Your profile on goLance is the first thing that a client or freelancer will see. You've seen the options, but what should you include in your profile? We're going to go through, step-by-step the "must haves" in your goLance profile.

Profile Picture

Every profile should include a professional looking picture of yourself. In your photo, make sure that you are smiling, or happy. No one wants to hire a disgruntled freelancer, so make sure that you look pleasant. Dress professionally or appropriately. Your picture should be focused on your face from the upper part of your chest or shoulders up. This is the first thing a client or freelancer will see when looking at your profile, so it's best to make a really good first impression.

Verify Your Payment Method and Phone Number

When clients or freelancers look at your profile, there's an option to verify your payment method and phone number. These options help in being as transparent as possible. A lot of freelancers will look at a job posting and ask themselves "is this too good to be true?" If a client hasn't verified their payment method, it will normally lead to freelancers becoming skeptical about the client and their offered position. Verifying a payment method only takes a couple of minutes, and will aid with increasing the response rate for a job posting.

If you add your phone number under "Account Settings" your phone number will be verified by goLance, giving you a small icon next to your name in your profile. This adds in verifying that you are indeed a real person that can be contacted.

Link Social Media Accounts

goLance is unique because we offer the ability to include links to your social media accounts. This provides the ultimate in transparency. Clients can verify who you are through Facebook, LinkedIn, Quora, your personal website, and other sites. It only adds to your portfolio and your digital reputation. Linking these accounts will build trust with the client from day one. Allowing others to see your social media accounts proves that you have nothing to hide, and therefore are a real person.

About Myself

Don't be shy, tell fellow goLancers about yourself. Talk about your interests, hobbies, passions, and what makes you unique. Include some of your experiences and accomplishments. This is where clients and freelancers can learn more about you and what you do.

How can you add value to a client? Why should a freelancer submit a proposal to your position? These are just a few of the things you can address in your "About Myself."

Background

Languages - If you know any other languages, list them here with your proficiency. Even if you have a very limited proficiency, it is recommended that you still list the language. You never know who you're going to meet on goLance and how they can help you with that language.

Work History - When it comes to your work history, you can go one of two ways with this. If your previous work experience is what led you to become a freelancer, such as working for 5 years as a web developer, then adding it won't hurt.

If your previous experience has nothing to do with freelancing, it is entirely optional whether you want to include it or not. It is possible that your previous experiences will tie-in to your freelancing at some point, so adding prior work history, or a summary of your previous work can help.

Education - When listing your education, list any relevant education to your skills as a freelancer. You can also list other education as well. Sometimes things in your profile will catch the attention of clients, that otherwise you wouldn't have been able to.

Portfolio

The portfolio is where you let your skills shine! Don't overwhelm clients by having too much in your portfolio. It's OK to be proud of every project you've worked on, but try to only showcase the best projects that you've worked on. If you have multiple skills and talents, simply pick the best project you've completed for each skill or talent. If you only have one skill, use your best judgment and pick only the top projects.

Categories

When it comes to the categories in which you can work in, be honest. Don't be overzealous and try to work in every available category. As a freelancer, select only the categories that are relevant to your skills. You don't have to be the best writer in every category, so stay within your niche. It's important to everyone on goLance that everyone remains in their niche. Don't try to work in a niche that you have little to no experience in. You would be taking work away from qualified freelancers, and wasting your client's time.

Add a Video About Yourself

This is the extra step in the goLance profile. Adding a video can bring more attention to your profile and allow it to stand out more.

If you're going to include a video about yourself, talk about the value that you can add to a client. Discuss your skills, show some of your best projects, or talk about some of your experiences. Why should a client choose you over someone else?

Final Thoughts

Your profile on goLance is very important. It is the first thing a client or freelancer sees and will directly affect whether a client hires you, or if freelancers choose to submit proposals for the job that you posted. Having a completed profile with a professional tone will catch the attention of both clients and freelancers alike.

Thank you for working with us.