From a Lone Freelancer to a Team Manager
Since I got the first job in oDesk, I had the opportunity to work with various job assignments. I was one of those who are complaining how difficult it is to land on a freelance job. I also have the skills to do a job, but it seemed to me that the jobs that are posted on oDesk look quite complicated. Besides, I had a full time day job which always required me to work overtime. I applied to some jobs then I got one rejection after another. I got my Payoneer card but no one was interesting in hiring me for a job.
Until I left my full time job and decided to find greener pastures. I went on to apply to companies near my place. One company offered me a good package because they wanted to hire me but I declined the job. During that time my adventures in freelancing had started to pay off.
That was a good thing, because after a year, many companies in my field are starting to crumble due to the financial crisis. If I had accepted that work and got retrenched this time, then I would become a lonely and desperate unemployed bum at home!
At the beginning freelancing was not very easy, even if I got skills. My experience don’t match those job assignments that are posted on many freelancing sites. I can design websites, but I do not have the experience in designing e-commerce sites. No client would want to hire someone who had not even tried designing e-commerce sites.
I applied to a number of jobs, lost all of them, applied to another batch, and lost them again. I was about to give up until I scoured around the internet for answers – on how to be a successful freelancer.
Not long I learned all the bits and pieces of freelancing. I adopted the ways of the entrepreneur and stopped thinking as an employee. I learned how to plan and how to make good decisions. I learned how to make use of my time. I learned how to survive!
Soon, I was jumping up and down on my first interview invitation. My first interview – in oDesk! I was too happy. Somebody finally noticed me. Just after that chat interview, I was hired! I did not even expect to be hired, but then I nervously started my first five hours in oDesk and got good feedback.
One freelance job came after another and soon I was swamped with offers coming from oDesk buyers who wanted me to do their job assignments. It was not long when I found myself working with two projects at a time! During that time I was trying hard to work on a simple website using dial-up internet at maximum speed of 56 kbps.
I had learned my lesson well in working with freelance projects. I eventually learned to find which freelance jobs are in demand – and tried to learn those skills to cope up with that demand. I learned how to communicate – being active in forums, social networks and blogging surely improved my communication skills. I’ve also learned to find and work with other freelancers to cover the skills where I lack or to meet deadlines. I had to upgrade my own equipment as well – my slow 56 kbps DSL is now replaced with a faster 1 Mbps internet.
I am not a lone freelancer anymore. I have already built a team of freelancers. This is the next challenge in my freelance career – to lead!
Tagged with: freelance thoughts
Category: Freelancing
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.-= Blasting Mind´s last blog ..10...
Very inspiring Gem
Thanks for sharing it. COngrats and Good lUck!
It’s good to hear you’re doing so well. It’s a good time for freelancers as unemployment rises. The jobs still need to get done.
That’s a very very very inspiring post, just what like renz said above me. Yes, blogging does improve ones writing skills. I had noticed that too with my experience.
I’m happy that you’re a successful freelancer. I was a full time employee and a freelancer before. And I love freelance work more than the other one.
If people would only read more on Gem’s old posts on this blog, they’ll be envy and would want to be a freelancer too. But as Gem said, it’s not that easy.
And oo nga pala, team manager ka na!!! Congrats! Isa ba si veeboy sa mga tao mo hehehe
Even if it’s team manager job, very informal lang ang palakad. It will still need leadership and management skills though and it will help a lot but not as complicated as those ones that are done in employed jobs.
Money is a primary motivation for this kind of team.
Wow, that is really a great challenge Gem. I am freelancing part time too and I know how hard it is to land a first freelancing job. I love doing freelance work too but the pay is not really that reliable. I need to have a fixed income though so I need to keep my day(or should I say night since I’m in a call center) job.
But hey, congrats Gem for stepping up another level in your freelancing endeavor. I wish you all the best. And who knows I might work with you in the future
Work with me? Hehehe. Sure! We could divide parts of the job that needs to be done.
What makes freelancing very nice is the fact that with it, you get to be the boss
Rock on Gem!
Hi team manager ate Gem, hehehe. Thanks for sharing your thoughts on freelancing. And thank you very much for all your help.
Someday, i’ll repay.
You’re welcome. True, freelancing is not really easy- I realized that later. It’s not all being very good at those skills that you can do, you need to learn other stuff like admin work, negotiating, “people” and management/leadership skills – even if you are a lone freelancer.
Thanks for this post. This is an inspiring one. I have two small jobs at odesk and I maintain 5 blogs! (though I don’t earn that much in blogging). Somehow, it’s still not enough. I have a full-time job, working in a call center and I don’t know if I want to quit it or not (3 years na kasi).
Reading your entry makes me really think that my calling is through web design and programming, but I still need to master the skills. I hope I can learn more. I hope I can decide what I really want as somehow I’m stressed out with all the juggling of work. Will be reading more from your posts.
Ed´s last blog ..got back from Argao
Thank you so much. Two small jobs as a start is better than having no job history at all – it is still a better start than those who had not been able to establish job history in oDesk.
Very inspiring. I hope other freelancers could read this – especially those who have a hard time bagging their first assignment. I always tell that to them – one assignment is the start of many projects. The question is, how you can keep up with the growing number of projects. In 2 months of freelancing, I’ve also built my ‘team’ because of projects coming in (though I usually do it on my own if I still can…)
Here’s to full-time freelancers. Cheers!