Writing is one freelance option that offers many jobs in the market today. The culture of freelance work and the scope of its reach have increased it is a more viable and comfortable option to a run-of-the-mill desk job. As a freelance report writer, you will mostly be writing documents like RFPs and RFIs.
Your reasons for opting to freelance may vary; extra income, work from home, be able to take on multiple tasks, independence, the list continues. Whatever your preferences, you can be assured that report writing is one career option that is not quite straightforward and can be a moderately rewarding career option.
Job Duties for Freelance Report Writer
Your duties as a report writer would revolve around writing RFIs and RFPs, but will not be specifically limited to them. For instance, an IT organisation may hire you to write proposals for them, and additionally might ask you to look into company reports. Let us have an in-depth look at some of the duties that will fall under your purview, as a report writer:
- Create content based on principles regarding order, clarity, conciseness, style and terminology
- Maintain the quality of content and a record of files and work revisions
- Edit, standardise or rephrase material prepared by others, usually sales heads
- Liaise with customer reps, vendors, executives to determine specifications and determine subject material
- Review published content and revise scope, format and content if needed
- Create additional financial and corporate reports on the organisation.
Skills:
You will have skills similar to most other writers, who develop copy or pen novels. You need to develop content for proposals and be able to represent correct reports about organisations. You must master some specific skills to become a freelance report writer. Some include:
- Writing skills
- Sales acuity
- Experience working on RFPs, RFQs and RFIs
- Technical skills
- Research skills
- Organisational skills
- Interpersonal skills
- Content development
- Content Management
Lynda, Skillshare and EDx offer both free and paid-for resources, where you can learn without having to move from your seat.
Being Successful as a Freelance Report writer:
Report writing is a fairly old and respected branch of writing. It promises comfort, a steady work-life pattern, and the ability to earn some money from the comfort of your couch. With experience, the ‘some’ money in question, rapidly evolves into handsome money.
More often than not, talent is not a determinant of success in any sphere. It is possibly truer for writers, with the freelance market insisting that talent combined with the relevant experience attracts generous prospective employers.
Hence, to be successful initially, you could:
- Offer to do projects for minimum fees, sometimes for free
- Bid the lowest for a project on freelancer portals
- Get good testimonials for guest blogs, recommendations for work
- Start a blog, back link it to more visible blogs
- Create a website, or at the very least, a web page
- Advertise your services on social media platforms
- Understand the product or service intimately
- Be able to simplify overly complex language
Average remunerations:
Most of the revenue you generate as a freelance report writer will depend solely on your ability to market your services and your credibility with previous employees.
The money varies: Usually freelance portals offer various kinds of payment models. In the fixed-price model, the price is usually pre-determined. The hourly model is the most popular and employers usually pay a predetermined sum per hour. Finally, in the project-budget based model, you often need to auction for such projects. Usually a fixed price model may range from $20- $200 and upwards, while you have to pitch for hourly projects, and budget payments, which usually range from $5- $35 an hour. Your average salary as a freelance report writer will be $19 per hour.
Finding work:
Finding work as a freelance report writer is not hard, but it may require efforts on your part. Quite a lot of effort in fact, network with other writers and editors to build a responsive network. In the past decade, many portals exist where you can apply for jobs all over the world and offer proposals for international projects.
The most advisable course of action is to take the extra pain, go the extra mile, at the start of your career, at the least. It is important to remember that you are entering a market, as a freshman and thus, you must be willing to put extra efforts.
Websites like Odesk, Elance and Peopleperhour offer many jobs to freelance report writers globally.
Freelancing has opened up the way we view work: and the trend only continues to rise. All you writing enthusiasts, you wordsmiths who wish to carve a niche in this booming field, do not just think about pressing those keys do it.
Resources:
There is an abundance of resources, where you can learn about report writing simply by clicking on some keys and blocking some pop-ups. Lynda, Skillshare and EDx offer both free and paid-for resources, where you can learn without having to move from your seat.
For more information on Freelance Resource please visit www.careerlancer.net
