Working from home is awesome. You don’t have to accept projects you’re uncomfortable with. You also get to experience a nomadic lifestyle even if only part of the time. Best of all, you have the kind of freedom that many office workers only dream of.

However, when you’re currently looking for a project, you understand how challenging it is to land a gig lately. You’ve applied to dozens of vacancies on freelance marketplaces. You’ve sent proposals for a wide range of work. Despite your efforts, you’re still not getting hired.

You may have started to wonder if you’re no longer as employable as you once were. Or, you might have thought that you’ve just been unlucky. Do any of these ring a bell?

It’s a common dilemma

If you’re in a similar situation as the one mentioned above, take comfort in the fact that you’re not alone. Millions of other job seekers are feeling as frustrated as you. Every freelancer has to go through this at some point in their career anyway.

Many throw in the towel during this time and search for office-based positions. A few take it as a chance to learn from their mistakes and press on. If you want to continue working from home, you must first understand why opportunities are hard to find right now.

Why freelance opportunities run out

It’s frustrating to see tons of openings when your resume keeps being ignored. You figure that, with so many employers in need of workers, there should be at least one you’d land an interview for. Well, recruiters have a few reasons why they sometimes ignore applications, including the following:

• They’re promoting from within but want to solicit resumes to build a pool of candidates.
• They’re looking for the mythical “perfect candidate” who is highly skilled and educated.
• They’re relying on applicant tracking systems for scanning and sorting resume submissions.
• They’re referring to the outdated resumes that applicants submitted a long time ago.
• They’re no longer hiring but have forgotten to take down their listings on job boards and sites.

Improve your odds of landing gigs

Here are the ABCs of what you can do when you can’t find freelance work.

A – Assess your finances

Check if you can cut corners in times when your money flow is less stable. Go back to the basics and cut any unnecessary subscriptions and memberships. Tempting as it might be to shop online while working remotely, learn to control your impulses and get more serious about your spending.

Set a strict budget and wait until you have a larger client base before making big purchases. Allocate an amount for every aspect, be it food, toiletries, tuition, or rent. Hobbies will have to take less priority especially if they require a lot of money to pursue.

B – Broaden your services

Rather than persist with the same old business model, think up new ways to get income. For instance, if you’re a copywriter who generally creates website content, consider supplementary services such as crafting social media posts or ghostwriting books.

Be prepared to step out of your comfort zone in some cases. As much as you may want to stick to what you’re familiar with, realise that it means that you’ll have no edge over the dozens or hundreds of other applicants who are vying for the job.

C – Contact previous clients

Sometimes, there’s no need to start from scratch in identifying potential gigs. All you have to do is look through your portfolio to recall the people you worked with and may be able to work with again. Doing so allows you to hone in on those who already know you.

Going through older files and messages is going to take time if you’ve been in the industry for a while. Also, there’s no guarantee they’re still in the business or are hiring at the moment so do your homework before communicating with them.

D – Determine the need

As time goes on, some industries experience a decline while others thrive. An example is how traditional advertising media are giving way to digital marketing campaigns. So, figure out which niches are growing and see what you can offer to address their needs.

When it’s not clear where the need is, browse online job sites to find out which areas are seeing an increase in demand for freelancers. It’s worth logging on to forums or joining relevant social media groups to feel out where your industry is headed too.

E – Expand your options

You can afford to be selective with the projects you take when your freelance business is booming. In drier periods, you’ll want to widen your choices for paid tasks. Carefully reevaluate what you consider to be beneath you as it’s more important you have income.

It’s crucial to stay true to your values and ethics while avoiding red flags though. Research all of the potential clients before sending them your cover letter and/or resume to know if you might have conflicts of interests and the like.

F – Find remote roles

When freelance work is that hard to come by, why not consider a part-time or full-time online job? There are more opportunities when you’re willing to commit a set amount of hours per day or week or month. This is understandable as companies want workers who’ll stay with them.

If you’re interested in applying for one, Remote Workmate is here to serve. We have fully remote roles in various job categories ranging from digital marketing to bookkeeping. Let us connect you to your next client.