Top 5 Ways On How To Land Your First Gig

I must congratulate you for taking the wise decision of venturing into freelance. My freelance journey started from the very moment I started feeling dissatisfied and uncomfortable with working for bosses in physical jobs. I was distraught over the struggle to satisfy bosses who were being overly insensitive and inconsiderate. They just wanted to have me get jobs done no matter how. My mental health was being toiled with and with each passing day, the struggle became even more unbearable. I decided to take a little survey of fellow workers and my discovery shocked me. My survey result showed that most workers were just doing their jobs for survival and almost all of them had no intention of calling it quits. My biggest discovery was that almost every worker will rather remain with their jobs and manage instead of seeking something new. They were totally unwilling to go for a change or learn something new. Placing their mindset side by side with me, I realized that I wasn't a totally different person. It therefore dawned on me that I wasn't cut out for the usual 9-5 job system. I knew instantly that I needed a change and there was no going back on that decision. In my distress and worry, freelance came to my rescue. When freelance was introduced to me, I knew I had found the right job system for me. My joy knew no bounds as I set about learning the rudiments of freelance. Today, I am happy and proud of myself for making the decision to follow freelance like a lamb to the slaughter. This is exactly why I started this writeup by first congratulating you on your decision to become a freelancer. You have made the right choice and interestingly, you can be rest assured that your income is in safe hands. Freelance is the way to go.

Now that you have chosen freelance, what's next? That's a valid question. Do you know that you can be a freelancer for years without landing any gig? I'm sure you already know what a gig means by now. Learning the terms is another essential part of freelance. Gig here a freelance job. Back to my question, the answer is yes. You can actually be a freelancer for many years and you won't have a single job to your name. This is the purpose of this article. Landing a gig as a freelancer does not happen overnight. You do not sleep in the night and wake up to a job waiting for you. The part of doing well as a freelancer starts with your ability to land jobs. After becoming a freelancer, the next step is to actually get jobs. You must know that there are millions of freelancers out there, so why should a client offer you a job? This is where you will realize that getting a job as a freelancer is itself a job. You must know the right things to do in order to land any job at all within your niche. Knowing these things will set you above other freelancers applying for the same job as you. In this article, I have carefully and dutifully outlined the five most important things you'd need to do to land a gig; not just a gig but a good one at that. Meanwhile, always bear it in mind that the best platform for a successful freelance career is UpMyChain. Do well to study the right ways to land your first gig here on UpMyChain.

1.Be Prepared

If you know anything about the "Boys Scout" founded by Baden-Powell, you will be very familiar with their motto - be prepared. Being prepared doesn't seem strange, does it? If you really want to land your first job or even subsequent jobs, you must actually prepare for the jobs. Most freelancers just rush into applying for jobs even when they are not ready to carry out the said jobs satisfactorily. This factor is the most important aspect of successfully landing a job as a freelancer but ironically, it is also the most overlooked and least talked about. Many freelancers just rush into applying for jobs even when they do not have what it takes to deliver such jobs if given to them. That's one fatal mistake you must avoid. Getting a job is only a means to an end and not an end itself. When you eventually get a freelance job and you fail to deliver, you won't get paid. When this happens, it is the same as having not gotten a job in the first place. You can only be said to have landed your first gig or any subsequent gigs when you get them done and get paid. So before going to apply for any job, be actually ready and prepared to deliver the job. This should be your first step and your watchword as a freelancer eager to succeed.

2. Learn What Others Did Right To Land Gigs

Freelancing did not fall from the sky. There are people doing this job before you and they have already set the necessary antecedent for your success. Don't try to assume anything and do not depend solely on your own knowledge. If you really want to land your first gig, please go and learn from those who are already landing gigs successfully. Find out what they are doing right, go through their profiles and proposals if possible. The fact you think that you're a wonderful writer does not mean your proposal will come out good according to freelance standards. You must be willing to learn from others how to actually land a gig. Ask them questions about this and try finding out what they have done right before they were able to land gigs. This will guide you towards landing your first gig.

3. Learn To Come Up With An Unbeatable Proposal

You don't necessarily have to write the longest proposal in the world before you can land your dream gig. You must be precise and tacit. Your proposal should be tailored to meet the job requirements listed by the client. Do not go about giving false stories in order to win a client's heart. Don't say what you have not done before and don't accept to disguise yourself as someone else. Be yourself and tell the client what you have to offer. Ensure you read through the job offer properly and get the needed information. Find out from the job offer the skills and requisite knowledge the client needs from you to help get the job done. When writing your proposal, make the client understand that you have these essential requirements for the job. Again, don't fail to tell the client how to intend to go about getting the said job done. Be authentic and firm in your assertion but always say the truth. Clients prefer to work with a truthful newbie than a lying expert. Learn to write proposals that will be impossible to reject.

4. Be Yourself, Don't Be Desperate And Don't Beg For Jobs

A client will easily overlook you when they discover that you are being desperate. You are an independent expert as a freelancer, so begging for a job is totally unacceptable. It simply means you don't know what you are doing. Don't give room for clients to exploit you. Do not for any reason whatsoever allow desperation to set in as you try to land your first gig. Becoming desperate or begging for a job is a complete red flag to clients. They won't offer you any job when you do that. A confident freelancer thrills clients. You have to be yourself, be confident and believe in yourself. Don't go begging for gigs. Don't act desperate. Just do the right things and you'll be just fine.

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5. Get The Job Done

Like I said earlier, the point of being accepted to carry out any gig is just a means to an end. You cannot be said to have landed a gig at that time. Imagine working without getting paid? Can you be said to be actually working? No! You have successfully landed your first gig when the payment has successfully landed into your account. Before the payment can come in, the client must approve it and the client will only approve when the job was properly done and delivered. This should be in your head at every point in time. You have not achieved anything until the client is satisfied. When the client is satisfied, then you have landed your first job. This means that if the client is unsatisfied and pays you for your time, you still have not landed your first gig. Get this right. You were only paid for your time and not for a job well done.

Therefore, if you must land your first gig; be prepared to actually carry out the job, find out what others did right in order to land gigs and follow suit, learn and write a perfect proposal, be yourself, don't be desperate nor beg for jobs and get the job done very well so that the client is satisfied. If you found this article helpful, do well to leave a comment using the comment box below. I'm sure after now you'll be celebrating your first gig. Wishing you success in your freelance journey.

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