Your freelancing profile is very similar to a formal resume. This will often be the first impression a potential employer gets of you and your skill sets. If your profile is found lacking, potential employers will likely move on to the next candidate.
The following are eight ways you can make your freelancing profile dramatically more appealing to employers:
- Demonstrate your skills with past projects. Don’t simply list the skills you feel you are proficient at; instead, demonstrate your proficiency by providing a synopsis of past projects and how you were invaluable to the projects’ successes. If you have links to your projects, include them.
- Quantify your past successes. If you were able to bring a past project in under budget or to completion ahead of schedule, put that information in your freelancing profile. Show potential employers how you’ve gone above and beyond a project’s call of duty.
- Include your certifications. If you’ve been certified in a particular field or to properly use a specific piece of technology, tell employers about it! These certifications help build your credibility before an employer even talks with you.
- Include a profile photo. Use a professional looking headshot, typically a photo in which you’re dressed formally. Employers like to have a sense of who they are going to do business with. Profiles that include a photo will attract their attention over non-photo profiles.
- Be sure to include keywords. No matter what freelancing profession you’re in, your employers are likely to be looking for very similar keywords in a profile, such as certain skill sets and technology proficiencies. Be sure to include these in your freelancing profile.
- Include references. When an employer hires a freelancer, it’s a risk. Often, the only chance they have to get to know you and your work is through your profile and perhaps a few short emails. Include references to past clients in your profile and you’ll eliminate some of that risk for the employer.
- Write a creative title. The first thing an employer will notice on your freelancing profile is your title. A catchy and creative title is far more appealing than a boring one; however, you’ll still want to keep it professional.
- Proofread, proofread, proofread. As mentioned at the beginning of this post, your freelancing profile is your chance to make a great first impression. A profile rife with misspellings, grammatical errors, and awkwardly worded sentences will make you seem less than professional and reflect poorly on your ability to provide quality work.
Randall Davidson, a co-founder of ProofreadingServices.Us, knows how hard it can be for freelancers to stand out among the crowd. He reviews the profiles of freelance proofreaders on a daily basis. Randall’s company offers English proofreading services that many freelancers use to ensure their profiles are as good as can be.
