Creating a Stellar Freelancing Profile on QuiGig
The way that consumers make decisions about what to spend their money on has changed.
People used to rely on word of mouth but in this highly digitized world, it has been proven that most people literally will not act – whether that is purchasing online, visiting a storefront, or even checking out what it is that’s offered – without seeing a positive sentiment written online. This is observable in everyday life, exhibited in the new ways we choose a new restaurant, pick teachers and university professors, hire freelancers, and even in how we date. Having that presence online is a must, and one main way to do so is through a stellar profile.
How Does my Profile Help me Get Clients?
Having a squeaky clean and professional online profile has never been more important than it is today, whether that is for a brand, or it is for yourself. Personal branding has become necessary to land a job, or even a date in some instances, and has become so needed that most colleges offer classes on the topic and “Online Reputation Manager” has even become a job title!
When you work for yourself, your reputation is your moneymaker. Just as people visit Yelp! to look for reviews and seek out business social media and homepages for information before purchasing, potential customers will visit your Facebook and LinkedIn and consume anything they can about you before making the decision to work with you.
A profile is a great way to build trust between you and a potential customer. If someone can see your face and read a little bit about who you are, there is a much higher chance that they will actually choose to work with you. Having a profile speak for you also gives you the ability to control the narrative, and highlight your work. If you position your great work at the beginning of your profile, which is certainly possible on QuiGig, you will greatly increase your chances of attracting clients (No. 2 in this great blog!).
As a freelancer, you will need to transfer the information you have on LinkedIn and Facebook about yourself and your work to other sites that more directly advertise your business. It just so happens that QuiGig is one of those sites! We can help put you in front of the right clients so that you can find more gigs quickly, and form lasting professional relationships. What we can’t do for you is win you jobs – that’s what your profile is for! Each platform is different, but most have the same essential elements. Below I am going to help you build your QuiGig profile, and give you some tips on how to effectively craft it.
How to Create a Profile on QuiGig:
If you haven’t already, you need to sign up for QuiGig. Our sign up process takes less than thirty seconds and is very straightforward – I doubt you will need help figuring it out! If you do, you can always give us a call or shoot an email.
After you are logged in, navigate to the “Profile” section of the site. You can find it by hovering over your account name in the top right of the homepage. From there, you can see all of your personal profile information like how many gigs you have completed, how long you have been on QuiGig, and more.
The first thing you can do from here is add your phone number. This information is optional to add, but may come in handy for password recall or account verification. In this same section you can change your password if you need to.
Next, you should see a toggleable button. If you wish to provide service on the site, this button must be turned on. Obviously, not all members of QuiGig will be providing a service to their
community (some are just here to get you paid!), and we want to make sure to make the distinction between our users. Be sure that the button is on like this so that you can receive bids for work!
As a service provider, you can add a number of things to your QuiGig profile, the first three of which being your portfolio, work experience, and certifications. These are the first three attributes that a potential customer will see about you, and it is arguably the most important section. This small section gives you the unique opportunity to showcase your work first, something we believe strongly in at QuiGig.
The next section includes your educational background, details on your business, and links to your social media. While the first two fields may not seem directly applicable to your service types, be sure to at least add something in order to be as thorough as possible. You can never know what drives decision making, whether it is an affinity for people who have their own businesses, sports team preference, or something even more out there.
6 Tips to Build a Perfect Profile
Crafting your profile can be a cakewalk if you know what to add, what to omit, and what to focus on. With these tips you should be set to take the digital world by storm! Note that while these tips will be exclusive to QuiGig, they should still be applicable should you choose to use another freelancer platform. Without further ado, here are five tips to help you get more gigs!
1: Put your best foot forward in your Portfolio
As I mentioned before, your work is what wins you jobs. When asked, people looking for work through freelancing sites cite the portfolio as the most valued part of someone’s profile for deciding to work with them – over even name, age, or reputation. This may be shocking for some, but it makes complete sense for multiple reasons.
Although ratings are immensely valuable, they are intensely subjective. It is easy for star ratings to represents people’s personal opinions and nitpicks, especially if the product or service has not been reviewed many times. Every freelancer knows that enough bad reviews can tank business, but most people will look past one or two blemishes to see what the work is like. Make sure when they get there, that they are pleasantly surprised.
Make sure what you are displaying is your best work. This may go without saying, but only upload what will put you in the best light. This is your first chance for a potential customer to see what you can do, so show them the best that you have done in the past. Also, the photo, video, sound clip must be in the highest quality possible. The clarity will be both a reflection of your excellence, and a descriptive element for the people possibly hiring you. If you have one, you should also link out to your website.
Here is my favorite portfolio, for a design team called Toy Fight!
2: Research your Industry
Each industry will have different relevant skills, necessary certifications, portfolio types, and important information to include. Be sure to look at profiles from others in your same field to see what attributes they are highlighting and what language they are using. Many people are highlighting an industry specific certification? You should too. Is everyone fluent in Spanish? You should start taking classes.
Along with knowing what your competitors are doing right, you may be able to identify what they are doing wrong and exploit them for it. There may be a key piece of information about your industry that they are forgetting. If you include it, you may get the leg up on them. From personal experience, living in Houston, one thing that can set you apart, in any industry, is Spanish speaking ability. Even if you think that you will not have to use that particular skill, it will get you hired!
3: List All of Your Skills, No Matter How Small
Although overfilling out the skills section is looked down upon by some, I believe that you should stuff your skills section with everything that could be even possibly relevant. You never know what small skill or quirk could win you a gig, so be thorough and don’t hold back!
That being said, put the most relevant information upfront. What are your biggest accomplishments or professional points of pride? What are you best at, and what helps you stand out from the competition? Lead with that. Let the rest follow.
4: Link your Social Media Accounts
In the past, you could get away with not linking your Facebook or your LinkedIn, but because of the consumer’s demand for digital, this has become a necessity. Potential customers want to know who they are engaging in business with, and want to connect before pulling the trigger on your service. People are looking for reasons for can trust you, and if your message on your social media and the message on your QuiGig profile match, there will be little way to deny your legitimacy.
As far as sites to add, you should definitely be linking the social media page that you use the most frequently. Potential customers may want to reach out to you on social media and see that you are responsive and, well, who you say you are. For me, that is Facebook. For you, that may be Twitter, Instagram, or Reddit. The medium doesn’t matter as much as your level of interaction with it! If you have it, you should also be linking your LinkedIn. LinkedIn is the most professional social media site, and the one that many people think will take over even Facebook in getting you a gig. With all account you link to QuiGig, make sure that you do not have anything on those pages that will dissuade someone from hiring you!
5: Go the Extra Mile
To be a successful freelancer, this may be the most important tip. It is of the utmost importance that you can distance yourself from your peers and come out on top, because your job, and your money depend on it. You must know what your peers are doing (as referenced above) so that you can do it too, but also so you can go above and beyond them. Position yourself to be superior to them in your profile and you will see increased results.
One of the most tangible and tested ways that you can do this is by going out and getting certifications that your peers don’t yet have. Here is a list of certifications for different industries that could provide value to you, even if they don’t provide you with any new knowledge. You would be surprised how these things could win you new jobs, but also how they could even get you a little bit more money!
Less tangible but still very important, you can make sure to interact with as many people as you can on QuiGig. Leave reviews, thank former customers, and keep in touch with them. This shows that you care about your work and aren’t just in it for the money. It can also help show people your true personality and convince them to work with you, which is the whole reason of building a strong profile in the first place!
