Among the many career paths today, freelancing has risen to popularity over the last decade or so – and for good reason. Many people are choosing to venture away from the typical work setup, due to the worry of decreasing job security, and even the desire to earn some extra income without taxing yourself too much.
Accounting is among the jobs that are also included in this area, and many experienced accountants are seeking to provide their services to clients throughout the world. It offers plenty of control for you, because you are doing the work in your own pace, schedule, and even venue. However, this also raises the question – where do you begin when you are looking for entry-level jobs? What if freelance accounting is too intimidating to start? These questions and more will hopefully be addressed in this article, so read on for more on that.
The struggle of starting a freelance accounting job
We understand that finding decent clients and work is tough when you are just starting out as a freelance accountant. You probably have very few contacts, and do not have an extensive portfolio.
If these challenges are something you experience, it can be a smart option to start slow. However, always keep in mind that you are also making an effort to hunt for the right projects that will increase your experience, as well as growing your freelancing skills.
What tips should you apply when looking for good entry-level jobs?
Note that these tips will not just apply to accountants, but they can prove useful even if you are freelancing in another area. In addition to this, keep in mind that just because a job carries an ‘entry level’ description, does not mean it should be a low quality article.
What we mean by ‘entry level’ is having a realistic expectation of the work you will likely get if you do not have much experience or projects you can show off to new clients.
With that said, here are some useful guidelines to use:
Stay away from content mill
A content mill is basically a platform or website, where the gigs available to do are of low quality. When you are desperate as a freelancer, it is very easy to get on these platforms and jump at the sight of a new job, then you put out low quality results, and the mill is the only party that ends up with the win.
Many freelancers, regardless of their specialization, make this mistake when starting out – resulting in content mills being their only source of work. That can instantly make the whole experience terrible, because you are not getting much money out of it, and the content mills will not really teach you much about freelancing anyway.
Even if you are completely new to freelancing, make sure you go to places like Dormzi that experienced freelancers use, in order to scout good jobs. You also want to look for clients who are willing to hire people with little or no experience, and aim to convince them using your pitch – do this for at least one new person every day. When you eventually land a client, remain flexible with your rates, and offer to write them some paid samples.
Begin to focus your attention on a specific area
Accounting tasks are broad, because you are taking care of multiple financial details in a company or for an individual. However, the competition for high quality jobs is stiff – and the earlier you begin to specialize, the better it will be for you.
There is a long term advantage that comes with this approach; and that is the marketing of your skills. The longer you focus on a specific accounting area, the more clients will see you as an expert, and they will be willing to seek you out – even at higher rates.
Choose projects that you can add to your portfolio
While ghostwriting is a good thing, you will need some credit when you are a freelancer – even if you are posting them on your blog or website. A ghostwriting job can pay you well, but future clients may never know your name – so use the chance of doing projects and adding them to your portfolio.
Freelancing can seem intimidating especially for a technical field such as accounting, but it helps to have these tips in mind so that you can begin to boost your chances of employment from new clients.
