New Research From FlexJobs And PAIRIN Identifies The Top 10 Career Fields And Soft Skills For Freelance Jobs

89% of freelancers took actionable steps to enhance their skills during the pandemic.

Given the strong, sustained interest in the freelance job marketplace, FlexJobs has identified the top 10 career categories for freelance jobs that have grown at least 10% since January 1, 2021.

In order to better prepare candidates interested in pursuing these promising freelance careers, FlexJobs teamed with PAIRIN, the trusted technology partner to today’s leading workforce programs, governments, and education systems, to identify the skills job seekers need to succeed in these specific categories.

According to a recent FlexJobs survey, the overwhelming majority (89%) of freelancers took actionable steps to boost their skills over the course of the pandemic. Freelancers reported engaging in the following skill development activities, and at a much higher rate than the non-freelance respondents.

• 53% took online courses for professional development (vs 44% of non-freelance professionals)
• 52% learned new professional skills (vs 37% of non-freelancers)
• 50% learned new remote working tools (vs 37% of non-freelancers)
• 41% attended virtual professional development events (vs 35% of non-freelancers)
• 35% studied for or earned a new certification (vs 26% of non-freelancers)
• 30% did volunteer work, internships, projects, or side jobs to strengthen skills and experience (vs 21% of non-freelancers)
• 9% studied for or earned a new degree (vs 7% of non-freelancers)

“Our recent survey shows that freelancers are certainly committed to wanting to build their skillset and grow professionally, and did so at a much higher rate during the pandemic than even non-freelancers,” said Sara Sutton, founder, and CEO of FlexJobs.

“Because the overall job marketplace remains extremely competitive, knowing which soft skills to focus on can help put freelancers in the best position possible to secure their next job,” Sutton concluded.

FlexJobs created the survey, and Dr. Dan Hawthorne, director of I/O psychology and head of research at PAIRIN, conducted the research and analysis to identify the critical skills for each career category. The survey ran from March 17, 2021- April 5, 2021, and received answers from 3545 respondents, 640 of which identified as being full or part-time freelancers.

“At PAIRIN, our science-based skill development tools focus on measuring essential behavioral skills, also known as soft skills, because they are proven to have the most impact on someone’s ability to be successful in a career and in life,” said Dr. Hawthorne.

“For this research, we collected jobs that are representative of the career paths identified by FlexJobs as high-growth and examined the common top behavioral skills that 65% of employers say are necessary for success in those career paths and that 73% of employers say applicants are lacking,” Hawthorne concluded.

The ten freelance career categories below have grown at least 10% from January 1, 2021, to April 1, 2021. They are ordered from highest to lowest growth. Under each category are the most important soft skills, as identified through PAIRIN’s personalized, science-based research, that professionals need in order to thrive in that respective career. A freelance job is one where a person works for themselves, rather than for a company and may also be referred to as a contract role.

The career coaches at FlexJobs have also compiled tips and advice for freelance job seekers and those considering transitioning to a freelance career in this detailed guide, including how to determine if freelancing is right for you and advice for landing clients and finding freelance work.

Therapy

• • Supportiveness – The drive to assist, protect, and provide for others in emotional or physical need.
  • Influential Leadership – The ability to positively persuade others’ choices by focusing on what is important to them and building consensus.
  • Flamboyance – The drive to impress or excite-to stir others through words or actions.
  • Service Orientation – The ability to anticipate, identify and meet people’s often unspoken needs through assistance, products, or services. The drive to generate customer satisfaction and loyalty.
  • Relationship Management – To use awareness of one’s own emotions and those of others to navigate interactions successfully. (Includes: Inspiration, Influence, Enriching Others, Cooperation, Change, and Conflict Management).
  • Originality – The ability to invent or independently conceive of ideas, methods, or products of the first order (underived), regardless of their usefulness.
  • Social Awareness – To relate and respond to the feelings, needs, and concerns of individuals or broader societal groups. (Includes: Empathy, Organizational Awareness, and Service Orientation).

Data Entry

• • Compliance – Global tendencies to maintain self-discipline and conform to another’s plan, rules, will, or direction.
  • Relationship Management – To use awareness of one’s own emotions and those of others to navigate interactions successfully. (Includes: Inspiration, Influence, Enriching Others, Cooperation, Change, and Conflict Management).
  • Order – The drive to organize tasks or spaces with planning, precision, and efficiency.
  • Equilibrium – The ability to maintain emotional balance—either through accepting, adapting, or bringing change to a troubling situation or environment.
  • Productivity – To set and meet goals, even in the face of obstacles and competing pressures. To prioritize, plan, and manage work to achieve the intended results.
  • Service Orientation – The ability to anticipate, identify and meet people’s often unspoken needs through assistance, products, or services. The drive to generate customer satisfaction and loyalty.

Bookkeeping

• • Social Awareness – To relate and respond to the feelings, needs, and concerns of individuals or broader societal groups. (Includes: Empathy, Organizational Awareness, and Service Orientation).
  • Service Orientation – The ability to anticipate, identify and meet people’s often unspoken needs through assistance, products, or services. The drive to generate customer satisfaction and loyalty.
  • Supportiveness – The drive to assist, protect, and provide for others in emotional or physical need.
  • Compliance – Global tendencies to maintain self-discipline and conform to another’s plan, rules, will, or direction.
  • Flamboyance – The drive to impress or excite-to stir others through words or actions.
  • Relationship Management – To use awareness of one’s own emotions and those of others to navigate interactions successfully. (Includes: Inspiration, Influence, Enriching Others, Cooperation, Change, and Conflict Management).

Medical & Health

• • Service Orientation – The ability to anticipate, identify and meet people’s often unspoken needs through assistance, products, or services. The drive to generate customer satisfaction and loyalty.
  • Supportiveness – The drive to assist, protect, and provide for others in emotional or physical need.
  • Social Awareness – To relate and respond to the feelings, needs, and concerns of individuals or broader societal groups. (Includes: Empathy, Organizational Awareness, and Service Orientation).
  • Accountability – To be answerable. To take responsibility for outcomes through the appropriate use of resources, personal integrity, and self-monitoring.
  • Compliance – Global tendencies to maintain self-discipline and conform to another’s plan, rules, will, or direction.

Accounting & Finance

• • Social Awareness – To relate and respond to the feelings, needs, and concerns of individuals or broader societal groups. (Includes: Empathy, Organizational Awareness, and Service Orientation).
  • Compliance – Global tendencies to maintain self-discipline and conform to another’s plan, rules, will, or direction.
  • Relationship – The drive to draw close and remain loyal to another person or people—to truly connect and enjoyably engage with them.
  • Conflict Management – The ability to effectively negotiate and resolve disagreements.
  • Critical Thinking – To gather and objectively assess key information as a guide to belief or action. An intellectual process that uses analysis, conceptualization, synthesis, and evaluation.

Education & Training

• • Cooperative-Practical – The moderation of reason and feeling resulting in calm, commonsense thinking – upbeat, attentive, and realistic.
  • Creativity – The desire to think, do, and express in ways that are different from the norm. This includes personal elaborations or variations on known or existing techniques.
  • Social Awareness – To relate and respond to the feelings, needs, and concerns of individuals or broader societal groups. (Includes: Empathy, Organizational Awareness, and Service Orientation)
  • Originality – The ability to invent or independently conceive of ideas, methods, or products of the first order (underived), regardless of their usefulness.
  • Perspective – The ability to understand broadly, coordinate knowledge and experience, and provide clear-sighted and meaningful counsel to others. An aspect of wisdom.

Marketing

• • Flamboyance – The drive to impress or excite-to stir others through words or actions.
  • Influential Leadership – The ability to positively persuade others’ choices by focusing on what is important to them and building consensus.
  • Assertiveness – Global tendencies to express and interact with boldness, enthusiasm, and confidence.
  • Inspirational Leadership – The ability to uplift, enliven, fill and empower people with a compelling vision.
  • Relationship – The drive to draw close and remain loyal to another person or people—to truly connect and enjoyably engage with them.

Customer Service

• • Supportiveness – The drive to assist, protect and provide for others in emotional or physical need.
  • Service Orientation – The ability to anticipate, identify and meet people’s often unspoken needs through assistance, products, or services. The drive to generate customer satisfaction and loyalty.
  • Conflict Management – The ability to effectively negotiate and resolve disagreements.
  • Stress Tolerance – To endure pressure and uncertainty without becoming negative (e.g. hopeless, bitter, or hostile) toward self or others.
  • Assertiveness – Global tendencies to express and interact with boldness, enthusiasm, and confidence.

Project Management

• • Relationship Management – To use awareness of one’s own emotions and those of others to navigate interactions successfully. (Includes: Inspiration, Influence, Enriching Others, Cooperation, Change, and Conflict Management).
  • Collaboration & Teamwork – To combine efforts and resources with others toward a common goal. To work effectively and respectfully with diverse teams.
  • Dynamism – Global tendencies to generate results through intentional, resourceful, energetic mindsets and behaviors.
  • Productivity – To set and meet goals, even in the face of obstacles and competing pressures. To prioritize, plan, and manage work to achieve the intended results.
  • Stress Tolerance – To endure pressure or uncertainty without becoming negative (e.g. hopeless, bitter, or hostile) toward self or others.

Writing

• • Assertiveness – Global tendencies to express and interact with boldness, enthusiasm, and confidence.
  • Cooperative-Practical – The moderation of reason and feeling resulting in calm, commonsense thinking – upbeat, attentive, and realistic.
  • Intuitive-Conceptual – The emphasis and synthesis of both instinct and rationale, suggesting versatility, unconventionality, and individuality.
  • Order – The drive to organize tasks or spaces with planning, precision, and efficiency.
  • Originality – The ability to invent or independently conceive of ideas, methods, or products of the first order (underived), regardless of their usefulness.
  • Creativity – The desire to think, do, and express in ways that are different from the norm. This includes personal elaborations or variations on known or existing techniques.
  • Problem Solving – To discover, analyze, and solve a range of unfamiliar problems in both conventional and creative ways.