Freelancers

in the Spotlight:

What to Write About Yourself

Subtitle 1

Social media and personal websites are essential tools for attracting clients and employers. They allow freelancers to showcase their skills, experience, and achievements, creating a compelling professional image.

This article is part two of our series “Freelancers in the Spotlight,” where we explore key aspects of building a professional brand. In the first piece, we focused on the importance of a professional brand and the main platforms where freelancers should establish a presence to enhance their visibility online (read it here).​

Today, we're diving into the next step—crafting content on online platforms that captures the attention of potential clients and employers. To make these tools work effectively, it's crucial to know what aspects to highlight in your public profiles: how to describe your experience, what to showcase in your portfolio, and what details to include in posts to stand out and appeal to potential collaborators.

How to Write About Your Experience and Achievements to Stand Out

Your professional biography is like a showcase of your career, where every detail needs to be carefully thought out. Think of it as a product description on a marketplace: recruiters searching for candidates apply filters and keywords to find the “perfect” freelancer who can solve their client’s problems. The logic is the same—you need to market yourself effectively, which means approaching your profile on all platforms strategically.

Always state who you are and what you do. Surprisingly, some freelancers overlook this, automatically disqualifying themselves from consideration, even if they have well-filled profiles. For instance, if you’re a designer or developer, specify your specialization (e.g., UX/UI Designer, Full-Stack Developer) and highlight your core competencies and key skills. A good headline focuses on something specific and concrete—like a particular tech stack for a developer.

Avoid listing everything you’ve ever done (unless it’s a personal blog where you narrate your journey of self-discovery). Focus solely on the experience directly tied to your current goals and the work you want to do. Emphasize your most significant achievements or projects that have defined your career.

It’s not enough to simply state your experience; you need to demonstrate why it matters to potential clients or employers:

  • What you did: Describe specific tasks or projects you worked on. For example, if you redesigned a website, mention the changes you made and why they were significant.
  • How you did it: Detail your approach. What methods, tools, or strategies did you use? This paints a clearer picture of how you achieved the results.
  • What results you achieved: Results are key—use numbers, facts, and measurable outcomes. Highlight the impact of your work. For instance, if your design reduced the website’s bounce rate by 30%, this is far more compelling than merely stating you created a “better design.”

It’s essential to showcase your best results within the context of your work, rather than listing achievements without explanation.

It’s essential to showcase your best results within the context of your work, rather than listing achievements without explanation. These could include financial outcomes, completed projects, or milestones reached. This helps create a comprehensive view of your success and underscores your effectiveness.

A useful structure is the “Problem–Solution–Result” format. Explain the problem your client or team faced, how you resolved it, and what outcomes were achieved:

Our client struggled with a low conversion rate on the mobile version of their website. I implemented A/B testing and redesigned the product pages, increasing conversions by 15% within two months.

If you have a unique competitive advantage, don’t hesitate to highlight it and build your presentation around it!

Worked with well-known clients? Don’t shy away from mentioning this. Recognizable brand logos in your portfolio add credibility to your experience.

To make your profile compelling, avoid mixing strong achievements with weaker ones. It’s better to omit less impressive accomplishments or group them into a separate section.

What about experience length? A phrase like “10+ years in the industry” might seem impressive at first glance, but it’s not always the best way to present yourself. It doesn’t provide a clear picture of your actual achievements or growth, and it focuses more on time than results, which may raise questions for potential clients:

  • If you have extensive experience but can’t demonstrate tangible results or significant growth, it may cast doubt on your potential.
  • What did you accomplish during that time? It’s more important to show what you achieved over 10 years than just the duration itself.
  • Are you stuck in a routine?

However, if you’ve worked for renowned companies or made substantial career achievements, this can be a strong selling point.

Your profile should clearly communicate what you do in a way that helps clients understand who you are, what you offer, and whether your experience aligns with their needs.

Step Two – Becoming Noticeable

Having a profile on social media is just the beginning; the real value starts with activity: posts, comments in discussions, participation in debates. Your activity should demonstrate professionalism and an interest in developments within your field. This will help you attract attention as an expert who not only works but also understands trends and innovations.

It’s not necessary to write long analytical articles or deep dives—short but meaningful posts that are useful or interesting to your audience will suffice. Examples of such content include:

  • Brief reviews or impressions of books, articles, or events you’ve attended.
  • Thoughts on trends or new tools influencing your industry.
  • Small case studies or observations from your professional experience.

Such posts allow you to stay active without taking up too much of your time. Additionally, share personal thoughts or stories—this brings you closer to your audience. For example, impressions from new projects or opinions on industry changes can help establish an emotional connection with readers.

Visual content is also crucial, especially if your work involves design or other creative fields. Use photos, videos, portfolios, or infographics to highlight your style and expertise. Be your own best client—implement creative ideas and develop a unique visual identity.

Social media activity is about regularity and authenticity. The key is finding the balance between professional and personal, sharing what truly reflects your values and approach to work. If you’re not a fan of long reads or forcing yourself into a rigid content plan, consider small, consistent actions that feel natural to you while effectively representing your online presence and expertise.

External Networking

Consistent interaction with other users helps you stay visible, expand your reach, and build your network. It’s important not only to publish content but also to actively comment on others’ posts, join discussions, and engage with trending topics.

One of the most popular platforms for such interaction is LinkedIn, which focuses on professional networking. Here, you can join groups, discuss industry news, participate in themed forums, and share your own achievements.

However, it’s crucial to understand that in professional groups, simply posting your résumé or waiting for collaboration invitations is not the way to go.

An essential aspect is maintaining politeness and professionalism in all interactions. Avoid conflicts or arguments in public spaces, even if you disagree with someone else’s opinion.

On LinkedIn, you can review someone’s lifetime activity—posts, likes, comments, etc. (accessible at the top of their profile). Analyzing this Activity section can reveal a lot about a person. For instance, a freelancer who frequently engages in conflicts in comments may not be the best candidate.

Beyond LinkedIn, there are other platforms where you can find professional groups: Reddit, Quora, Behance, and Dribbble—all of them host large communities of designers, developers, marketers, copywriters, and other freelancers. Participation in such communities not only facilitates knowledge exchange but also helps you acquire new skills, find business partners, and attract potential clients. We covered which platforms work best for designers versus developers in a previous article.

Keep in mind that excessive self-promotion or exaggeration can lead to negative impressions, ranging from appearing overly self-confident to sparking doubts about your sincerity.

Exaggeration can manifest in the following forms:

  • Overly bold claims: For example, saying you’ve “done it all in this industry” or claiming your achievements “completely changed the market.”
  • Unrealistic promises: Statements about guaranteed success in all your projects or an absence of failures, which might cast doubt on your credibility.
  • Excessive self-praise: Focusing solely on your achievements while ignoring teamwork, context, or challenges you’ve faced.

People often value modesty and honesty in professionalism more than constant boasting.

SEO and Online Visibility

One of the key factors influencing your online visibility is SEO (Search Engine Optimization). And it works on any website. That’s why you should always consider it when leaving any digital footprint.

Titles and descriptions are the first things search engines notice. Whether it’s your LinkedIn profile, personal website, or portfolio, keywords should be seamlessly integrated into your text and headings. For instance, instead of simply stating, “I’m a designer,” write, “I’m a freelance designer with experience in brand creation, logo development, and graphic design for startups.”

This applies not only to your profile descriptions but also to the content you publish. For example, when writing a post, include keywords that are likely to be searched (there are various tools for this, such as Google Keyword Planner or Ahrefs, which help identify popular search queries). Even when publishing images, you can include key phrases and words.

To ensure people can find you through search engines, you need to take a strategic approach to SEO. Here are a few tips to help boost your online visibility:

  1. Publish Regular Content:

Search engines favor active and relevant resources. Regularly update your profile or website by adding new projects, posts, or articles. For example, if you’re working on a new project for a well-known company, be sure to describe it in your blog or social media posts, incorporating relevant keywords.

2. Use High-Quality Visual Content:

Photos, videos, and graphics enhance user engagement. Search engines also take visual content into account, so it’s important to optimize images (add accurate alt tags and descriptions) to ensure they can be indexed.

3. Links and Partnerships:

Search engines consider the quantity and quality of backlinks to your resource. This means that the more authoritative websites link to your work, the higher your position in search results. Joining communities, participating in webinars, or collaborating with other freelancers are excellent ways to earn these links.

Maintain the Balance Between Reality and Idealism

A lot can be inferred between the lines (HOW a person describes their experience). You can assess their level of ambition, work ethic, creativity, and professional priorities, as well as gauge their sense of perspective. An overly polished profile stands out immediately, and for many, it might spark distrust.

First impressions are crucial — and hard to change. Every online profile you create is essentially a “first contact,” shaped entirely by how well you present yourself. Yes, what you’ve done matters, but equally important is how you describe it.

Presenting yourself online isn’t just about showcasing who you are. It’s more about telling your story in a way that resonates with others while staying truthful. In other words, being honest yet strategically thoughtful at the same time.

Does all of this seem overly complicated and time-consuming? Stay tuned for the next and final article in the series, where we’ll share tips on how to make these actions simple and part of your regular routine.

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