LinkedIn Services Marketplace, now available to everyone after a limited launch earlier this year, allows professionals to promote their freelance services for free.
Services Marketplace was first launched in February with a small test group and has since expanded to two million freelancers.
Now, LinkedIn’s services marketplace is accessible to anyone who wants to join.
Here is more information on what the service market is, how to join it, and how it can lead to more freelance opportunities.
What is the LinkedIn Services Marketplace?
LinkedIn Services Marketplace is a search engine that helps people find qualified professionals to hire for short-term projects.
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Freelancers can list their services for free on LinkedIn’s Marketplace in 250 job categories.
Customers can then find the service providers they need by searching for them on the service marketplace landing page.
Alternatively, clients can post RFPs (requests for proposals) to encourage freelancers to bid for the job they are hiring for.
The LinkedIn Services Marketplace is a tool for connecting clients with freelancers. Anything beyond that, like negotiating fees and paying bills, needs to be done off-platform.
Clients can rate the freelancers they hire, but freelancers cannot rate clients.
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Additionally, there is no way to actively seek work on the platform. All you can do is list your services and wait to be discovered.
It’s client-focused by design, but you can still do a lot as a freelance writer.
Now that you know the basics of how the LinkedIn Services Marketplace works, here’s how to use it to be found by customers.
How to List Your Services on the LinkedIn Marketplace
Anyone with a LinkedIn profile can list their services by following a few simple steps.
First, log into LinkedIn and click on the “Open to” button at the top of your profile.
From the drop-down menu, select “Providing services.”
Next, you will be asked to configure your services page by filling in the required fields that appear on the next screen.
Screenshot from LinkedIn.com, November 2021.
Screenshot from LinkedIn.com, November 2021.
You can add up to 10 services in total.
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Below, you’ll see a list of the top 17 service categories, each of which has dozens of subcategories to choose from:
- Accounting
- Mentoring coaching
- Consultant
- Design
- Events
- Finance
- Home improvement
- Computer science
- Assurance
- Law
- Marketing
- Operations
- Photography
- Immovable
- Software development
- Writing
After selecting the services you offer, you can write a 500 character description to tell customers more about who you are and what you do.
Finally, you can indicate whether you are available for remote work, in person, or both.
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Once you have made these selections, you can now publish your services page.
Additionally, you can let anyone visiting your main profile know that you are ready to work by listing your services in a dedicated section.
How to Find Freelancers in the LinkedIn Services Marketplace
Clients looking to hire freelancers can do so by searching the LinkedIn Service Marketplace. landing page.
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Start grabbing the service you need and LinkedIn will suggest the most relevant job category for you.
Screenshot from LinkedIn.com, November 2021.
Click on the job category to find freelancers who offer the service. Results are ranked based on how close you are connected to each individual on LinkedIn.
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When you find someone you want to work with, send them a message to start the hiring process.
Featured Image: photo_gonzo / Shutterstock
