Five things we learned on our addon adventure 

1. What Happens When the Junior Candidate Has Senior Expectations 

Look, we get it: you’re young, the world is your oyster, and you hear all these stories about how freelancing is the smart choice for someone with an interesting IT profile. We’re not saying that isn’t true. However, it’s important to understand that having a few years of experience under your belt can make a significant difference before you decide to fly solo. Why: you don’t know all the tricks of your trade yet, which is normal, but clients are very aware of that. Either they’ll put your knowledge to the test severely, which isn’t exactly fun for you (and you might flunk out), or they’ll just not be prepared to offer you the same pay as a more senior freelancer. So, we’d say: start out on a payroll, earn your stripes, and get on the market when you’ve got about five years of experience. 

2. What Happens When Money is the Main Motivation 

Again: we get it. Money is important and your job simply has to pay the bills. That being said, we’re noticing that new freelancers often think that going freelance might be their get–rich–quick scheme. They impulsively quit their jobs and start freelancing without realising there’s so much more to this move than money. First, you have to actually get regular assignments to keep getting paid regularly. Secondly, you need an excellent accountant to help with taxes and such, and some freelancers are quickly discouraged when they learn how much (or how little) money is left after all the administrative bills are paid. Thirdly, when you’re freelancing, you can’t count on the perks of a payroll anymore. Think about your company car, paid holidays, sick leave, and more responsibilities and rights that you now have to manage yourself. We find that all of those factors combined are often underestimated when people tell us they’d like to go freelance. Something we try to help you think about before you take the leap. 

3. What Happens When They (Don’t) Prepare (Well Enough) for an Interview 

There’s nothing as frustrating (for every party, by the way, not just for us) as a candidate showing up to a job interview unprepared. It shows a lack of respect and motivation on their part, and a lack of due diligence on ours. Clients do not take this lightly. That’s why it’s become an integral part of our process to always prepare our freelancers for their job interviews. We want them to know why we think they’d fit in with this client’s organisation and prepping them is the ideal way to show them what the project and customer are all about. We also do it to avoid awkward situations. When we prep the candidate thoroughly, they can answer all questions the client might ask and are perfectly capable of presenting themselves as the ideal and preferred candidate for the job. That’s what we all want! 

4. What Happens When They (Don’t) Keep Up With the Tech World 

You simply can’t continue to freelance (as an IT professional) if you don’t keep up with the tech world and all its innovations and evolution. It’s a fast-paced market. Part of your responsibility as a freelancer is to keep learning, getting those certificates, and following the right training and courses to stay an expert in your field. It’s the only way to keep clients interested in you and your portfolio. Besides, isn’t it more fun to learn new things than to stay stuck to legacy technology? In other words: to get the cool projects that are getting your attention, you need to be able to present yourself as the go-to person for the job. 

5. What Happens When They Accept (Our) Expert Support 

Nobody said flying solo meant that you could never ask for help. On the contrary, it takes a village to freelance (not just to raise a child). You need to have an accountant by your side whom you trust and can turn to with all your financial and administrative questions. They’ll help you sort out your taxes, calculate the daily rate you should ask for, and more. Then there are recruitment agencies like addon. We’re here to support you from beginning to end. As you read above, this means we’re here to help you prep for interviews, but we’re also ready to help you negotiate your contract, check in once you’re on a project to see how you’re doing, and proactively look for new assignments if needed. You don’t have to go it alone. Truly, we are so proud to see the freelancers we guide take flight and soar high. That’s why we do what we do. 

Hey! We are addon. As we want to keep our personal and human values high, we welcome anyone who wants to contribute to our story and mission. Don’t be shy to contact us: we’re approachable, available and we can’t wait to meet you!