Having skills to work on is only a good thing; it means you are dedicated to your job and see the importance of improving your skill set to benefit your career. Freelance work can be a challenge without the skills needed to keep up with the competition. Read on to find out the top ten skills to work on as a freelancer.

Each client looks for a different mix of skills and experience when they observe your portfolio whether that be on a freelance website or your own customer page. It is no longer enough to be a functional expert for the reason you need to show a unique and professional quality to not only your work but your soft skills too.

Photo by Kelly Sikkema 

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Skills to work on that will benefit you in the long term are soft skills. Soft skills refer to a broad spectrum of personal qualities, habits and attitudes not forgetting social ability. Clients value soft skills due to it meeting specific expectations from a customer’s perspective, in fact soft skills can be just as important an indicator of job performance as hard skills.  

Work ethic is part of the top skills to work on as it accounts for dedication in a freelancer’s work, motivation and driven to getting the job done. Being conscientious and completing your freelance work to the best of your ability means your projects will shine with quality.    

It’s not every day that you have a chance to really impress your client, so don’t make it your last by producing lack lustier work, you want repeat business, right? Instead show that you are optimistic and upbeat in all forms of communication, this will give your client the confidence they deserve to sign the project over to you. Producing good energy will prolong your self-employed status as brand and personnel reputation is eaqually as important. 

There are certain skills to work on such as verbal and written communication which can drastically benefit the way you express yourself allowing you to build relationships with colleagues, clients and associates. Communication online and offline are desirable as you can create a great social media presence as a freelancer however, when it comes to an event you must be prepared to present yourself professionally leading people to put trust in your service.  

How do you prioritise tasks? Do you list tasks daily and do them on a first come first serve basis or do you structure them in a way that makes you more efficient, creating milestones within a workflow? Effective time management is best practice prioritising projects as they come maybe only taking on three at anyone time to ensure your work remains at a high standard. Deliver projects within the timescale and always communicate effectively if there are any delays within the project pipeline.  

If you want a challenge problem-solving skills are sometimes more difficult. Being resourceful and in tune with your creatively side will enable you to solve problems quickly, although certain scenarios that arise will require a more methodical approach and this is where experience can play a big part. Remember to take ownership of problems and delegate tasks where nessisary. Being a step ahead will prove to be beneficial to both you and the success of your project.

Working well within a team can make freelance work seem like a dream, as productivity will go up and projects will be completed more quickly. It is how you go about managing your project that will determine its success. Will you be cooperative and take the leadership role when summoned or back out and let someone else take over? Always select the right person for the job as your skill set will become an asset when leading in a specialist area of the project.

When you take on a project you may sometimes question yourself whether you can actually do the job or not. Have confidence in yourself and believe in your skills, aligning in the two will boost your self-confidence. Have the courage to ask questions to your client if you are unsure on any of the specifics. This may lead you to inspire confidence in your client to communicate more effectively which will get the project off to a good start.

Have you ever been criticised for your freelance work? Did you handle it well? Learn from your mistakes when they occur and remember to coach yourself to improve in any areas that have been affected by criticism. Grow as a person and commit to performing better in your next project by ironing out past mistakes. You may find yourself shining with professionalism once you identify areas of concern.

A situation may arise such as a unforeseen delay in the project pipeline, adapting to make back time is an option. Perhaps a client has put pressure on you adding an additional workload to a project where your skills are not quite compatible. Will you embrace change? Being open to new ideas may actually be considered a strength as a freelancer as this will mean a client gets what they are looking for and sees you are delivering a first-class service. You may find adaptability is one of the skills to work on factoring in task changes through a project lifecycle.

We have all been close to deadlines but it is how you handle the pressure when in moment of a crises. It is important to stay calm and work to the best of your ability, if you really need to use the option of an extension to your client as this is better than openly failing the project. How you carry yourself under pressure could mean the difference between success and failure. Although, you might well thrive under pressure and produce some of your best work.

If you are looking to join the freelancing world look no further as Skillbox is a dedicated freelance marketplace with all the facilities to get your freelance projects off to the best start possible.