Every once in a while, we’ll talk about our freelance career with someone who isn’t entirely sure how it works. Unless you’ve got your elevator pitch nailed, figuring out how to explain freelancing to a stranger can be challenging. To help you out of that awkward experience, here are some tips on how to do just that!

How to explain your freelance career

How you actually explain your career as a freelancer may vary depending on what kind of freelancer you are. Since I’m a freelance writer, the examples below are ones I’ve used to help me explain my career choice to those who aren’t entirely sure how it works.

• Be prepared to explain your career title: How I explain my career title will mostly depend on who I’m talking to. I usually start by saying that I’m a freelance writer. If they ask me something like, “Oh, cool! What kinds of things do you write?” Then I’ll elaborate a bit more. I usually say, “I write business content. I write mostly blog posts, product descriptions, and website content for small and large businesses.” I find that launching into a few examples like that helps give strangers a good sense of what you actually do.

• Have simple examples of what your day looks like: For some reason, those unfamiliar with freelancing often have a lot of curiosity about what it looks like daily. So, I tend to have a spiel when people ask me, “How do you get work done?” Or “How does that work?”. It goes something like this: “A customer will ask me to write an article about the benefits of their product, for example. I will let them know the cost and the deadline. If they decide to proceed, I will write and deliver the article on that deadline. Then I send the invoice for payment.” This is just a simplified version of what freelancers do, of course, but it works for this situation in most cases.

• Be prepared for strange or rude questions: I’ll often get all sorts of strange questions after I explain an example like the above. Sometimes they’re even rude. Some of the most common ones include: “And that actually earns you money?” Or “That doesn’t sound very fun.” The strangest one I’ve gotten so far is: “Well, that kind of job isn’t going to last you very long or get you very far.”. My response to these strange and rude questions tends to be very simple and closed, such as “It pays the bills!”

Don’t worry if they don’t understand everything

Even when you feel as though you’ve been crystal clear, some may still not quite understand what you’re trying to explain. It could be due to not understanding how freelance life works, or it could just be some confusion over your actual job title. Regardless, don’t stress. Just do your best and, after the fact, enjoy a chuckle!

What do you all think? What kinds of questions do you get from someone who doesn’t understand your freelance career? Have you had success explaining it to a stranger? Share below!