To keep up in the fast-moving world, one must be up-to-date with the newest working tools and technologies. Both, new working strategies, as well as the latest technologies, influence the work of freelancers increasingly. Due to their flexibility and ability to quickly adapt to new circumstances, freelancers possess skills that benefit them and set them apart – especially in the current marketplace.
According to a study, freelancing will be the most important form of work by 2030. As freelancers always have to be on the pulse of time, new working strategies and future tools are some of their keys to success.
If you want to know more about what is currently in high demand, then check out this blogpost on trends of the future.
Working strategies of freelancers
New Work increases personal and professional development by implementing different work forms. Especially in the course of the rapidly developing digitalization, freelancers need to obtain actual skills.
The following points highlight what makes New Work such an important strategy.
- Soft skills are increasingly in demand, such as time management, communication skills, or self-motivation.
- Concerning the workplace, freelancers can work from different places. Therefore, many resort to coworking spaces, where independent workers can meet and motivate each other instead of working alone at home.
- One of the methods that New Work contains is called ‘Working out Loud’. This method aims to build working relations with mutual aid that leads to one goal. It especially helps freelancer to bring their ideas into a company and to share them with others. The feedback at the end is the key to this method to extend the gained knowledge. Interchange is essential to freelancers, as they often work alone. ‘Working out loud’ therefore supports the agile approach of companies that use freelancers as guides for project teams.
- Remote work became an inescapable factor for many experts, as working in crowded offices was not an option anymore. According to a study of Deloitte, almost half of the employees work from home since the Covid pandemic. If you want to know more about how to work remotely, read our dedicated blog post on this topic.
Additional success factors for freelancers
Not only New Work but also sales, the legal situation, and sustainability are important factors for the success of any freelancer. The upcoming points serve as an overview of the different topics.
- For most freelancers, the acquisition of the right customer is the key to success. Especially at the beginning of a career, it is important to build a customer base to receive regular inquiries. As the freelancer market grows increasingly, several online platforms enable matchmaking between companies and freelancers. This is where ElevateX can support. As experienced experts, we find the perfect match for freelancers and companies by providing reliable support.
- Enhancing future working strategies also means dealing with sustainability Paperless offices and digital correspondence are no longer new concepts. According to a study, 90% of the global 2000 companies want to work with recyclable resources until 2025 and possess strategies how to reduce energy consumption. Also, the already mentioned co-working spaces enable resource sharing. Not only incorporating sustainability in daily business but also working as a freelancer in the sustainability sector is a great opportunity to deal with the issue. With a growing demand for specialists in the environmental sector, freelancers have a high success factor.
- One of the biggest issues nowadays is the judicial situation also called pseudo-self-employment or false-self-employment. It mostly concerns companies when hiring freelancers. Although it sounds like a difficult topic, it is no problem if companies deal with the subject matter. To gain more knowledge also read our blog post about pseudo-self-employment.
Self development
One of the last, but probably the most important, factor for any freelancer is self-development. People turn to freelancing because they see the benefits of being flexible, deciding about the projects they work on, and they can mostly choose their workplace. Self-development also means taking the risk by leaving the employment relationship and starting self-employment. Further education thereby is of paramount importance to keep up with the newest technologies.
What areas are best for further development?
Latest Technology trends
With the increase of new technologies, the demand for IT- freelancers also rises. Companies want to be dynamic and implement the newest technologies. This is why they are increasingly resorting to freelancers. Not only because they are always working on the pulse of time, but also because flexible workers are needed, or full-time positions cannot be staffed in a timely manner.
The increasing importance of IT-security (by 65%) and artificial intelligence (by 62%) are striking and good indicators for freelancers for high demand in that area of expertise. These topics are followed in increasing demand by cloud services, the internet of things, and big data.
- IT-Security gains in importance. Freelancers in the IT security sector come into question for 72% of companies because it is a highly sensible area, and the expertise of freelancers is valued.
- In second place is Artificial Intelligence. The aim of AI is to develop intelligent machines that help humans to transform technologies increasingly and to push on digitalization. Especially freelancers in the field of machine learning are therefore highly required. To develop further in this area, freelancers can resort to online videos and online courses.
- Digitalization in companies made it essential to use Cloud Services. This leads to better efficiency and productivity of working structures. Again, this is a very beneficial area for freelancers, as it is an always-changing subject and the latest skills are required.
- By listing all the latest technologies, we cannot miss the Internet of Things. Smart devices are connected to the internet and are everywhere to simplify daily life. Not only in the household, but also while working. These tools are in constant development and improvement and therefore in need of highly flexible and adaptable experts.
- As AI and the Internet of Things grow constantly, they also transmit a high amount of data. A technical term for this is Big Data. Due to augmented analytics, we are able to work with a complex accumulation of data. AI, the Internet of Things, and Big Data are strongly connected to each other.
- Last but not least, programming languages such as Python and Kotlin are a must-have for IT-freelancers by the fact that they can be applied in very different areas as all the aforementioned technologies.
Conclusion
As you have seen, the best requirements for freelancers are a mixture of current working strategies and know-how in seminal fields. At the same time, continuous learning must not be neglected, because those who rest on their success miss out on future topics.
If you are a freelancer and interested in helping to develop future technologies, then ElevateX helps you to find the perfect project for YOU! Click here for more information.
