It’s been two months since I started out as a fulltime freelancer. The people around me are more concerned about where my next butter and bread is going to come from compared to myself. And they keep asking, “Where do you get new clients? How do you have any clients at all? How are you going to make money to feed yourself?” – and the list goes on. Initially I was concerned too. But then as I got the ball rolling, there really isn’t much for a fulltime freelancer to worry about. In fact, as you step into this new adventure, you will realise that your biggest concern is not where the next bread and butter will be coming from, rather how do you choose from the many plates of projects that are being served to you. And here are some tips I would like to share on how to choose the right projects to work on as a freelancer.

Take on projects that pay. There is always the temptation to do something for free when you start out as a freelancer, especially when your first client is someone you know and they can’t afford to pay you. Wrong move. Never take a project that doesn’t pay, unless you want to work on it as a personal project. Always choose projects that pay. It doesn’t matter how much as long as you get paid for the things you do.

Only agree to projects you can handle. Do not be afraid that your clients will run away just because you don’t offer one of the services that they wanted. For example, web design. I don’t do web design, but I’ve received many job briefs for web designs. And yes, it was tempting to just say yes to the client, google tutorial on dreamweaver and try to cook something up just to earn that extra money. But it’s not going to worth your headache, time and frustration at the end of the day. If you can’t do something, let your client know and you will be surprised at how appreciative they will be at your honesty. At least you do not risk returning to them at the end of the day to apologise that you have screwed up; they can always find someone to do it, or you can always recommend someone to them.

Projects worthy of your time. Never decide on jobs based on the amount of money you can earn out of it. Choose projects that are worthy of your time – which means you have to be smart to judge from the job briefs if your skills fit the bill. If you are an illustrator, choosing projects that require illustrations but pay lower would be more worthwhile compared to a project that pays double but required photoshop skills. Reason being you will spend lesser time doing what you are good at. Lesser time means you can work on more projects and still earn as much.

Choosing the right projects for yourself is a personal process. I’m sure you have a set of criterias that you based on when you choose a project. And these criterias may change from time to time as you get better in what you do. And it’s okay. As long as you choose the projects that enrich your experience and bring you to the next level in your career. Most important is knowing the kind of projects that brings you further.

Originally written by Gina Yap Lai Yoong © 2010

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