Best Practices For Freelance Working

Good working practices are essential to freelancers, helping them to build networks, manage client relationships and develop themselves, an article on the Business Insider website says.

Three freelancing experts – Elance-oDesk senior vice president Jaleh Bisharat, freelance culture writer Ann Friedman and freelance designer Margot Harrington – offer some essential tips for freelancers.

freelancers must constantly improve and develop their skills and knowledge

Firstly, freelancers must keep their skills up-to-date, because the required expertise for many jobs keeps changing. In order to keep up with requirements, freelancers must constantly improve and develop their skills and knowledge, Bisharat says.

Another important element highlighted by Bisharat is the ability to be fast in your responses. This responsiveness is something that is valued by clients as it demonstrates that you care about their success.

Networking can also prove to be beneficial for freelancers and it is as important as the job itself, according to Friedman. In her view, networking should be viewed as an exchange of ideas, rather than just meeting people who might offer you work in the future. The writer also thinks that building lasting relationships on a peer level is essential in the long run. Why? Well, one of the reasons is because the people that freelancers work with now can turn out to be their employers in the future.

Lastly, Harrington says that freelancers must be able to set boundaries and limits for their clients. The need for this becomes particularly clear when a boundary has been breached. For example, a client could contact you at an inconvenient time to talk about work that needs to be done. To avoid this happening, freelancers must discuss expectations with their clients.