5 Valuable Tips To Help You Succeed As A Freelancer

Due to the effects of the recent pandemic, companies began to hire more contract workers over full-time employees. The “freelance economy” became a viable option for many Singaporeans. However, with many freelancers in the market, it is harder to stand out.

Much of the freelancer’s income depends on his or her reputation and capability to fulfill the customer’s request. Here are some valuable tips to get an online job if you want to stay in the game for a long time.

#1: INCREASE YOUR SELF-AWARENESS

Knowing yourself means recognizing different parts of your personality such as your strengths and weaknesses. The goal is not to criticize yourself, but to acknowledge where you need to improve and where you can excel. Be honest about your capacity to commit time, your home situation, and your attitude towards deadlines.

Some people look for a 9-to-5 job while others need more freedom. Some people prefer working with a team while others prefer working on their own. Find out who you really are to know who to work with.

#2: SAVE AS MUCH AS YOU CAN

Freelancers are project-based workers. This means that they can work anytime, as long as they finish their tasks. The downside is, they do not earn money when they do not have projects. The influx of projects is influenced by the season. For instance, you can feel an abundance of work during special events or holidays.

It is essential that you save money to cover the periods when you do not have a pipeline of projects coming your way. This way, you will be able to cover your bills and other expenses.

#3: MARKET YOURSELF

Entering the freelancing world is not easy. The competition is high! Making a name for yourself can be challenging. Thus, you must use social media or other websites to market yourself.

The key to success is being active in these platforms and having an attractive profile where your information as a freelancer can be retrieved. Samples, testimonies, and feedbacks from your past clients will make a big difference.

#4: ESTABLISH REFERRAL PARTNERSHIPS

There are three main channels where you can get clients. These channels are inbound, outbound, and referrals. Inbound refers to using methods such as content marketing or search engine optimization (SEO) to attract potential clients. Outbound refers to reaching out to potential clients by sending emails, responding to job advertisements, and so on. Lastly, referrals refer to having clients recommend you by word-of-mouth.

Many freelancers focus on networking with prospective clients only. However, you can establish referral partnerships with businesses, entrepreneurs, and other freelancers. Having a wide referral network will help you gain more access to different clients.

#5: RESEARCH YOUR COMPETITION

Spend some time researching the market to discover online portfolios and to see what others are doing. Find out the supplementary skills that they have to improve yourself and your career (e.g., photography, video editing, or podcast creation).

Image credits: pixabay.com

Grasp a bigger picture of what your competitors are doing and how much they are charging. This is vital in evaluating how much your service is worth. Set a reasonable price list afterwards.

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Each S’pore Household Will Get Free Oximeter From July 5

In part of Temasek Foundation’s Stay Prepared initiative, all households in Singapore will be eligible to collect a free oximeter. The efforts of the Temasek Foundation started due to the emergence of the more infectious COVID-19 variants.

According to Temasek Foundation, “silent pneumonia” is one of the most serious consequences of COVID-19. It occurs when seriously ill people feel generally well, despite having damaged lungs and dangerously low levels of oxygen.

It is important to note that COVID-19 can cause blood oxygen levels to drop. Although you feel okay, oxygen levels may drop. Prolonged low oxygen levels can damage your vital organs. Thus, giving oximeters to Singapore residents will allow them to monitor their blood oxygen levels regularly.

Stay Prepared leaflets with redemption tabs will be sent to letterboxes of every household from June 28 to July 3. You must take the leaflet (with the redemption tab) to any of the participating supermarket and pharmacy outlets of FairPrice, Sheng Siong, Cold Storage, Giant, Watsons, Unity, or Guardian to collect your oximeters from July 5 to August 5. Residents may also collect the oximeters on behalf of other family members or friends by bringing their leaflets along with the redemption tabs.

Check the nearest collection points at stayprepared.sg/oximeter. You can opt to collect during off-peak hours to avoid large crowds. Moreover, Temasek Foundation adds that “there is plenty of stock, so there is no need to rush”.

WHAT ARE OXIMETERS?

Pulse oximetry is a noninvasive method used for monitoring a person’s oxygen saturation. A pulse oximeter is a medical device that indirectly monitors the oxygen saturation of a patient’s blood as opposed to measuring oxygen saturation directly through a blood sample.

The normal range is 95% – 100%. While you are advised to seek medical attention if your result shows 90% – 94% or <90%. A result of <90% indicates that you are in urgent need of oxygen. Some people may have lower oxygen levels due to pre-existing medical conditions such as asthma.

ADVANTAGES OF OXIMETER

The regular usage of oximeter can help alert a person to seek medical attention when his or her oxygen levels become dangerously low. You do not need rigorous training to be able to use it!

Pulse oximetry is convenient for noninvasive continuous measurement of blood oxygen saturation. Its portable nature entails that you can assess yourself anytime and anywhere.

LIMITATIONS OF OXIMETER

Pulse oximetry is not a complete measure of respiratory sufficiency as it solely measures hemoglobin saturation. It is not a substitute for the blood gas test because it gives no indication of the carbon dioxide levels, base deficit, blood pH, or bicarbonate (HCO3−) concentration.

A blood gas test evaluates the lung function by measuring the blood pH, oxygen, and carbon dioxide. It also monitors the treatment for lung diseases and detects the acid-base imbalance in your blood.

Moreover, oximeter readings may be inaccurate if you are wearing nail polish or if you have trembling hands. World Health Organization Pulse Oximetry Training Manual adds that some people may normally have low oxygen levels (e.g., smokers or asthmatics).

HOW CAN YOU COLLECT ONE?

STEP 1: BRING YOUR STAY PREPARED LEAFLET

All residential households will receive the leaflet in their letterboxes by 3 July. Please ensure that the redemption tab is intact.

STEP 2: PRESENT THE LEAFLET TO THE STAFF AT THE COLLECTION POINT

Photocopies, digital copies, and redemption tabs without barcode fully intact will not be accepted.

STEP 3: STAFF WILL TEAR OFF THE REDEMPTION TAB

As proof of redemption, the staff will tear off and keep the redemption tab. If an oximeter is faulty, you can exchange your unit in its original condition at Temasek Shophouse (28 Orchard Road) between July 5 and Aug 31.

Image Credits: pixabay.com

Apart from giving out oximeters, Temasek Foundation will also be providing other essential items such as medical-grade surgical masks and povidone iodine mouthwash in the latter half of the year.

Sources: 1 & 2

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4 Surefire Ways To Create Better Study Habits At Home

Ministry of Education announced that lower primary and lower secondary students will continue with home-based learning (HBL) after June holidays. These arrangements were made to “ease into full resumption of school” when Term 3 starts on June 28.

Studying from home can be challenging! All of us have study habits that we would like to break and others that we would like to develop. People often blame these unpleasant habits to laziness or unhealthy personality. However, Behaviorism dictates that we can learn and unlearn these habits.

Effectively reinforcing a positive behavior and not rewarding a negative one can help change various areas in one’s life. With this principle in mind, here are 4 things that you can do create better study habits at home.

#1: SET YOUR STUDY GOALS

It is not enough to say that you want to study more! You must set quantifiable and realistic goals to meet your objectives for the day. Setting your study goals includes two things – identifying your goals and knowing which resources you will need.

For instance, you want to study for 3 hours daily (i.e., quantifiable and realistic). You successfully meet this study goal by utilizing a conducive study space and by having school supplies on-hand.

#2: TAKE ACTION

After clearly setting your goals, you must bravely take your first attempt. If it is too much to drastically start with 3 hours of study time per day, you can start with at least 45 minutes daily. Gradually increase your study time as the weeks pass by.

Having a physical boundary between your study area and your relaxation area could be very helpful. This can also help you to contain your academic stress within the study space. Furthermore, you can stay focused when studying from home by following a routine. Establishing a routine will provide more structure to your life and more cues to your brain.

#3: MONITOR YOUR PROGRESS

Monitoring your progress includes tracking your milestones and altering your goals based on your evaluation of the current situation. To illustrate this, you can have a study log to record your study time and daily assignments.

You can also analyze the factors that hinder you from studying, such as distractions from external noises or social media. Then, add another goal that is fit to counteract these distractions such turning your handphone off for 3 hours. Use this time to take down notes during your online classes.

#4: REWARD YOURSELF

Positive reinforcement such as entertaining or monetary compensation can increase the repetition of the desired behavior. Therefore, different companies use positive reinforcement to attract you into purchasing more of their products.

Image Credits: unsplash.com

You must figure out a well-deserved reward for successfully studying during the allotted amount of time. You can indulge in your favorite dessert, have a relaxing bath, or call your friends via Zoom. For optimum results, keep the reward scheme consistent each time you reach a study goal.

Sources: 1 & 2

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Avoid These 5 Job Search Mistakes

Landing a decent job is harder than before. In fact, it can take approximately 7.4 months of full-time job hunting to acquire a job. It all falls down to the details of the application process.

If you have been searching for jobs for a while but have not had as much success as you would like, you might succumb to frustration. Perhaps, a change in your current approach is needed. Let us explore other ways to strengthen your job search.

#1: SENDING A GENERIC COVER LETTER AND CV

Hiring managers or recruiters spend an average of six seconds on a CV or Curriculum Vitae. You read that right! Therefore, you must focus on the contents of your cover letter and your CV to make it shine. Each institution will show interest in various aspects of your past work experiences. Highlight the experiences and skills that are related to the job vacancy.

Create a simple, organized, and concise CV/cover letter. Demonstrating your performance by adding measurable metrics such as your previous sales is another factor that many employers look at. Adding measurable metrics can give the hiring manager a clearer picture of your capabilities.

#2: NOT FOLLOWING DIRECTIONS

Many employers assess how applicants follow simple directions. The application process itself may have directions to test the applicants such as underlining certain words or answering an essay. Knowing if the applicant can follow orders is crucial to know whether he or she has a keen eye for detail.

Take your time in reading and following the instructions. Otherwise, you run the risk of your application being considered. This happens when there is a high-volume of applicants.

#3: HAVING NUMEROUS SPELLING AND GRAMMATICAL ERRORS

Employers will evaluate your linguistic skills both in written and verbal format. If you are eyeing on a specific position, you can impress the hiring managers with flawless CV and cover letter.

Proofread your documents twice or more. You can check your grammar and spelling through websites such as Grammarly and WordCounter.

#4: KEEPING IT A SECRET

It is more advantageous for you to tell others that you are on the market for a new job. You need to get the word out so people can recommend you for suitable job vacancies. You will never know how far your professional and social network extends!

For instance, Banking and Finance is one of the most in-demand industries in Singapore. If you are looking for a position in this field, you are likely to know some friends or relatives who can help you out. While you want to be more subtle during your job search, consider personally asking people if they know any related positions that you could fill. They might even get compensated for referring you.

#5: SKIPPING THE FOLLOW-UPS

In the initial stages of your job search, you have done everything to make sure that things are playing in your favor. You proofread your cover letters diligently and you sent them out to various prospective employers. However, you did not get a response. What went wrong?

In many cases, if your application fulfills all the requirements of the job and leaves a good impression, the problem could simply be a lack of follow-up messages. The HR personnel might have forgotten to get back to you. Thus, it is important to send out a batch of follow-up emails. You can send these a week after you sent the set of applications. You will be surprised to see how many employers will respond after sending your follow-up emails.

Image Credits: unsplash.com

Applying for a new position is always challenging and requires a great deal of preparation and confidence. While CV and cover letters mark the start of your journey – ensuring these are well-crafted is half the battle.

We wish you the best of luck!

Sources: 1 & 2

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S’pore Chosen As BioNTech’s New Regional Headquarters

Since vaccination against COVID-19 began, countries have exhausted their efforts to secure sufficient doses that will inoculate their population. Securing enough doses to cover the population is not an easy feat. Manufacturing setbacks, travel limitations, and other factors have slowed down the rollout of COVID-19 vaccines in some countries.

The World Health Organization explained that the vast majority of COVID-19 shots have been received by developed countries, while developing countries have obtained less than 1% (as of April 2021). In Singapore, a total of 4,047,651 vaccine doses have been administered as of May 30, 2021.

To further increase the production of vaccines and to address the current situation, BioNTech announced that it will open a manufacturing site in Singapore. BioNTech has chosen the country as its new regional headquarters. It is going to be its first manufacturing facility outside of Germany.

This venture is supported by Singapore Economic Development Board — a government agency under the trade ministry. Moreover, this expansion initiative is expected to create up to 80 additional jobs.

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BioNTech (Biopharmaceutical New Technologies) is a German biotechnology company that manufactures and developes active immunotherapies for patient-specific approaches. It was founded in the city of Mainz in 2008. In 2020, it participated in the global fight against the pandemic by developing the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine.

According to BioNTech, the Singapore manufacturing site will “address potential pandemic threats in Southeast Asia and will increase BioNTech’s global supply capacity of product candidates – also beyond vaccines – based on messenger RNA (mRNA) technology”.

Image Credits: pixabay.com

The mRNA vaccines, like the Pfizer and BioNTech’s COVID-19 vaccine, prompt the body to make a protein that is part of the virus. This aims to trigger an immune response.

The new manufacturing site will be able to produce hundreds of million doses of mRNA-based vaccines each year, depending on the specific vaccine. BioNTech projects that its Singapore facility could be operational as early as 2023.

Sources: 1, 2, & 3

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