Bijan Shahrokhi 
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Article Contents
People often pose the question, “Where can I find freelance product management jobs?”
The answer is you can find them on professional social networks like LinkedIn or Angellist, freelance platforms like Upwork and Toptal, and through your personal network of people who are looking for freelance product managers.
Just a few years back, giving one of the most important positions in a company to a freelancer was seen as a risky choice.
Now that the pandemic has obligated companies, both big and small, to adopt a work-from-home setup, employers are starting to see the benefit of a PM who doesn’t work full-time.
Indeed, the listing for freelance product management jobs is increasing. Today, we will tell you where and how to find them.
Social Networks
Building a professional network is one of the main keys to your success as a freelance product manager. Typically, in-person networking events are ideal but since we are still in the midst of a pandemic, you can turn your attention to social networks.
Since it’s one of the best platforms to sign up to if you want to grow your professional network online, you may be able to get freelance product management jobs through referrals. You can also apply for jobs directly.
The keys to success on Linkedin are:
- Branding yourself as an expert in your niche
- Connecting with the right people
- Create a strong profile that shows the following:
- Past professional experiences
- Summary about yourself
- A good photo
- Reviews and testimonials from past clients
- Links to any public articles or Twitter pages you may have, etc.
Share or publish content that’s relevant to product management. Connect with top hiring managers and experts in the field.
Engage in topics that are relevant to product management. You can do this by searching for relevant hashtags like #productmanagement to find the content you can comment on or share.
Twitter may not have job postings for freelance product management positions but it’s a great tool if you want to establish yourself as an authority in the PM space.
The social platform is also filled with experts from both the tech and the product management industry who are actively sharing their expertise and experience.
Contribute to the conversation. You might be able to find valuable nuggets of wisdom while you network on Twitter. Imagine building a reputation among PMs and tech people. You can, then, contact them to ask if they need help from a freelance PM.
Freelancing Platforms
Freelancing platforms have made it easier for freelance PMs to search for openings online. We’ve listed the most popular freelance talent marketplaces to help you in your search:
Upwork
Upwork is one of the biggest platforms of its kind. It has a huge freelance talent population of about 12million worldwide.
It’s a popular platform to find freelance jobs because it’s easy to navigate, openings are posted continuously, and the payment for hourly contracts is guaranteed.
Despite this, some downsides are to be expected. Although beginners will most likely encounter a steady stream of openings, it’s very competitive when on the platform because of the abundance of talent.
An approach you can try is to lower your rate for your first project. Overdeliver and impress your client so their feedback for your service is positive. Over time, you can adjust your hourly rate as you gain more experience and positive feedback. Aim to get that Top Rated Freelancer status so you can have more perks on the platform.
Toptal
Toptal, which is short for Top Talent, is a freelancing platform that caters to software developers, designers, finance experts, project managers, and product managers. It is trusted by leading brands like Bridgestone, ZenDesk, the University of Southern California (USC), and so many more.
Toptal comes highly recommended by seasoned online freelancers, especially those whose niches are technology, product management, and programming. They work with the top 3% of freelance talent.
Impressively, Toptal boasts of a 95% trial-to-hire success rate, with a $0 recruiting fee. The selection process is harder compared to other freelancing platforms but the quality of both the clients and service providers is higher.
Popular Job Boards for Tech Jobs
Openings for freelance product management jobs are easily accessible on online job boards. Employers use these websites to advertise their openings to job seekers. At the same time, job seekers visit online job boards to look for vacancies.
Indeed
Indeed is most likely the top job board online. Its monthly visitors reach 250M per month. An aspiring freelance product manager can sign in using either a Google, Apple, or Facebook account which makes the signup process quicker.
Indeed is popular for its reviews of companies made by former employees. Read these reviews to get a good idea of what working in that company is like.
Angellist
Angellist has been in existence since 2010. It started as an online introduction board for tech startups.
Now, it has evolved into a platform where startups, angel investors, and about 2M job seekers looking to work for startups can be found.
What many appreciate about this job board is that it indicates if a company has a similar investor to a popular brand ( X company invested in both Y company and Netflix, for example).
Glassdoor
Appropriately named, Glassdoor was created to bring transparency.
On this online job board, the average base salary of a company is indicated. Much like other job boards on this list, there are also honest company ratings made anonymously by former employees.
Connect through Face to Face
It’s an advantage to connect and network with people in real life. Networking online and connecting with peers through the internet is a good start. The next step to take is to move your online contacts offline.
When the opportunity presents itself, meeting in real life is a means for you to build a stronger professional relationship. You can also attend industry events to meet potential companies interested in hiring you as a freelance PM.
Summary
With Product Management making its way to the top ten of Glassdoor’s list of the 50 Best Jobs in America 2022, except that in the coming years, it will be even easier to find freelance product management jobs as well as full-time ones.
Whether you want a full-time or part-time role as a PM, we’re here to help you land your dream product manager job. It’s best to start with our PM interview course and follow that up with mock interviews and one-on-one private coaching.
I really appreciated this article and will definitely be looking at those sites. As someone who is pursuing their first PM role, what are your thoughts on contract/freelance? It’s difficult to get that first opportunity and I am curious as to other options.
Hi Yvonne, thanks for dropping a comment. The first opportunity is definitely the hardest but once you get your foot in the door, it’ll become easier. As a start, you can work with lower rates just to build a profile and resume for freelance work. You could also choose companies with products that you are already passionate about and familiar with. This way, you know that you will do well.