How to Become a Freelance App Developer, How to freelance as an app developer?

This post was written by Rob Joseph, Senior Android Developer and Instructor at Coding Nomad.

I quit my corporate job eight years ago to jump into the world of freelance Android development. At the time, I had no formal Android training and no experience building apps for anyone other than myself. However, here’s what I learned from that leap: It’s not as hard as you think.

Mobile app development skills are in high demand on Android and iOS. Quality developers are in even greater demand. Of course, you’ll have to start small and take on anything you can get your hands on. But once you get a few projects under your belt, you’ll have plenty of opportunities to work as a freelance app developer. Here are 6 tips for landing freelance app developer gigs.

How to Become a Freelance App Developer, The reason for this is twofold:

Show off your experience

If you’re just learning how to develop mobile apps, you probably don’t have any professional work experience for your resume/LinkedIn yet. Having your own app on the Play Store and/or App Store proves that you have relevant experience for the job and provides something valuable for your resume/social media.

Most companies, especially startups, like to see that you are passionate about Android/iOs app development outside of work. They also want to see that you are up to date with the latest app development trends. Having your own app on the Google Play/App Store is a good indication of both.

In my experience, your app doesn’t have to be great. It doesn’t even need to have a ton of users or reviews. Often HR managers/recruiters will “check the box” for your app on the Play Store.

That said, I would recommend publishing apps that serve some subset of mobile users. A “hello world” app has amateurish writing all over it. Ultimately, you still need to show the dev team that you’ve got the skills to do the job, so use your skills!

How to Become a Freelance App Developer, Just like any other job, applying for a freelance role requires an up-to-date resume. To be blunt: your resume is often not read, just scanned for keywords. Employers want to know if you can do the job. So your resume should scream “I can do this job.” Here’s a simple and easy way to convey that:

A few short bullet points like: You have x amount of apps on the Play Store, experience working with X, Y & Z SDKs, programming experience in both Java and Kotlin, familiar with SQL, etc.

Unless you have experience as a professional full-time or freelance app developer, list your own apps as work experience. Remember, it's all about showing that you can do the job, so if your projects are functional and complete, they can help boost your resume while you build professional experience.

If you have professional experience, I would recommend breaking it down into projects. For example: You worked on Y projects for X company through Y. This helps to highlight your exposure to different technologies, making your resume stronger.

For each work experience item, bullet points (not paragraphs) of notable technologies used, anything interesting/unique about the project, and any notable experience you gained such as working with SDKs, etc. Remember: keywords.

After this you can add any previous unrelated work experience, hobbies, or anything else that makes you look like a well-rounded person that people want to work with. Just remember that this is a secondary priority after all of the above.

Keep it simple: Copy your CV

I personally advocate that your LinkedIn profile accurately reflects your CV and links to companies you have worked for before. If LinkedIn is not “your thing,” it makes it less difficult to fill out. Many CodingNomads students feel this way about LinkedIn and AngelList. But many of our students have also found jobs through these sites. So they can really help, and it really doesn’t take much time.

Recruiters search LinkedIn for candidates based on profile keywords. List all the technologies you’ve worked with and ask your network to endorse you for those technologies.

Put your title as “Freelance App Developer - Opportunity Seeker” so people can find you by title and see that you’re looking for work. Let your network and recruiters know that you’re available for work by sending a public status update and turning on your “Open Candidate” toggle.

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How to Become a Freelance App Developer, I'll be honest: I've never heard of any role I've applied for on a job board. I don't apply to a job board job to get that gig. I do it because when I apply, my CV is uploaded to the job board database. Now every recruiter with access to their database has seen my CV pop up and knows I’m available for work. Because my CV is now stacked with projects, my phone starts ringing almost immediately.

Try this – go to a job board, find any freelance app developer role, upload your CV and apply for it and you’ll soon be hearing from recruiters to help you find your next gig. Then find another job board and do it again. Obviously the more experience, projects and technologies (keywords!) you list, the more “boxes you check” and the more recruiters you’ll hear from.

Tapping into your existing network and expanding your network can definitely increase your opportunities.

Write a quick message to your family, friends and professional contacts – highlighting the type of work you’re looking for and your skills and motivations. Send it to your network and ask them to pass it on too. Your mobile development skills are in high demand, and you never know who might be looking for the skills you have to offer.

Most meetups are now online, you can join a hackathon, join various Facebook communities, or volunteer at a tech event to meet other people in the field. The more people you talk to, the more connections, ideas, and avenues you’ll open up. You can also learn what people are looking for and research your specific skills to make your hiring more appealing.

Reach out to people on LinkedIn and AngelList who work for the company you want to work for. Send them the quick message you drafted above. Show interest in their company/product and ask if they’re looking for a freelance app developer. Ask them if they’d be able to introduce you to someone who’s a good fit. And follow up. You’re offering a valuable service, and often the screaming wheel works!

How to Become a Freelance App Developer, If you're just starting out as a freelance app developer, you should take what you can get at first. It may not be a project that interests you,

It may not be an ideal position, it may not be an ideal salary. But it’s a foot in the door, and once you have one gig under your belt, it’s easier to get the next one.

That being said, don’t shortchange the market when it comes to your compensation. You have the skills needed for the job, or you won’t be anywhere near getting the gig. Don’t let someone pay you less than the market rate for an entry-level developer just because you don’t have any “official” experience building apps. If you can do the job, you should be paid the same as anyone else who can do the job.

Now that most jobs are online, you may face more competition for the same role. It’s up to you to stand out from the other applicants. Consider creating a video with your application or use a bold/funny subject line to grab their attention.

As mentioned, reach out directly on LinkedIn to connect with someone at the company in person. Even if these suggestions feel a little out of your comfort zone, your potential client will notice your extra effort.

And as always, be passionate about your skills and you’ll have more leverage to take your skills remotely.

There are places where you can find remote gigs like AngelList, LinkedIn Jobs, RemoteOK, WeWorkRemotely, UnoJuno, Jobspresso, and AirTasker. Check out these job postings. If you don’t have the skills to qualify yet, try learning them and building them into your next project!

You can also create a profile and search for jobs on popular freelance websites like Upwork.

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Additional resources

Also check out these additional tips for finding a job after a coding bootcamp, including how to find companies you want to work for, customize your outreach, prepare for technical interviews, and succeed on the job.

Finally, it's never a bad idea to think like a hiring manager. Try to understand and embody what the company is really looking for in their next hire. Our friends at TopTal have written a great guide, How to Hire a Great Android Developer , which includes some useful insights and example interview questions to help you out.