Upskilling & Career Progression when you’re a freelancer

In a recent survey conducted by Brigad among the community of freelancers using the platform, we found that almost 50% of freelancers want to get more feedback to develop their skills and get more shifts.

There are now plenty of solutions and concrete ways for freelancers to develop their careers and increase their skills.

Career progression when you’re a freelancer

Having visibility on career progression & getting qualitative feedback from clients are the most important things that stood out when we asked freelancers how to help them to grow.

Why? Working for yourself gives you flexibility and control over your finances. You are your own boss. Therefore, getting feedback from clients to be able to improve will get you more work and thus more income.

Career progression is a key factor for people who chose to become self-employed. We do talk a lot about how employees get to have performance reviews on a regular basis and have the opportunity more often to improve and progress in their career. And yet, freelancers, who are their own boss, should have the tools to progress & get qualitative feedback on their performance.

Upskilling & freelancing : concrete advice for your career profession

Advice for freelance workers while going on shifts

• Adaptability (e.g. arrive in advance, take your marks, ask questions, identify the person in charge)
• Showing your skills & motivation (from kitchen porter to commis, don’t hesitate to show off your skills if you feel comfortable, ask the person in charge if you can help more, ex: with vegetable cuttings etc)
• Be curious & ask for feedback: one of the main advice freelancers would give: don’t hesitate to ask for feedback at the end or during a shift. Feedback gives you an opportunity to spot what skills you need to focus on and where your strengths are.

As well as getting qualitative feedback, asking feedback from clients will increase chances of being whitelisted by businesses. It demonstrates your ethic and your desire to progress. If they whitelist you, you’ll get more shifts.

• Adding new skills: get in touch with us if you feel you are confident in adding new skills to your Brigad profile.

What clients expect from freelancers

Hassan, managing director at Village Paddington explains what he expects from freelancers for a first shift.

To the question: what are the most important qualities you pay attention to when a freelancer comes to your establishment? Hassan gives a clear & impactful answer in this short video:

Online training

Having access to appropriate training at the right time is as well key to be able to upskill as a freelancer. Indeed, learning new skills, or attending workshops will lead to more shifts.

This is why we are focusing at Brigad on offering online training to our community & helping them get more shifts on the platform.

Working through Brigad? Answer this form & let us know what kind of training you’d like to get on the platform!

CHOOSE YOUR TRAINING WITH BRIGAD

Watch the webinar again

You can watch the entire webinar here: