To be successful as a freelancer, you need a skillset that’s valuable to your potential clients. If you are not able to provide value as an expert in your field, you wouldn’t be working as a freelancer. But your expertise isn’t the only skill you need to be a successful freelancer.
There are numerous freelancer skills that are considered “soft” skills and abilities beyond the job description that help freelancers promote themselves, acquire new clients, build lasting relationships with the clients they already have, and keep their business flowing and growing.
Once individuals start moving away from a fixed mindset where they believe talent is static and qualities like intelligence and empathy can’t be improved, they will start seeing themselves as constant learners. Asking questions, offering ideas, and giving and receiving feedback all become normalized. Collaboration and communication improve and lead to new ideas and better performance.
With a growth mindset, team members will see themselves as an important part of a team and take responsibility for their own growth while doing everything they can to help their teammates do the same. When challenges, setbacks, and shortcomings arise, these experiences are seen as opportunities to grow rather than a failure. Failure isn’t something that has to be feared and doesn’t produce the mental anxiety that can keep someone from trying new ideas.
Feedback is no longer something to be dreaded. Instead, it’s an opportunity for growth. Challenges are no longer something to be avoided, but embraced. Resilience in the face of obstacles replaces the tendency to just give up.
There are freelancers who get a job done, and then there are freelancers that provide value to an organization in the way they handle their business and provide insights and ideas to their clients. The difference between a good freelancer and a great freelancer is in the less-quantifiable soft skills — how well they connect and think outside the box.
Often as a contracted worker you aren’t involved with the same feedback and review opportunities that full-time employees take advantage of. Because you don’t necessarily have a “boss” or “manager”, you don’t get consistent and actionable feedback, and it can be difficult to make necessary improvements or changes in your work to provide a better experience, sometimes at the expense of your contract.
Regular feedback helps you understand your clients’ opinions and perceptions of you. Actionable and continuous feedback is an indispensable part of your ability to hone your critical skills, grow as a person and grow your business.
Matter can provide you with the feedback you need. Break out of the bubble and find out exactly where your strengths and growth opportunities lie. Use the data you receive from Matter’s 360-degree feedback platform to embrace a growth mindset and reach your full potential.
Matter helps you measure your performance against the goals that are important to you as a freelancer. Matter’s continuous, 360-degree feedback system is a unique way of gathering information from your trusted peers. You can use that information in real-time to shatter any personal or professional barriers that are holding you back.
Learn how to develop a genuine “growth mindset” that will enable you to constantly improve and meet your career goals — both now and in the future! Unlock your full potential today and embrace your aspirations with Matter.
