5 Popular Freelance Jobs:

Being a freelancer in any industry confers a sense of freedom upon you – and to some extent, you are your own boss. Even better, when your particular industry is busy and you are in demand, you can see you earnings rise quite dramatically.

1. Anything

Yes, almost anything that can be done as a full-time position can also be undertaken by someone working as a freelance, part timer or temporary worker. Assuming you have a particular skill set or can supply a certain answer to a company’s question you can find part-time working opportunities in any industry.
 

If you background is IT, HR, Sales, Admin, Law – whatever, you need to approach freelancing on a company, by company basis, to find if they have a need or demand for a freelancer. This can be to cover maternity leave, illness or increased workloads. It can simply be a company that is unwilling to commit to full time workers and wants to stay flexible.

2. Advertising Industries

Obviously, there are industries which are traditionally associated with freelancing such as the advertising and marketing sector. This can include, advertising, art-working design, copywriting, web-building, planning and account handling.
 

All of the above are subject to increased short-term workloads (as clients and accounts are won or lost). Agencies frequently need freelancers to bolster their in-house capabilities.

Whether you are a Mac designer or a web builder or copywriter is up to you of course. However, what is common to all freelancers in this industry is having experience along with a strong portfolio of work to show. Don’t forget, you need to step into the firing line quickly so you’ll need to be responsive and enthusiastic and willing to adapt to differing cultures and sometimes steep learning curves. Even if you have very little experience – you’ll need to show a portfolio with good ideas or demonstrate you have an excellent knowledge of the work you are being asked to do – so that you can be tried out.

3. IT Consultant

The need for IT consultants on a freelance basis is unstoppable. You basic role is to work with clients to improve the structure and efficiency of their IT systems. You’ll have gained your knowledge perhaps in-house and decided to go freelance so that you can capitalise on your very specialised knowledge and skills.

Experience here is key, and it is unlikely you’ll go straight to consulting without it. You’ll be offering strategic guidance to sometimes high organisations on their IT technology and infrastructures, so some track record of success will be sought.

IT knowledge and competence is important, and the more of each you can show, the more your skills will be sought. Happily, the role is almost recession proof as your skills will be useful for companies looking to save money as well as those who wish to expand.

4. Transcription/Translation

If you have great typing skills and a good ear – yes literally – you can make a consistent living freelancing as a transcriber. The subject matter varies, of course – you could be a legal or medical transcriber for example, but essentially you’ll be transcribing audio tapes onto paper.

As a general transcriber you’ll be given the tapes of meetings, dictated letters, or interviews and be expected to put the content of these down onto paper for record keeping purpose.

You can work through a professional transcription agency or purely off your own back – either way, you’ll start to find the rates you can charge and what the going rates are.

If you want to work as a translator, it also helps to have a good knowledge of the industry you are translating for – often it isn’t only a question of how good your language skills are, but also your understanding of what is being talked about before you translate.

5. Design and Illustration


Good designers are also artists and as such tend to become freelance, selling their own designs as and when, but also working for third party companies as and when their skills are required.

Today almost all the fields require the service of a freelance designer. The responsibilities of a freelance designer differ according to the area of work.
 

More than any other freelance service, you style is what is important; aside from your art training or qualifications. Your style could be almost anything and you need to find which types of industry most require it. Clear and concise for technical journals; amusing or funny for cartoons; powerful and satirical for newspapers.