Being an independent contractor comes with many benefits, from flexible hours and work schedules to the freedom to do what you love as your career. One of the not-so-great things about working as a freelancer is the lack of support to help protect you. With over five years of freelance experience under my belt, I have dealt with scammers, abusive clients, boundary pushers, and just downright bullies. So to spare you from some of the headaches I went through, here are my top 5 ways to protect yourself as a freelancer:
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Regardless of profession, it’s a safe bet to assume that almost all of us will go through an interview or two in our lifetimes. As a virtual assistant, interviewing is often a regular part of the job as you rotate through projects and clients. This article shares some of my top tips and tricks for mastering interviews and landing the jobs you want.
1. Appear Professional Now I know this might sound pretty obvious, but the importance of looking professional cannot be overstated. This doesn’t just refer to physical appearance and clothing also refers to your surroundings and the environment you present yourself in. So avoid the temptation to get too comfortable as a work-from-home employee: put on a professional outfit that makes you feel confident, set up your work space with a nice backdrop or pre-set your background filter, and make sure everything looks clean and tidy. 2. Show Up Early We all know how important being on time is, right? I always recommend showing up to any interview or meeting with a client at least 5 minutes early. Plan this extra time out beforehand to make sure you have a good internet connection, your links are working properly, and eliminate the possibility you will be rushing or appear unprepared. One of our biggest goals at First Pick is to exceed our clients’ expectations through working efficiently. Here are a few of our favorite tools for boosting productivity and maximizing our success during the workday:
Canva: Canva is your one-stop shop for all things content. From social media posts to brochures and pamphlets, you can check off all of your content needs with this incredibly user-friendly platform. Canva also provides free courses to help you learn everything there is to know about Canva and show you how to maximize your use of the site. Not only does Canva provide easy-to-use templates, but it also provides a great storage site for your work. We use Canva to cut down on social media design time, put together presentations to share with clients and team members, store large media projects designed on the site, and create unique and easily accessible content for our followers. |
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October 2023
Author: Camryn PickworthAs the head VA and owner of The First Pick VA Group I have found such great joy in sharing my experiences and top tips with other freelancers and aspiring VA's. I hope that our blog can service as a great reference for VA's and Clients alike! |