The digital age is seeing significant growth in professionals seeking freelance working lifestyles, adopting a working culture which is based on strong business relationships for contract-based projects. As companies direct their focus towards digitization, the probability is that the demand for professionals specializing in areas of AI, Big Data, BI and Blockchain does not meet the supply.
There is already an increase in these types of jobs on Jobs Fuel. However, the jobs listed there are full-time
Company employer branding strategies should center around the gig economy to attract freelance talent. As freelancing is becoming adopted at a faster rate, below we take a look at six reasons why freelancing would be the right career choice for you:
1) Taking Control of Your Schedule
Perhaps the most synonymous with freelancing, the customizable schedule is a great attraction for professionals thinking about going freelance. This means that one is able to set their own working hours to organize their agenda on a weekly or even daily basis, entirely based on the tasks at hand, prioritizing professional and personal matters accordingly. This allows one to work when they feel most productive and when most suitable throughout the day.
It goes without saying that with this privilege comes great responsibility, demanding that the individual is competent with dealing with clients proficiently, requiring good time management and at times, good interpersonal skills also. The ability to take full control of your working hours means that you will also be taking full control of your free time too. This is certainly attractive for individuals who have parental responsibilities and other daily duties, and also provides a greater sense of freedom to their working week, one which goes beyond the flexible working hours offered by companies and permits individuals to be in full control of how they spend their time.
2) Taking Control of Your Workload
Freelance working provides professionals with the liberty of managing their own workload based on the projects they take on and the clients they deal with. This is great for prioritizing what’s important and managing work according to time restraints and also works to improve wellbeing by being able to handle stress levels by accepting client work when suitable.
Once establishing good working relationships with clients, one can also have the privilege to pick and choose between the projects which are the most attractive to them. The digital age is seeing a multitude of companies seeking expertise in specific areas related to tech – a prime example being Malta’s buzzing economic activity in the sector of cryptocurrency regulation, which is encouraging companies to work towards digitization at a more rapid rate, thus creating more demand for skills in areas of AI and Blockchain, generating more IT jobs in Malta as a result.
3) Work Where You Like
Another perk of the freelance working lifestyle is that one has no fixed working location at which they must be present during the working week. The comfort of working from home or any other location with the necessary tools, such as a stable internet connection and required devices means that work can be carried out at ease practically wherever desired. This also means beating the mundane work commute, saving ample time in the process.
Apart from a few client meetings whenever possible or necessary, the freelance worker’s daily working location could change up as they wish – from their home to their favorite neighborhood cafe or even to the park bench, it’s a completely open option most of the time, which means greater liberty to change working environment, a perfect perk for those who enjoy living life on the go.
4) Set Your Own Salary
Working freelance allows one to set their own salary, a factor which is a great attraction for professionals considering forming part of the gig economy. Setting one’s salary is based on a few factors which must be taken into consideration – these being current market demand for the skills possessed by the freelancer, the level and quality of experience of the freelancer as well as the list of clients the freelancer previously and is currently working with, which ultimately shapes the personal brand and credibility of the freelancer.
Setting one’s salary is a method of measuring one’s performance and is a great responsibility in itself, as it essentially influences the standard of living of that individual.
5) Measuring Your Own Performance
For the freelancer, recognizing indicators of success is entirely down to them – they do not have any managers setting their KPIs and so are not chased to perform. This means that the initiative comes entirely from the freelancer themselves and so there comes a great need for dedication and commitment when setting personal goals and reaching objectives.
Performance can be measured by comparing annual or quarterly incomes as well as the time is taken to complete projects. Keeping track of one’s own productivity and financial gain is an important part of being a professional freelancer.
6) Enthusiasm for Networking & Self-Branding
The rise of the gig economy means that more professionals are pursuing freelance working, making it essential for each freelancer to distinguish their service offerings by differentiating themselves in the job market – this implies good self-promotion, being able to successfully brand themselves amidst a crowd of other specialists. This would suggest focusing on one’s strengths and promoting its service offering as a product of that strength. Going hand-in-hand with this is networking – an integral part of a freelancer’s activity.
Keeping in touch with fellow freelancers and updating oneself with industry trends is important to help nurture one’s industry insight to keep sharp and in-the-know about upcoming opportunities. Forming part of a freelancer’s community also helps build strong connections with like-minded individuals, which could result in collaborations and referrals too, widening one’s career horizons.
To Conclude
As the gig economy continues to grow it becomes more likely that professionals, particularly in tech-based fields, will take on a freelance career path. The above points should help one gauge whether they see themselves taking on this type of working lifestyle, one which is becoming more popular amongst the Millennial generation and which is taking up the majority of the working population.