To make it easy and pleasant to work with you, you need to take the following steps:
1) Take care of payment methods: open a bank account (or accounts in several currencies, if you want to work with clients from all over the world), register as an individual entrepreneur, and register in several electronic payment systems.
2) Make sure you have the right hardware and software
3) Learn to work in some programs that other specialists in your field use (for translators, these are Translation memory programs – SDL Trados, WordfastMemoQoq, Dejavu, etc.) If you cannot buy licensed versions, you can use the capabilities of cloud services. For example, I often use Wordfast Anywhere for translations and am very happy with it. There are also free Translation memory programs for translators, but I will tell you about them in a separate note sometime.
4) It is necessary to improve. You can train yourself, just like that, and you can start collaborating with a charity organization. This, of course, will not bring much money, but it will bring the necessary experience. And if you are already an experienced specialist, then such cooperation can give you the necessary contacts, because networking is a mandatory element of running your own business on the Internet.
5) Work on your communication style. Remember that freelancing is a business. And business is best done with a cool head. Email and other means of remote communication are very useful in that you can reread the received message several times to make sure that you understood everything correctly, and not immediately respond with the first thing that comes to mind, but give a thoughtful, balanced, and clear answer. And do not forget about etiquette!
Who can be a freelancer? Sample list of specializations
Firstly, of course, all professions are somehow related to the creation and promotion of websites. This includes web programming, layout, design, copywriting, SEO, and much more.
Secondly, programming. This includes databases and the creation of software for cell phones and PDAs, system programming, testing (QA), and much more, which I do not understand at all, and I respect very much those who do.
Thirdly, everything related to writing text: copywriting (already mentioned above), rewriting, writing various articles, scanning and recognizing texts, transcribing video and audio recordings, slogans, poems, news, press releases – there are a lot of options.
Fourthly, design: interior design, website design, graphic design, corporate identity development, exhibition stand design, font development, etc.
Fifth, various types of art: creating illustrations, vector graphics, comics, 3D characters and illustrations, painting, and much more.
Next, my favorite translation: technical, artistic, marketing, translation of correspondence, a nd business correspondence, etc.
Creation and processing of images and photographs, creation of video and audio recordings, various types of advertising – all this is done by freelancers.
They also develop video games, create animation, create interiors, teach and train in person “offline”, nd via Skype.
Engineers, accountants, lawyers, business consultants, psychologists, and financial consultants can also find their place among freelancers and work not in a stuffy office, but where they are comfortable and pleasant.
In general, creativity, resourcefulness, and hard work will help any professional become a successful freelancer.
