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.

Graphic Designing for College Students

Everything about Graphic Design

If you want to have 10-15 thousand pocket money with graduation, you can have side income. Here is a list of some freelancing skills you can learn –

Graphic Designing
Website Design and development
Content Writing
Photography and Videography
Video Editing/ Photo Editing
Digital Marketing
Animator
Translation and Languages
Android App Developer

Here we are going to discuss “Graphic Designing”. In this blog you will learn who is a graphic designer? What is the job of a graphic designer? Which software and tools graphic designers should know? How much time does it take to learn graphic designing? How much money do you get for freelancing? Can we make a career in this too? Is degree required? Are certificates required? This all topics we are going to cover in this blog.

You may have noticed many people make their vector image. This work is done by a graphic designer. You must have seen that some websites have some drawings made in them. That is also a work done by a graphic designer. If there is a website, make a blueprint of it initially. This is also what graphic designers do on adobe XD.

Graphic Designing for Clients

Making logos for brands is also a job of graphic designer. Graphic Designer makes 5-6 logo designs to pick one from it. Whatever is our Facebook page or YouTube page, the banner art that is placed above it is also the job of a graphic designer. The best thing is that graphic designing is a field that is going on increasing day by day. The need for graphic designers is increasing.

If anyone wants to open a shop even today, then they go to the graphic designer for illustrations on the website, logo and templates. You can talk about any field, policemen need army people, the corporate world has a mandatory need of graphic designers. Advertisement companies, social media all need graphic designers.

Now the topic is where you can get graphic designing freelance work? So, there are several freelancing sites in the market to find graphic designing freelance work such as Rockerstop, 99Design, Freelancer, Upwork. Rockerstop and 99 design is basically for Graphic designers only.

Tools for Graphic Designing-

When we do graphic designing, we need a lot of software and tools. So, let’s first see which software and tools we need. Mostly used software and tools are

Adobe Photoshop
Adobe Illustrator – Logos and Vector Image Illustrations
Adobe XD
Adobe InDesign

Besides these tools there are many other tools also. But your work will be easily complete from these tools only.

1. Adobe Photoshop

Adobe photoshop is the strongest editor in the market for photo editing, masking etc you can do easily on adobe photoshop.

2. Adobe Illustrator

To make logos, illustrations and cards then we need Adobe illustrator as it offers vector images. Where the vector image is used, for example – Coca Cola logo is used in bottle cap as well as in big banners. It is highly recommended that first you get familiar with Adobe photoshop, then you should see Adobe illustrator.

3. Adobe XD

Adobe Xd is for designing prototype, blueprint and illustration for the websites.

Another question! From where we can buy these software and tools? All these tools are paid and you buy these from Adobe Official Site. Otherwise, if you are smart you can search how you can use these tools for free.

After download and software installed in your system! How will you learn these software’s? However, there are so many courses on YouTube but they do not cover all topics. So, in this case- Udemy is the website from where you can purchase training courses by experts. These are also paid but you know how to download training courses for free.

Now comes do we need a degree to become a Graphic Designer?

Let’s understand this with an example! In Gym there are normal trainers as well as certified trainers, so certified trainers are more valuable than normal trainers.

Similarly, if you are about to do freelancing for pocket money in your college days or to do a part time job with your regular job. Then in this case you don’t need any degree.

This is because in this field people give importance to your skills and how strong is your portfolio, how high is your rating, how you have worked for your previous clients.

But if you choose graphic designing as your main source of income, and if graphic designing is your career choice, then you have to take a degree!

Certificates Necessary?

No, there is no need for any certification. There are various graphics designers out who can make certificates fake. So, one believes in your certificates but they do believe in your skills.

What is the salary of a Graphic Designer?

In India when you are working for small firms, they will offer around 5-7 thousand initially and will increase as time goes. On the other side if you are working for Big MNC companies, they will offer initially around 15-20 thousand and increase gradually in years or may be in some months.

So, we have covered all the questions mentioned above. This was all about how you can become a graphic designer and do freelancing in your college days and after that you can also choose graphic designing skills for your career option.

In our upcoming articles we will cover more topics on Graphic Designing. So, stay updated on our blog and for any further query, comment in the section below. We are always there to answer your questions.

How to Start a Blog in 2021

7 Easy Steps to Start a Blog

Are you trying to find a simple guide on how to start a blog? Starting a blog can feel overwhelming. But the reality is, it’s doable for anyone with the proper guidance. This guide will help you to learn how to start a blog in less than an hour. This guide is made especially for beginners.

One of the misconceptions about starting a blog is that you simply need to be a superb writer to realize success. Nothing could be further from the truth. People read blog sites to desire a personal perspective on things, so most bloggers write in a really informal and conversational style. You don’t get to be an expert on any of the topics you write on to possess a successful blog.

The process is simple to follow whether you’re 20 years old or 60 years old. Let’s discuss 7 steps to start your own blog without any technical knowledge.

Step 1. Select Niche for your Blog

Choosing your blog’s topic determines the remainder of the website’s future. This is what you’re getting to be writing about and — hopefully — making money from. Hobbies or other interests you’re enthusiastic to are a superb place to start out. Cooking, travel, fashion, sports, and cars are all superior examples. Blogs about more obscure hobbies are often successful, since your audience is literally anyone within the planet with the online.

Make sure to select a distinct segment that you simply are the foremost interested in—the one you’re hooked in to. You need to form sure a distinct segment has enough audience interest—topics people checking out.

Step 2. Choose a Domain Name

Your domain is going to be the name by which you’ll be known online. It’s your blog’s unique address on the Internet.

Users who know your domain can simply type it into their browser’s address bar. Others are going to be ready to discover you thru search engines like Google and Bing, so you actually got to find a singular blog name.

Your domain name may be the highly popular extensions like “.com”, or it may be country or niche-specific. The general rule is to get a “.com” domain, but some of the other extensions can be used too. For example, “.net” or “. blog”.

If you can’t find a domain name you like, GoDaddy is the most popular site for choosing a domain. Take time to try to do some research and thinking before you begin your blog.

Step 3. Get a Web Hosting

After choosing a website name, selecting a reliable hosting service is going to be one among the foremost important decisions you made.

A web hosting is a service provider that offers server space to host your website. This is where your website goes “lives.”

Bluehost is one of the eldest web hosting service provider companies on the internet. They are also the most important name when it involves WordPress hosting because they host many websites including many of their own.

Step 4. Install the WordPress Blogging Platform

Your website needs a content management system (CMS). This allows you to make and manage blog posts.

There’s only one option for this: WordPress.

Seriously, just use WordPress.

Reasons why you should choose WordPress only

1. Super easy set-up and is liberal to use

2. plenty of free themes and layouts (I’m not kidding, there are gazillions).

3. There’s a huge support forum just in case you grind to a halt (you won’t, but it’s nice to possess it there if you would like it).

4. Your blog is going to be insanely fast and it’ll also look Functionality and form – perfect!

5. People can interact with you easily. Your content is often shared, commented on, and so on.

Step 5. Choose a Theme and Design your Blog

A theme allows you to pick a design for your blog without the needfulness for coding or design knowledge. In the WordPress dashboard, under the “Appearance” tab, click “Themes”. You will be presented with some popular options. You can click on the WordPress.org Themes button and look for free themes. There are more than three thousand themes accessible on WordPress.org.

Changing your theme is the easiest method to customize your WordPress blog, but there are many other customizations you’ll do.

The easiest thanks to make changes is with plugins. Plugins are little batches of software you’ll install within WordPress to urge extra functionality. This is how you’ll add a bunch of additional features to your site without having to code anything yourself.

Step 6. Creating Your First Blog Post

To start writing a blog post, click on the Posts then Add New menu in your WordPress dashboard.

You will see an editor area where you’ll start writing your first blog post. If you’d desire to feature a picture to your post, click on the “Add Image” icon and click on “Upload” to upload an image from your computer. You can make adjustments to the image size on subsequent screens. When you are done click “Insert into post” to feature the image.

Each post should be lengthy, informative, and engaging. Create an eye-catching post title that stimulates curiosity and encourages clicks. Use the primary paragraph of your post to obviously define the subject of your article and supply a possible hook to stay the reader reading.

Once you have finished writing, go ahead and click on the Publish button on the top-right corner of the screen to make your blog post publicly available.

Step 7. Optimize your blog content for SEO

Search engine optimization (SEO) is the process that website owners use to urge more traffic to their sites from search engines (such as Google).

Add two key blogging plugins to hunt out your readers and track stats

• Yoast SEO is the defacto standard SEO plugin most popularly used for WordPress.

• Google Analytics for WordPress by MonsterInsights permits you to track your blog’s traffic more easily and with lots of interesting data like overall traffic, traffic sources, views per author & category, automatic tracking of impression, clicks and pageviews.

Conclusion

Congratulations! You’ve learned how to start a blog. You have your own domain name; hosting space and your blog is published. Post content regularly. Create an editorial calendar and stick to it. A good blogger posts at least once per. If you’ve got a long gap between posts, your followers will drop off and your growth is going to be severely hampered. It’s difficult to post on a schedule, but it’s something you absolutely must stick with.

To Hire Top Rated Content Writers Click here

GST For Freelancers and Bloggers

Guide on GST for Freelancers

GST is applicable in India from 1st July 2017. It is also applicable to Bloggers, YouTubers, Service Providers and each one other kinds of Freelancers. The rate of GST in such cases is 18%. There is no doubt regarding this and it’s fairly clear that GST @ 18% is applicable on all Service Providers, Bloggers, YouTubers, affiliate marketers and other freelancers.

However, GST Registration will be necessary in such cases (if the whole value of services provided is sort of Rs. 20 Lakhs during the year) and Return filing & all other compliance would even be required to be followed.

Bloggers could also be a replacement profession in India a bit like the Doctors or Engineers. GST also is going to be payable by bloggers, affiliate marketers, YouTubers, and other freelancers at the rate of 18% of the whole revenue generated.

A GST of 18% has been applicable to be levied on services like marketing, blogging and more freelancing services when the services provided are within the economic boundaries of India. The tax will have to be collected from respective clients and deposited to the govt. of India.

If the supplier and thus the client are both from the same state, the classification of GST is getting to be as follows:

1. CGST @ 9%

2. SGST @ 9%

The overall tax paid is getting to be the same, i.e., 18%, but it’ll be paid to Central and government separately.

Your invoices must be clear to show your business Name, Address, Invoice Date and your GST number, your client’s GST number (if B2B service), GST amount and total amount.

Why do Bloggers or YouTubers come under GST?

YouTubers and bloggers represent the service induced liabilities under the GST Bill. A blogger comes under consideration as a supplier of services. Bloggers offer a platform to the advertisers to dispose of their advertisement.

Freelancers who are bloggers, app and web developers, content writers, etc. They have been exempted from registration under GST if their annual turnover is up to Rs 20 lakhs albeit making the interstate supply. Before this relief, GST registration was mandatory for a private who was providing services outside the state no matter their turnover.

This has an enormous impact on the small scale Bloggers and to other service providers which were mandatory to register for GST. A small- scale freelancer who was earning about 100,000 rupees once a year can’t hire a CA who will charge thousands of rupees to remain GST compliant. This burden of registration has been removed and now they have to register only their annual turnover is above Rs. 20 lakhs.

Export income remains exempted from the GST

Export income for online entrepreneurs means if you receive any income comes from a faraway registered company. In most of the cases, export income comes through PayPal from the clients.

AdSense income, Affiliate Income from Foreign registered company, Freelance income from PayPal is taken under consideration as export income.

Let’s Discuss some service provider who required to Register for GST

Freelancers: If you are a contract writer, designer, developer or digital marketer who is providing services of quite 20L annually.

Bloggers: You’ve to pay GST, if you are making online income through blogging. Because whom you provided sponsored articles, will have income from advertisements or getting a commission as an affiliate.

Affiliate Marketers: If your income comes from any affiliate marketing network based in India like Amazon or flipkart, then you’ve to pay GST.

YouTubers: Same as bloggers, Youtubers even need to register for GST if their annual income is sort of 20L.

Digital Marketers: You furthermore may have to return under GST if your business is above 20L once a year.

Perk of GST

You will get a benefit of the GST amount that you simply pay on your business expenses. GST on expenses is will be adjust in your GST returns against the GST that you simply pay on your business income.

What is the GST Registration Process for Bloggers, YouTubers?

The GST official portal is GST registration. This registration requires the business information, personal details, Details of the Business property.

If you’re unsure whether your yearly income will reach the bar of 20 lakh once a year or not, you’ll still charge GST from your clients. Just in case your income doesn’t reach Rs. 20 lakhs at the highest of the year, the GST you charge from your customers will be credit back to your clients.

Conclusion

It is highly mandatory for the bloggers, YouTubers, Affiliate Marketers to register for GST and send out their GST on time by generating GST invoices. Doing so will keep you safe from any risks like the penalty of not paying the tax.

For more details Read Simplest Guide to GST for Freelancers in India

Can GST help your freelancing business?

How GST Help in Your Business –

Taxes are often considered an unwelcome but unavoidable part of the freelancer’s life. The Goods and Services Tax (GST) registration for freelancers in India especially is taken into account optional, with many freelancers ignoring GST registration once they don’t cross the mixture turnover threshold of Rs. 20 lakhs in a financial year. However, GST registration is basically simple, and therefore the process has been made user-friendly to profit small-scale entrepreneurs and businessmen. At the end of the day, it can actually benefit your business.

Freelancers from India are selling their services with a turnover of above Rs. 20 lakhs yearly must register for GST. Those with a turnover of less than Rs. 20 lakhs and who offers services only within their state are exempt from GST. The law may be a bit different for freelancers within the northeastern states of Uttarakhand, Jammu and Kashmir, and Himachal Pradesh. There, you would like a turnover of but Rs. 10 lakhs yearly and must offer services only within your state to qualify for a GST exemption.

For one, it pushes the unorganised sector to become mainstream, giving them access to a bigger number of clients. Several small-scale entrepreneurs aver to the very fact that applying for GST actually pushed them to explore territories they’ll not otherwise have ventured into like e-commerce. Freelancers India can gain profit by lending projects from overseas clients and selling their goods via online channels.

Regardless of your turnover, if you offer freelance services in India across state boundaries, the govt. requires you to register for GST. For example, if you’re a field researcher based in Maharashtra and you provide services to a client in Tamil Nadu, you’ve got to register for GST, albeit you’re just stepping out and your yearly turnover is fairly low.

There’s also no GST concession for Indian freelancers who run their businesses completely online. So, as an example, if you’re a contract software programmer, writer, blogger or social media strategist, you’re required to register for GST.

Here’s a fast check out the varied sorts of GST and once they would be applied:

1. CGST or Central Goods and Service Tax –

CGST is enforced upon intra-state supplies by the Central Government for both goods and services. The SGST is additionally levied on an equivalent intra-state supply but is governed by the government. Both governments have an agreement on splitting the revenue between them.

2. SGST or State Goods Service Tax and UTGST or Union Territory Goods and repair Tax –

Depending on whether you’re registered from a state or a Union Territory, SGST or UGST would be charged alongside CGST. Ensure that you’re not levied both SGST and UTGST on an invoice.

How this would work:

Assume that Yash may be a website designer in Chennai selling his service to a corporation based in Chennai. The whole value of his service amounts to Rs. 2,00,000. The GST rate of 18% would come with CGST of 9% and SGST of 9%. So, Yash would collect an additional Rs. 36,000 from the client. Of this, Rs. 18,000 would attend the Central Government and Rs. 18,000 would go to the Tamil nadu Government.

3. IGST or Integrated Goods and Service Tax –

IGST would be levied on Import or Inter-State supply of products or services or both. The IGST is like the sum of CGST and SGST/UTGST. It is also applicable on cases important into India and export from India.

In the example above, if Yash from Chennai were to supply his services to a corporation based in Maharashtra, he would charge 18% IGST and therefore the amount would attend the Central Government.

Tips to remember before Filing for GST :

1. Filing for GST is really simple and can be done online on GST.gov.in

2. The extra amount is borne by the client and not by the service provider/freelancer.

3. You need to file a total of 37 returns– three monthly returns and one annual return.

4. If you cross the threshold amount but do not register and collect GST, you can be tracked on the basis of your TDS.

5. GST Payment has to be done before the 20th of the next month in the case of taxable supplies.

6. Under GST, a registered dealer has to file GST returns that include: Purchases, Sales, Output GST (On sales), Input tax credit (GST paid on purchases).

7. To file GST returns, GST compliant sales and buy invoices are required.

The good news is that under GST, you’ll claim input decrease on certain goods and services you employ for your business. For example, if you purchase a laptop and tablet and buy internet service, you’ll claim the GST paid on these as a credit. The credit created from your claim goes toward your GST accountability, lowering it.

There’re tons to find out when it involves GST. The good news is that, when it involves learning this new way of paying taxes, all business people in India are within the same boat. Once you learn the ropes, complying with GST is going to be as easy as opening your online accounting software and making a couple of clicks.

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!

Is Remote working from home permanent even after the pandemic?

Is Work from home permanent?

The year 2020 will go down in history for a variety of reasons. As we grapple with national lockdowns, quarantine, and why to figure from home, we also are evolving to form a way for brand spanking new norms and changes within the surrounding as well as in job markets worldwide. But as we suit these new rules and work-from-home setups, we can’t help but wonder if these changes are here to remain.

India’s workforce has adapted to permanent remote working:

Recent reports have shown that the IT industry in India enabled work from home for a whopping 90% of the workforce. This action was greatly applauded by the previous CFO at Infosys, Mohandas Pai. The IT veteran also went on to mention that around 30% of the workers will work from range in rotation even post the coronavirus outbreak. Similarly, Tech Mahindra’s CPO (Chief People Officer) Harshvendra Soin, also commented that there was a high likelihood that the longer term of the corporate would have a mixture of physical and remote working post-COVID 19.

In another interview with Ramkumar Ramamoorthy and Ashwini Deshpande, the previous chairman of Cognizant and therefore the Indian Economist, verified the likelihood that some quite permanent remote working pattern is now definitely here to stay.

Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, most companies would have thought wfh opportunities would disrupt their daily operations, cause reduced employee productivity and cause a breakdown in communication. However, the forced lockdown has compelled companies to know why to figure from home and proved that they will run even as smoothly – and in some cases, even better – with remote teams and permanent wfh.

Technological advances that facilitate ‘work-from-home’

As a result of the pandemic, many companies have largely invested in new digital tools to facilitate their digital workforce and may reconsider going back to their previous physical setups. While several companies had already introduced remote working opportunities to their employees, the coronavirus outbreak has simply accelerated the concept and businesses that hadn’t even considered remote working are now accepting this because of the new reality of the workforce.

Furthermore, consistent with many reports, empty offices are resulting in a surge in downloads and usage of online collaboration tools like Zoom meetings, Microsoft teams and Google hangouts. Microsoft Teams saw a huge 500 percent increase in calls, conference and meetings as of March 2020. The percentage is predicted to be much higher in current times. Similarly, Zoom CFO Kelly Stackelberg stated that the corporation was on a run rate of hundred billion annual meeting minutes within the end of January 2020, and therefore the number has been rapidly increasing ever since.

Google and Microsoft have both enabled their premium collaboration and conferencing apps (Microsoft Teams and Google Hangouts) for free of charge and these are one among the highest digital tools for businesses after Zoom (i.e., currently at the highest of the App store).

Why is working from home good?

Working from home allows employees to realize a far better work-life balance. This is a key thing about improving employee satisfaction and may thus cause higher employee retention. Once small challenges like proper time management and planning are ruled , employees can work according to flexible hours and carve out personal time to spend with their family or on activities they love. This balance of both aspects of their lives will help them get a more positive outlook on their job, which may cause better quality of labor.

Additionally, with high job satisfaction, flexible hours, and less time spent in everyday commute, employees will show better health and mental wellness – a trait extremely important to handle the workload and challenges within the company.

Possible challenges of permanent work from home for employers:

Some of the possible challenges of remote working are often as follows:

1) Overworked employees:

With no barriers between workplaces and houses, and lots of teammates located at different locations in several time zones, employees will find it difficult to shut work and unwind. This may result in overworked employees. The vital component here is time management and prioritization. Once employees master this, this challenge might not stand as an obstacle.

2) Technological glitches:

Remote working may produce potential technological glitches in terms of laptops or internet connectivity. Without these two basic requirements, employees might not be ready to speak or connect with the remaining team members.

3) Feeling isolated:

Permanent remote working setups with less physical human contact may emotionally drain employees into feeling isolated. A quick frolic block or maybe virtual games among team members will help employees relax and have a hearty laugh.

4) Security concerns:

With the bulk of labor online, and multiple files and documents saved on devices, tip could also be hospitable potential hacking and other security concerns. Building security policies, passwords wherever required, installing anti malware and anti-viruses is must while doing remote working. Another parameter for such security concerns could also be including the supply of DaaS (Desktop as a service), which may be a secure platform that gives secure and seamless work from home.

A move to a hybrid work structure:

Another change that’s adapted by leading companies and businesses across the planet may be a new rota system. According to Jonathan Dingel, a school researcher at the National Bureau of Economic Research, the transition from physical working to remote working raises big concerns for organizations on how to structure their workforce. While wfh opportunities are the necessity of the hour, employees wouldn’t want to measure an atomized life that’s disconnected from human contact. Many firms and organizations are now watching a rota system that needs different teams alternate between workplaces and houses with reference to social distancing requirements. According to an economic research paper, nearly 40% of industry agree that permanent work from home is going to last.

Greater opportunities in the gig economy

As physical presence becomes smaller an element in producing teams, more companies are likely to partner with Indian freelancers and part-time workers. Companies like Rockerstop offer an integrated dashboard where recruiters can sort through verified job profiles and identify freelancers in India that best suit their requirements. Engaging with freelancers through a trustworthy platform also ensures that recruiters access sustainable and authentic freelancers with less effort.

Work from home benefits both employers and employees to a really large extent. Even once the COVID-19 pandemic dies down, the above factors prove why performing from home is good and hence, the new work-from-home structure certainly seems like it’s here to remain.

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.