Got Laid-off | New to UpWork | Looking for Constructive Criticism

[6d554bb7]

Hello Upwork Community, 😊

I’m Furqan Hameed, a seasoned Development Professional recently laid off and new to Upwork. As I transition to freelancing, I’m eager to refine My Profile to better attract potential clients. I would greatly appreciate any constructive criticism or suggestions you might have on how to improve my profile, highlight my strengths, and stand out in this competitive space.

Thank you in advance for your insights!

[allpurposewriter · Accepted solution]

Furqan,

You write well and you're $30 per hour rate puts you in a very good position; it says you are confident, but not expensive.

As far as write-ups go, you've done an incredible job. It is very thorough.

My problem is that I dislike words like "management," because that could mean so many things. In your case, it sounds like you are looking for a deepy involved position at a company -- involved and high ranking. You probably have the skills for that. But freelancing at that level while working remotely is hard to imagine. You should explain that in real terms. Do you expect to hold meetings over Zoom? Do you expect to travel to companies to help them out? Are you seeking work as an interim manager?

My advice, otherwise, is you might want to seek out a specific niche. What is in high demand? Is reviewing policies to see if they comply with regulations in high demand? Is fixing supply chain problems in high demand? Is reviewing project timelines and re-organizing them  in high demand?

Those ideas get you into a more specific job category, but freelancing tends to force people to doing that.

For example, there are office workers who are very smart and get laid off. They try freelancing. Meanwhile, an employer would hire them for being smart, friendly, fitting in to the company environment and eager to learn. They have basic, varied computer skills, can do proofreading and keep track of schedules. But freelancing is not like that. Freelancing is usually someone hiring a typist -- that's it. No other skills matter. Or they want to hire a data entry person -- again, no other skills matter.

Freelancing doesn't care if you are friendly so much -- after all, you work alone. It doesn't matter if you fit in with the company environment or not --  chances are you will never come within 4,000 miles of the company's front door. It certainly doesn't fit with being eager to learn. Who's going to teach you your job when you work remotely?

With those thoughts in mind, I feel out of line here. You sound very competent. You sound experienced. You have sharp focus on what you can do. But I just wonder if being more narrow and more specific might fit in more with the standard pattern of success in a freelancing option. 

Good luck. Your profile is a bit long ... but I wouldn't worry about that. It reads well and has lots of top-quality information. 

[6d554bb7]

Dear Mr. Anthony,

Thank you so much for taking the time to review my profile and provide such detailed and thoughtful feedback. I highly appreciate your insights, especially coming from someone with your level of experience.

Your point about the need to be more specific and narrow in my niche really resonates with me. This actually makes sense now. I understand that freelancing requires a more targeted approach, and I’m considering narrowing it down to report writing, grant writing, and/or reviewing project timelines and re-organizing them. What do you think about focusing on these areas? I believe they align well with my experience and could meet the demands of the freelancing market.

I also appreciate your advice on setting realistic expectations for freelancing at a high level. I will make it a priority to clarify my approach to remote collaboration, whether through virtual meetings, occasional travel, or offering interim management solutions. This will help potential clients understand how I can effectively contribute, even in a freelance capacity.

Your feedback has given me a lot to think about, and I’m excited to make the necessary adjustments to better align with the demands of the freelancing world. Thank you once again for your constructive criticism and encouragement.

Sincerely,
Furqan Hameed

[allpurposewriter]

You've given me some things to think about, too. There is, for example, a very traditional type of freeelancer known as the "business consultant." But, again, this usually takes the form of someone in the business world who becomes such an expert in one specific thing that they are asked to speak at a seminar. At this seminar, three or four company owners approach him and say, "Could you look through my business, maybe come visit for a couple of days, see if you can suggest improvements for us." Then the expert things, "Hey, there's real demand for this knowledge I have ..." and a freelance career is born.

That still relies on being fairly specific.

As far as the market goes, I do not see many grant writers here ... but grant writers are fairly sophisticated so they probably don't need profile help that often. Still, grant writers can do well. After all, they can write a grant that includes money for their own payment. That's a pretty nice gig, where you can define your own salary.

Anyway, your ideas are fine, but I would research demand. Oh, here's one trick: In all the businesses you've been involved with was there one specific task -- maybe a common report many people have to do -- where you can train up and step in and say, "You know that task that takes up your staff time and everyone hates ... I have a streamlined service that will save you time and money if you farm that work out to me."

Anyway, that's one way to think of what to do. Think of that one task everyone hated ... but you can knock them off quickly. That's one way to approach choosing what to do.

Good luck to you. Thanks for the nice reply.