This is the year of the freelancer, with around 5.1 million people in the UK now classifying themselves as self-employed. As such, competition is steep and it has never been more important to stand out from the crowd to find work in the industry.

I jumped on the Tinder bandwagon a while back. Albeit a bit reluctantly, I should add.  As someone who had the phrase ‘don’t talk to strangers’ drilled into me from the time I could talk, the idea of dating strangers I’d met online seemed a bit dodgy. So, I put off downloading the app for ages. 

As a home for freelancers, we're always looking for ways to improve the lives of our members and AI offers an abundance of opportunity for us to do just that. The question, however, is how should we use AI to support our community? It seems like every other day, there's a new AI tool promising to revolutionise the way we work. 

Freelancing has become an increasingly popular career choice, offering freedom, flexibility, and the ability to work on diverse projects. However, one aspect that many freelancers grapple with is the arduous process of landing regular jobs. To explore this thorny subject, we will take a look at the data we've gathered over the years on Freelancer Club and delve into the info. From the average number of job proposals it takes before a freelancer secures a project to the pricing and the which proposals get the job.

Freelancing is sky-rocketing. More people and companies are hiring freelancers than ever before and there is a real opportunity for talented individuals to earn a living or generate extra income from their skills and passion.  It’s not just the financial rewards either. Many are interested in freelancing for more control and flexibility in their lives. Some choose to run a business to improve their work-life balance and be their own boss. The benefits are endless and yet a large proportion of new freelancers struggle to earn enough to make it past the first year of business.

Can you believe it's almost been an entire year since ChatGPT launched it's consumer-facing tool? It appears that the initial frenzy has subsided and while some freelancers have warmly welcomed Chat GPT into their routines, others have discovered its boundaries. Job applications, a promising frontier for AI assistance, is a topic we are particularly interested in at Freelancer Club HQ but has it helped or hindered freelancer's applying for jobs? Let's delve into the results and find out.

Certain individuals become members of the club to learn more about running a freelance business. Others find value in showcasing their portfolio and making industry connections. Additionally, there are members who join the Freelancer Club specifically to secure new clients. While offering general advice on best practices when applying for work is always useful, we decided to ask one of the more successful members of the club who appears to have mastered the art of landing the job!

Remember that olde saying from back in the day…. “Don’t take no for an answer.”  It was drilled into us from our mentors, favourite business gurus, and idols alike — those that achieved their dreams by never giving up.  We fantasised about the day we would take our sellable skills out into the world and then immediately get rejected with that word — “no” — and then we’d embark on our own fiercely passionate, dedicated journey of discovering that life-changing “yes,” for-as-long-as-it-takes.  It’s almost as if this was a time where actually talking to another human who would recognise our existence and give us the courtesy of a reply, was the basic norm.   Gosh. They really were simpler times, weren’t they?