With the rise of post-Covid remote work and the constant demand for job security and career flexibility, many modern employees have opted for freelancing jobs over traditional ones. Not only can freelancing help one find flexible revenue based on their interests, but it can also serve as a stepping stone for turning entrepreneurial dreams into reality. If you're considering shifting to permanent freelancing jobs, here are the top 7 skills you should keep in your repertoire. 

Web development 

Web development skills have become increasingly in high demand in the current job market. Whether you're working as a remote IT professional or leading your own firm, you need web development skills to back you up. This includes being knowledgeable in web development frameworks such as JavaScript, HTML, CSS, Node.js, React, etc. Consider taking online courses to better learn these frameworks if you haven't already. Also, with e-commerce taking over both the local and global market, you need to arm yourself with the skill to maintain an online presence for your brands, which includes upgrading company websites, reaching customers via social media accounts, selling products online, etc. If you have prior experience in building or working with e-commerce platforms, adding that to your resume/portfolio will pay dividends in getting a high-paying freelancing job. Like other freelancing roles, freelance web development comes with a lot of flexibility in both time and location; so you can always choose your own hours and even take the time to further build your skills between projects. 

Graphic design

If you consider yourself a creative individual and have notable experience in graphic design, you should have an easy time landing well-paying freelancing jobs. Due to brands and products constantly requiring visual content to engage with their target audience, being able to produce advertisements, packaging or marketing materials that cater to the customers' needs will help you a lot when freelancing. Graphic designing in freelancing jobs can also include creating logos and marketing campaigns, which is a role you can often offer flexible rates for. Unlike other professions, freelance graphic design jobs are dependent on your creative expression. So, you can also consider this skill as an outlet to introduce unique perspectives and styles to your clients' projects. 

Video making

Similar to graphic designing, having extensive knowledge and experience in video editing can be beneficial for your professional freelancing career. Companies trying to push a new product or repackaging an older release will often rely on video-based advertisements to reach target customers. As such, having a portfolio of high-quality, pro-level video-making skills can help you land jobs with clients looking for long-term video projects. Even short-term projects, particularly those with social media advertising, are lucrative job offers because they often require you to make a few short videos to increase reach on platforms like Facebook, Instagram and TikTok. As such, if you have experience making and editing videos for social media sites as well, don't hesitate to show them off in your portfolio.

Content writing

Businesses of all sizes need high-quality written content for their websites, blogs, social media platforms, advertisements and other marketing materials. As such, if you have notable experience in content writing - including being able to write professional reviews, articles, pamphlets and press releases - your skillset will be highly valued in the competitive freelancing market. Content marketing is also an important part of modern digital marketing, which is dependent on using the right keywords and optimising SEO to garner more clicks and visitors to a company's website. Freelance clients who will value your content writing can offer you a myriad of roles, from writing about tech, lifestyle and hard news topics to product-based blogs and guidelines on how to use that brand's product. As the field of content writing is constantly evolving, landing a few freelance projects and setting your own pace will also give you the time to develop your writing skills further and eventually land better, high-paying jobs in the future. 

Customer service

Whether it be online or physical business, retaining a good long-term relationship with customers is always considered an excellent practice. If you have the skills to provide top-notch customer service, clients offering freelance work will depend on you to ensure repeat business and maintain their brand's positive reputation. Especially in a competitive marketplace with the ever-present demand for attracting new customers, being proficient in customer service will invoke loyalty from new customers and set you aside as an important employee for any freelance work. Customer service skills are also a big aspect of professionalism and commitment to your profession: much-needed soft skills that employers of all kinds look for in potential employees. 

Data entry

While often regarded as an entry-level role, being skilled in data entry can help you land flexible jobs in the world of freelancing. Data entry is often considered by young professionals as an accessible starting point to dive into bigger businesses, but even as a full-time data entry specialist, you can find clients who will require you to store and efficiently process large amounts of information for their company's databases. Data entry also comes with maintaining 100% accuracy and key to details, which are critical soft skills valued by any employer. If you're considering freelancing in the long run, data entry can give you the scope to develop other skills such as website development or SEO analysis in between projects.

SEO

With the advent of online businesses, comes the need to rely on search engines like Google to gain a competitive advantage over rival companies. As such, companies require SEO (Search Engine Optimisation) experts to not only get their online content rank higher on search engines but also increase reach and therefore sales from potential customers. If you have experience handling SEO on professional websites, you can help your client attain online visibility and improve their business by increasing website traffic and generating more leads from clicks and visits. More and more businesses nowadays are opting to hire SEO experts, owing to it being a cost-effective marketing strategy with visible long-term results. However, this also means that as a freelance SEO analyst, you get the option to choose premium rates for your services by offering sustainable online traffic to your clients.