In a nutshell, freelancing is becoming the new norm. A study in 2017 predicted that by 2027, over half of the U.S. workforce will be freelancing. This trend is fueled by a surge of startups that are increasingly relying on freelance labor. While freelancing does have its downsides, like less job security and fewer traditional benefits, it also has its perks. Freelancers enjoy the freedom to set their own hours, spend more time with family, and take on creative or challenging projects that might not be available in a traditional work setting.
So, where can freelancers find work? There are numerous resources available to help freelancers find work online and in their local areas. Here are some of them:
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Upwork: A popular freelance platform in the U.S. with annual member earnings exceeding $1 billion. It’s used by a wide range of companies and organizations, and offers job postings in various fields like writing, web development, design, sales and marketing, customer service, virtual assistance, accounting, and business consulting.
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Textbroker: This platform is exclusively for freelance writers. It brokers relationships between clients and writers, handling payment and dispute resolution on their behalf.
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Accountemps: A freelancing and temporary employment platform for accounting and administrative professionals. It contracts with mid- and large-size companies for special accounting or data entry projects, general back-office support, loan origination, auditing work, tax-related projects, and collections.
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Guru: This platform connects clients with freelancers in various fields such as design, development, accounting, administrative work, writing, translation, marketing, and legal specialties.
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99designs: A platform for freelance designers, where they submit drafts in response to client-generated briefs. Each job is structured as a contest, with the winning designer receiving compensation.
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PeoplePerHour: A U.K.-based site that matches clients with a wide range of specialized freelancers. Its scope is pretty broad, including administrative work, customer support, marketing, software and web development, design, writing, translation, and multimedia production.
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Freelancer.com: A massive outsourcing website that caters to a wide range of freelancers, including software and mobile developers, writers, designers, accountants, marketers, data entry specialists, and even legal professionals and virtual personal assistants.
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DesignCrowd: A crowdsourcing, contest-based platform that connects freelance designers with clients.
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Crowdspring: A contest platform that caters to graphic designers, creative copywriters, web designers and developers, and packaging designers.
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Craigslist: While it has a reputation for accepting dubious listings, for freelancers confident enough to wade through some spammy solicitations, Craigslist can be a useful resource.
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Mediabistro: An aggregator of media-related content and educational resources, Mediabistro offers two employment platforms for writers, editors, developers, and other professionals in the industry: a traditional job posting board and a freelance marketplace.
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LinkedIn ProFinder: A freelance talent marketplace operated by social media giant LinkedIn. It’s free for freelancers, known as Pros, to get started, though there is an application process.
While freelancing might sound like a great gig, it does offer plenty of challenges, including the uncertainty of a project-based pay scale and a complete lack of employee benefits. As a freelancer, you must also pay the full amount of your Federal Insurance Contributions Act (FICA) obligations, which fund Medicare and Social Security. These amount to 15.3% of gross income for freelancers, as opposed to 7.65% of gross income for traditional employees. And instead of waiting for an assignment, you must seek out new work and forge new relationships with clients. Fortunately, all freelancers – regardless of skillset – have plenty of valuable resources at their disposal. It’s just a matter of knowing where to look.
