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Obstacles to Finding Freelance Jobs

Freelancing for a Living

Obstacles to Finding Freelance Jobs

Written by Charles Mburugu for Gaebler Ventures

It is not easy for freelancers to find work in today's job market, especially if they have no formal education or have little work experience. However, even with the right qualifications and experience, attempts to get home-based freelance employment may be futile, as well as emotionally and financially draining. What are the obstacles to finding freelance work and how can they be overcome?

Research shows that the trend of working from home (telecommuting) has steadily grown over the past few years. However, not many freelancers have been able to tap into this industry.

This article discusses the factors that hinder access to freelance work and how they can be overcome. It will help give an understanding of what searching for a freelance position involves.

Inability to find legitimate companies

One of the main reasons why it takes long to find freelance work is the presence of many companies which offer scams or bogus job opportunities. There are many dubious people seeking to make money from others' need to get home-based work. Using tricky advertising, they ask people to pay for details about the job, or to perform useless activities like posting advertisements on the internet or sending spam email. However, with a little thorough research, legitimate jobs can be found on many career websites or job boards on the internet.

Lack of trust from companies

Despite many studies that show telecommuters are very productive, many employers are still convinced that home-based workers will be relaxing watching television, rather than working. If you are working for a company and are serious about working from home, you could approach your supervisor with a formal proposal. This proposal will show that you have put much planning and thought into the details of working at home. A well written proposal will answer any objections or questions an employer might have.

Too much competition

Another major reason why people can't find freelance jobs is because there are many people competing for the few opportunities that are available. This shows why it is important for job hunters to invest in writing a professional resume and to continuously improve their skills. In addition, you should maintain a good employment track record. Since many new employers perform background checks, it is extremely important to maintain exceptional references from previous employers.

Lack of experience or training

Many employers require job seekers to possess skills such as writing, organizing, research, internet use and problem solving skills. If you don't have a skill that is required, get it. There are numerous free resources for training on the internet. This will improve your chances of getting a freelance work-at-home job, especially if you can get certification in some sort of computer programming.

Not looking hard enough

Many job seekers give up too soon when their efforts to find telecommuting work are unsuccessful. If you want to be successful in finding and keeping a freelance job, diligence is very important. You should not give up looking. The best way to avoid scams and find genuine work is to conduct extensive research so as to understand how freelancing works.

Charles Mburugu writes for us from his home in Nairobi. He has a graduate degree in Business Management from Kenya Institute of Management. He is interested in writing about branding, CSR and intellectual property.