Job Market 2010: Get Social
If you’re on the search for freelance work online, there’s nothing better than a good network of professionals to assist you in your search. While the freelance services listed on our site are great, one item people often forget is image and presence on the web. It’s 2010 and times are changing. The days of paper resumes are dying and now it’s moving online to actual proof.
Many freelancers starting out often forget about marketing, but marketing yourself is a major key to success in the freelance job marketplace. The team at Writenow has posted a few tips below to help you build you online presence and improve your marketability, with the ultimate goal of landing yourself a variety of great freelance positions.
- Get your own website
- If you don’t have somewhere to highlight your work, then no one will see it. Companies like being able to just take a look at a person’s website and get to know a little about what you can do before they make a decision. If you’ve proven yourself in other positions and have a portfolio of example to show off, why not do it? Get a website today and build your online resume.
- Start a Blog
- You now have a website, why not add a blog to it and start posting information relevant to your specific area of expertise? No one may be listening at first, but over time you’ll have a wide range of examples of who you are and how knowledgeable you are in a specific field. People will come in time, so long as your content is good.
- Build your network
- You can’t do it alone without knowing people first. If you’ve been in the industry long enough to move into freelance work, then you probably have a network of people thriving on the web waiting to connect with you virtually. These connections may lead to freelance work, or just great references. Here are few places you need to be seen on.
- Linkedin.com
- It’s essentially a social network for professionals. If you’re in the technology sector, chances are most of your peers are on here already. Since you’re starting out, the sooner you build your network, the better. A good size network of professionals helps people know you’re in tune with a knowledge base of professionals. LinkedIn is also an online resume that allows your coworkers to recommend your work.
- Facebook.com
- It’s not just for kids anymore. Facebook is a place to network with other professionals. Like LinkedIn, there’s no better time than now to get starting building you profile.
- Twitter.com
- As a professional, it’s not a bad idea to get on Twitter, but less important than the previous two. Twitter is a place you can use to write briefs about your expertise and link back to your site. You can also listen to what other professionals are saying and chime in.
- Online Forums and Answers
- If you have the time, search forums and blogs using key terms tied to your area of expertise. Chime in and build a reputation on sites you like. The more knowledge you share on other people’s problems, the better. People have built careers starting out just by chiming in actively on blogs. If people see you’re knowledgeable, the offers will come.