Neither was it an interview nor was an orientation class. Still, Sima sat in this tiny business room listening to this gentleman talking about the highly technical products and his doubts and reluctance to have a further work process with her. Being a newbie in freelancing, Sima was not sure whether he was giving her a great break or just wanted to take advantage of her handful of information about freelancing. However, the deal was not made as her mentor Rudriya suggested that freelancing is not about you doing whatever the company wants; there have to be some professional boundaries for this work. Following her idea and philosophy, Sima came to know about having a proper work framework such that whenever she had to deal with such confusing and somehow humiliating (because She felt it was like that), she could get off the table and make the very company realize that Sima has a worth, She believes in better waiting for other opportunities than being underpaid for her talent and skills.

This is an example of how a new freelancer with less experience has to face an interview situation like a scenario where communication and negotiation were not clear. This article comprises the guidelines and suggestions for such freelancers to have an independent and concrete decision on working.

Freelancing is a word very familiar in digital business. Freelancing is typically pursued by a person when he/she can not get a job in a related industry and has the option of being an entrepreneur or a freelancer. As an entrepreneurial venture can be tougher and costly, and most of them may not be able to or have a back for foreign study, people choose to freelance. (Hisham Sarwar, Youtuber). A freelancer is any person with some skills (related to computer and the internet) who gets paid to complete a company or client's task. Freelancing includes content writing, graphic designing, web development, podcasting and voice-over, app and software development, Quickbooks, CAD cam engineering, and many more. 

Freelancing in Nepal is possible if “YES” is the answer to these questions. Do you have a reliable internet connection? Do you have a computer? Can you offer the service companies would want? Freelancing can be tough and troublesome if the prior, during, and post concerns, requirements, and expectations of both company and freelancer don’t get quenched.

 Thus freelancers must have a clear vision upon doing the dealing. As mentioned above, we have various types of freelancing. Among them, the content writing freelancing and guidelines before onboarding projects related to it are going to be explained here. So, the aspiring freelancers take some notes.

• After being approached by a client, you must get your homework done on knowing the company better with the resources available to you, i.e.digital sources, as nobody will physically visit that company. The vision, objective, and team of the company must be read or noted down so that it would be helpful in the further interview process.
• After being approached by a client, make sure to ask about what particular area or industry you have to focus on.

Consider being approached by a company that asks you to write blogs on types of people based on food/food habits. Then you have to be clear whether you have to cover diet or fast food or carnivore or meaty food or Cuisine around the world or vegetarian or vegan food. You have to be very specific so that there won't be any confusion and lack of effort to be shown from your side. Cutting it short: BE SPECIFIC ON YOUR WRITING. 

• After being clear and specific, find out the research topic that is demanded by your content. If you happened to choose the Vegan food in the upper example, you could research the pros and cons of being a vegan, how vegans get their protein, Is veganism practical, and many more. Here you have clear points and areas which you need to cover in your content.
• If the company and the job have demanded to sell product and the blog you have chosen about, you must fully research the product: its ingredients, dosage, precautionary limits, etc.

 Continuing the example’s reference, you are asked to sell a vegan vitamin D supplement; then you have to have a profound study on Vitamin D, its various sources, how vegans can get Vitamin D, and how are the products more helpful and convenient over the other sources of Vitamin D for Vegans.

• Another important thing is knowing the number of the blogs you are supposed to post daily or weekly, or fortnightly and have strong communication with the client to get the idea of the new blog you are supposed to cover up.

          Continuing the example’s reference:

You are assigned 4 blogs on veganism per week. With the proper chat, you can identify whether you have to cover the recipe portion or use the success stories of people who got over diseases by adopting a vegan lifestyle and so on.

• After knowing the title of the blog, start working on the SEO keywords. This can be done by freelancers with or without the advice of the company.

Continuing the example’s reference:

You blog title: Can Vegan lifestylereverses non-chronic disease like cancer then

Your content has to have the above bold letters as much as repeated without compromising the quality and zeal of the blog.

• Now comes the part of being professional with each other. Both parties must have signed on Memorandum of Understanding to proceed with the project. This MOU includes budget, delivery time, payment conditions, payment method, payment termination conditions, and if any other terms and conditions. These all are specified such that there remains no room for the threat of being unpaid and being ill-treated.

Continuing the example’s reference:

To write a blog on Vegan food, for XYZ Company, they provide you $100 per blog, half of the payment is sent to the freelancer on his/her bank account. The failure to meet the goal of 4 blogs per week can delay the payment. The company will consider emergency conditions like an accident, severe conditions. Others can be included in this MoU (Memorandum of Understanding).

For those who want to know about what MoU does look like, here is a very simple sample continuing the example’s reference:

Memorandum of Understanding

Between XYZ COMPANY

AND FREELANCER

On ……… (Date), Memorandum of Understanding was signed between the XYZ Company and Freelancer under the project ABC.

…………………..                                                                             ……………………….

Monitored by                                                                             Project Representative

Conclusion

Thus always be very cautious and clear about the MoU so that your work is not being underpaid and the company also gets full justice regarding the project they have assigned to you. Also, always find working remotely other than working by visiting the company once or twice a week so that you do not have to have your money wasted on transport or fuel. When these crucial portions get clear, get back to the research business, make most of it, and write content, making the reader feel, “Finally, I have a vivid idea about the ……..”