How to write your ‘About Me’ page if you’re a contractor or freelancer

Freelance

Does your ‘About Me’ page convey the right message to potential freelance clients? Find out how to get the right balance of personal and professional on yours.

As a contractor or freelancer it’s easy to shout about your skills and past working experience on your professional profiles or website. But what about when it comes to your ‘About Me’ page?

It can be tough to know what to write – and strike the right balance of professional and human. Do you play it safe, or do you reveal your secret passion for hula schoola, taxidermy or even extreme ironing (only joking, no one likes ironing…)?

In this article, Jenny Winslow from Intouch Accounting explains how to showcase your professional skills and experience, while ensuring you don’t stray too far from the true you. Because, after all, it’s your personality that makes you you, and your skills that complete your client’s contracts.

Your photo can say too little. Or too much!

Admit it, we’ve all come across some horrific LinkedIn or professional website profile pictures that would be better suited to Facebook or Instagram.

But while some images are too relaxed for professional profiles, you don’t want to play it too safe either.

Have a think about your clients and the type of people they are. Will they respond better to a photo of you in a suit, or using the equipment to do your job? Does your profession require you to convey a level of seriousness, or can a smile and injection of colour show off your creative side?

It’s all about balance, and what both you and your clients consider ‘professional’.

What about the text that surrounds your photo?

While you may want to tell prospective clients about your hobbies, they’re reading this section for a very different reason. This space is your chance to show off your passion for what you do, what you love about it, and what it means to you.

So think about why you specialise in what you do, what gets you excited, and why you’ve chosen it for a career. You can’t fake passion, and prospective clients will be more onboard if you display a real passion for your work, as that will translate into passion for their contract.

You can walk the walk, now talk the talk!

You’ve won the client over with your personality, now it’s time to prove you have the goods to complete the contract.

Along with the usual qualifications, experience and testimonials, ensure you provide examples of work. After all, you wouldn’t hire a photographer without seeing any of their pictures.

So link to previous projects and maybe even some side projects you’re currently working on. Why spend 1,000 words explaining what you do when you can show it in one image? Humans are visual beings, so use this to your advantage.

Everyone loves a good story, so why not give potential clients a taste of what they can expect from you with a brilliantly written case study, too?

Make it easy for clients to get in touch

Just because you’ve got a contact me page elsewhere on your professional website, it doesn’t mean you can’t include it on more pages.

If a prospective client is reading your profile, they’re not going to want to have to navigate away to get in touch. So make the process as simple as possible by removing as many barriers between you and the client as you possibly can – and add your contact details on your profile page (and indeed on every page).

That way there’s no messing around when it comes to booking you in for their next contract.

You’re awesome – now go show the world!

We hope this article has given you some ideas on how to get the perfect balance for the ‘About Me’ section of your professional profile. You’re amazing at what you do, and it’s only right that your clients see this.

So don’t be afraid to show off your personality, passion and professionalism – after all, it’s a pinch of all three that makes you – you!

Need more freelance marketing tips?

If you’re a freelancer or contractor, its important you know how to sell yourself on paper or online. You’ll find more help here:

Jenny Winslow works for Intouch Accounting, the expert contractor accountancy firm for Limited Company contractors.