What Is Freelancing

What is freelancing and how does it work

A complete guide to freelance work

Whether you want to be your own boss, experiment with a new career, or have a side hustle that focuses on your passion project, freelancing may be the way to go. And, if you decide to do freelance work, you won't be alone.

In 2019, an MBO Partners survey found that nearly 41.1 million Americans identified themselves as freelancers, working a few hours a month or full-time. To break it down a bit further, about 15 million workers claim to be part-time freelancers and 12.4 million full-time freelancers!

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With such numbers, it is imperative that freelancers and freelancers prepare themselves. Use this guide to understand what freelancing is, how to find companies and jobs, and the qualities needed to succeed as a freelancer.

Note:

FlexJobs is a long-time leader in helping job seekers find the highest quality remote, work-from-home, hybrid and flexible jobs. You can sign up for premium-level access to our database of hand-screened online job listings, as well as job search and career webinars and many other great resources! Find out how FlexJobs can help your job search today!

The Complete Guide to Administrative Icon Freelancing

What is Freelancing? Definition and meaning

Basically, a freelance job is one where a person works for themselves instead of working for a company. Although freelancers take on contract work for companies and organizations, they are ultimately self-employed.

Freelancers are responsible for many things that traditional employees are not, such as scheduling their work hours, keeping track of time spent on various projects, billing clients, and paying their own employment and business taxes. Freelancers are not considered "employees" by the companies they work for, but rather "contractors".

What is a freelancer? Definition and meaning

The meaning of "freelancer" is very broad. A freelancer is a person who is self-employed, often working for multiple clients at a time and earning per project. When you are looking for freelance jobs, there are several conditions to be aware of. They can help you find freelance work opportunities and are also useful when describing the work you do to potential clients.

Types of Freelance Jobs:

Contract Work: Jobs where you are a temporary contract worker rather than a permanent employee.

Contract Work: Same as contract work.

Independent contractor: Another common way of saying freelancer, but the terms of your work are specified by a contract with another company or person.

1099: The IRS form filled out by an independent contractor, Form 1099-MISC, and is often used to describe work ("this is the role of a 1099 contract").

Contract Consultant: Someone hired to provide temporary advice on specific issues within the company.

Contract-to-Hire: A job that starts as a freelance, independent contractor position but has the potential to become a regular employee position if all goes well.

How to find freelance work

Focusing on companies known to hire freelancers can be a great way to start your search for freelance work. For example, these employers posted the most freelance openings on FlexJobs:

Kforce
Kelly
Ajilon
Principal of Accountancy
Randstad
Robert Half International
Stride, Inc.
Solomon Page
Dahl Consulting
Cactus Communications

Most Common Freelance Career Fields

As you can see from FlexJobs' freelance job listings, various companies, organizations and government agencies hire freelancers. You'll find work in almost every career imaginable, and freelance jobs vary from short, temporary projects to long-term, full-time projects.

These fields employ the most freelancers:

Accounting and finance

administrative

writing

Customer service

bilingual

Computers and IT

Medical health

editing

HR & Recruiting

Education and training

Advantages and disadvantages of freelancing

Every job has pros and cons and freelancing is no different. Being aware of challenges can ensure you are prepared for them.

Benefits of Freelancing

Having control over your workload, the clients you work with, and your income is a significant benefit of freelancing. When you freelance, you're in the driver's seat. Decide which jobs you will accept, which clients you want to work for, and your pay rate. Depending on your skill level, it is possible to work part-time hours but may be paid full-time.

Flexibility and remote work is also an advantage. Most of the time, working on freelance projects involves working from your home office at a time of your choice. You will have deadlines to meet, but you decide when and where you work.

Disadvantages of Freelancing

With ultimate control comes additional responsibility. As a freelancer, you're a business owner, and you have to do taxes, invoicing, getting paid, finding your own health insurance, and buying every piece of software and technology you need to complete your work.

Feast or famine syndrome is another real downside of freelancing. Some months you will be filled to the brim with work, while the next may be a ghost town. You can count on a flexible contract with a client, only to suddenly find out they no longer need you. Freelancing requires good money management and constant sourcing of new clients.

Traits and Traits Needed as a Freelancer

There are certain qualities you should possess to set yourself up for freelance success. While not an all-inclusive list, these essential features will give you an idea of where to focus.

Discipline

No boss is watching you out of the corner of their eye and coworkers aren't there to judge you when you spend an hour shopping online instead of working. Staying on track requires self-discipline.

Perseverance

Persistence is always important, but even more so when you're starting out as a freelancer and trying to track down work.

Endurance

As a freelancer there's one word you'll hear more than anything: no. Rejection is the name of the game, and you have to let it roll off your back.

organization

You are responsible for various tasks. It's up to you to keep track of your income and expenses, respond promptly to client emails, stay on top of your deadlines, organize your files and streamline your workload.

active

You don't have to be outgoing in the traditional sense, but you do need to be a little aggressive to land new clients. If you want to grow your business, you need to be comfortable networking and interacting with strangers, whether you're doing it in person or digitally.

Communicative

Being a freelancer involves a lot of communication. You have to be willing to have difficult conversations—like negotiating a higher rate or breaking up with a client—and handle them tactfully and professionally. A boss or other colleague to take care of the dirty work for you.

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