More and more employees are turning to gig work, either in addition to a full-time job, or as their primary career. A gig is a temporary position, and is often part-time. Gig jobs are particularly common in IT and creative industries, but are found in nearly every industry. People might do one gig at a time, or do a few at once.
Finding the right gig for you and your schedule can take some time. However, using the right online job search site can make the process easier.
Read below for more information on gigs, tips for finding gigs, and a list of the 10 best sites to find the gig for you.
What Is a Gig?
A gig is a temporary job. The employee often works on a specific project for a company, either as an independent contractor or a freelancer. Sometimes these gigs are full-time, and other times they are part-time. Some have a specific end date, while others go on indefinitely.
An employee working a gig might get paid hourly, receive one lump sum for a completed project, or might receive a salary (particularly if it is a longer-term position).
Some gigs eventually turn into full-time jobs, but this is not typical.
The benefits of a gig job are that it allows you to work on multiple projects for multiple companies at once (generally). You can often work from home, and have flexible hours. This is therefore an ideal type of job for someone who is looking for part-time work.
Another benefit is that it allows you to always be open to new career opportunities. You are not tied to one job, so you can easily pick up new jobs as they appear.
One downside to gig jobs is that they typically don’t offer health insurance or other benefits. They also aren’t as secure as other jobs, since they are temporary and often part-time.
You likely need more than one gig job to make ends meet.
There are numerous gig jobs in a variety of industries. Common IT gigs include projects for web developers and software developers. There are also many creative gigs for multimedia artists, photographers, and online content writers. Other gigs require the work of an interpreter, occupational therapist, analyst, or others.
How to Find the Right Gig for You
Make a list of your skills. If you aren’t even sure what kind of gig you might want, make a list of your skills. Think about some of your responsibilities in past jobs. Do you have experience editing someone’s writing? Have you helped create or maintain a website? You likely have even more skills than you realize, so first make a list to see what you can offer companies.
Think about your schedule. If you are planning to keep your full or part-time job, your availability for a gig will be limited. Think carefully about when you could complete your gig work. Would you have time on the weekends? Nights? Make sure you aren’t spreading yourself so thin that you sacrifice the quality of your work. Then, look for gigs that allow you to work the number of hours you want, when you want.
Be willing to develop new skills. Most gigs will require skills that you do have, but they might also require some skills that you don’t yet have. Continue to develop skills that are necessary for the gigs you want. For example, you might have to learn a new coding language, or become familiar with new software. Demonstrate your willingness to learn new skills, and you will find more and more gigs open to you.
Avoid scams. Scams are very common on job sites for gig positions. Therefore, be very careful to check each listing’s legitimacy.
Make a great impression. Once you get a gig job, be sure to do your very best work. If you do a good job and make yourself indispensable, you will be more likely to be asked back by the company for another gig, or the company might extend your gig indefinitely.
This is also a good way to get a positive recommendation from an employer when you are looking for your next gig.
The 10 Best Sites to Find Gig Jobs
There are many different job search sites for gigs, freelance jobs, part-time jobs, and more. Make sure you are using a website that lists the kinds of jobs you want.
You can always use a general job search site like Monster.com or Careerbuilder.com, but be sure to limit your search to only part-time or freelance jobs (depending on what you want).
You can also use a job site specifically for gigs. Check out our list below to find the right gig search site for you.
Behance.net
Behance.net is specifically for people in creative industries, including photographers, designers, illustrators, and more. You can showcase your work to employers, and you can also search for gig and part-time work. You can search for gigs by location, field, company, and keyword.
Fiverr
Fiverr claims to be the biggest global network of freelancers. The site offers freelance positions in a variety of fields, from tech to graphic design to music to writing. Most jobs are only $5 or $10, so while you might not make a lot of money, it is a great site to use for building your portfolio.
FlexJobs.com
FlexJobs lists flexible, part-time, freelance, and telecommuting jobs. The site requires a monthly fee, but they thoroughly vet all employers who want to list jobs. This is a great way to avoid scams. They offer jobs in 55 categories, so there are plenty of options for every kind of employee.
Freelancer.com
Freelancer.com offers you several different kinds of job opportunities, including fixed-price and hourly projects. You can also submit to “contests,” in which job seekers submit to a project and receive a fixed prize if they are selected. For job listings, job seekers place bids on jobs, and receive the job if their bid is accepted.
Gigster
Gigster is a niche job site specifically for people looking for gigs in IT, with a focus on software development. Gigster requires you to go through a screening process to be accepted on the site, and they take a percentage of your fee for any project. However, many of the jobs are very lucrative, so this is a great site for IT professionals looking to begin gig work.
Guru.com
Guru lists thousands of freelance jobs in a variety of categories. You can search for jobs by category, payment type (hourly or fixed price), location, and more. You can also post your previous work to demonstrate your skills. Guru has a virtual “Work Room” where you can schedule your tasks, communicate with employers, share materials, and decide on payment.
LocalSolo.com
LocalSolo allows freelancers to find gigs in a number of industries. The site initially only listed jobs that involved face-to-face contact with the employer, but now they also list telecommuting jobs. The site does not get involved with payment or contracts, putting the freelancer and employer in control. This site also allows users to network with each other.
TaskRabbit
TaskRabbit allows people to post requests for help with various chores and tasks, ranging from making deliveries to cleaning houses to moving boxes. TaskRabbit notifies you of jobs nearby, and you can select the ones you want to complete. The site does not have as many IT and creative jobs as other sites, but they allow you to find jobs with extreme flexibility.
Toptal
Toptal helps IT and finance freelancers find gigs. Jobs range from coding to software engineering to web design financial modeling. Toptal only accepts a percentage of freelancers who apply. You have to complete a series of screenings and interviews first. However, if you are accepted, you have access to some excellent IT and finance positions.
Upwork.com
Upwork offers a variety of projects (some ongoing, some for a fixed period) for freelancers to complete. There are hourly and fixed-price jobs. You can track your hours and get paid through Upwork, which streamlines the process when you are working for multiple companies.
