities. And that’s just it. A pure waste of time and money. I love my computer too, because I saw a different potential to what it can do. I look at it as an investment that yields me a thousand returns and not just an appliance or a game console. If you think that way, then you are closer to concluding that probably, online freelancing is the right work for you.

No Where to Run

When you hit a wall and you have nowhere to run, that situation will bring out the best in you if you will face it and determine to get over that hindrance. I know it’s sad that many people think of freelancing as last resort, but it’s this last resort that has transformed many lives into satisfied and gave a new face to the word “work”. If you don’t have job right now, don’t keep on running and looking for that elusive career. Grab a chair and get in front of your computer. Try freelancing!

Bottom Line:

What worked for me may not work for you. Hence, whether freelancing is for you or not, remains to be decided. But if you have already made the first step, then don’t look back. Just look forward to your goal and remember why you are into freelancing. Again, freelancing is not for the faint of heart. If you can’t make a firm decision to pursue it full time, part time will always be an option. And hopefully, you’ll come to a point and say that “Freelancing is REALLY the right one for you!”.

So I’m changing that style. As they say, if you can’t beat them, join them. Go ahead, BUY BUY BUY! But before you indulge read through the shopping list I’ve prepared for you. Then go ahead and enjoy your shopping spree!

Computer and Equipments
I know you are itching to get the latest version of Mac as much as I do. If you can afford it, go for it! As an online worker who spends 40 hours or more in front of the computer, it is imperative that you invest in a machine that will give you the security and reliability in delivering your work. Whether it’s a Mac or a PC, what’s important is that it’s up to the task.

I’d also recommend that you get an uninterrupted power supply (UPS), external hard disk, extra battery pack for your laptop and a comfy office furniture that will make you work comfortably.

A Book or Special Training Course
Get a good book to read or a training course to enroll that will enhance your current skill set. I highly recommend The Wealthy Freelancer by Ed Gandia et al. It’s power pack with great ideas that’s relevant to our time and realistic. The 12 secrets that they have outlined will make give you a different perspective at freelancing and will open up your eyes that this is serious business!

There are many other books available out there and it’s always to your advantage if you keep yourself abreast with the latest technologies, ideas and innovations. You simply can’t afford to be left behind in this rapidly changing world. If you are having a second thought on investing on a short course, try ignorance. You’ll lose more clients from not knowing something that you could have provided if you keep on learning!

Domain and Hosting
If you don’t have a website or blog yet, it’s about time for you to take your freelance business on the web. Get a website. “A carpenter doesn’t have a house” won’t be applicable in this era. You need to get your name out, and tell the world what you can offer. Build a brand of your own and start leveraging the power of social media in getting more clients.

This is probably the cheapest item on your shopping list but the promise of return is enormous! So don’t just take it for granted. Get the domain name for your business, sign up for a reliable hosting provider. My current hosting is with www.GoDaddy.com and they are doing a great job, plus great discounts for domain and hosting. For the web design part, try www.99designs.com to get some help if you can’t do it yourself.

I know a whole day won’t be enough to get all of these and set up completely. It will keep you busy for a little while and ward off another attack of impulsive buying.

Bottomline: It’s not a sin to spend on something you really want to have as long as you can afford it. And there is a better word that we ought to learn about money that’s more powerful than spending, and that is INVESTING.

Now it’s your turn. The comment is open so get me another item on the shopping list for our shopaholic freelancer that is a worthwhile investment!

Image credit: www.thewealthyfreelancer.com

At first, I was hesitant to leave my job at Aegis People Support, one of the biggest call center here in Cebu City. With two growing kids in tow, a house rental to think, no savings in the bank, no health insurance. It was probably one of the most stupid thing a father can do. But I didn’t leave the call center to let my family starve to death. I left the call center for many good reasons.

Future:

I am no seer or fortune teller, but one of the reasons I left the call center is because I saw a promising future in online jobs. The fact that outsourcing has been in bloom for several years already made me firmly believe that this will be the same with online jobs. There will be more companies, specially medium to small sized businesses who will be joining the bandwagon of outsourcing. There will be individuals who simply wants to do business and are practical enough to outsource some of their tasks to individuals, not companies. And sure enough, even at this moment, oDesk, which is one of the major places where my clients come from have consistently shown an increase in all aspects:
48,786 new online jobs were posted to oDesk in June, an increase of 1,505 over May
635,198 total workers were registered with oDesk in June, an increase of 45,480 or 7.7 percent over May
$9,255,640 was earned by workers on oDesk in June, an increase of $382,252 or 4.3 percent over May
(Source: oDesk Online Employment Situation Summary)

Earning Potential:

Although the call center has offered above average compensation and benefits, freelance jobs give a bigger earning potential and a more financially rewarding work. With enough skill, and experience it has literally raised my earnings from four to five times what I previously received in my call center work, all in the comfort of my home. Not only that, it has also opened new areas for me to passively earn through my blog advertising revenues and affiliate earnings.

Growth:

Career growth in call centers go through the step by step promotion process that’s not free from insider politics, “padrino” system and other biases. Competition is stiff. And this made me think, whether my 5 years of stay in a call center would bring me to my goal of being financially stable and in terms of position, getting a promotion. With freelancing, you’re almost limited only by your imagination on what you can achieve. Freelancing offers a different path for growth. For just one year, I’ve seen open doors to raise the bar in what I do. From my role in the call center as customer service agent, taking 30-60calls every day, pacifying irate customers, I then started managing projects for clients, getting my own team, and as they say… the rest is history.

Flexibility

Time flexibility at work proved to be one of my biggest challenge while working at the call center. I’ve missed important family occasions, church gatherings, and other events which I would have enjoyed attending. And as a family man with two growing kids, family time became a growing concern as well.
With my job as Virtual Assistant, I was able to choose clients that would suit both their time preference as well as mine. I can work for two hours, or four, or six or a full stretch 8 hour shift depending on my availability. And this is what makes working as home based freelancer very flexible.

Bottom Line

I can list down many other reasons on why I left the call center in place of working at home as a freelancer. But the bottom line is, if you love your job, then stick to it. I love my freelance work, I love computers, I enjoy working alone, that’s why I’m sticking to it. If this post made you think of jumping ship plainly because of the earning potential, this may not be enough to sustain you to last through the challenging and uncertain world of freelancing. But if you think your interest and passion is here, don’t hesitate to get in touch if you need some direction to get started.
(Image source: http://fusionbposervices.freeblog.co.nz/)

If you are having this same problem you are not alone. You’ve probably thought life is so unfair and employers are opportunists, taking advantage of the employment drought. But that is not always the case.

I couldn’t forget my interview with John Jonas when he said “When you get a job, keep the job” I’m sure John has some great experience why it made such an impact to him. But the question is, how do we keep the job and turn from being a part timer to a full time, full pledge freelancer.

1. Speak Your Mind

– It’s been taught many times and preached repeatedly how important communication is. So speak your mind. Getting your idea across is essential to ensure that you and your client are working on the same page. It’s actually a common mistake to us, that we keep things to ourselves when we have doubts or hesitations instead of saying right there and then. And the longer it gets stuck in your mind, the more destructive impact it will make if those hesitations and doubts turn to be an essential element for you to deliver the needed results. Don’t be overcome by pride that will tend to make you feign that you know things. Accept that you need an answer to all those questions at the back of your mind. Don’t guess. You’re job is not to be a clairvoyant or a psychic.

2. Learn to Negotiate

– before you can keep the job, you must learn how leverage your negotiation skills to be able to get the job. Negotiation simply means becoming more flexible in many terms or aspects like schedule, pay rates, scope of service and other issues. It means agreeing on certain terms that is tolerable to both parties and would bring out mutually beneficial working relationship. Negotiating means sacrificing a part of your comfort zone but not necessarily a lost but a reduction only.

3. Underpromise but Over Deliver

– alright, I know sometimes we tend to become so engrossed in writing those cover letters and proposals but be very careful, you might just end up ruining your career by giving too much assurance to your client. One basic rule, be REALISTIC! Don’t promise the whole universe. They might believe you. Stick on what you can deliver, and when i say deliver, I mean delivering with excellency. It means giving a wow factor to your client’s experience.

4. Don’t Get Stuck

– Don’t let yourself stagnate on what you know, strive to learn new things that you can offer to your client’ and his future needs. Exercise those brain cells! Or else, you’ll get eaten up by the younger, more energetic, affordable newbies. Keep up with the trend in your field and you’ll never regret you did.

5. Ask for Feedback

– if you’ve worked with someone for years already, don’t get too relaxed and so secure. Times change, moods sway, and most of all, this world is full of surprises. And the worst surprise you’ll ever get is a final handshake from a client whom you “thought” was satisfied. Asking for feedback or evaluation on your performance is a good way of thwarting this kind of situation. It will make you aware of where you stand and what step you should make to resolve any issues that may be critical in keeping the business.
Image source: www.businessandleadership.com