Background: How Did Freelancing Originate?

According to Wikipedia, the term “freelance” was coined by Sir Walter Scott in his book, Ivanhoe to describe a “medieval mercenary warrior” (or “free-lance” - get the connection?).

Freelancing actually predates the Industrial Revolution of the early 1900’s. Before working for a large organization became the norm, most workers had close personal relationships with their employers and dealings were on a person-to-person basis. Often it was a verbal contract to perform a certain task for a specified amount and the worker got paid at the end of the day. It wasn’t called freelancing as such, but in practice, that’s what it would be called today.

All that changed with the onset of large factories that required an equally large workforce. Because the work was more or less guaranteed, many flocked to work for large companies, ending the former individual relationships.

Types of Freelance Jobs

If we accept the definition of freelancing described in What is Freelancing? as “a person, usually self-employed, offering services on a temporary basis, to several businesses, for particular assignments”, then you can see how freelancing can be applied to just about any occupation.

Our definition states that the freelancer is usually self-employed, but there are agencies, such as City Staffing in Chicago, that will put freelancers on the payroll and provide services like billing clients, scheduling, office space, and even benefits. City Staffing places freelancers in assignments such as:

• Administrative Assistant
• Executive Assistant
• Data Entry
• General Office
• Receptionist
• Office Manager
• Marketing Coordinator
• Production Artist
• PowerPoint Specialist
• Writer
• Editor

These assignments are generally temporary, and can last anywhere from a few hours to up to 12 months, depending on the nature of the work to be done. Most agencies will also arrange a permanent placement, called temp to perm, if both client and freelancer agree. Of course, then the individual is no longer a freelancer, which may be fine by them. The freelancing alternative work style is not for everyone.

Other Types of Freelance Jobs

Just about any skill that can be performed by a temporary employee can be a freelance assignment. The difference is that the work generally has a defined scope and a projected end date. Creative services performed by graphic artists, technical writers, web designers, contract programmers, copywriters, illustrators, business analysts, proofreaders, photographers, and reporters are the occupations that often come to mind when one thinks of freelancers. But there are also people who freelance as telemarketers, broadcast journalists, home stagers, call center agents, online tutors and coaches, virtual assistants, medical transcriptionists, beauty consultants, auto detailers, and aerobics instructors.

In short, you should be able to find a freelance assignment doing just about anything that a client wants done temporarily without having to hire an employee. Just be aware that there are also work at home scams out there. If any opportunity you find requires a payment up front for any reason, it pays to check out why. You can check with the Better Business Bureau and the US Postal Inspection Service to see if there are any records on the company in question.

Industries That Use Freelancers

In business, the word “consultant” is often heard, but a consultant is really a freelancer if they work for themselves and not for a large firm. In fact, independent consultants will often refer to themselves as “freelance consultants” associated with some sort of specialty.

The magazine industry often uses freelancers almost exclusively to create content. A publication may have some staff writers (i.e. employees) for the main features, but have most articles written by freelancers that bring variety and constant freshness to the magazine.

The creative industries — advertising, public relations, graphic arts, design, illustration, and the like — use freelancers quite frequently to provide new insights and points of view into their work.

The computer industry, because the technology changes so frequently, hires programmers, web designers, security consultants, help desk personnel, and other contractors to work on a constant stream of new projects. Hiring often takes place because one has a specific skill, or knowledge of a certain technology that is required to produce the work.

Interpreters and translators often find freelance work with colleges and universities, government agencies, firms conducting international business, and travel and leisure businesses like hotels, resorts, and conference centers.

Sometimes freelance work can be seasonal, like the thousands of tax preparers hired every spring by the income tax service firms and individuals hired at year end by retail outlets to take physical inventory of their stock. Firms also hire freelancers to help smooth out the peaks and valleys of their business cycle, taking more on as orders increase and dropping them when business slows.

The point to take away from this section is that there is a trend in most industries to hire freelancers to address needs as they come up, without having to make costly additions to staff. Requirements are generally very specific, but if you have the experience called for by the client, and are available when and where they want you, a freelance assignment can be a very worthwhile and profitable endeavor for you.

Nature of the Work

Because the freelancer is being hired for their expertise, often the method(s) used to accomplish the work is left up to the freelancer, as long as the objectives of the assignment are accomplished. In other cases, there may be specific tools and methodologies that the client requires be used, so that the output is compatible with other systems or other producer’s output. For example, a technical writer may be required to produce content using a specific type of software and an illustrator may need to use a Mac computer to create their designs. Needless to say, the freelancer needs to stay flexible from one assignment to the next to accommodate whatever the client may require.

You will probably find that most assignments will be very different from each other, so both the ability and willingness to learn new things are definitely assets. In fact, the exposure to so many different situations and technologies, and the on-the-job career development that takes place, is what makes freelancing so appealing to many.

Because the freelancer is not an employee, they may choose to work for as many or few clients at one time as they choose. However, the more gigs you have going at the same time, pulling you in different directions, the more likely you may become unfocused and screw up one of them. Your stress level will also increase. You will need to learn what your limitations are and how to stay within them.

Freelance work is often deadline driven, meaning that accurate time estimation becomes a valuable skill, as well as project management expertise.

Why Businesses Benefit When They Outsource to Freelancers

The number one reason is to reduce employee expense. Payroll, and the overall costs of hiring, training, and maintaining employees are the largest costs that affect the bottom line in most companies. Ad hoc needs — that is, those that come up sporadically — may not justify the skills utilization of a current employee, taking them off a higher level task or even the hiring of a new employee to address them. It is much more cost efficient to hire a “temp”, “consultant,” or “freelancer” to handle the sporadic need — even if the per hour rate is higher — because of all of the other associated costs of maintaining an employee, such as benefits, government taxes, office space, and so forth.

Businesses also have discovered that freelancers bring fresh perspectives to certain kinds of work and are not affected by company norms that may diminish outcomes, especially in creative assignments like advertising, public relations, or marketing communications. Because outsiders are not tied to the job progression hierarchy, they are less likely to hold back on ideas that an employee may regard as too sensitive or too tied to promotability to treat honestly.

Flexibility is also another area where businesses enjoy an advantage when they hire freelancers. An organization can literally have an expert on site in a matter of hours to address a pressing need, and only retain them until the need is met, with no further commitment required.

This article was featured in the Oct. 2008 Blog Carnival at Blog Me Cash.

Related Articles

• What is Freelancing?
• What Freelancing Services Should You Offer?
• How to Start Making Money as a Freelance Writer
• Establishing the Value of Your Services