Freelancers and independent contractors work within what is often described as the gig economy, and there is virtually no limit to who can freelance. There are freelance professionals working in every sector from coding and web designing to security and retail these days. Unfortunately, the main problem faced by freelancers is that they have trouble finding gigs on a continuous basis.
This, in turn, makes it difficult for freelancers to enjoy financial stability. On the other hand, those that have learned to work the gig economy to its full extent may disagree. Let’s take a look at some of the tips for working smarter as a part-time and full-time freelancer.
Stay Updated with Shiftsmart Job Alerts
Apps are very helpful for freelancers searching for work opportunities. The Shiftsmart Partner app, for example, has been developed for temp workers to find new jobs relevant to their field of work. Part-timers can moonlight by adding extra shifts to their current work schedule, while full-time freelancers can rely on the app to find a steady stream of temp jobs. Simply open an account in the app to start receiving timely alerts about freelance opportunities that are relevant to you.
Improve Your Resume
The average fast-food worker earns about $9 – $10 per hour in the United States, leaving very little hope for any significant, per-hour pay boost for them in the future. Anyone can add more shifts to supplement their meagre income, but they will still get paid in accordance with their qualifications, experience, and field of work. Even with tips, it can make it hard to earn a living wage.
Therefore, if you can expand your resume to include new skills that are relevant to your present field of work, you should be able to increase both your employability and income potential. Understand that if you really wish to boost your income well beyond the minimum or average wage, you might have to switch careers altogether.
Learn an In-Demand Skill
People can do much better by changing lanes and starting their freelance career on a more profitable route. Next, we have a list of better paid freelance occupations available to people who have an adequate resume to take on the respective roles:
- Cement Masonry – $15 – $20 per hour.
- Tool and die maker – $20 – $25 per hour.
- Audio/video technician – $20 – $25 per hour.
- Analytics (market research and operations research) – $30 – $50.
- Mobile application development – $60 – $80+ hour.
If you have any special job skills such as the ones mentioned above, or even just experience in one of the several in-demand sectors, moonlighting can augment your present income quite well. In case you do not have a special set of skills, that is not necessarily the end of the road either. Sure, you will have to take jobs that don’t pay as well, but those low-mid wage jobs actually have a much higher rate of temp openings than the higher-paid ones.