How to Build a Freelance Profile that Lands You Jobs

Richard Clayton

March 17, 2015

Your freelance profile offers possible employers insights about you and the quality of your work. First impressions are everything, so it is crucial that your profile page is polished and professional. When searching for freelancers, there are several important factors that employers are looking at:

An informative (yet concise) professional summary
A diverse portfolio with great images
High quality reviews and a 5 star reputation
Education, courses, or achievements

More and more people are going freelance every day, which means that the competition to land freelance work is getting fierce. If you find the majority of your work on freelance marketplaces, your profile can make the difference between finding lots of new business—or none at all. To help you create a winning profile, here’s what you need to do:

Create an effective headline

Your headline should be short and straight to the point. Remove all descriptive words and stick to your position title, number of years of experience and specialty.

EX: Developer, Programmer & Designer with 30+ Years of Experience with PHP, MySQL & JavaScript

Upload a professional photo

If a picture is worth a thousand words, what does your professional photo say about you? Keep in mind these important points before uploading your freelance profile picture.

Always use a photo: I often skip over profiles that don’t include an image because the visual image helps me connect to my freelancer…especially when they are often around the world.
Use a recent photo of yourself: We like to post photos that we think look like the best version of ourselves, but if your photo was taken eight to 10 years ago, it’s too old.
You should be the only subject in the photo: Fluffy can sit this one out.
Your face should be in focus: The background can be slightly out of focus, but your features need to be sharp.
Wear professional attire: You don’t need to be in a suit and tie, but you do need to appear as though you are capable of being professional.
Keep your hobbies out of it: Never post a photo of yourself at the beach, in a night club, or even running a marathon.
Keep your head straight and upright: Studies on body language claim that tilting your head in photos makes you look less self-assured.
Smile!: Or at least use a pleasant facial expression. No one want to work with someone who looks permanently grumpy.
Don’t use your company’s product or logo as a photo: Yes, some people are uncomfortable showing their photo, but if you want to connect with potential employers, you are going to have to bite the bullet and snap a shot.

Outline your qualifications

Potential employers get hundreds of bids on any given project and searching through to find the right freelancer can be overwhelming. Help them out by cutting right to the chase. Immediately open your profile by telling the potential client why you are a qualified freelancer. Be sure to include the following:

Position title (i.e. Senior Graphic Designer, Junior Programmer, Entertainment Writer, etc.)
Years of experience in the field
Areas of expertise
Technical skills and program knowledge
Industry (if applicable)

Mention your academic background

Clients like to know that you have formal training and education in the field you specialize in. If you have academic credentials, mention themafter your qualifications and experience. Your academic background can either be related to the field you are freelancing within, or to the industry.

If you don’t have an impressive academic background, do your best to make up for it by focusing on the relevant experience you bring to the table.

Include your contact information

The easier you are to contact, the more reliable you will appear. After all, reliability is one of the most important factors for clients when hiring freelancers. Additionally, many clients are looking to hire locally. By mentioning your location, you could get the upper hand in local projects. Clients also want to be able to reach you.

Showcase client feedback/projects

Clients want to know that you are capable of completing their project successfully, especially when you are working from another country. In the body of your profile, list each of your major projects, starting from the most recent and working your way back. Include the client’s name, the project scope, the timeline, and the budget if applicable. If you encountered obstacles during the project, explain how you overcame them.

Make sure that you request recommendations from every client you’ve worked with and if you received bad feedback, do everything you can to resolve the issue. If you received fantastic feedback from the client, include it in your profile. Using testimonials from the clients themselves is one of the best ways to show a potential client that you are worth hiring.

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