Soft skills every freelancer should possess

Anyone who has tried being a freelancer knows how vast the required skill set can be. Soft skills can aid a person in a particular job. While these are not absolutely crucial for a job, they are extremely helpful and can make all the difference between success and failure.

Whether a freelancer is preparing to partner with someone, contract with a fellow freelancer, or engage in a team-oriented project, these five skills can be cornerstones for success.

1. Problem Solving.

When you work as a freelancer, you are not faced with a simple routine day in and day out. Your jobs might vary and you may face new challenges with every new project you participate in. Being confident in your problem-solving skills can make you unafraid to face new and unknown challenges. Approach problem solving with creativity so you can effectively complete your jobs and perform with excellence.

2. Effective Communication.

Your ability to communicate effectively with your clients, your suppliers and your peers can be the difference between success and mediocrity. Our technology-driven world is increasingly littered with acronyms, abbreviations, and jargon. If your communication skills can cut through this noise and articulate exactly what you do for your clients and how you add value, then you stand every chance of enjoying a successful freelance career. The two key skills you should look at developing are writing in a concise and informative manner and being able to speak clearly. If you can excel at these two soft skills, you’ll be building solid foundations for a successful freelance career.

3. Collaborating with others.

The ability to work autonomously as a freelancer is vital because more often than not, you could be working on projects independently. However, there will be times when you will need to work with fellow freelance professionals, or even be required to work with the full-time employees of a company you have been hired into. This scenario is common for marketing, design and PR agencies who regularly hire freelance designers and copywriters for specific client briefs.

4. Positive Mindset.

Approaching projects with a positive attitude will help you to produce better work, simply because you will feel better about the project you’re working on. Positivity can help you stay open-minded to new ideas. It can also help you to look at your work from an outsider’s viewpoint, which is vital in certain professions where you are addressing a target audience, such as copywriting, graphic design and marketing.

5. Timeliness

Most freelancing projects are time-sensitive. Deadlines are often determined by the client or in conjunction with the client. An ability to meet or even exceed those stated deadlines can add tremendous and measurable value to your tenure as a freelance. Communicate frequently with your client to ensure expectations are being met and address any issues as early as possible. By giving clients clear communication, you better equip them to make the necessary accommodations on their end.

In conclusion:

Being a successful freelancer requires certain soft skills like, but not limited to, the ones mentioned above. You should prepare yourself to be good at these skills in order to have a successful career as a freelancer; because they affect each and every job you get hired for. And they could be acquired and learned. So, consider working on them from today.