How to optimize your profile as a freelancer?

As a freelancer, it is important to find the right project and client at the right time. But, we often want to go too fast because we are afraid to miss new business opportunities. Therefore, to increase your chances of getting the right project, we gathered a few tips to help you optimize your profile.

1. A completed profile is a qualitative profile

Finding a new project as a freelancer is not always easy. It is normal to want to increase your chances by registering on various platforms, social networks, or Job boards. However, don’t confuse speed with haste!

Moreover, it is essential to optimize your profile from the very beginning of the recruitment process if you want to make a good impression and get the project you are interested in. It is in your best interest to take the time to complete the information required to highlight and value your skills. If you apply with an uncompleted profile or if inconsistencies are discovered, it can give a bad impression to the company. They will be confused and may think that you are not motivated, or you are not precise enough.

Accordingly, to help freelancers complete their profile on Beelance, we give them the ability to import their data from LinkedIn. With this feature, the profile is pre-filled and it can be used as the first base of information. To optimize the profile, it is necessary to update the knowledge levels and to complete all this information with a CV, a picture, a description, or links to a portfolio or social networks.

In addition, you can have your profile authenticated to stand out from other freelancers and increase your chances of getting in touch with a client. To obtain this badge, you must meet a number of conditions and submit a verification request. The Beelance team will carefully analyze the profile and accept the badge if the profile is qualitative.

2. Consistency and relevancy

Multiplying the media to increase your chances of finding a project can be a good strategy. But, creating various profiles on the internet leaves digital traces that will constitute your digital identity. To be sure your digital identity is optimized and will help your applications, make sure to maintain consistency between the information provided on the different profiles.

We advise you to target the media according to their relevance and your field of work. Then, choose one in particular that you will use as your main medium (for example; your website). The others will be secondary media that will serve/complete the one you have chosen as your main medium (for example; LinkedIn profile).

To higher your chances, you must also provide relevant and clear information. As a freelancer, it is mainly necessary that you highlight your expertise, your added value, the technologies you use, and also the results obtained on each of your projects. Use the STAR method (Situation, Task, Action, Result) to gather all this information for each project you have carried out. Plus, it is a method that is also frequently used for interviews, so you will already be prepared to answer optimally to the recruiters!

Don’t hesitate to mention training and certifications to show that your skills are up to date. Moreover, it shows your interest in constantly wanting to evolve. Thanks to all this, the client will be able to better project himself and imagine a potential collaboration with you. 

On Beelance, we encourage personalization as much as possible to allow freelancers to take ownership of their profile. This is why we have added the possibility to put different links that can redirect the client to a personal website, for example. When the freelancer applies, the client receives the complete profile and this allows him to have all the information to make the right decision.

3. Take the time to write

No matter what medium (CV, LinkedIn, platform…) you use to promote your profile. Take the time to write a text to introduce yourself and to mention what you are looking for and what your expectations are. What kind of projects are you interested in? What are your availabilities? Do you have any preferences of location or rate? What are your specializations? Being transparent and clear with your future client will only benefit you and will guarantee you to find the right project.

Just like LinkedIn, it is possible to write a text (max. 200 characters) on the platform to accompany your profile. It is a small introduction that can make a difference when you apply because it is the first thing that will be visible to the client. Then you have the opportunity to go deeper thanks to our new feature that allows you to add a cover letter if you wish.

4. Is it necessary to stand out with a cover letter?

For employee positions, it is frequently asked to make a detailed cover letter to justify someone’s application. What about this method when you are a freelancer? It’s interesting… as long as you don’t write a traditional cover letter!

In an increasingly competitive world, it is necessary to stand out and attract the interest of a potential client. It is then interesting to explain in a few sentences what you can bring to the project as an individual, but also to explain how your services as a professional can help them move forward. Be clear about what role you want to play in the future project and get straight to the point.

Consequently, since October 2020, we give the possibility to our freelancers to accompany their applications with a text (maximum 1000 characters). The purpose of this text is to generate interest and increase the chances of being interviewed by the potential client. If the application is accompanied by a message, this will be the first thing they will see when they discover the freelancer’s profile. This first contact is appreciated and helps to clarify the profile from the very beginning.

5. Add recommendations 

In conclusion, if you want to speed up the process, there is no secret: the potential client must trust you. Even today, it is still important to gather recommendations that will support your application. Always keep your former clients’ contact information on hand so that they can testify about what you have brought them. Moreover, it can always be useful to keep this contact information for future business opportunities.

In your Beelance profile you can add up to three referees. Your profile will be more convincing and the client will be reassured to see that your work has satisfied previous clients. We systematically take references in order to facilitate and accelerate the recruitment process.