8 important soft skills freelancers need to have (1).pdf

8 important soft skills freelancers need to have (1).pdf

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  8 important soft skillsfreelancers need to have A guide by Jagriti Rai
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  Understanding the ideaof Soft Skills Skill sets that are desirable for all possible professions. Rather than being technical skills that require certificates and training, these skills are more personal or even interpersonal. Often this means skill sets that reflect your personality and productivity, as well as how you navigate social networks. Hard skills aren’t the only skills that can pay the bills. Soft skills like communication, thinking creatively, and teamwork all have their place in the work environment. Just because you are a solo professional doesn’t mean you work alone. These are the best soft skills to learn as a freelancer.
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  1) Effective communicationskills Communicating effectively leads to a clearer understanding and makes things smoother. From a business point of view, all transactions are a result of and require communication to facilitate the deal. Good communication skills also mean being able to impart information to clients and team members alike.Practicing good communication skills means practicing things like: ● being an active listener ● practicing empathy ● treating people with a level of respect ● understanding body language ● displaying confidence ● finding the right medium to communicate certain messages. While practicing all these little things may seem tedious, the reward will be well worth it.
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  2) Problem-solving skills Havingthe ability to solve problems makes you an indispensable asset to whatever team you’re working with. Your peers or clients will be confident that whatever assignment you are given will be handled by someone who can assess complicated situations and come up with solutions. It also means that you’ll have a lot more leeway with your work because people trust that you can handle anything that comes your way. Proper problem-solving skills require someone who can analyze problems and also someone who can research to dig up information. You should also: ● Try being more knowledgeable about the technical details of your field ● Practicing solving problems will give you confidence. ● Be decisive with your decisions.
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  3) Maintaining apositive approach Having an optimistic approach makes you more likely to apply for that freelancer gig instead of talking yourself out of it. It gives you the confidence to overcome obstacles rather than feeling defeated. It’ll keep you going even when dealing with your own mistakes, giving you the motivation to improve.Being positive means practicing positivity. You should do things like keeping stock of all the good things in your life, surrounding yourself with positive experiences, and pushing yourself to do more. Also, you should learn to be more forgiving of people to let go of extra baggage. Another key skill you can learn is learning how to deal with rejection or criticism. Being positive requires changing your outlook on things, but it will benefit you in the long run.
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  4) Teamwork skills Teamworkmakes the dream work. It’s very likely that even as a solo worker that you’ll be collaborating with a team when doing your work. That’s why it’s one of the best skills for freelance work. Having the ability to do well with others and excelling within your role is a great skill to have for freelance work. Effective teams communicate well, so having effective communication techniques is a big plus. Being able to perform your role confidently and reliably is another key aspect of being a good team member. Collaboration is a key aspect of business practices, so you should ensure that you can work well with your future teams.
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  5) Ability toaccept and learn from criticism Accepting criticism has to be one of the hardest skills to master in life, both professionally and personally. Somehow you must have the emotional maturity to separate the sting from the critique to hear advice that can make you a more productive worker. It’s not glamorous but it’s one of the most important skills you can master. Learning how to accept constructive criticism makes you better at your job. You’ll be able to learn from your mistakes and the wisdom of others. The first step to improving how to accept criticism is about self-control. You’ll need to find ways to not take the critique personally and to manage your initial reaction. It’s important to be humble and not dwell on criticism. Once you can manage this, then find ways to process the actual criticism in a way that you can apply the advice if the critique was constructive. It’s hard to do, but learning how to handle criticism helps you get better at your craft.
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  6) Stress management Managingstress is key for your professional development and your personal health. Professional life today is filled with enough problems that can cause the build-up of stress, leading to poor health and burnout. Freelance jobs, in particular, can be especially stressful for solo workers because of the added responsibilities you take on.Learning how to manage your stress is key to a productive career and a good life. Low-stress levels lead to a better working environment and less compromise in your life.Ways to practice managing your stress include; ● Finding ways to limit the accumulation of it (this might mean taking the extra time to organize your work or focusing on one task at a time to avoid headaches) ● Avoiding work conflicts that aren’t important ● Learning how to set boundaries between your work and your life ● Maintaining a positive attitude. ● And finding a way to balance your career and your personal life healthily.
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  7) Managing creativityand innovation Freelancer jobs require having a certain degree of creativity and innovative thinking. Creativity comes in many fashions: making observations, connecting things, experimenting, and creating new things or processes. Creative and innovative skills are among the best skills to learn to make money. Managing these skills and knowing where best to apply them can make you a more productive worker as well. While some people may be naturally creative, you can learn how to flex those muscles. Exercise your brain regularly by reading, writing, or some other hobby that encourages thought. Something as simple as changing your environment can even be stimulating, so be sure to see what fits you.
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  8) Leadership skills Leadershipskills are some of the most profitable skills to learn. That’s because being a leader requires the combination of so many other skills and talents that it is difficult to master. Being a leader can take different forms, but it requires you to be able to organize people towards reaching a goal. Being a leader can mean being a visionary or a logistician or being a cheerleader, but it all has the same end goal. It’s essential to any group or organization, uniting the workers while creating a good and productive environment. Good leadership is infectious in that it inspires other members of the team to be more productive, helping reinforce a positive environment. You must also have the ability to demonstrate your ability to get results and solve problems. It’s not so much a single skill but many others rolled into one.That’s why practicing leadership skills requires you to take the lead on certain projects or in certain circumstances, especially when you have technical knowledge of the issue. You should then practice those other composite skills: team building, communication, problem-solving, teaching/mentoring, and targets. It’s probably the most difficult skill to master, but that’s why good leaders are in short supply.
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  Applying these skills Whileit’s important to have the appropriate technical skills for your career, it’s equally important to develop your soft skills. Most importantly they are real skills that you can train and develop given the resources and time. So, when considering if you have the right skill set for a job, take into account things like your ability to work within a team as well as do the job