I hope this will help people who keep on asking how to land a job as a freelancer.
To be honest there's no secret ingredient to it. But there are tested formulas.
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Experience - Not just any experience, it needs to be related to the job you are applying for. Customer service is one basic Need so you need BPO Customer/Technical Support Rep/Executive Experiences.
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In-line with number 1, SKILLS - since you worked in the BPO Industry these skills are essential:
- COMM SKILLS - Unless you are a graduate from IS or any Schools who's English speaking all through out the day then I suggest a minimum of 1 year to hone your skills talking in ENGLISH.
- Problem Solving/Analytical Skills - You need to be detail oriented and you need to be very analytical, you need to always make sure you have a solution and a backup in case the first one fails.
- Typing skills - now a lot of people may think that this is not crucial but it is. Your typing skills (accuracy and speed) will deeply affect how you work on a daily basis. If you can type at least 40WPM or higher then good for you, otherwise practice. And type properly no shortcuts no "sms-like" typing, and you know what I mean.
- The +Skills - Anything out of the three belongs to the +Skills, these can be anything from SALES, DATA ENTRY, PHOTOSHOP, PHOTOGRAPHY, HTML, CODING, ETC. It will give you a lot of advantage over the other people applying for the job specially if they don't have the same skills needed by the client.
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Cover letter - You may notice that a lot of clients are going to need this and you need to take this as your "Pre-screening Interview". So you need to make a very good impression and put your best foot forward. Also do not submit generic Cover letters, you need to tailor-make your letter and suit what is being asked by the client. Be yourself and sell yourself properly. Do not oversell yourself to the point you are promising a lot and you won't be able to deliver. Be honest, if you don't know all of the things the client asks for then tell them right away.
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Resume - In-line with the cover letter you must have a review-worthy resume. It must impress the client. But having a 9 page resume may have its advantage and disadvantage. You may have about 10 job experience in it but those jobs were just 3 months or so then you are surely digging your grave.
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If you are lucky to have an invite by a potential client for an interview, make sure that they are in control. If they say "Are you available at 12mn PHT?" You should know that the answer to that question is YES nothing else. If in case they don't show up follow up right away. But do not overwhelm them with a lot of messages day to day up until they reply. NO SPAMMING IN OTHER WORDS.
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THE INTERVIEW PROPER - A lot of you may be scared with interviews but believe me, in my experience as a freelancer, interviews are scary because it is a make or break point, but do not be scared to the point that you will have a mental breakdown during the interview. KEEP CALM. All of the questions they'll be asking is about you and about the abilities you have that may potentially help their company. Here's your time to show you are confident and can handle pressure. If they smell fear during the interview, how can they entrust their business to you?
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DETERMINATION - If at first you don't succeed always remember there are tens and thousands of opportunity out there waiting for you. You just need to apply and take the shot. Would Michael Jordan or Kobe Bryant or Stephen Curry or any NBA Champion win a game without taking a shot and a leap of fate? Applying for a job is like gambling remember that!
Good luck!