Australias Freelance Revolution (And How To Join It!)

Australias Freelance Revolution (And How To Join It) Australias Freelance Revolution (And How To Join It)Posted March 16, 2015, by Marni WilliamsWith the jobless rate climbing and the workforce mora casualised than a backpackers CV, we could be forgiven for thinking that job security was a thing of the past.But what if I told you that a growing number of us dont actually care? Sure, we all want to have successful careers, and there are those painfully regular things called bills, but it seems that more and more of us are taking matters of employment into our own hands. If you havent heard, theres a freelancing revolution on, and its the biggest thing since all those factories started popping up in the 1760s.Australias in, get amongst itStudies have shown that a third of Americans were freelancing as early as 2005, and the United Kingdom saw 12.5 per cent growthin freelancing between 2008 and 2011 alone. With such strong growth overseas, its probably no surprise that the trend is wel l and truly taking hold here in Australia. The Freelancing in Australia study, published late last year by Edelman Berland on behalf of online freelance portal Elance-Odesk, makes it clear they estimate that a third of Australians are already finding ways to become their own boss.Whether were talking about the rise of portfolio careers, the gig economy or independent workers the meaning is the same its about unshackling ourselves from the confines of a job, and building a career piece-by-piece. But surely this kind of widespread change is just out of necessity, right? With the GFC still looming large in our rear vision, it is easy to assume that when permanent jobs dried up we simply adapted but theres much more to the story.Its global, and trackableCommunications technologies have given independent workers the ability to engage with employers anywhere in the world at all times of the day, opening up a global freelance market that didnt exist before. And on the hiring side of thin gs, employers are increasingly finding that online project management platforms allow them to track their freelancers progress, while user-friendly job boards help them to measure their value. Freelancers today come with LinkedIn recommendations, star ratings, online portfolios and a lot more competition than they used to.Its a generational thingIn the past we were all pressured to jump straight into a life-long career at the ripe old age of 18, work our way gradually through bro politics and fit within the restrictions of our chosen business. It was as if job satisfaction lived at the end of a long, straight line.These days its much more acceptable to meander our way through a few courses, units, and especially jobs before working out where our talents lie. The ability to continue to zupflmmel and choose jobs, develop a specialty or expand skills as and when we like, is very appealing to todays workers, and especially to Gen Y.This appeal might even be reflected in Australias emplo yment figures. The Guardians Greg Jerichorecently looked below the surface of the Australian Bureau of Statistics job stats to find out just who is being casualised.It turns out that while part-time work has been growing over the years, the overall proportion of casual labour has remained steady for all demographics except one the under-30s. Of course, the difficulty of getting freshly-qualified youth into work in Australias transitional economy may have something to do with it, but what if casual work is also what the next generation wants?I dont want to downplay our youth unemployment figures, but it seems negligent to ignore a shift in attitudes many young workers today are focused on curating their careers and trying out their skills. Its more than a case of playing the field before settling down young professionals dont just plan to be lawyers, theyre lawyer-PR managers who publish music and dabble in an online retail start-up in their spare time.In fact, 58 per cent of those surveyed in Australia said freelancing was choice over necessity. This suggests there are significant lifestyle factors at play here. Who could blame us for taking a new approach? Research conducted in the United States even found that 90 per cent of freelancers surveyed were happier now than they were before going solo, with nearly half feeling no impact from the economic downturn.The other large group of freelancers in Australia is the Baby Boomers who, once they know how to market themselves, can be well remunerated for difficult-to-find skills and unique levels of experience.Lets not forget supply and demandA revolution cant be one-sided, and this kind of a shake-up certainly wouldnt be possible if companies werent also changing their attitudes towards hiring on a project-by-project basis. And thats certainly borne out in the figures Australian odd-job board Airtasker saw the number of tasks posted on their site double in just the first quarter of last year, and Elance-oDesk say s it has grown 235 per cent over the past three years. These days you can hire anyone online a graphic designer, handyman, IT specialist, home and office cleaner, web developer, SEO expert, videographer, marketer the list is endless.This explosion of access to OK, sometimes overly cheap labour has also pushed Australians to work at the opposite end of the spectrum. A higher end of the freelance market looks to be emerging, with smaller cooperative outfits like The Copy Collectiveand freelance hubs such as Rachels Listvetting their freelancers andtailoring their services to specific clients and markets. Rachels List conducts its own annual survey and the majority of hourly rates were within the bracket of $25 to $150 an hour.While the global nature of online job boards has brought the price of some jobs down, there has also been a perception change occurring locally, where employers now recognise that freelancers can offer difficult-to-find skills something that has been increasi ngly important to businesses who want to stay ahead of the game in todays often disrupted environment. This ability to pay for specific expertise on a short-term basis when needed, coupled with the fact that business can now find, manage and track their freelancers better, has transformed freelancing in Australia into a $51 billion economy.Thinking of joining the revolution?Keen to get a piece of that $51 billion? Dreaming of flexible hours and working from home? While I may have convinced you that the freelance revolution is real, as a freelancer myself I feel I need to offer you some advice dont jump the barricade just yet. What, you didnt think I was going to tell you it was all sipping lattes in a cafe and working a three-hour day, did you? Making a success out of freelancing is just like anything else worthwhile it takes hard work, and a lot of conviction. If youre serious about curating your career then you might just need these top 10 tips.Prepare yourself for the transit ionPrepare yourself for the transitionTempting as it may be to walk out the office door for the last time, you have to be sensible. You need to get your product ready for launch. This includes getting the right qualifications, building a website, a bit of moonlighting to build up your portfolio, and growing your contacts.Get these things in place and you will hit the ground runningFind your nicheNo matter where youve come from your unique experience will be valuable to someone. For me, its having a background in visual art and some decent research skills. Even if it stems from a hobby or seems unrelated to your main gig at first, figure out what makes you unique and work this into your freelance profile.Then diversify your skillsWhile you want to highlight the things that will make you stand out, lets not forget this is freelancing never fence yourself in Businesses are going crazy over T workers who have a depth of knowledge in one area and can branch out into others as needed. H aving multiple talents means more streams of work a key factor in your freelancing a success. So diversify your skills with up-to-date technical knowledge, social media skills and a bit of project-management prowess. Cast your net wide with a range of projects and you will see your skills profile build in no time.Work up a portfolioWould you get an architect to build you a house without seeing their