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Freelancers and contractors in this craziness

over 3 years ago from , Designer

Hi folks,

I hope you guys are doing well in this chaotic moment. I'm currently working as a contractor, with my current contract work is nearing to end this month. While I'm struggling to find a full-time position, I'm seeking another contract work opportunities but the timing can't be any worse these days. So I was wondering if any of you are freelancers/contractors, how you guys are holding up, plan to stay hired, or generally how you guys are doing. Whatever it would be, please stay healthy folks!

10 comments

  • Reece ButlerReece Butler, over 3 years ago

    I'm based in Sydney, and I'll be honest, I'm a little concerned how I'm going to fair over the next few months. I've been full-time freelance for 5 or 6 years at this point, but the last 12 months have been the toughest, and I can't see it improving in the next few months.

    My biggest problem will be finding new clients and projects, which won't be a unique problem, particularly since I think there will probably be a lot of new people being forced to go it alone. And the biggest hurdle to getting that work will be that despite my many years of experience, I don't have a portfolio of current work that even closely represents my skills and experience due to either;

    • The majority of my day to day work being just small and one off tasks like website updates, code tweaks and changes, ad resizes, newsletter updates etc...
    • Agency/contract work which I either only contributed a small amount, or don't have permission to share.
    • Complacency. There's a bit of neglect on my part which set in over the last few years, as work was mostly coming my way without any real effort on my part. I certainly haven't been on top of keeping my work as up to date as I should have.

    My plan will be to obviously build a better portfolio, and I guess be more proactive in out reach to potential clients.

    Interesting times ahead.

    2 points
    • Mike A.Mike A., over 3 years ago

      You need to change your product/services structure & pricing.

      0 points
      • Reece ButlerReece Butler, over 3 years ago

        Any recommendations? At the moment that advice is a little vague.

        I see my immediate problem being that I have no way of demonstrating that I can do what I say I can do. Do you think that's not the case?

        0 points
    • Kris KimKris Kim, over 3 years ago

      Hey Reece, how are things going on over there? I hope it's not too bad as here. Have you worked on any personal projects? In my current portfolio, I have 5 works and 3 of them are personal projects. But still I've managed to attract recruiters to get interviews.

      0 points
    • Daniel Shires, over 3 years ago

      I feel your pain Reece!

      I'm employed full-time at the moment for a cruise company, but obviously our position as a business is going to be severely tested over the next couple of months, and my job doesn't feel that safe.

      My only advice would be to up-skill as much as you can – either through Ui/Ux/Code – whatever direction you want to go in – and find personal projects that you can utilise your skills in. It's something I'm working on myself at the moment, and I feel the pressure to continue with it because who the hell knows what life will be like in 3-6-12 months.

      All I do know is things will get better eventually, and when it does, I don't want to be that guy who's sat on his arse and done nothing about it!

      0 points
  • Aaron Wears Many HatsAaron Wears Many Hats, over 3 years ago

    I'm surprised it took this long for this topic to appear here.

    I've been setting up remote infrastructure for my company, so our devs can all continue to work from home. Here in West Oz the government response is still in it's infancy, but I can imagine in the next two weeks there could be disruptions to public transport that would require our team to get split up at home.

    If I were you however - as a freelancer - I'd get a contingency plan ready for the event that your workload simply just drops off. When people get scared and start panicking, they probably won't be needing logos or landing pages drawn up for a little while.

    2 points
    • Kris KimKris Kim, over 3 years ago

      Yes, that's my point and that's what worries me the most. Now that we are looking at the huge economical recession, companies won't be looking at the extra workforces. So I was wondering how anyone in similar situation would go about minimizing the damage.

      1 point
  • Jordan BJordan B, over 3 years ago

    I'm in the same situation in Los Angeles. I had been working 40hr/wk for the same client for about 18 months, then their budget ran out. I scrambled to update my résumé and portfolio and have had more difficulty than I ever have had in the past finding new work. And I have been HUSTLING. The market is saturated with young designers who are all simultaneously finding themselves in our position, so it is tough out there. The best advice I can give is to lower your standards at a time like this. Be open to taking the jobs that you may not normally choose to take. Do some pro bono work. It will help you to continue to build relationships in this tough time. Also remember that people love to help when they have the power to do so. Be public about your search. Good luck!

    1 point
    • Kris KimKris Kim, over 3 years ago

      Right. I'm currently interviewing for full-time position and seeking for any other contract opportunities, basically trying everything I can. So have you ended up getting new work?

      0 points
      • Jordan BJordan B, over 3 years ago

        I've been placed at a large company temporarily. The work is so so and the pay is well below the rate that I am accustomed to, but it may lead to full-time placement with better pay. Just sucking it up right now while the world is on fire. Good luck with the position!

        0 points