Since the corona virus crisis began, many companies decided to lay off employees to reduce costs. They were unable to pay salaries as well and many people lost a job during covid 19. This has shaken the world of most of those newly unemployed individuals struggling to pay their rents and other expenses.
However, there’s a light at the end of the tunnel. Freelance work is a great alternative for those who lost their job during Covid 19. Although gig working isn’t a stable work dynamic, it allows them to stay financially active and profit from their skills. Besides, there are still companies that are hiring despite the coronavirus.
Software development jobs and digital marketing spiked during the pandemic because companies needed to maintain their business afloat. If you lost your job and you’re wondering how you can start a freelance career, this guide is for you!
Unemployment Aid
Before jumping right into the freelance world, you should be able to put your finances on track to survive during unemployment. Try to limit your expenses, cancel any subscriptions you rarely use, don’t spend money on unnecessary things, and maintain an updated balance of your transactions. People who lost a job during covid 19 pandemic have to carefully plan their budget while searching for a job. Mostly people ignore this thing and their frustration increases.
It’s also a good idea to ask for unemployment help. These benefits used to be very hard to get in the past, but it’s now easier to apply for unemployment benefits due to the situation. You should consult your government’s site in your country to check the requirements.
Increase Your Online Visibility
Once you’ve decided to enter the freelance world, you should begin to get some visibility. If you never worked online, you probably don’t have an online presence, so it’s time to work on your profile. There are many sites where you can sign in and create a freelance profile. Some of the most popular ones are Upwork, Fiverr, and even LinkedIn.
You need to create a concise but catchy description of yourself that looks appealing to recruiters. It’s also important to update your profile with your latest projects so future employees can see what you’ve been working on over the previous years. This thing has been very helpful for people who lost their job during covid 19.
After that, you’re ready to start sending some proposals. Reach out to clients with an actionable plan that works accordingly to their expectations, and this will call their attention.
Learn a New Skill
If you’ve never worked as a remote worker and you think you don’t have tech skills, just know that you can also learn a new skill during Covid-19. Distance learning is still possible, so you can start evaluating your current skills to see if it’s time for reskilling.
You don’t necessarily need to have job training on an entirely unknown subject. Something that most people do is to find a related tech skill to their current career. For example, as a journalist, you could become a digital marketer and an artist could study graphic design… the list goes on.
Don’t underestimate your career background. People with a diversified professional experience have more value in the tech community. Imagine being a nurse with coding skills. You can provide tech solutions to any healthcare company because not only do you know how to create a digital product, but you also understand how that industry works.
Besides, many online bootcamps teach their students remotely, so there’s no need to go to a physical location. Some of the schools that are currently working online are Thinkful, Flatiron School, and General Assembly.
ln-demand Skills During Covid-19
During Covid-19, most companies went entirely remotely. Therefore, IT-related jobs spiked and were very in-demand. This is because they are crucial to maintaining the IT infrastructure to make sure all companies are working seamlessly despite the pandemic. Some of the most in-demand tech professionals are cybersecurity experts and computer science experts like software developers or web developers.
However, not everything is tech-related. According to CPL, language skills are also in-demand during the quarantine. So, writers, translators, and journalists managed to stay afloat during the pandemic. Besides, marketing never stops, so people with digital marketing skills are highly required during the pandemic.
The Freelance Market During Covid-19
Even before the pandemic struck our world, the freelance lifestyle trend was increasing. According to this source, freelancers will represent more than half of the national workforce population by 2027. Therefore, we could expect that this trend will probably go up even after the pandemic. In fact, the Covid-19 outbreak may have accelerated the process. People who lost a job during covid 19 pandemic and tried freelancing are already doing very good and earning handsome amount.
The latest State of the Salary report by Hired stated that most employees in today’s workforce are willing to go fully remotely even after the pandemic is over. So this gives us some insights into how the future of work may look like.
Conclusion
If you lost your job during Covid-19, you may be going through a stressful situation, and you may even feel despair, but not everything’s lost. Consider learning a new skill and become part of the freelance population.