You have decided working as a freelancer and have just signed up at Kiduchi for freelance jobs. That’s a great step, but how will clients consider hiring you for your first and many more freelance jobs?

Most newbie freelancers ask this question. Every now and then, we see similar questions via our social platforms. They usually wonder what they should do to convince a client to hire them. We totally understand where they are coming from. The freelance market place can generally be a tricky place to be when you are just starting as a freelancer. This is because, clients want to see your Kiduchi experience, some feedback and at list some work from previous clients. But then, you are just new, how do you get some feedback yet no one is willing to give you a chance just yet? It sounds like you will be chasing your own tail! No worries though, I can assure you that this situation doesn’t last.

Landing your first gig at Kiduchi as a newbie requires a bit of perseverance. You have to work hard and apply for jobs on the market place. When applying for freelance jobs, you have to stand out from the crowd. You can achieve this by not sending the “Me To” kind of proposals. The “me too” kind of proposal is simply a shallow proposal with nothing unique. Though these alone isn’t enough to land you the job. Below are a few checks that will help you maneuver through Kiduchi marketplace and increase your chances of landing that important first gig:-

1.    Maintain professionalism throughout your profile

For you to be successful, it will depend on how professional your profile looks. Profession is power. The more powerful your profile, the easier it will be for you to impress employers whether online or offline. At Kiduchi, your main goal is to attract clients, and not just clients but good quality clients. To achieve this, you have to fully fill your Kiduchi profile. Enrich it with all the details necessary for the services you’re offering at the marketplace. Customize the profile to showcase your skills such that when a client is going through it, they will have a glimpse of what you are capable of. They also will have an idea of who you are even before they decide to hire you. It is best practice to specialize in a niche you have vast experience in. Ensure all your profile information directly relate to this niche.

Use keywords relevant to your niche as these keywords are what potential clients use to search for suitable freelancers. These keywords should be consistent throughout your entire profile, from title or tagline, to description all the way to skills. For example, if you are web developer, instead of selling your profession skills as a general web developer, pick a niche within the web development category and build your profile around this niche.

This can be a back-end developer, front-end or Full-stack developer, just to mention but a few. It will be even much better to narrow web development further because it is another flooded field. For example, you can pick an area or industry to cater for and focus all your strengths on it. This could be: – a photography website developer or an e-commerce store website developer. Below is an excerpt of a short story about an old man with a hammer.

The old man with the hammer:

This story tells why niching down is important. (freeCodeCamp is the original author of the story)

One fine, sunny day, the owner of a large million-dollar ship found out that the engine is not working.

He called every engineer on board and the surrounding towns, but no one could fix it.

Then they brought in an old man who specializes in fixing ship engines. He immediately got to work and inspected the engine from top to bottom.

The owner was watching as the old man reached into his bag, took out a small hammer, tapped something with the hammer, and the engine was instantly brought to life.

A week later, the owner received an invoice from the old man for $10,000.

The ship owner didn’t want to pay for it and said, “He hardly did anything!” So he requested for an itemized bill.

This is what the old man sent:

A lifetime of experience made him an expert at fixing ship engines and he had every right to charge like one.

Do you think that if he spent his life spreading himself too thinly by repairing any machinery, he would gain the expertise that he needed to “know where to tap”?

If he was a generalist who repairs all kinds of engines, he wouldn’t be the only person in the city who knew how to solve that ship’s problem.

And that’s the principle of niching down:

Specializing in a niche gives you a higher chance at becoming a recognized expert. It places you in a better position to charge more for your services.

Back to our freelance jobs hunting profile:

When filling up your profile details, take note of the Tagline, Description, profile photo, Experience, Projects, Hourly rate and Awards & Certificates Sections

Let’s look at each section in details

Tagline

When writing your tagline, be clear and concise. This is because the tagline is the first thing your potential clients will see when your profile appears. Your tagline will either attract the client to want to know more about you or they will just pass. The tagline gives a glimpse of what you are offering in minimal words. If you are a front-end developer, state this clearly in the tagline such that the client will understand immediately whatever service you are offering. Don’t make the client have to dig deeper trying to understand what services you really are offering.

Description

This is another important section of your profile. In the description, it is where you introduce yourself explicitly to the clients. Tell them more about your tagline and what you have to offer. The main aim of the description is to tell the client how better you are than the rest. Whether as an experienced freelancer or you are just starting up in your niche. The picture below shows an example of a good description (highlighted in red)

• Profile Photo

  Every client would wish to know who they are working with. They know what you have to offer already. But they also want to know if they can trust you and by trying to link a face on your profile. Therefore, a good photo of you clearly showing your smiling face will do wonders. We recommend using simple photos with a clear and bright background. For instance: – passport photos like those you present in government offices are a perfect example. This is because they have a clear background and they show your full face nicely. DO NOT use photos with snap chat filters or other photo editing tools that add irrelevant features on your face. This is a turn off to your potential clients and they will possibly avoid you before even checking your profile.

  Experience

  If you have just signed up as a new freelancer on Kiduchi, you obviously will have no past freelance jobs on the platform to back up your skills as well as experience. This doesn’t mean that you have no professional experience. But how would you convince clients on the platform that you at list had some offline experience? To maneuver through this hurdle, you should leverage the experience section of your profile. Showcase your expertise by adding all relevant work that you have done before signing up at Kiduchi as a freelancer. The jobs you add should be able to show clients that you have been working offline.

  Projects

  The projects section is like your portfolio. This is where you will showcase your completed jobs. For example, if you are a web designer, add URL links and screenshots of previous websites you have designed.

  Hourly Rates

  It’s important to consider your level of expertise and think through the rate, as many clients will judge your expertise based on this. The rate you zero in should match the quality of work and level of expertise you are offering. Check on other freelancers in your niche on the platform to see what rates they are working with. Then use this information to guide you choose the best rate to work with. You can always adjust the rate anytime as you progress.

  Awards & Certifications

  Use this section to add weight to your experience by adding all certifications or awards you have ever achieved. The awards you put up should relate to whatever services you are offering and within your area of specialization.

  2.    Read and understand the freelance jobs descriptions

  It’s common that for you to increase the chances of a company hiring you for any job offline or online, you should demonstrate that you have some knowledge of the company and the position you are applying for. Sometimes in the freelance marketplace it can be difficult to find enough details about the client. This shouldn’t be a problem though as the job description will give you a heads up you can use.

  Show the client that you thoroughly read and fully understood their projects requirements. After, you can use it to your advantage and state how you are going to use your skills to solve their problem. If there are any questions in the description, be sure to answer them in your proposal. Also, watch out for extra instructions in the job description. For example, a client might need you to include extra info in your application, be sure to do so.

  3.    Freelance Jobs is All about Sending Convincing Proposals

  At this stage, your freelance jobs hunting profile is fully set and up-to date. You have also read and understood the job description, all its requirements and you are sure you can deliver as expected. Now it’s the time to start bidding for the job by sending out proposals. A proposal is what you will use to introduce one of the very specific service you offer to a very specific client putting into account their specific needs and requirements. Ensure its clear enough, it addresses the specific job you are applying and it is concise.

  Treat the proposal as the only available chance available to convince a client you are the best fit for their project. You can achieve this by going beyond what is in your profile and give relevant details including the value you are adding to their business, the skills you will deploy to handle the project and also mention similar projects you have handled before if any, state the timeline it will take to complete the project.

  By the time the client finishes going through your proposal, they are convinced you are a valuable asset to the success of their project. When sending your application make sure to state the amount you will charge for the project as well as any other relevant details you would wish the client to know. The trick here is to keep the proposal short, not beating around the bush and adhering to content relevant to the job you are bidding for and still make the client interested enough to slide into your inbox.

  4.    Bid for specific freelance jobs

  As a new freelancer, it’s normal to think you will increase your chances of clients hiring you for freelance jobs if you bid for as many of them as possible including those not even related to your niche. Unfortunately, doing this will only slow you down to wining your first job on Kiduchi. You should bid only for jobs within the niche you are genuinely interested in. When writing a proposal for a job within your niche of interest, it’s easier because you fully understand the requirements and you will only focus on that.

  It will also be wise to bid for recently posted freelance jobs because with these jobs, the competition is less and the client is yet to receive an overwhelming number of proposals, therefore, they will read and review your proposal among the first before the competition gets tougher. Recent freelance jobs will also be beneficial to you especially when the employer is looking to hire immediately. Clients always tend to notice the first few applicants regardless of their experience on the platform.

  5.    On-board your Offline Clients

  To increase your chances of getting repeat clients at Kiduchi, you need to have a good count of positive reviews on the platform. But without getting hired, there’s no way you will have a profile review. So what happens if you can’t find that first freelance job on Kiduchi? You have to look beyond Kiduchi. You can talk to your family, friends and other people or companies that you have interacted with offline and are already willing to work with you. Ask them to hire you on Kiduchi and once the job is complete, remind them to rate your services and give some feedback.

  Feedback helps in ranking your profile in the recommended freelancers list making it easier for more clients to notice you and even invite you to apply for more freelance jobs without you moving a finger. To maximize your chances of getting hired, directly share your Kiduchi freelancer profile across all social media platforms.

  6.    Be Flexible on freelance jobs Offer

  Most of the time you might come across offers or rates less than your minimum per hour rate. It’s advisably OK to bid for the project especially if you are still trying to improve your online professional reputation or you have little experience and your portfolio is almost empty. When just starting, it’s wise to think beyond the money and go for more than just the pay. You are better of having a clientele list and great feedback as you can always filter the rates once you build a record of jobs with high success rates which in turn will make you the most preferred freelancers for the clients you work for.

  7.    Secure an Interview

  Even if the client is impressed with your proposal, they won’t likely hire you immediately but will definitely invite you for an interview. At this point, you’re on the spotlight and this is the last step for the client to hire you for the job so you better put your best foot forward. After securing an interview, ensure that:-

  • You know the company and the contact person (the person hiring you) well before the interview as this will show the client that you are prepared enough to handle the project.
  • Prepare samples around the core skills that you will employ and be able to demonstrate how this skills will align with the client needs.
  • With your focus on client’s requirements, be sure to show or explain to them during the interview that you understand their needs and you have a viable strategy to fulfill them. You should also give suggestions on opportunities that will be beneficial to them since you are the professional here.
  • Also ask questions, this will help you gain a deeper understanding of what the client hopes to achieve. It will also help you determine if indeed you are a perfect fit for the job. This will help you do a pretty good job and get a great review at the end.

  You got everything right and you have landed your first freelance job, this is the time to deliver your promises and prove yourself. Remember to remain courteous all through, give the client regular updates on the progress and maintain professionalism throughout the project. As you continue interacting with the client, be sure to learn new things as this will be beneficial to you in future projects.

  Find freelance jobs here and start bidding!

Happy bidding and all the best. If you have any suggestions, questions rants or complaints about this article, please spill them out on the comments below!