Ultimate Freelancer Career Development Guide [+ Useful Resources]

Growing admiration of flexible work times and escaping sedentary work conditions have definitely led to the freelancing boom these past few years. Freelancing, also known as independent contracting and project-based work, refers to a work arrangement of independently providing services or skills to different companies or individual clients based on projects. By freelancing, people believe they do not have to give up on their dreams to see the world, take opportunities, and be present in life, whilst still having a job to make a living. 

Career development for freelancers is one of the most crucially important aspects of the job - with contract-free work that implies demand and income uncertainty, it is beneficial for freelancers to always seek extra knowledge and further develop their skills for professional growth. This article will focus on exploring the creation of a career development plan, and the utilization of resources that are helpful for freelancers.

It is good to first start by acknowledging and truly understanding the importance of career development for a freelancing career. Freelancer career development can be extremely beneficial in the following ways: 

1. Staying relevant in a dynamic market

In our current generation, as the popular saying goes, change is indeed the new constant. The world presents us with new inventions, trends and industries every day - the ability to keep up and stay relevant through doing freelancing as a career includes keeping up-to-date with the direction your industry is going towards, and adapting professionally along the way. This way, you can always welcome new generations of clients in the long-run.

2. Expanding skills sets and services

Flexibility is a major factor why people want to pursue a freelancing career. What many people are not aware of is that, with the flexibility freelancing encompasses, freelancers have more freedom to never stop trying new things in their field of expertise and continuously diversify their various skill sets, which they should definitely do.

3. Enhancing credibility and reputation

Similar to white collar workers who have a 9-5 full time day job, a freelancer’s wonderful reputation can be a career catalyst. When clients are comparing your services off to other freelancers’, it can really quickly come down to your credibility and reputation. Knowledge on how to master personal branding and build your reputation should be a to-do in your career development plan.

4. Increase efficiency and productivity

Always seeking strategies to improve your productivity when producing freelance work or services can save up much of your valuable time and energy! Because freelancers work independently and usually have a relatively smaller community, it is essential to work towards being more efficient and productive each day, which is a topic you will come across very often during developing your freelance career professionally.

5. Building a competitive edge

Let your career development journey unleash unprecedented potential that only you can offer! Gain competitive advantage by exploring new areas of your field to then find unique domains you can specialize in. This takes time, but sooner or later, you will soon set your freelance career to a success!

What is a career development plan? A career development plan refers to a specifically outlined plan of actions or steps one must take to work towards achieving his career development goals, which includes upgrading skills and gaining experience. 

Not sure where to start? Lucky for you, we have listed these key steps and points you should definitely include in your career development plan:

1. Assessing Your Freelance Skills

Before jumping directly into a specific area of your field that you “have decided” to develop professionally, it is best to first know where you currently stand - your strengths and areas that might need improvement. 

You can do this by firstly identifying the technical, soft, and niche-specific skills that you need to have to be successful in your industry. Afterwards, rate yourself honestly using a numerical or ordinal scale. Take into consideration the feedback and opinions of former colleagues as well. Online tests are also available on the internet, if you are trying to assess more technical skills such as programming languages or your proficiency using softwares. This also gives a great idea where you compare to by a benchmark. 

As the market is continuously evolving, honing in-demand skills is tremendously advantageous to maintain a competitive advantage amongst other freelancers. Make sure to include new skills as well!

2. Setting Freelance Career Goals

Like many other things in this world, setting a goal is a crucial step in the creation of a plan. When creating your career development plan, set clear goals that can be a point you can always refer back to. To ensure that these goals are sustainable and will stick with you in the long-run, it is important to make them reasonable and achievable. Setting unrealistic goals can potentially demotivate you, causing you to be less productive.

Also, setting long-term and short-term goals separately can not only help you track your progress better, but can also keep you focused and motivated.

3. Building a Strong Personal Brand

Personal branding is never more important for anyone working independently and contract-free! The way you “carry yourself” and the way you make an impression to a client may determine whether a client wants to move forward with your service or not. Your personal branding should be welcoming, attractive, yet still exudes credibility. Most freelancers can show this through a portfolio, website, or a social media page.

4. Navigating the Freelance Market

To make sure that your amazing freelance services can reach the correct audience, do a thorough research on freelance platforms and marketplaces that are right for you. Different clients looking for different services go to different platforms - it is important to know which platforms best list freelance services in the field you’re offering. 

In order to become truly familiar with various platforms, it is helpful to network with fellow freelancers through conferences and other social events, where exchange of information amongst freelancers often occurs. Listening to other people’s past experiences may help give you an idea of what platform suits you best. 

5. Managing Finances and Contracts

For some people, doing finance and contract-related matters with nobody to help is probably the most dreadful part of freelancing. When you are just starting, you will have to understand how to set rates, do budgeting, do invoicing, as well as how to draft a contract. Surprisingly, these tasks will easily make up quite a big part of your career development plan. 

Clear and professional contracts will help you avoid undesirable misunderstandings and not having to do tasks beyond what has been agreed upon. This will also indirectly benefit your client, as they understand the term and other aspects of their project.

If you are not sure where to start in learning financial management for freelancing, here are a few resources that might help get you started: 

• Freelancers Union
• The Balance Money
• Freshbooks
• Mint

Ultimately, if you still feel unsure and in need of more serious help, reach out to financial advisors and consultants, and be at ease with their professional services.

6. Upskilling and Continuous Learning

Career development is all about continuous skill enhancement and acquiring knowledge. This should be what your career development plan revolves around. Freelancing tends to be more dynamic, which is why it is important to keep up with current trends and industry advancements. 

There are many numerous ways a freelancer can upskill, including taking online courses, attending seminars or workshops, and even networking at conferences. Keep on reading the article to find out resources that may help you in achieving your career development goals! Invest in yourself to add more value to your services - impress your client and stay relevant in the market!

7. Time Management and Productivity

Freelancers do not have a precise 9-5 working time clock, flexible working times are frequently glorified -  what most people do not see, however, is that time management has become a common struggle for many freelancers. 

Being able to manage your time well, by doing time-blocking or using the infamous Pomodoro technique, can steer you far away from procrastination. To boost your efficiency, here is a list of tools and apps that can help you be more productive:

• Trello
• Toggl
• Clockify
• Asana
• Notion
• Google Calendar

No matter how productive you want to be when managing your working schedule, do not forget to also carve time out for yourself. After all, work-life balance is one of the big goals in freelancing - burnout is our greatest enemy!

8. Seeking Feedback and Professional Development

Lastly, along the way, as a part of your continuous learning, do not stop asking feedback from clients, mentors, and fellow freelancers. Once you identify areas for improvement, you can work on them, and further add competitive advantage to your freelance services.

Career development for freelancers is not a simple thing to do - although freelancers do not have supervisors to guide and advise them along the way, it doesn’t mean that they cannot learn from other, more experienced people in their field. Mentorship can boost your professional development, help enhance your skills, and is definitely beneficial for your long-term growth. After all, having someone who can help you excel and thrive in your career, and be proud to help, is never said to be undesirable.

There are plenty of handy tools available that can further guide and be a helpful reference for your professional development. Don’t forget to include utilizing these resources as a part of your plan to achieve your career development goals:

1. Specialist literature

Specialist literatures are often used by experts to gain in-depth insights of a particular field, as these scholarly publications are deemed to be one of the most reliable sources to seek knowledge from. If you want to start your career development journey by understanding theories or interpreting data, specialist literature is a good place to start.

2. Webinars

One of the best ways to gain insights in any particular field or industry is to learn from someone who has acumen and valuable experience in the industry for years and years! Webinars, which is short for Web-based Seminar, are online educational seminars delivered remotely, where you can learn, interact, and ask questions to experts in the field, from the comfort of your own home. From these webinars, you might get the opportunity to find a mentor that can help you with your career development plan!

Other times, webinars are also referred to as online courses, which are recorded classes taught by experts and professors from reputable universities that you can watch at your own time. These online courses also often provide you with certifications, which can definitely add value to your freelancing career‘s credibility.

3. Workshops or seminars

Want to get hands-on, practical experience for your freelancing career? Learning by doing is definitely an effective way to grow professionally. If you cannot wait to implement the knowledge you have obtained from academic journals and online courses, taking part in a workshop is the next great step for you!

Workshops are engaging and interactive sessions that allow participants to try and apply what they have learned in real-world scenarios. A workshop can be delivered using various methods, and usually includes practical activities such as collaborative projects, problem-solving tasks, and software tutorials. 

4. Blogs

If the reason you chose freelancing as a career is because you prefer working by yourself and have minimal social interaction with others, then the idea of Webinars and Workshop may seem daunting. Online blogs, on the other hand, can be an amazing alternative that allows freelancers to learn from each other, have discussions and create a community.

Reading blogs allows you to learn from people’s past experiences, get some useful tips and tricks, and also to expose yourself to different perspectives or strategies. 

5. Conferences or fairs

Despite the independence and flexibility a freelancing career offers, knowing fellow freelancers or professionals in your field, and having a sense of belonging in the industry, is still something nice to have. A way you can meet many other enthusiasts in your field is by going to conferences and fairs. At the end of the day, networking is a huge and important part of career development. 

Conferences and fairs are not usually held too often - typically annually, semi-annually, or once every few months, which is perfect if being social drains you! These events may introduce you to new innovations, or perhaps be the start of exciting collaborations.

6. Print magazines

Print magazines are physically printed publications of magazines that usually cover a wide range of in-trend topics, which consumers read on a regular basis. Although its popularity has decreased with the rise of digitization, you can still definitely find invaluable insights on key trends of your specific field, or just generally of the current, latest news. 

Many people who are subscribers of the product state that printed magazines have saved them lots of time on compiling different kinds of news or information, with ease that the content is reliable. Additionally, several print magazines provide niche-focused content filled with profound knowledge, which can help you achieve your career development goals.

• Setting clear career development goals and having a career development plan is an essential step to take as a freelancer in order to stay relevant and competitive in the ever-evolving market.
• Personal branding, financial management, and networking will have a significant influence on your professional career journey. Try your best to master them!
• There are plenty of resources freelancers can utilize to enhance skills, gain expertise, and add value to their careers.

To conclude, in order to reach goals and be successful as a freelancer, career development is a key factor that cannot be skipped. Start taking small steps and never stop learning to accelerate your professional career - your future self will thank you!

CakeResume is an online job search platform with thousands of postings for work in Taiwan, including internship, part-time, and freelance opportunities. Follow CakeResume to find more engaging content and advice on how to excel professionally!

--- Originally written by Lorencia Ang Budijono ---