Freelancer is an online outsourcing platform that puts clients and businesses in contact with a global network of freelancers. Any member can post a project, whether a short- or long-term job, and choose from skilled freelancers who offer bid proposals with rate quotes and time estimates for completing the work.

What Is Freelancing? Definition and Meaning

Essentially, a freelance job is one where a person works for themselves, rather than for a company. While freelancers do take on contract work for companies and organizations, they are ultimately self-employed.

Freelancers are responsible for all sorts of things that traditional employees are not, such as setting their work hours, keeping track of time spent on different projects, billing clients, and paying their own employment and business taxes. Freelancers are not considered “employees” by the companies they work for, but rather “contractors.”

Ways to Say “Freelancer”

When you’re searching for freelance jobs, there are a number of different terms to be aware of. These can help you find freelance job openings, and they’re also useful when describing yourself and the work you do to potential clients.

• Contract work: Jobs where you’re a temporary contract worker, rather than a permanent employee.
• Contract job: Same as contract work.
• Independent contractor: Another common way to say freelancer, but your work terms are specified by a contract with another company or individual.
• 1099: Refers to the IRS form an independent contractor fills out, form 1099-MISC, and is often used to describe the job (“This is a 1099 contract role”).
• Contract consultant: Someone who is hired for temporary consultations for specific issues within a company.
• Contract-to-hire: A job that begins as a freelance, independent contractor position but has the potential to become a regular employee position if things go well.

How to Find Freelance Work

Focusing on companies that are known to hire freelancers can be a great way to start your search for freelance work. For example, these employers have posted the most freelance openings on FlexJobs:

1. Kforce
2. Kelly
3. Ajilon
4. Accounting Principals
5. Randstad
6. Robert Half International
7. Stride, Inc.
8. Solomon Page
9. Dahl Consulting
10. Cactus Communications

Most Common Freelance Career Fields

As you can see from the freelance job listings on FlexJobs, a variety of companies, organizations, and government agencies hire freelancers. You’ll find work in almost every career imaginable, and the freelance jobs vary from small, temporary projects to long-term, full-time projects.

These are the fields that hire the most freelancers:

1. Accounting & Finance
2. Administrative
3. Writing
4. Customer Service
5. Bilingual
6. Computer & IT
7. Medical & Health
8. Editing
9. HR & Recruiting
10. Education & Training