Elements and Performance Criteria
- Promote yourself to potential employers
- Establish, follow up and regularly maintain business contacts within industry
- Participate in relevant networks to support your freelance activity
- Identify and follow appropriate strategies to enhance your professional reputation
- Maximise your reputation by circulating current and succinct information about your experience
- Join and maintain regular contact with relevant employment networks
- Advertise your services in relevant media outlets as required
- Produce and distribute promotional material as required
- Negotiate work arrangements
- Establish clear performance outcomes for jobs and agree on fees, schedules and expenses
- Ensure that contracts contain payment terms and conditions that provide a viable cash flow
- Ensure that contracts contain a clear statement of the obligations of all parties and a process for varying terms and conditions
- Ensure that the terms of contracts match agreements and securely store written copies of final signed contracts for reference during the course of jobs
- Negotiate variations to contracts as required
- Seek specialist advice in the development of contracts where appropriate
- Be willing to adapt to the demands of others, but without compromising your personal work ethic and reputation
- Be prepared to reject work offers that do not provide sufficient financial remuneration or job satisfaction
- Manage financial and business aspects of freelance work
- Seek advice on and determine the most appropriate way of operating as a freelancer
- Set up and use effective systems for managing budgets, finance and paperwork
- Establish and maintain effective support services
- Establish a realistic fee structure that takes into account all factors associated with your freelance activity
- Plan ahead to organise and maintain a viable work and cash flow
- Send invoices in line with payment terms and conditions and follow up any non-payment of invoices promptly and in a businesslike manner
- Keep simple but accurate and up-to-date accounts and records
- Submit annual tax returns, using the services of an accountant as required
- Comply with regulatory, taxation and insurance requirements relevant to freelance activities
- Undertake strategic planning
- Identify and implement strategies that help identify work opportunities at an early stage
- Seek constructive feedback from relevant people about your performance and evaluate feedback to identify personal development needs
- Identify opportunities for ongoing professional development and take appropriate action to ensure that your skills and knowledge keep pace with industry developments
- Identify and act on opportunities to expand your client base, either alone or in partnership with other freelancers
- Regularly revisit, review and set realistic objectives
- Continually monitor and analyse work options against quality of life, and artistic and commercial outcomes
- Identify risk factors and take action to minimise risk when planning work activities