How Students Can Make Extra Money Through Software Freelancing

How Students can Make Money

When you were a child and someone asked you what you wanted to be when you grew up, a “freelancer” probably wasn’t your answer. The freelancing career has only begun to take off in the past decade. But now, it’s an integral part of the gig economy, and it can be very lucrative.

If you have knowledge that other people need, like software and computer programming, you can be very successful as a freelancer. Because of the high demand and flexible hours, even students can make extra money through software freelancing.

Do you have the skills to work in software jobs, but not the “work experience”?

If so, freelancing might be exactly what you need to get started in the field.

When you’re ready to get started, use these tips to boost your chances of success in software freelancing.

1. Know Your Skills and Weaknesses

The main thing that holds students back from becoming software freelancers is the thought that they don’t have anything to offer.

But if you have skills like coding or programming, you “speak a language” that billions of people don’t.

Go on some of the freelancing websites and check out what clients are asking for. Make a list of the skills you have that match some of the jobs. Then, write down your weaknesses, so you know what to work toward.

The amazing part about everything being digital is that you can fill in the gaps where your weak areas are online. A lot of what you’ll need to learn is available free, or you can pay for a certification that will help you get more work.

Look at the skills you don’t know as an opportunity to learn them! If you have a foundation to work with, you can start out with those in your new freelancing career.

2. Market Yourself

As you’re checking out the jobs available, scroll through the “competition,” too.

How are other freelancers marketing themselves?

Your reputation is important, but you might not have a big portfolio to share as you are just starting. The last thing you want to put on your resume is that you’re brand new to the industry.

Instead, focus on the experiences you do have. Market yourself as proficient in as many programming languages as possible.

How did you get your expertise?

Include that in as professional a description as you can.

If you’ve worked with any major companies — name drop! Unless you signed a non-disclosure agreement, mentioning a big name can be enough to sway a client to choose you as their freelancer.

When it comes to the results you’ve gotten, try to quantify them as much as possible. Use numbers to show your experience. This is the evidence that potential clients want to prove to them that you know your stuff.

3. Choose the Best Software Freelancing Sites

Now that you know how you’re going to market yourself, it’s time to add your resume to the best software freelancing sites. Every platform has its advantages and disadvantages, so you should check them all out and see which one works for you.

You don’t need to limit yourself. Use the same or similar resume and see which sites you get nibbles or bites from.

Some of the top sites for software freelancing include:

Rockerstop –

Rockerstop is one of the most popular sites for entrepreneurs. Clients in all industries go here for everything from building simple web pages to software programming. The downside is that you have to pass their tests and certificates in order to get the higher-paying jobs.

Fiverr –

This site has become the go-to for people who need creative tasks done, such as voiceovers and art projects. However, it’s also a common one for requests for programming services. If you have a skill you can lead in, Fiverr is an excellent place to get started.

Upwork –

Beginners are welcome and, in fact, searched out at Upwork. Clients who are more concerned about budget than expertise use Upwork for everything from virtual assistant to software development. If you want to build a portfolio, Upwork is where you start.

Toptal –

Once you build your portfolio, you can try to get into Toptal. The platform works with top companies and the best freelancers. It’s not easy to get in, but if you can, you get access to some of the highest-paid jobs.

Start with the easy ones to get your portfolio built and keep growing your jobs from there. Don’t forget to update your profile as you learn new skills!

4. Set Real Goals and Expectations

Since you’re just starting, you need to have realistic expectations. You’re competing against other freelancers who may have been doing this longer than you.

Until you build a portfolio, it’s going to be hard to win the bids of the best-paying jobs. However, you also need to pay the bills, so taking on a lot of high-work, low-reward clients will make going to school and working arduous for you.

You need to approach the jobs you bid on and the work you accept with a strategy. That way, you know what you need to make and how long you have to get the funds cleared. Remember, many of the sites you’ll be working with don’t pay immediately after the project wraps.

Go over your budget, finances, and schedule. Set a goal for each week. If you have to accept lower bids to get your foot in the door at first, it’s okay. But as soon as you can, start shooting for the higher ones.

5. Manage Your Time

As the work starts coming in, it’s easy to neglect your studying. But schoolwork is just as important as making money, if not more.

Think about your freelancing gig the way you’d handle a part- or full-time job outside of your classes. If you were away from your room and at a “real” job, you wouldn’t be able to play a game, chat with your friends, or get distracted by other things.

The best thing you can learn is how to manage your time and treat freelancing as a legitimate side career. The way to do this starts with setting boundaries for yourself and your friends and family.

Let everyone know when you are free and when not to bother you. Set your phone and electronics on “do not disturb” and stay off social media.

Stick to a schedule for schoolwork and freelancing, and you’ll be able to balance everything in a healthy, productive way.

Conclusion

Software freelancing is a lucrative side gig that is gaining a ton of momentum right now. If you have the skills, you don’t necessarily need the experience to make some money!

With these tips, you’ll be able to juggle school, add new knowledge to your bag of software development tricks, and make money without leaving campus!

Author bio

Ryan Sundling is in the position of Group Marketing Manager at Cardinal Group Management. Ryan has more than ten years of experience in the student housing industry and also works with Sakara on a regular basis to grow their online presence.

Simplest Guide to GST for Freelancers in India

Guide to GST for Freelancers

When the Goods and Services Tax (GST) was started in July 2017, it replaced the VAT & Service Tax. While it brought in uniform tax laws for giant and little businesses alike, most businesses struggled with deciding if they needed GST registration. Today, much of the mist has lifted and most businesses have some measure of clarity.

As a freelancer in India, who has not registered under a business name, you’ll wonder why you would like to stress about GST. However, GST does apply to service providers. It’s an honest idea therefore to gauge if you would like to pay the GST on freelancers.

GST Registration for Freelancers

If you’re a freelancer whose turnover during a fiscal year crosses the edge limit of Rs. 20 lakhs, you’d be required to pay GST.

If you’re a freelancer who lives and functions from any of the North-eastern States, you’d cross the edge limit at Rs.10 lakhs and would therefore need to choose GST.

If you’re a freelancer exporting services over Rs. 20 lakhs, you’d need to pay GST. For example, if you’re designing an internet site for a US-based company and therefore the foreign currency you receive as payment exceeds Rs. 20 lakhs, you’d need to register for GST.

Irrespective of the mixture turnover, if you’re receiving payment for services under OIDAR (Online Information and Database Access and Retrieval), GST registration is mandatory.

What are OIDAR services?

Under the GST Act, OIDAR services includes:

1. Advertising on internet

2. Providing cloud service

3. Provision of e-books, music, movie, software via the internet

4. Providing information, retrieval or otherwise to any person in electronic form through a computer network

5. Online gaming

Which GST rates are applicable to freelancers?

The GST rates applicable to freelancers are 0%, 5%,12%, 18% and 28% counting on the sort of service provided. If there’s no specified rate for the service provided, you’ll need to charge 18% GST from your clients.

Documents required for GST registration

Your photograph
Copy of your PAN and Aadhaar card
Identity and address proof
Latest bank account statement or cancelled cheque
Your digital signature
Electricity or telephone bill
The rental agreement for office premises
No objection certificates

What are the invoicing rules for freelancers?

Any invoice lifted by a freelancer India should be GST-compliant. The invoice should contain all the required information like name, address, GSTIN of the service provider also because the recipient, SAC of services, date, the worth of service provided and so on.

How the GST Affects your Income

The GST on freelancers affects the customer and not the freelancer or service provider. This means that you simply charge the additional amount to your client. While it’s possible that some clients will choose a provider who doesn’t charge GST, most of them tend to look at GST registration as an indicator of your credibility.

How many GST returns does a freelancer need to file?

A freelancer will need to file 25 GST returns during a year if he’s registered as a traditional taxable person.

Is a freelancer eligible to say input tax credit?

The Indian freelancers, like any other taxpayer under the GST, are allowed to take the input tax credit of the services used by him for the motive of rendering service. For example, he could also be employing a laptop, electricity, telephone etc to supply taxable service. Further, the tax being charged by the freelancer also can be taken as input by the recipient of service. Therefore, we will conclude that the burden of GST doesn’t fall on the freelancer nor will his fee be reduced as he is going to be collecting the additional tax amount from the customers.

Default can Result in Penalty

Since all accounts are Aadhar and PAN linked, the government can more easily track your income through TDS deductions and payments made to your bank. Defaults may result in penalties and damage your credibility.

Voluntary Registration—the good and the bad

Even if your annual turnover is a smaller amount than Rs. 20 lakhs you can opt for voluntary registration. This would allow you to welcome projects from foreign clients, without worrying about possible defaults.

GST Filing

Once you receive your GST number, you would like to file regularly, regardless of your annual turnover. Delays in depositing GST would attract interest.

All payments will need to be made online. If your payments exceed Rs. 10000, the GST must be deposited with the govt on a quarterly or monthly basis. Annually, a complete of 37 returns would wish to be filed—three monthly returns and one annual return.

Clients who don’t want to pay for GST charges you have to explain to them that they can get a tax credit for it when they file for taxes. So, the clients who wouldn’t want to pay for GST charges are the ones who aren’t paying taxes or also aren’t interested in paying you.

To conclude, there are certain conditions under which GST is useful. Our suggestion would be to wait and watch before deciding if you need to register.

How to Recognize Bad Logo Design and Avoid it-

Recognize Bad Logo Design

The best designers are conscious of the foremost common mistakes which will happen when designing a logo—mostly because they’ve made those missteps themselves at one point or another during their career—and are now ready to catch poor choices before they create them.

In logo design certain “what not to do” occur more all the time than others, and seeing these fruitless choices in action can assist you sidestep them in your own logo design. Here, we’ve collected the foremost common mistakes in bad logo design, so you recognize what to seem out for. If you’re already guilty of 1 of them, don’t worry: we’ll show you ways to form it better!

1. Obsolete Logos –

Most usual problem with bad logo designs is that they’re using outdated techniques, visuals and effects. The logos which have been created decades ago—and not during a great way. Back within the 1980s and 90s effects like old-fashioned skeuomorphism, 3D gradients, computer graphics and certain fonts were used excessively, which now makes these logos look particularly dated.

How to Avoid it –

If you’re handling an outdated logo, the simplest solution is to offer it a redesign to move it into the 21st century. Sure, retro design is on trend.

2. Too Long –

It’s not that detailed logos are bad, but they’re just not scalable. For large billboards, paintings or vehicle wraps, detailed logos are literally great. If those were the sole places, you’d display your logo, detailed logos would be the norm, but consider how often your logo appears on much smaller, harder-to-see surfaces.

The problem with detailed logos is that they appear awful on small screens like smartphones, also as certain swag and merchandise, like pens or maybe business cards.

How to Avoid it –

If you don’t want to abandon your detailed logo, you don’t need to. A perfectly feasible alternative is responsive logos—designing variant logos for smaller sizes. In other words, keep your detailed logo for giant placements, and have a special one for little placements.

3. Hazy –

Again, if your logo looks great but doesn’t say anything about your brand, it’s still a nasty logo design. One of the goals of logos is to elucidate who you’re and what you are doing, albeit it’s the primary time someone sees your logo. That’s tough, but some particularly bad logo designs offer no information in the least, with ambiguous company names and seemingly random images.

How to Avoid it –

Sometimes the foremost obvious solution is the best: during this case, just add a description! You don’t need to give your whole elevator speech, in fact, with logos, less text is more, but you’ll easily add a couple of words to elucidate what you can offer to customers, or at least your name.

4. Generic Logos –

Logos are best when they’re memorable, while generic logos, or perpetuating an equivalent trend and designs as everyone else, have the other effect. Do what everyone else is doing and there’s an honest chance someone will confuse your brand with another.

The thinking behind generic logos seems logical—copy the logos that folks already like. But after a couple of months or years, the market becomes flooded with logos that are all doing an equivalent thing, and logos that were once unique become nothing more than dime-a-dozen.

How to Avoid it –

The best thanks to safeguard against generic logos are to stay abreast on what everyone else is doing. Check out our guide generic logos to understand which trends are most overused and to-be-avoided.

As we mentioned above, generic logos often start out nearly as good logos, so you’ll not want to abandon all the trends just yet. Just make certain to feature something that stands out.

5. Confusing Design –

Logos with irrelevant images or conflicting themes, logos that artistic look good can still miss their mark with confusing and unconnected imagery. This is a standard problem in any artistic endeavor; what’s within the head of the creator doesn’t always occur to the viewer.

How to Avoid it –

Opt for clarity above all else. You can use any of the strategies we advise above, like familiar icons, easily identifiable images and little text descriptions. It’s always an honest idea to urge a fresh pair of eyes on a design before finalizing it. Creators tend to miss the trees for the forest, so an outdoor perspective can reveal what doesn’t encounter love.

6. Conflicting Themes –

Logos can help to set the frame of mind for your brand. If you’re a significant brand for serious people, you’ll use angular shapes and muted colors to seem more professional. If you’re a tech company striving to return across as futuristic, you’ll use imagery like wire circuits or astral grids to speak of that.

The trouble is when themes are mismatched and you’re building the incorrect feeling for your brand.

How to Avoid it –

Both your imagery and your idiom should echo your branding goals. Using universally-recognized icons and therefore the preferred themes of your clientele may be a short-cut to effective communication.

So these were the unrecognized mistakes that lead to bad logo design and one should avoid it by using these solutions.

Is Your Profile Complete on Rockerstop?

Suggestions to Improve your Profile:

Freelance platforms are great in order to find freelance work, but after you register, you shouldn’t do a rush-job on your profile. believe it: you’re one of many Indian freelancers registered on various websites. If your profile is not complete, uneasy to read, or poorly laid out, then potential clients will just advance to subsequent freelancers.

The potential for locating work on an internet freelance platform like Rockerstop is way above other channels. Consequently, there’s also a much bigger pool of competition on the platform looking to hire freelancers online India. With numerous Freelancers offering freelance professional services, it’s imperative that your Profile effectively communicates your qualifications and capabilities to prospective Employers trying to seek out talent on our site.

With the most recent update on Rockerstop, we’ve redefined the content experience on Profiles to provide more information to potential Employers. You’ll convey your unique identity on your Profile and encourage Employers to attach with you.

Here are the key elements of a Profile on Rockerstop and suggestions on how you’ll best make those work to your advantage.

1. Your Profile Picture –

The first thing an approaching client will see on your Profile is your picture. Your Profile photo helps clients to acknowledge you and develop the right impression of you. When adding a picture, keep it simple and ensure you’re smiling. If you’re at your workplace, you’ll also add your brand logo.

2. Your Profile Cover Photo –

Think of the Profile cover photo as a knowledgeable banner ad promoting your freelance business. Ask yourself what you’d include if you were to advertise your services. Then create a cover ad that describes your core offering and upload it on your Profile.

3. About us –

Use the About section of your Profile to elucidate who you’re, your interests, education, qualifications, awards, certifications, and publications. This is often your opportunity to impress upon Employers that you simply possess the right experience and background for providing the services you promote.

4. Your Portfolios –

Use portfolios to authenticate your services. Portfolios indicate what quiet work you’ve finished other Employers and thus the standard of labor that you simply provide. Portfolios also assist you differentiate your service from similar services offered by other Freelancers in India on Rockerstop. So, for each skill you add, share samples of your best work by creating portfolios.

Don’t forget to review your work before adding it to your portfolio. Confirm that there aren’t any sloppy errors or typos. If you’re showing work that has been published online, share it as a PDF or similar format instead of an internet link so it can’t be changed later by a client who edits your work for his or her needs.

If you don’t have any relevant work experience (in other words, you’re a newbie freelancer), you’ll include other work you’ve done and explain how it’s relevant to your current field.

5. Your Skills –

Your services describe what you’ll offer Employers. They play an integral role in getting you hired and helping you discover jobs on Rockerstop that are best fitted to you.

Make sure your services accurately describe your abilities. When creating each service, keep the subsequent pointers in mind:

• Include the core skill/deliverable you offer within the title. Your title attracts clients to know more and click on there.

• When writing each service description, clearly describe what you’ll offer Employers.

• Describe your skills, qualifications, and knowledge within the maximum amount of detail as possible to convince prospective Employers to hire you.

• provides a minimum of three good reasons why you (and not someone else) should be hired for the work.

• Create as many services as you’d like, ensuring each is well defined and specific. This makes it easier for Employers to understand what you’re doing so well.

6. Your Website –

Remember that your profile is often quite just text. You’ll enhance your profile with a video and/or a link to a knowledgeable portfolio website, which provides you more room to display your samples, certifications, and more.

Provide a link to your website and gain the freedom to serve content in your way. Your website opens new and unlimited possibilities for convincing potential Employers because they need to rent you. You’ll also add links to your social channels (Facebook & LinkedIn) on the Profile.

A Profile with properly presented capabilities and an authenticated work clearly a winning combination for securing work. But this type of labour history takes time to make. This is not what any Freelancer from India has on their Profile on the first day. The more you’re employed on Rockerstop, the stronger your Profile becomes.

To start with, you would like to feature detailed and complete information on your Profile so that potential Employers are encouraged to connect with you.

Additional Tips –

Search Profiles of other rewarding freelancers through the Find Freelancers tool. Observe their pages and obtain inspiration. Then build your Profile that makes your unique identity.

Remember to be professional, authentic, and showcase the only of what you’ve to provide.

Rockerstop may be a web freelance marketplace that helps Freelancers India and Employers to urge work done securely, flexibly, and cost-effectively. If you are a Freelancer, you will find freelance jobs that match your skills on Rockerstop.

If you’re just stepping out, consider offering free consultations or sample products. As an example, a graphic designer could offer five free logos to urge some positive reviews and increase her portfolio.

8 Ways to Build a Culture in a Remote Team

Ways How to Build a Culture in a Remote Team

Many researches have shown that working remotely has valuable effects on employee productivity, happiness and general well being.

Company culture is vital because it affects how your employees and customers perceive you—and this greatly determines how successful your business is going to be. Since remote teams are physically distanced, building a culture may be a bigger challenge, but the necessity is even greater without in-person interactions to create culture.

When an organization lives up to its core values, its culture will transform employees into advocates, enrich their well being, and confirm the corporate retains its top talent. And with the Covid-19 pandemic shifting much of the planet to performing from home overnight.

Add to this another element of the unknown—a freelance remote worker— and it seems that the bulk companies simply accept that a freelancer in India can never meld with their company’s culture. As a result, most companies tend to treat freelancers with a degree of professionalism and courtesy that’s almost impersonal. While this might help get the work done, winning the loyalty of a freelancer is like winning the loyalty of a full-time worker—they perform better, retention rates are going to be more and freelancer attrition rates will be less.

If you’ve got a foreign team, here are a couple of ways to create camaraderie and acquaint them together with your company culture:

1. Onboard your freelancers:

While several companies have a procedure to onboard full-time employees, they distribute this practice for Indian freelancers. Give freelancers a small look at your company and its culture. Convey the personality of your company and permit them to understand what the company values. Communicating your long-term visions and goals help remote workers feel a neighbourhood of a team that’s working together to understand something larger than themselves.

2. Be explicit about your work policy:

“Flexible” or “remote” work can mean various things to different people—are employees expected to be online a particular number of hours each day? Will they have to visit HQ on a daily basis? Put those specific expectations in your job descriptions, so the candidate is 100% clear about what they’re signing up for.

3. Schedule some face time:

It’s always great to place a face to the person you’re working with. Whenever feasible, schedule video meetings to debate the project. Introduce members of the team that the freelancer from India is perhaps getting to figure with via video. You’ll even ‘show them around the office.’ This provides your company an identity within the freelancer’s mind and builds how of loyalty and solidarity alongside your company. It’ll also reflect within the keenness with which they approach your projects.

4. Keep communication lines open:

If there are important events happening at your office do let your freelancers know. Perhaps you’re moving buildings or you’re refurbishing the office space. While the event in itself may make no difference to your remote workers, keeping them within the loop helps them feel valued.

5. Include them within the brainstorming process:

Most top freelancers in India are brought on board after decisions are taken. This approach could work with a replacement freelancer that you’re engaging. However, if there are regular freelancers that you simply work with, include them within the ideation process.

Many freelancers report that they miss the joys of bouncing off ideas with team mates. You’ll also invite to contribute towards regular group meetings. Technologies today support remote working and there are several group meetings tools that allow freelancers to network with the core team and with each other. Besides building rapport, this is often ready to cause valuable perspectives from specialists in various fields.

6. Appreciate them permanently work:

Most of the freelancer’s dearth a feedback system that indicates how they’re progressing in their careers. There aren’t any appraisals and promotions to recognize efforts. While companies offer year-on-year hikes—a freelancer cannot ask for this from a client with whom he/she has an ongoing relationship.

Take the primary step and supply financial incentives if you actually expect the freelancer to continue onboard. Not only will this confirm that they priorities your project over others, but they’ll feel how of loyalty which can be no but that of your full-timer.

7. Create mentorship programs:

One of the foremost important aspects of building trust and a way of belonging during a remote team helps people grow and learn from their peers. Incorporate rituals which will help everyone grow individually also as a group: discuss each person’s goal at a performance review and set a metric to live progress, host a workshop on giving feedback, or start time weekly for normal lunch and learns.

8. Prioritize health and wellness as a part of corporate culture:

When working with remote teams, it’s easy to assume that employees have a far better time of finding work-life balance. But dodging the daily commute and dealing in their slippers features a darker side.

Many remote workers feel awkward about taking leave, with 55% taking fewer than 15 vacation days annually. Overall, most remote employees find that employment disbalances their personal lives more easily, and that they have a harder time making healthy choices.

Unfortunately, your remote team can’t win championships if all its members aren’t physically fit.

That’s why you would like to form health and wellness a high priority when building corporate culture for remote teams.

Regular one-on-one health and wellness check-ins are an honest start. Take time to debate and understand employees’ challenges – some may have specific reasons to figure remotely that need sensitivity and a nuanced approach. Try to find out what resists employees from taking leave, and work toward solutions so that they can get some rest and relaxation.

Job interview tips which will help you land freelance clients

9 Job Interview Tips-

Well done! You have a successful scheduled interview. Most freelance job postings attract enough of responses—both from full-time freelancers also as salaried employees in order to earn a passive income. Having made it so far through the ranks prove that in some ways, the chances are already in your favor.

As a freelancer in India, you’re quite in it on your own. Yes, you’ve got wonderful community support from organizations online and native freelance groups, but much of your success in learning the way to get freelance clients is decided by your own efforts.

Even if business is booming, it’s important you’ve got a technique for getting freelance clients on a daily basis, or retaining your current base. Getting new freelance clients is particularly mandatory if your chosen sort of freelance work isn’t conducive to repeat clients and you instead are continually starting over fresh whenever .

Well-meaning friends and relations might be overwhelming you with employment interview advice that’s contradictory. If you’ve been wondering about what job interview advice you need , Let’s discuss some of the tried and tested job interview tips from other Indian freelancers.

1. Research on role:

Familiarize yourself with the job description. If the work posting isn’t clear on the small print , browse the online for similar profiles. Study the highest skills required and be prepared to share samples of your expertise in these areas. If there are gaps that come up during the interview, let the client know that while you do not have hands-on experience in these areas, they’re opportunities for learning that you look forward to. Give some examples which will assure him/her that you’re a smart and fast learner.

2. Be clear about the messaging:

This is one among the simplest interview tips you’ll ever hear! Think of some time with the interviewer as an exercise in branding, where you’re the brand! The end goal of branding is to stay top of mind with consumers and win their trust and loyalty.

3. Steer the conversation to impact:

Instead of merely describing activities you’ve wiped out the past, mention the top result. For instance, if you’re an SEO expert, be prepared to share details of tangible outcomes that your clients have experienced. It is also an honest idea to stay available for your top references and to share testimonials received from other business associates and clients.

4. Showcase your work where possible:

Depending on your area of expertise, share a portfolio. If the interview is face to face, you’ll carry hard copies of your work or show it on your laptop. If the interview is online, send digital samples before the interview.

5. Make something for the interview:

Candidates are mostly asked to give a presentation for an interview. You can move forward and build a demo app, bringing your presentation to life. This not only shows that you are serious about occupying the position, it also provides another opportunity to showcase your skill set. After a long day of interview, the interviewers have something to remember you by and that helps you stand out from the crowd.

6. Use visualisation techniques:

Think of samples of once you designed something amazing. Actively visualize these examples before the interview, brooding about how you approached each stage of the method . When you enter the interview you’ll have these examples at the front of your consciousness, which can assist you to formulate great responses to the questions asked using ‘real-life’ experience.

7. Record yourself:

To get ready for an interview, record yourself speaking on a voice-recorder app or to camera. Doing this activates an equivalent anxieties you would possibly feel when under the pressure of an interview. By running through potential questions before time, you’ll feel prepared and relaxed within the interview.

8. Don’t undersell yourself:

Some freelancers from India have a rate card while others like better to evaluate the work required before they spell out the speed , and still others charge on an hourly basis. Do some research on rates for similar roles before quoting your price. If your rate is probably going to be above the market average, be prepared to elucidate why you charge what you are doing and therefore the value-add the client would get by hiring you.

9. Refresh your knowledge:

Brush abreast of your skills, and check for the newest trends in your design field. Be confident that you simply are up to hurry on the newest developments. You wouldn’t want to be caught unstuck.

At the top of the day, remember that your interviewer and you share a standard goal—solving a drag . If you’ll prove that you’re the problem-solver for the task at hand, you’d walk home with the job! Show employers that you’re before the sport by scoring high on this interesting contest!

What do Rockerstop mean by Payment Guarantee?

What is Payment Guarantee?

One of the foremost wide-spread complaints freelancers in India have is to chase down payments once a project is completed. It is awkward and embarrassing having to constantly remind someone to pay you, and you are feeling it’d be putting a strain on what might be a long-term account. Of course, with new clients you run the danger of not getting paid in the least.

If you’re reading this text, then you’re presumably one among these two sorts of people: You’ve already faced this problem of freelancer payment, or the fear of this problem is one among the items that’s keeping you from freelancing. Well, you’ve called out for change and we’ve heard you loud and clear.

If you work then you will get paid. That’s our promise to you. No terms and conditions, no take-backs. The amount you agreed to figure for will hit your checking account on the date it had been promised (Please note that the ‘promised date’ is 15 days after the end of the milestone). So, whether preparing to require an investment, let that assurance of cash come to you calm those jittery nerves.

Let us tell you how the mechanism works.

Once you and therefore the business has prescribed the worth and milestones (using Team Up), the business sends you a suggestion which you want to accept. After you’ve accepted the offer the business must onboard you and now that the project will move under the “Payment Guaranteed” window. It is only after projects are moved here that the Rockerstop Payment Guarantee comes into effect.

Any contract that’s haunted on Rockerstop comes with the Payment Guarantee and works during a similar manner to a post-dated cheque; there’s no way for a client to change his mind or attempt to delay the payment. So now you’ll stop worrying about getting paid and consider what you ought to be concentrating on. Producing masterful work.

That’s the method during a nutshell but we realize the complexities of a working relationship are never quite that straightforward. So, we’ve inbuilt a few features and safeguards to form sure that this mechanism helps augment work and not inhibit it.

While we feel that simply getting paid on time are some things that’s not negotiable, businesses also require how to form sure they get the work that they need. That’s why they give ratings to you after every project. Your rating and ranking are some things you ought to be very careful about because it not only shows on your public profile and may help swing a replacement client’s opinion of you, but it’s also directly fed into our match-making engine and your visibility takes success with every bad rating and review you receive. So, confirm that you simply keep a client happy, or it could find yourself costing you tons, quite only one payment.

Of course, while working there’s always an opportunity of unexpected turns and delays being thrown up, and you would possibly need some overtime to finish that specific milestone in your agreement. Well, that’s exactly why we inbuilt a provision for you to request that the milestone be extended. Sometimes just that tiny little bit of extra work can make a world of difference and keep you within the business’ good books.

In a perfect work scenario, you’d have accepted a suggestion from a client, with predefined milestones also because the dates those milestones are due. You do all the work, the client is happy, you get paid, rated, reviewed, and therefore the project ends. However, things don’t always work out so smoothly.

If you are feeling you’ve not done ok work and don’t want to require a negative rating and review, you’ll ask the business on team and figure out if there’s how you’ll fix it or whether or not they would really like a refund.

That decision is completely in your hands. It’s how our payment guarantee is structured to fit your needs. If you are feeling you’ve got done good work and deserve the payment, then you get paid, simple as that.

Suggestion –

One of the simplest mistakes to form is to mention, “I’ll remember,” when it involves keeping track of freelance payments. But as you extend your freelance business, you’ll have more clients and more projects that you won’t be able to keep it all in your head.

Use a spreadsheet or other finance apps to assist you retain track of your income. While there are many options which will assist you keep your books so as, tracking invoices doesn’t have to be complicated. You just need something that helps you retain track of which invoices you sent and to whom, the quantity owed, the maturity, and who has or has not paid.

Time Management Tips Every Freelancer in India Must Know

Tips for Time Management

Not having enough time on important tasks can cause you to rush things until the deadline, which could leave space for errors. Spend less non-billable time and determine the way to dismiss or affect distractions while working.

As a freelancer, you’re essentially, your own boss. If you don’t stay top of your deadlines and keep open lines of communication alongside your clients, it can get messy really quick and even be the highest risk of your freelancing company.

Time management for freelancers is more important than for normal employees because they have nobody to account to accept themselves. If you’ve been wanting to improve your management skills, here are a few of your time management tips from freelancers themselves.

1. Create a routine:

While working in a routine could seem to run counter to a freelancer’s desire for flexibility, it can cut down plenty of stress and helps you stay productive. You don’t have a hard and fast time, you simply can follow a day , schedule your day the previous evening, prioritizing your tasks and tackling the primary item on your list at the start .

2. Track your time:

Time tracking for freelancers in India is typically something that’s overlooked, especially creatives. It is often easy to get sucked into working on one project all day until it’s done, although meaning staying up until you see the sunrise the very next day.

Use a time tracking tool like one of those mentioned above, or even use the stopwatch on your phone if you’d wish to urge on top of some time management for freelancers.

This is pertinent because then you will see if you’re actually spending an excessive amount of your time on a project that you simply simply won’t be getting a whole lot of money for. Or, if you’re simply taking too long to end a task.

3. Set yourself a deadline:

If you discover yourself getting frazzled and stressed at work because you’re not getting your tasks done on time, you’d wish to be organized and manage a while better. Although your work days are never the same , you’ll still organize your days and manage your tasks which can assist you complete everything on time—and thoroughly.

Make an inventory of your goals for the week. Write down any goal you’d wish to realize , whether it’s work-related or not. Then organize your work-related goals into large and tiny goals. Create a daily checklist so you’ll cross off the goals you’ve accomplished. A checklist will help with work management and cause you to be more productive. It’ll also feel good to cross off the goals you’ve achieved for the day, no matter how small.

3. Try Time-Blocking:

Time-blocking could also be an honest thanks to undertake managing a while as a freelancer. Each morning, sit at your desk and open up an app like Google Calendar and block out increments of your time for the various tasks that you simply need to complete every day .

Try to persist with the times that you simply assign yourself to determine what proportion you’ll truly get through in each of those time blocks. This is often the proper way to see what proportion of time a project really takes, and also helps to remain the ball rolling on all of the tasks that you simply have due.

4. Don’t Overbook Yourself:

I think every freelancer’s India goes through this a minimum of once. You think that you’ll handle much more clients than you initially thought, which can be hard to remain up with. You’ll lack sleep, your social life, and maybe you even start to hate being a freelancer.

5. Minimize distractions from social media and email:

To be honest— we’ve all been distracted by social media. It’s either the constant notifications that turn us back to scrolling through Instagram or a peek into Facebook on our laptop. And it’s getting to surprise you that even your inbox is often distracting!

Many folks are always available on our inbox, instant at replying to new emails. This way, you land up pausing your more important work to need care of a little , trivial task.

Avoid distractions by installing smart extensions like StayFocusd on your browser to keep you away from Facebook and other social media sites. You’ll get an app that blocks social media apps on your phone for specific hours. When it involves your inbox, set two timings that you simply plan to check your emails and reply to any new messages.

At last, not the least some tricks to manage some time to reach clients deadlines-

1. Awaken early – counting on whether your productive peak hours are within the morning or not, you’ll use this point to figure on the foremost important tasks for the day, or ease into the day with some exercises and fewer important errands.

2. Have breakfast before engaging in any serious work.

3. Specialise in your most vital task of the day.

4. Leave your less productive hours for running errands, that specialize in smaller assignments, communicating with clients, managing your inbox.

5. Choose the time when you’ll officially finish your work day – you’ll follow a routine from 9 a.m.to 5 p.m., but considering you’re not bound by such rules, you’ll parse your day differently and be more flexible.

Top 5 Freelance Websites for College Students

Websites for College Students

Being a college student and earning an income can be challenging. Juggling a full-time job with your class schedule and studying is exhausting!

But with the gig economy growing bigger by the day, more and more college students are turning to freelancing as their main hustle.

If you have a talent, there’s someone out there who needs your help. It doesn’t matter if your skill is hands-on or in your brain; you can make money from it if you know where to look.

These five websites are perfect for the college student looking to earn some cash. Whether you’re looking for gas money or rent and tuition, there’s a job out there for you!

1. ProBlogger

Do you enjoy writing? If so, blogging might be a perfect passive income stream for you.

The idea behind blogging is simple:

You write about things you know, grow a following, and people read your stuff.

As a blogger, you get to choose a topic you’re passionate about and purge your thoughts on it in written form.

Once you develop a following, you can begin partnering with other shops and offering affiliate links. That’s where the money comes from. When someone uses your link to order a product, you’ll get a commission off that sale.

ProBlogger is a site that will help you build your blog, grow your audience, and monetize your writing. This site is perfect for beginners because it walks you through everything you need to know to get started.

However, don’t expect to make money blogging right away. It takes time to prove you’re an expert on your topic, whatever it is.

It can start out really slow, but over time and with enough followers, you’ll be making a passive income from your writing.

2. Fiverr

Fiverr is a site where people go to hire freelancers in many fields. It’s an online marketplace where folks from around the world head to when they need a service.

It’s commonly used by artists and graphic designers, but if you’re a writer, singer, or musician, you might find work here, too. Freelancers of all kinds sign up to offer their services and bid on job contracts.

Buyers pay for services in advance through the purchase of “gigs.” They explain the details of what they need and what they want to pay for it, then interested freelancers put in bids for the job.

When a buyer decides on the seller they want to hire, the two parties agree on a delivery time. The buyer and seller work together until both parties are satisfied that the job is complete.

3. Upwork

Similar to Fiverr, Upwork is another all-in-one freelance platform. People hire freelancers on Upwork to do everything from virtual assisting to resume creation.

On Upwork, you create a profile highlighting your skills and experience, similar to a resume.

Upwork uses your profile description to point out jobs you might like, and clients can see your information and request you for their work.

When you initiate, firstly you have to build your portfolio. Over time, you’ll gain reviews and earn a higher Job Success Score that will lead you to higher-paying opportunities.

Freelance jobs on Upwork can be as simple as transcription or as skilled as programming and developing new apps.

You don’t need a lot of experience to build a steady career on this platform. Clients are often willing to hire beginners for a lower fee, especially for simple jobs. This side gig frequently turns into a full-time job for freelancers with a lot of talent in their field.

If you have patience as you build your portfolio and ratings, you’ll find yourself in-demand with a job you can work around your class schedule.

4. Tutor.com

Tutor.com and other tutoring sites are perfect for college students who are knowledgeable in specific subjects and want to teach. Tutors on this site help clients prepare for tests and review their homework before submitting it.

You don’t need a specific degree, but you do have to pass a subject area exam in the courses you want to tutor. There are more than 40 subjects you can teach, from core classes to foreign languages and business.

The tutoring sessions happen inside a virtual classroom on the platform. Students can request audio lessons or text-based interactions.

Tutors start out with a set number of hours they’re allotted for the week and can pick up extra shifts by “floating.” This is where you log onto the platform and do your thing. If a student signs in requesting your subject, you’ll be notified. When you accept the student, you gain the extra hours.

You choose your own hours and are never forced into a set schedule. It’s a college student’s ideal job!

5. Freelancer

Any talent you have can be put to work on Freelancer. Here, you compete with other freelancers to bid for the jobs you’re interested in.

This is one of the most popular go-to sites for outsourcing work. Those who have the skills to do the job are hired by clients based on the freelancer’s profile and bid.

As a freelancer, you can browse the categories and choose the ones that best suit your knowledge base. You’ll be shown projects that are available in those skill areas, and if you find any that you’re interested in, you can bid on them.

The client sees your bid, reviews your profile, and decides whether to accept it or not. If they do, they create and fund a milestone. You do the work and submit the milestone for approval. They release the funds once they accept the job as completed, and you get paid.

Both you and the client rely on feedback to build your ratings. If they are communicative and professional, you can leave them a good rating, and vice versa.

Read their prior feedback before accepting the job. If the client is rude or demanding, other freelancers will have given you a heads-up in the reviews.

Conclusion

College students no longer have to rely on bagging groceries and serving food to make an income. Those are tried-and-true jobs that build a lot of skills, but the schedule is often hard to keep up with.

Now, there are lots of websites where you can make a good living as a freelancer. These five sites are exactly what you need as a college student looking for work on your terms!

Author Bio

Ryan Sundling is a group marketing manager at Cardinal Group Management, where he works with The Ruckus and other apartment communities.

Best Ways to Speak Effectively with Clients

Communication Skill Tips

In today’s era of constant information overload, good communication skills are non-negotiable for a freelancer in India. However, your material expertise helps attract clients, sustaining the connection requires good communication skills.

If you’re a freelancer, chances are that you simply simply are working remotely. Without the face-to-face affinity engendered by traditional set-ups, it’s imperative to intentionally build trust and improve your communication skills.

Regular communication between the client and thus the freelancer will strengthen the connection that exists between them. this is often necessary when one is doing the work, or even after the work is finished. … Communication will enable you to seek out more about the project at hand and understand what the client really wants.

Good communication skills are mandatory to allow others and yourself to understand project details more accurately and quickly. On the other side, poor communication skills cause frequent misunderstanding and frustration.

For your freelance business to grow speedily, make effective and efficient communication your key strategy. Communication is significant within the least three stages of your work; before getting the project, throughout the project and after finishing the project. Before winning the project, communication is completed through the proposal. The professional look of your proposal will drive the client to talk with you, and this is often the first stage of your business growth.

Once you get the project, communication then becomes a critical factor, as you’ve been given a chance to prove your worth and take your business to a special level.

Effective communication settles the client’s satisfaction and makes them our regular clients. After completing the project, communicating with the clients will enable one to understand whether the client is satisfied with the work presented or not.

Let’s discuss some popular mode of communication to attach with clients: –

1. Telephone –

Telephone communication is powerful because it allows for rapid personal response, is interactive, facilitates long distance communication and may be wont to convey tips. Telephone communication also boosts businesses through telemarketing and market research. This mode of communication works with domestic clients. you’ll ably analyse the tone of voice, amusement, frustration then on.

2. Messaging –

Traditionally, this includes SMS service provided by your mobile service provider. Immediate messaging permit for both private messaging and group chats. These two options are highly advantageous, relying on the sort of communication you’d wish to urge into. Through private messaging, you’re able to chat with only people who you decide on to talk with. This is often particularly important if the message you’d wish to relay is private and confidential.

On the opposite hand, group chats are particularly useful when it involves informing clients about change in important information like deadlines, tasks assigned or others.

3. Face to Face –

While the several tools available today assist you to speak effectively with clients, an honest old-fashioned face-to-face meeting is usually the simplest. Not only does it add a private touch and also strengthen the client-freelancer relationship because it allows for a far better exchange of data since both Indian freelancers and clients are ready to see and interpret visual communication and facial expressions.

4. Emails –

Emails are an official and professional way of communication. they’ll seem to require an excessive amount of time—you’d spend time drafting the email, checking for error, fine-tuning your words and re-reading several times to make sure you’re leaving no space for your message to be misinterpreted. While the method could seem time consuming, it’s a particular advantage on occasions. Email allows for straightforward referencing. Messages that are sent and received can be stored, and searched through safely and easily. it’s tons easier to travel through old email messages instead of old notes written on paper.

Conclusion –

It’s important to spot and understand your client’s communication style. Not all kinds of contact are created equal; whether you’re communicating informally or working with more technical language, it’s important to adapt your communication style to match your client’s needs.

Once you’ve signed the deal, offer your client other ways to talk with you during a cushty, quick, and assertive manner (Mail, WhatsApp, Zoom, etc). Avoid using only one kind of communication, but take into account that there possesses to be documentation for all the important aspects of the project on the platform to guard your work.

When communicating with a client, pick your words carefully. Try to not leave room for misunderstanding. Also listen carefully when your client speaks. If you’re unsure of something they assert, ask them to clarify. Tell them you would like to be perfectly clear with everything.

When communicating with clients in writing, words are everything. If you’re not on the phone or on video, they can’t see your face or your communication nor hear the tone in your voice. Any time you write to your client, be as clear as much as possible. If you’re following up in writing after a verbal conversation, write for your client what it’s that you simply agreed to while you were talking.