Thrive as a Freelancer in the Skills economy

As many business articles will tell you, this is the new age of the skills-based economy. What does that mean for you as a freelance working mother? The upside for a freelancer is that companies are looking to find the people that are able to get the job done, regardless of whether or not they have followed a traditional career path. The main obstacle for many of us is how to showcase what we are able to do in such a way that it is clear that you are the right person for the job.

This guide will help you find out what your skills are and how to demonstrate them. Once you know your skills, you can also reflect on which ones you wish to promote and where your current gaps are.

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What are my skills?

There are several ways to highlight your skills.

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List your credentials

A straightforward way to think about the skills you possess is to write a list of your credentials and then think of which skills were required to achieve this.

For example, if you have attained a qualification, such as a course or a university degree, you could list computer- based skills, such as word processing or being familiar with spreadsheet software. Depending on the course, you may have achieved a recognised level of technical ability or be adept at using a particular software programme.

Tip: Be specific about your hard skills and give details of your level of expertise.

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Companies are eager assess soft skills such as communication, presentation, teamwork and leadership skills. Especially as a freelancer, the contractor needs to be confident of your ability to adapt quickly to working within an existing team and share your findings. You may have gained these skills through completing a qualification, or you may wish to showcase these using a narrative-based approach (see below).

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Think about your greatest achievements

This way of showcasing your skills is popular in interviews but also can be a way of defining your skills for yourself if you have been out of a traditional workforce role for a period of time.

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Exercise: Write down the achievements that you are most proud of, whether it is a house renovation or organising an event. Consider the skills you used to make it happen and include these in your CV.

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Look at the job description

There may be a specific type of work that you are looking for. Read the job description and highlight any skills that are mentioned within it. This is an efficient way of working out which skills you already have and can also help you identify any skill gaps that you might need to address.

For example, you may want to start a marketing position with a sustainability focus, but you currently lack the ESG- related courses relevant to the role. In order for your knowledge to be current, you may want to look for a course that would help you to develop your skills in this area.

Now what?

Now that you have outlined for yourself what your skills are, there are two things it is helpful to do before we move on to what we need to do next.

One is to celebrate ourselves. This is the part that most of us do not do enough of. It is tempting to keep moving on to the next item on our to-do lists, but part of the joy of getting things done is to remind ourselves of just how strong, able and accomplished we are. This acknowledgement of our greatness provides us with the fuel to keep going, especially on the days when slotting in time for paid work on top of all our other commitments seems like the lowest priority task.

Now that we feel boosted, it is time to look at how to maintain our energy levels for work. By mapping our current skills onto a matrix, we can see which skills we wish to promote, demote and develop.

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Assets are skills you possess but that you do not necessarily wish to utilise any more. For example, you may be skilled at analysing profit and loss spreadsheets but are more enthusiastic about your business development skills.

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Energisers are the parts of the work that you are skilled at and you also enjoy doing and wish to do more of. These parts of your work will be the easiest to identify. Consider in which ways you could deepen your expertise in these areas, by taking on work that strengthens your current skills.

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Potentials are the areas of work that you have an interest in but have yet to acquire the skills to do. Developing your skills in this area will provide breadth to what you are able to offer and further your progress towards finding fulfilling work.

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Drainers are tasks that you do not feel skilled at and hold no interest for you. It is important to think what these might be in order to reduce to the minimum this sort of work. As a mother and a freelancer, maintaining your energy levels is of utmost importance in creating the right conditions for success both in your work and at home.

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And Finally....

Hopefully, this exercise of defining your skills has given you some clarity as to where you are currently and the direction in which you wish to travel with your work.

Take the time to work out how you feel. If you feel calm and ready to see what is out there, that's great! If you feel less positive, that also is important to note. It may be that you would benefit from reaching out to talk to someone whose opinion you trust to get a clearer idea of what you have to offer. Knowing when to reach out for help from others when you need a boost or a different perspective is a sign of a mature approach to finding purposeful work.

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Dr. Alice

www.workfreeely.com

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