Those who are enjoying the freelance lifestyle understand the freedom it brings. Some people long for the camaraderie of a team in a company, leading them to return to traditional employment. Others make the switch for financial reasons, and in some cases, for the health insurance benefits. Adjusting back to corporate life can be tough, especially after years of freelancing. The job market also evolves, so being aware of this can help you stay motivated if you don’t land a corporate job right away. Here are some tips for those looking to re-enter the corporate world.
Give Yourself As Much Exposure As Possible
Exposure is very important when searching for a job in today’s market. Having social media profiles dedicated to professional use can be a big advantage. Reaching out to a company on social media before or after an interview can help you stand out if many people interviewed that day. Creating a LinkedIn account is one of the best steps you can take. Recruiters contact people every day to help them find jobs. Listing your skills and details about your work there can increase your chances of getting noticed. Stay active on LinkedIn and engage with people in your client base and industry. LinkedIn video is a new tool that can help you stand out from others in your network.
Enlist The Help of Your Current Clients
Current clients that you work for can be a huge help in your job search. While they might not be able to give you a job because of location or budgets, they can recommend you to another company in the industry. If you have done great work for these current clients they shouldn’t have any problem introducing you to decision makers at another company. Getting your foot in the door this way puts you ahead of other candidates who weren’t given the nod by another corporation. Standing out from the crowd with this reference can win you the job even before the interview.
Family members and friends can be a great help in trying to find a corporate job. Many people might feel embarrassed to ask a close friend or family member to help them out with getting a job. In reality the embarrassing thing would be people knowing you are looking for a job for an extended period of time without any offers. Swallow your pride in these circumstances as you will need to take any advantage given to you to stand out from the competition.
Don’t Stop Freelancing
This might be obvious to some but keep freelancing while you are looking for your new job. This can give you flexibility financially and the ability to turn down job offers that do not suit you. During this time you can start listing the skills that you use on your everyday work. Employers want to see an employee that is well-rounded so giving them an idea of a typical day can help them better evaluate you. On your resume you shouldn’t list yourself as a freelancer but you should label your work as a business. Freelancers have gotten a bad name in some industries and employers respect those who worked for companies more. Many freelancers establish an LLC to avoid any problems reintegrating into the corporate world or to get more clients. You never know, your next new client could end up being your employer in a matter of months.
Clean Up Your Social Media Profiles
Those who have been freelancing for quite a long time might not have had to worry about the things that go on their social media profiles. This is one of the first things that many HR managers dig into as they want someone who will represent their company appropriately. There are quite a few people who go on political rants or comment some less than appropriate things on their friends statuses. While you should be able to post about politics you simply shouldn’t. Not receiving a job offer because of your political beliefs is wrong but it does in fact happen. Leave your rants for after you have the job as you don’t want a biased HR manager to pass you up because you are a liberal or conservative. Making these profiles private doesn’t mean that others cannot see you so either clean them up or delete them until after you have a job.
Going from freelancing to the corporate world again can be difficult but it is important not to become discouraged. You are trying to go back to the office to make your life quality better and the is important to remember. Follow the above tips to boost your success probability immensely.