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Applying for a freelance job position can be a daunting process no matter how much experience you carry under your belt. It doesn’t matter how educated and confident you are, there are always applicants that are all that and more. This can become even more frustrating if you’re a novice in the field and don’t have much experience and confidence to back you up.

On the one hand, the job search can be tough for newbies. But on the other, we all have heard of the person who just went online without a second’s thought and secured a steady income overnight. It seems as though there are either people who are extremely lucky or that there is a magical corner of the internet where it seems to be raining jobs that everyone’s been hiding from you.

It might come as a surprise, but none of that is true.

The secret to getting a freelance job is actually not that different to getting a traditional job. The process is really simple when you think about it: you’re an expert in a sea of experts. The only way to be noticed is to stand out.

In a regular job interview you can do this in hundreds of ways, from telling a relevant story to careful usage of body language. But if you have an online platform that represents who you are, the best way to get noticed is to fill in your profile in the way that showcases the most outstanding parts of both, your work, and your personality.

If you’re a newbie with trouble getting gigs, read on for some tips on how to create a freelance profile that stands out from the crowd, and become one of those people who magically have jobs fall into their laps.

How to write about your career

Knowing how to create a freelance profile that stands out from the crowd is easier on some platforms than on others. But it doesn’t really matter which platform you use–a freelance profile that stands out looks about the same everywhere!

The way these websites work is by filling out your profile with a nice profile overview or summary. Make your overview concise and to the point. Only mention relevant work experience, and when you do, dedicate at least one paragraph to lessons you’ve learned while gaining it.

If you still don’t have any experience in the field, write about some important things you learned at school or volunteering. Mention everything seemingly unimportant, and elaborate on how the lessons you’ve learned actually hold relevance to your profession.

Another crucial lesson in learning how to create a freelance profile that shoots for the moon is to talk about your field in an innovative way. It’s not uncommon to go through some soul-searching while switching jobs, so you might as well do it when creating your freelance profile. Ask yourself why you have chosen this career and this particular field. Where does your love for it come from? Since you were a child? How did it grow? And, if you do love your profession, how do you want to build on it? What do you bring to the table?

For example, if you’re graphic designer, talk about why you love design, what made you choose it as a career path, what infuriates you about the way graphic design is done today, and how would you make it better. What are some innovative techniques and fresh outlooks you want to apply to your process?

If you want to come across as someone who is passionate about what they do, you better show your potential clients you thought about it more often than absolutely necessary. You might have been bored and uninspired at your last jobs editing ready-made templates, but that doesn’t mean you aren’t passionate about design!

Dive deep and think about what you want to do with your skills and what role you want to play in the world with them. This is a surefire way to create a freelance profile that stands out from the rest of the crowd.

How to talk about yourself

Talking about ourselves is the most overlooked part in learning how to create a freelance profile that stands out from the crowd. That’s because people think that achievements alone pave the way through all the competition. But when there are a lot of educated and prolific professionals with their eyes on the same job as you, that’s not going to be of much help.

Learning how to write about yourself on professional platforms is the pivotal part of making your freelance profile stand out.

People are often confused whenever they need to write a sentence about themselves that isn’t strictly professionally-driven. Things like: communicative, driven, organized–they all look wrong and sound trite. But on the other hand, not writing these pointless words feels like falling a few steps behind your competitor who, surely, used those words. But you can’t help it: writing these things just sounds like lying. It sounds like you are writing them for the hell of it.

But the thing is, if your potential employers asked those questions, it’s probably because they need that information. As excruciating as it is, your bio is the most important part of your profile, whichever platform you choose to use. It’s the bit that actually sets you apart, because it shows you as a person, not only as a list of skills identical to that one of your competitor.

The reason many people hate writing about themselves is because it all sounds fake and you can’t actually believe the employer is going to buy it. And if that’s your line of thinking–it’s pretty on point. The secret is not to write about yourself in an exclusively and exaggeratedly positive manner.

The trick is to write honestly: list all your strengths, list all your weaknesses (ok, maybe not all of them), the lessons you had to learn to become conscious of them, and what you did to work on them, and how, in the end, it made you a better person. Surely far better, stronger, and more honest than the person that is simply communicative, positive and driven.

Now you know how to create a freelance profile that stands out from the crowd. There are really two basic parts to any freelance job search: Talking about yourself, and talking about your job. Once you learn how to present these two important narratives, you’ll have your hands full of work in no time.

Just remember to be honest, humble, and confident when talking about yourself, and passionate when talking about your career.

I will show you tips, strategies and share valuable information that will allow you to achieve your income goals. You can find me online at www.theincomespot.com. You will learn about freelancing–work from home, side gigs, online freelancing resources.