The 5 best platforms for freelancers to find jobs

Abhishek, a 26-year-old research analyst from Gurgaon, earns a monthly salary of Rs 45,000. However, his overall monthly earnings exceed Rs 70,000.

How?

Well, Abhishek is a freelance writer and SEO expert. He attends office from 8 am to 4 pm and works as a freelancer for various national and international clients after that. Working for four to five hours on a daily basis enables Abhishek to earn over Rs 25K every month.

There are many youngsters like Abhishek who opt for freelancing to make extra cash and solidify their financial position. There are thousands of freelance jobs available in the market which require no time commitment like your day job, yet pay well. However, many youngsters find it difficult to get regular freelance assignments, and the main reason for this is they don't know where to look.

To help you combat this situation, I've compiled a list of some of the best platforms where you can find quality freelance assignments and take your freelancing journey to all new level:

Facebook groups

Did you know Facebook can also be used to find freelance jobs – and that too in an easy and hassle-free manner? Yes, it's a 100 percent true and tested method. All you have to do is find Facebook groups that are fully dedicated to freelancers and join them. Media Jobs Daily, Media Movements and Media Updates are a few such groups. Although there are other groups as well, I find these three very useful for freelance writers, graphic designers, SEO experts, bloggers, web developers, anchors and VO artists.

Fiverr

It’s probably the best in the business. You can create a profile on Fiverr, mention your expertise, desired skills and asking rates. The moment you create an account here, you're exposed to tens of thousands of business owners who're looking for freelancers. Fiverr is pretty transparent when it comes to the payments, so you don't have to worry about your hard earned money.

Upwork

Upwork came into existence in 2014, when oDesk and Elance merged. With over 9 million registered freelancers, Upwork is one of the biggest platforms for freelancers. Once you sign up, you need to create a profile and mention your skills. Some of the freelance jobs that you can find on Upwork are related to web development, analytics, graphic designing, writing, legal, translation, sales and marketing, accountancy, and many more.

LinkedIn

Don't underestimate the reach of LinkedIn. Along with full-time jobs, you can also find some of the best and highest paid freelance jobs on LinkedIn. Just follow these steps. First, create an account. Then mention your past work experience, current job, skills, rewards, education, certifications and other relevant details. After this, go to the 'Jobs' section and type 'Freelance Writer' or 'Freelance Graphic Designer' or any other freelance job-related keyword that you're interested in. Done!

Outsource

This is another popular platform where people with different skills can find excellent opportunities and make extra cash during their free time. The secret to success on Outsource is a great profile, an eye-catching portfolio and reasonable rates. The site promises to take care of the payment part on behalf of freelancers so that they can focus on work without any hassle.

Apart from these, you can also find freelance jobs on 99designs, Design Crowd, Freelancer and Toptal. What other sites would you add to this list? Do mention them in the comments below.