8 tips for a strong freelancer profile
Here’s one of our most frequently asked questions...
How can I match to more briefs in my category on YunoJuno?
The evidence is overwhelming - first impressions count. The quickest way to give confidence in your skills and experience is by showing it on your profile. Having a full, up-to-date profile helps clients gain confidence before starting a dialogue with you.
Tom Kolodotschko, YunoJuno Designer of the year 2019 and Overall Freelancer of the year 2019, is a Senior Generalist Designer. He has extensive Creative Artworking and Presentation Design experience and has worked with various clients to help create beautiful visual, graphic design to boost their brand.
| Aspect | Employee | Independent Contractor |
|---|---|---|
| Control and supervision | Direct control over how, when, and where to work | Freedom to set their own schedules and methods |
| Payment | Regular wages; taxes withheld by employer | Paid per project; responsible for their own taxes |
| Benefits | Health insurance, retirment plans, paid leave | Must arrange their own benefits |
| Termination | Often requires notice and may include severance | Can usually be terminated at any time without benefits |
| Tools and equipment | Provided by the employer | Typically use their own tools |
So here’s what we think makes a stellar (and attractive to potential hirers) profile thanks to the stylings of YunoJuno Member and 2019 Freelancer of the Year, Tom Kolodotschko.
Profile Picture - do right by your face.
Whilst an ice hockey mask is a brilliant halloween accessory, it may not be the best for your profile picture when speaking with potential hirers. You don’t have to be an anthropologist or a body language expert to know that warm, friendly profile images help build the human connection and make you better identifiable when looking through multiple profiles.
Just look at Tom, if that isn’t a non-threatening face that exudes competence, we don’t know what is.
Your folios, CV and examples of work.
Many disciplines on YunoJuno have external portfolio sites or downloadable CVs. And 99.9% of people have a LinkedIn profile. Include as many as you can! These sites and documents give potential hirers fantastic insight into the breath of your experience and expertise.
Pro-tip: If your portfolio site needs a password before a hirer can see your work, it can be seen as a blocker when speed is key during the hiring process,. We appreciate that some work might be under NDA so if a password is absolutely necessary, make sure you respond to requests-for-access as quickly possible.
What are your skills and are they up to date?
With clients searching for skills they need for their brief, it is important to keep these up to date to ensure you match to briefs that contain specific skill requirements.
As your career develops you'll inevitably learn new skills and how to use new and different tools, so make sure you add these.
Career / Personal Highlight.
If you could describe yourself and your ability in a single sentence, how would you do it? We’ve pulled this out to enable a reader of your profile an even quicker snapshot of who you are.
The value of a thorough work history.
Your Work History timeline is an opportunity to showcase where you’ve worked and what you’ve worked on. As freelancers, you have the advantage of revealing the rich and diverse experience that comes with projects you’ve chosen to work on. By keeping this up to date clients can see you’re active and in demand! Not only does it help with credibility, it helps them make an informed decision about the contribution you can bring to their project. What’s important to note is that there are three different states for a work history entry on your profile:
Solid green circle with white tick = YunoJuno approved booking. This is for work you completed through YJ which will automatically be added to your profile when your project is complete.
Empty green circle with green tick = Work that you’ve entered that has also been verified by that organisation or hirer.
Green circle with no tick = Work you completed outside of YJ that hasn’t been verified yet.
Pro-tip two: Clients favour freelancers where they can see another organisation or hirer ‘vouching’ for their work so get as many of your work history entries verified as you can!
Promote yourself!
To help maximise your opportunities, and spread the net as wide as you can - something more important now than ever - add your freelancer profile to your LinkedIn profile. This is a great way to drive users to your profile for them to learn more about you and hopefully have you fresh in their mind for their next project!
Good people, know good people.
We started YunoJuno on this very simple premise. By requesting recommendations from peers, managers and organisations, potential hirers can instantly see the type of person you are and the impact you bring to an organisation or project. If others know how good you are, get them to shout about it.
Those were our top tips for creating a strong freelance profile on YunoJuno. By keeping your profile up to date, it not only gives clients enough information to make an informed decision, it helps the YunoJuno Talent Team to match you to more relevant briefs when they’re asked for assistance on a brief.
Update your freelancer profile today.
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