Revealed: The Real Truth about finding freelance work

Finding freelance work is not easy, especially at the beginning. It takes a lot of time. That’s part of the deal. Work is often temporary (and no customer is guaranteed to stay forever), so freelancers need to fill their pipelines continuously.

Billable Freelance Work

Billable work refers to the job for which we get paid directly. Writing blog entries or developing websites are examples of work you were engaged to do for your customer. For this, you need to make an invoice that lists all the work you’ve done that’s chargeable.

Non-Billable Freelance Work

Non-billable work includes everything else. Unfortunately, we are not compensated for our time spent here. To establish a successful freelancing firm, non-billable tasks are essential. It may include:

• Preparation of project proposals
• Prospecting for new customers and presenting fresh ideas for business
• Getting together to meet new people
• Administration and other duties that are not included in your original project agreement

How Much Time Do Freelancers Spend in Finding Freelance Work

Let’s discuss a little about how much time freelancers spend looking for work.

Depending on Your Field

When it comes to finding a job, the time spent searching varies greatly from freelancer to freelancer. Many freelancers spend seven or more hours a week searching for work, while just 17 percent of IT and programming freelancers do the same. On the other hand, legal freelancers may work on one-off tasks and continually look for new customers. It appears that three to six hours per week searching for work on online marketplaces, via word-of-mouth, and through social media is the sweet spot for all freelancing sectors.

What Percentage of the Time Do Freelancers Spend on Billable Work?

As with full-time workers, the time you spend freelancing comprises both billable and non-billable activities. The non-billable task may take longer for freelancers since they have to deal with various extra issues while running their firm. Less than a third (30%) of freelance writers devote more than eight hours each week to billable work.

Around a third to a quarter of freelance writers can devote 31 to 40 hours of billable writing per week.

How Long Do Freelancers Look For Work?

Full-time workers are allocated work by their immediate supervisors, but freelancers are frequently forced to hunt for employment independently. They put a lot of time and effort into this activity to keep their company going since they need continuous employment. Finding a job takes the following amount of hours in the following sectors, according to Payoneer’s 2017 research:

“Over half of IT & Programming freelancers (54 percent) spend little more than two hours seeking new work, while just 17 percent spend more than seven hours.”

Although freelancers in the legal business demand the highest worldwide average hourly income (28$), they also spend the most time seeking new work – 33 percent of them spend 7+ hours, and only 27 percent manage to locate new work in 2 hours or less. Why? The long-term clientele is more common for IT specialists, whereas legal experts are more often required for one-off legal advice and projects.

It All Depends on How Much you Freelance

The more time you have to work as a full-time freelancer, the easier it will be to get a new job. In contrast, if you moonlight throughout the night and on the weekends, you’ll have less time to devote to both of these endeavors. Use just a fraction of your available freelancing time seeking jobs.

Depending on your Level of Inexperience

If you’re starting as a freelancer, you’ll have to devote more time to finding new clients. In the process of building your company, you will also develop a reputation for yourself, and your pleased clients will suggest you to their friends and family. New employees should not be shocked if they devote 75% of their time to finding new tasks. The goal is to experiment with various methods for attracting new customers and then hone in on the ones that work best for you.

Selling Oneself Takes A Lot of Effort

You may think of bidding on a specific project with cost and scope, but there is a lot more to it. Marketing oneself is an essential part of finding a job. If you want to grow your network, you may use social media or your website’s blog to share your knowledge. Attending industry events may help you improve your skills and meet new customers and business partners. You may put up a flyer or attend a networking event in your area. Don’t overlook the necessity of concentrating on these duties since they all contribute to acquiring new customers.

Conclusion

Freelancing is one of the most-widely expanding fields. Entering this field might seem easy, but finding your clientele, and networks, and setting up a business consumes a lot of time. This article has discussed the approximate time that freelancers require to find work. Hope you’ve enjoyed it. For more amazing content, stay connected.

Also read: Freelancing with ease on Oziconnect – Innovative Freelance Platform in 2022