20+ Best Online Resources Every Freelancer Needs to Know.
From payment platforms, communities and freelance sites, the internet is a wealth of information. There is a ton of helpful information online for any freelancer looking to land their dream job.
But if you’re not careful, you can get overwhelmed with all that amazing content and never take action. This is why I have compiled a list of the very best online resources every job seeker and entry-level freelancer can use.
Let’s get into it!
Freelance sites
Indeed has one mission: to create employment opportunities for all job seekers. It is the world’s #1 job site with over 250 million unique visitors.
2. Upwork
Upwork is a platform that connects businesses with independent professionals and agencies around the globe. The site also helps professionals find projects, communicate with clients and get paid.
3. Fiverr
Fiverr is a freelance platform that allows listing and applying for small one-off jobs, or gigs, online. It is built on the model of listing temporary work positions where freelancers and companies connect and sell their services using gigs.
4. Freelancer
Another website for independent contractors where experts and businesses from around the world work together on different projects is called Freelancer. Clients can find any type of expert with ease because of the wide range of expertise available. You have the option of registering as a business owner or a freelancer.
5. Flexjobs
The website Flexjobs focuses on flexible and remote employment opportunities, including freelance, part-time, and full-time positions. There are broad categories, including jobs in journalism and writing, as well as education and training. All positions are verified and screened by Flexjobs, which also weeds out phony businesses and scams.
Portfolio Tools
On Journo Portfolio, you can create a modern online portfolio. The dashboard is simple to use; you can choose from six different themes to personalize the appearance of your website and arrange your clips into any number of pages. The variety of sharing options is another helpful aspect. You can upload almost any type of multimedia, including PDFs, videos, and images, or link directly to clips.
2. Clippings
Clippings.me was created explicitly for freelance journalists but can be used for other freelancers as well. It gives you a quick and easy way to show off your favorite clips and add just enough details about yourself to make you seem human. Like in Journo Portfolio, you can add links, upload PDFs or embed multimedia pieces, including podcasts.
3. Squarespace
Squarespace is an effortless, drag-and-drop website builder that offers an amazing visual experience. Their templates give off a minimalist and sophisticated vibe. Their responsive design is rock solid — an important factor when prospective clients want to view your work on their phones or tablets.
4. WordPress
WordPress is open source software that you can use to create a website, blog, or app. It is the father of content management platforms. WordPress is great because you can pretty much do whatever you want with it.
5. Carbonmade
Carbonmade is a website helps you build and manage an online portfolio. Carbonmade can be used to show off design, illustration, copywriting, or any other type of creative work.
Payment Platforms
PayPal is an online payment service that enables both private citizens and commercial entities to send money electronically. You can use PayPal to send or receive payments, make or receive cash donations, or exchange cash with someone.
2. Stripe
Stripe is a payment platform for online businesses. It has pay-as-you-go pricing for its basic processing services. A huge benefit is that it integrates with hundreds of business software applications, including e-commerce platforms.
3. Payoneer
Payoneer is a payment platform for receiving payments from customers, converting currencies, or paying contractors or vendors. Freelancers can receive payments directly into their Payoneer accounts from online marketplaces and networks, with the added benefit of low transfer fees, payments in minutes and pay-out flexibility.
4. Flutterwave
Flutterwave is a financial services company that provides a payment infrastructure for global merchants and payment service providers. Flutterwave Rave is a product of Flutterwave that allows website owners to accept debit or credit payments from customers in 154+ countries.
5. Paystack
PayStack is one of the most popular payment gateways in Africa. It enables companies in Africa to receive payments from customers anywhere in the world.
Online Education
Coursera is an online education provider that offers students access to massive open online courses (MOOCs), specializations, and even degrees. Coursera doesn’t create educational content. Rather, the company partners with universities to provide them with an online platform that students pay to access.
2. edX
With a catalog of 2650 courses in 2021, edX is an online education provider that offers online courses, popularly known as MOOCs, or Massive Open Online Courses, from top universities and other institutions around the world.
3. Khan Academy
The Khan Academy is an educational organization that features 3,400 short instructional videos along with interactive quizzes and tools for teachers to chart student progress. It is a nonprofit organization with the goal of providing “free world-class education for anyone, anywhere.”
4. Udemy
Udemy is an educational platform with 68,000 instructors teaching courses in over 75 languages as of May 2022. The courses help students and career professionals get job-related skills. Udemy has made an extra effort to attract corporate trainers who want to develop coursework for their company’s employees.
LinkedIn Learning, a subsidiary of LinkedIn, is a learning platform that offers video courses in four categories: Business, Creativity, Technology, and Certifications.
Tools
This resume builder, created by Zety, contains customizable templates and interactive forms that can help you land your dream job.
These detailed templates contain the required tone and structure for all the emails used for various aspects of your freelancer journey.
The mention of a cover letter requirement doesn’t have to make you cringe any longer. To create the ideal cover letter, download this.
4. Application letter template
This template can be used to structure your application letter to make a lasting impression on your readers. It is customizable for almost any occasion.
From the executive summary to details about your target market and competition, this business plan template can help you create your own pitch to ideal investors to buy into your organization.
Conclusion
With all these tools, your journey to freelance success should be smooth. Use all this information carefully, and you should be able to land your first freelance role.
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