53 million Americans — 34 percent of the U.S. workforce — are working as freelancers.
The gig economy is a market built upon, short-term contracts, freelance work and independent contractors. Being apart of the Gig Economy gives benefits such as independence, freedom of choice on what to do, and having the ability to have multiple jobs.
So as an individual how do you adapt to the Gig Economy? Well I’m here to give some tips on adapting to this rising trend.
First you must identify if you fit into the Gig Economy. As a hobby or as a student this may seem as a good idea to make money on the side, but as a full time occupation you must question your self: Are your set of skills / specialization in demand? and can you handle working in the Gig Economy with risks such as inconsistent work opportunities and income?
The next tip is to identify what your good at and what you enjoy. This is the most important tip in adapting to a Gig economy as it decides what you offer to possible employers and your performance on doing your work. It is crucial that you enjoy what you do as if you don’t, managing work will become stressful, inconsistent and not enjoyable.
After identifying what you’d be doing in the Gig Economy the next tip is to differentiate yourself from others in the same / similar field as your work in the Gig Economy. By differentiating yourself in ways such as being different in services / being unique you are likely to lead to more work opportunities.
Next tip would be creating a professional web presence and creating a positive image. Creating a professional web presence (even if you aren’t doing anything web related) is a great way of displaying to potential employers and work opportunities professionalism. Creating a positive image of yourself as well (such as positive reviews on your work, your attitude and operations) would benefit you, making yourself more desirable and lead to more work opportunities.
Keeping yourself productive while being apart of the Gig Economy is essential as it keeps you occupied whether you have work or not, leaving you not to slack off when there is or isn’t work.
The final tip would be cultivate four types of connections: to place , routines , purpose and people. ( paraphrased and simplified from: https://hbr.org/2018/03/thriving-in-the-gig-economy )
Place: Having the freedom of places to choose to work is important as the place you choose to work and the environment you put yourself into influences your work and your performance performing tasks.
Routines: Having routines are important as a growing body of research has shown evidence that certain routines enhance focus , performance and workflow.
Purpose: Having a purpose for working helps create a bridge between yourself and your work as you have something to work for or to.
People: Humans are social animals. Being around people , having people support you (such as friends , family members) and having role models will give you something to work for and help you through rough times.
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