It’s vital to inhabit the right mindset as a freelancer, which includes both the story we tell ourselves, and the emotional state we inhabit. But none of that means we don’t have to have the core skills to do the job, day in day out, or the strategies to get the word out and begin to interact with clients.
Whether that’s in your website, your marketing, your social media pronouncements, or your attendance at trade fairs and industry conferences… the list goes on.
And of course as a ProZ.com member, when it comes to finding clients, one key weapon in your armoury is your Profile, which is your showcase within the platform for getting yourself in front of clients. Of course, you have to sift the good from the bad offers, but that’s a part of you responsibility and your freedom, as a freelancer.
But there are often gems to be found for those who do due diligence.
However, you may be surprised to know that not everyone completes their profile – many leave significant gaps, with even key information, such as a tagline, missing.
When’s the last time you looked at your profile and updated it? Does it reflect the translator you are today, or is it some pale reflection of who you were all those years ago?
In other words, have you got all your ducks in a row?
See the Facebook post and comments here
So now, take a look at this link, which should be individualised for each of you, and give yourself a pat on the back if you have a green tick for every bullet point.
Freelance success is all about exercising your rights – the right to choose clients, texts, working hours, etc. But it’s also about responsibilities – above all your responsibility to yourself, to making sure you’re giving yourself the best chance, not shooting yourself in the foot and sending out a mixed message.
Make sure all the tools in your toolkit are shiny and sharp – and especially your profile, the most useful tool of all in your interaction with ProZ.com
See the Facebook post and comments here
Need to see if your profile is complete? [Check out the profile improvement guide]
This blog post was borrowed from one of the "50 Steps to get to know ProZ.com" from Andrew Morris - available as part of the Translators and Interpreters (ProZ.com) group on Facebook that boasts well over 53,000 members as of this re-posting in 2022.
