How to find profitable freelance jobs

Everyone enjoys a little extra cash, right? Whether you are working full-time or have a part-time gig that gets your cash flow, you may have ended up in the freelance job search, and that’s how you ended up here. We will walk you through the best ways to find freelance jobs and the best places to find remote jobs.From development to virtual assistance, there are tons of things to be delivered via the internet. Become a customer service agent; localize some content to your native language and become a translator: Not all profitable freelance jobs require you to pivot into a new talent set.Whatever the reason, whether it’s wanting to become a digital nomad or wanting to work solo on your own terms, we’ve listed the best ways to find freelance jobs and remote work, and some freelance job search sites to help you find remote jobs online.

Profitable freelance jobs to consider

Before going on to detail how to find freelance jobs, we should talk about some of the highest paying freelance jobs for your consideration.

Writing

Historically, our civilization started with the invention of writing. Today, a freelance/part-time writing career may be the solution to your needs. Freelance writing is a classic freelance working-at-home job that existed even before the age of the internet. If you're not aware, there are a dozen different types of freelance and/or remote writing jobs out there. From copywriting and guest blogging to creating content for social media, you can find freelance writing jobs for every size and type of experience.

Editing and proofreading

If you are a grammar enthusiast or someone with a good command of your language, the internet is crowded with proofreading gigs for your level of experience. Editing is half the way to producing flawless content, and you can find freelance editing jobs in a plethora of industries and niches.

Marketing and PR

Social media managers, digital PR professionals, and marketing strategists: They are all under this branch. If you know your way around a marketing communication presentation, you can find yourself long-term well paid freelance jobs. Since you’ll go a long way, it’s a good idea to partner up with a work, finance, and compliance partner like Ruul. You can use Ruul to manage your work cycle with all of your clients from agreements to invoicing and getting paid, wherever they may be.

Data entry

If you don’t mind repetitive work, then you might find data entry jobs cut out just for you. Just like Mechanical Turk, there are several data-entry specific sites to check out. Currently, it’s one of the most in-demand freelance jobs.

Virtual assistance

If you have ever worked as a personal assistant, administrative, or office assistant, you can do just that for a variety of clients, from the comfort of your home. Virtual assistants usually work as administrative support over VoIP and internet, using several CRM and Call Center solutions.

Call center

Virtual call center gigs are the same as the in-house job, minus the commute to a brick-and-mortar office. Either for sales or post-sale support, VAs and Call Center agents are usually paid a mid-level wage and at least 4 hours of a dedicated shift, which usually translates into a part-time and graveyard shift. Still, it’s a great way to start if you’re looking to make money by doing freelance jobs.

Illustration & design

If you have the talent, you are most likely already working as a freelance graphic designer. If not, you can put that talent to good use to earn some good cash, since there is a lot of demand, from logo to character design, and if you have the know-how, Web & Mobile UI. By putting in the effort, you too can start a successful freelance design career.

Development & coding

Putting this down would be beating a dead horse, but developers usually work freelance or remotely, and this might be high time for you to go grab some Udemy classes on becoming one. Not only are developing and coding jobs in high demand, but they are also the highest paying freelance jobs in general.

What self-employed job makes the most money?

Depending on where in the world you and your clients are, the hourly rate changes but in general in the world, a freelancer makes an average of $19 per hour. And when broken down to a more weighted average, 30% of freelancers make more than $21 and up to a whopping $100 for their freelance career work.When you look at the industries, you will see that Legal Consultation and IT & Programming gigs pay much more than those who only require soft skills, like data entry and customer service.

Field of Work

Skill

Hourly rate

IT & Programming

Average hourly rate: $21IT Support$18Mobile Programming$22Web Programming$21Database Programming$21Game Programming$24Developer$23QA Testing$18

Design & Multimedia

Avg. $20Graphic Design$17Web Design$21Illustration$19Multimedia Production$23

Writing & Translation

Avg. $16Writing and Content$15Translation$16Web Content$16Sales Content$16Research$17

Sales & Marketing

Avg. $18Social Media$16SEO$19Media Buying$19CRM$18Sales$18

Engineering & Manufacturing

Avg. $21Hardware Engineering$23Product Design$22Telecommunications$21

Finance & Management

Avg. $19Financial Analysis$21Accounting$18Business Management$21Human Resources$18Project Management$20

Legal

Avg. $28Consulting$29Contracts$28Fraud Analysis$27Tax Law$30Paralegal$28

Administrative & Customer Support

Avg. $11Administrative Support$12Data Entry$11Virtual Assistant Services$11Customer Service$12

7 ways to find freelance jobs

The most common drawbacks you’ll see are that it is a demanding and slow pace job, building a freelancing career. You are required to re-invent and re-train yourself, and spend time and money whether it be classes, SaaS, or making a brand for yourself. You need to have some network and you are to start small with low-grade gigs to build up a portfolio and get yourself known.Just because it takes time to build up a freelance business doesn’t mean you can’t get going this instant and dive right in. Here are our tips to help you find freelance jobs suitable to your interests and skills:

Scour freelance job search sites

Many freelancers' goal is to have clients coming to them, but if you're just starting, you might need to be a bit more proactive. By registering for some websites to find freelancing jobs that allow you to bid on projects that match your skills and experience, you can get your foot in the door and build a portfolio that will eventually bring you more and better clients.Generic marketplace sites are usually saturated and highly competitive. Instead, you can opt for freelance job sites specific to your particular industry, which may allow you to add your details to a directory as well as browse through the latest advertised jobs.Some examples of such platforms include:

• 99Designs (for freelance designers)
• ProCopywriters (for freelance copywriters)
• If You Could (for freelance creatives)

Look at online platforms to find remote work

There are currently many companies hiring remotely for full-time, part-time, and contract-based vacancies. To land a remote gig, you must know where to find remote jobs. Online platforms that gather hundreds of remote jobs from all industries are another excellent way to find your next freelancing gig.For example, Search Remotely is where you can browse through many remote jobs to find something suitable for your circumstances.You can search by industry, with popular choices including customer service, digital marketing, developers, and design, and you can also filter the jobs by type. This allows you to look at full-time, part-time, or internship jobs.What's best about platforms such as Search Remotely is that you can also get invaluable help when it comes to learning how to adjust to remote work and finding co-living or coworking spaces across the world. Various online courses are also available to help you get hired remotely, even if you don't have a lot of experience.

Cold pitching

One of the ways to find freelance jobs is to actively reach out to those who might need your help. The main advantage of cold pitching is that there is much less competition to worry about. If you're a brand-new freelancer, cold pitching might sound scary and challenging, but as soon as you get the hang of it, your chances of landing better-paying gigs increase.You can pitch via email, which is typically what most freelancers do, or, if you feel comfortable and have the verbal skills for it, by phone. Even though it might seem like an inherently ineffective practice, cold pitching is a great way to land recurring gigs.To have success with this method, find the right businesses to pitch your services to. It's always a good idea to cold pitch to businesses that mention on Twitter or on their blog that they are thinking of adding extra services, and you can provide them.

Network, network, network

Whether you're working in your home city or are a digital nomad traveling the world, networking opportunities abound. You should network not just with potential clients but also with your fellow freelancers, as they can often introduce you to new clients.It's always important to be ready at all times for potential jobs if you're actively looking. If you're a complete beginner, you should also ask family and friends about potential gigs they might know of so you can build your portfolio quickly.  

Optimize your website and portfolio

If you don't have a professional website yet, it's time to get one. This is one of the best ways to show clients who you are and what kind of work you've done in the past. Besides being a handy way to display your experience, a website indicates that you're taking yourself seriously as an independent professional.

Look into joining a coworking space

When you sit all day at home, it isn't easy to network and land new clients. If you're serious about finding new jobs as a freelancer, you may consider joining a coworking space.These are essentially office spaces where freelancers and entrepreneurs rent space daily, monthly, or long-term. Whether you need a better place to work from than your living room or simply want to get that office feeling and have coffee and conversation with like-minded people, coworking spaces are also hot spots for finding new clients.The staff at the coworking place may know about clients who need the type of service you offer, or you may simply find out about opportunities by networking with fellow freelancers during lunchtime.

Harness the power of social media

Social media has become a hub for small businesses, and it offers incredible opportunities for freelancers. From joining Facebook groups in the industry you're targeting to showcasing your portfolio on Instagram, there are countless ways to make social media work in your favor.Don't forget about LinkedIn, the epitome of social media platforms when it comes to finding jobs. Connect with the right people, pay attention to posts advertising jobs, and you can increase your pool of clients in no time.So there you go—if you've always wanted to become an independent professional, these are the seven best ways to find freelance jobs. Figuring out how to do it is a skill that will serve you well because you'll need to do it frequently to stay in business.

Which countries hire the most freelancers?

In terms of region, freelancing work knows no limits. But as economic indicators like purchasing power parity will tell you, it’s always better to work with a company that is based on a developed and/or strong currency. This way, you may take advantage of having an income currency that is different from your local one, and preferably, stronger.In general, more than 70% of the freelancers’ client base is in North America, followed by 51% of them having freelance jobs given by clients in Europe. Especially when working for clients located in Europe, they may ask for legitimate invoices that they can use to deduct from their tax payments, and usually, you will need to register as a business. Or, you can partner with a work, finance, and compliance solution provider to keep working solo without going through the burden and costs of establishing your own company. You can always count on Ruul to invoice your clients and get paid with speed, across more than 120 countries and 140 currencies.