Pangea.app is a place that connects young professionals with startups and small businesses looking to hire freelancers. These independent professionals are hungry, driven, and skilled in the areas of copywriting, graphic design, web development, social media management, and more. 

Matt Carlson, a young aspiring entrepreneur, recently hired freelance writers on Pangea to produce content for his startup, ParentPresents.com. Helping young adults find the perfect presents for their moms and dads, Matt’s goal is to provide the simplest solution for parent birthday or holiday gift ideas while helping establish known brands in the market that lack brand loyalty. 

This year, Matt has been using Pangea to accelerate his growth, but he actually used freelance on the platform himself. “I felt I could get more high-quality work off Pangea and had a better idea of the kind of people I was hiring (as opposed to Fiver or Upwork) because I was once on the other side of the table,” Matt said.

Started at Pangea…

Of the thousands of businesses who have used this platform to hire freelance talent, Matt’s path to Pangea was unique. Back in his days at Providence College, Matt was a freelance video editor for Pangea client, HyperOffice. Starting ParentPresents.com at only 24 years old, Matt turned back to Pangea when the time came to hire a freelance writer. 

Now We’re Here (at Pangea again)

“I knew Pangea was a really good way to find ambitious freelancers for cheap,” Matt said. “They’re looking for money obviously, but they’re also looking for stuff to put in their resumes and portfolios, so you can find really high quality talent at good prices.”

Having been a part of the platform since the early days in 2019, Matt has experienced just about every phase of Pangea both as a freelancer and an employer. From the old school job board days to the beautifully designed UX/UI featured today, both Matt and Pangea have come a long way in a relatively short period of time.

Freelancing on Pangea

If you pursued freelance work on Pangea back when Matt did, the platform likely looks a bit different. Aside from the obvious visual changes, there are lots of new features to help you get hired. If you’re new here, welcome to the world of self-employment!

• Revamped Freelance Job Feed: Under the For You tab, you’ll find all job posts relevant to your skill sets, helping to narrow your search. If you’re a freelance writer, all copywriting opportunities will pop up here. If you’re a freelance graphic designer, you’ll see all posts related to web design, logo design, etc. Under Recently Posted, you’ll find all recent projects posted to the platform.
  
• Freelance Inquiries: Companies on Pangea now have the ability to reach out to you directly to inquire about your services. Instead of posting a job and inviting you to apply to it, they can now engage with you directly if they like what you’ve shared on your profile. Now more than ever, it’s vital that your profiles showcase the rockstar you really are!
  
• Talent Sorting: On the client side of the product, talent is sorted based on profile status and on-platform performance. The higher you rank, the more traffic you will drive to your page. Those who complete all sections of their Pangea profiles rank the highest, so be sure to add a profile picture, upload featured work, and fill out those About Me and Experience sections!
  
• Pangea Pro: Do you have a solid portfolio with at least 3 stellar work samples? If so, apply to be a Pangea Pro! Making up the top 1% of freelancers on Pangea, Pros are vetted personally by the Pangea team to verify their qualifications and areas of expertise. Not only is this an opportunity to acquire more clients, Pros also receive the lowest freelance marketplace fees on Pangea.

Why Work Freelance?

Working freelance is a flexible way of earning income. Most freelancers work in part-time, or project-based capacities, but plenty turn it into a full-time deal. With finding freelance work on platforms like Pangea being easier than ever, you can build your own clientele and become your own boss. 

Now, keep in mind that there is a tremendous amount of  responsibility that comes with being a self-employed person. As an independent contractor, you’re responsible for putting money aside to pay your taxes, creating your own schedule, making and meeting your own deadlines, and more.

Hiring on Pangea

With our most recent product updates, hiring on Pangea has never been easier. Create freelance job postings using one of our many templates, browse freelance talent with our new and improved sorting and filtering options, and even reach out to a freelancer directly through their profile without posting a job at all. 

You’ll be able to review portfolios and work samples, hop on discovery calls, set up contracts, and pay your freelancer all within the same, easy to use platform. Or, in the words of Matt Carlson, “the hiring process is really, really easy.” New additions to the platform include:

• Pangea Pro: As you browse talent on Pangea, you’ll notice certain profiles are now adorned with the status of Pangea Pro. Making up the top 1% of freelancers on our platform, these Pros are verified, experienced freelancers, hand selected by the Pangea team. There is not a single Pro on the platform Pangea wouldn’t be happy hiring ourselves.
  
• Work with Me: When viewing a Pangean’s profile, you’ll now see a Connect With Freelancer button right above the Invite to Job feature. As usual, Invite to Job will still request them to submit an application to a current job post of yours. 

Connect With Freelancer allows more proactive outreach, where you’ll be able to specify the areas in which you need help, the level of commitment you require, your ideal budget, and any other pertinent project information without posting a job.

Updated Filtering & Sorting: In addition to filtering by hard and soft skills, category, and university, employers can now sort and filter by:

• Specialty
• Base Rate
• Availability
• Earned Amount ($0-$5,000)
• Pangea Pro Status

Why Work with Freelancers?

As a business owner, there are many benefits to thinking freelance when it’s time to hire talent. Freelancers like Matt are:

• Highly Skilled
• Self-Motivated
• Cost-Effective
• Risk-Free
• On Demand/As Needed

3 Tips For Pangea Freelance Job Seekers

Having experienced both sides of the platform, Matt Carlson has a wealth of advice to offer those seeking freelance jobs on Pangea.

Read the Post Thoroughly Before Applying

Before applying to a post, make sure you’re fully capable of completing the tasks at hand and are onboard with the client’s posted budget. If they’re looking to pay $15, don’t apply and ask for $30. It’s totally fine if $15 is not enough for you to get the project done, but you don’t want to find that out while speaking with potential clients.

Write Effective Proposals

When writing a proposal, highlight what you bring to the table. Simply introduce yourself then take the next 4-5 sentences to detail what you’re capable of and what you would do for them specifically. Research their company, brand, or product, and tailor your proposal around what you perceive their needs to be. The freelance writers Matt hired were the ones who nailed their proposals.

Apply, Apply, Apply!

In Matt’s freelance content creation days, he received one job offer for every 10 he applied to. Whether you’re seeking freelance work or looking for full time employment, this is almost always the case and is not a reflection of you as a potential employee. 

Potential employers receive loads of applications and there’s a chance yours may not have even been seen. If they did review your application and it wasn’t a good fit, so what!? There’s plenty of opportunity out there for freelance workers like yourself.

3 Tips For Business Owners Hiring on Pangea

Matt Carlson’s company, ParentPresents.com has hired several freelance writers to create content for their website. No matter what kind of help you’re looking for, here’s a few things to keep in mind.

Know What You’re Looking For

Identify what that ideal freelancer looks like to you before looking to hire. “I was trying to pump out a bunch of blogs and articles at once, so I hired a bunch of freelance writers on a trial basis and now have one I continue to work with on a rolling basis,” Matt said. Some aspects of hiring are trial and error, but having an idea of what you’re looking for will save you time and money.

Ask Screening Questions

Asking screening questions on your job post is a great way to narrow down which freelancer is the one for you. According to Matt, these questions should be specific about your company and require them to show that they’ve done their research. Matt was able to tell who he wanted to interview based on each applicant's answers to his screening questions.

Brag About Your Company!

Those seeking freelance jobs are afforded the chance to work on projects that excite them. Be sure to talk up your company both in your job postings and Pangea profiles. This gives you a much better chance of finding someone just as passionate about your mission as you are.

Full Circle

From working with a startup as a freelance video editor to hiring freelance writers for his own company, Matt Carlson’s Pangea journey is the ideal path we’d love all our Pangeans to take. 

Pangea is more than just a freelance platform, it’s a place that connects emerging freelance talent with up and coming businesses, fostering a community centered around education, self-empowerment, and entrepreneurship. 

If you’re looking for or offering freelance job opportunities in the following areas, Pangea.app is the perfect place for you:

• Digital Marketing
• Social Media Management
• Graphic Design
• Copywriting
• Web & Mobile Development
• Video & Photography
• Customer Support
• Business Administration
• Literally anything else that could be done remotely

The Ideal Pangean

Matt Carlson is the ideal Pangean. Think about it - At 24 years old, Matt was able to get his very first company, ParentPresents.com, off the ground. Roughly 2 years ago, he himself was pursuing freelance opportunities on Pangea. That is the perfect exemplification of the kind of talent we have here. 

Those who freelance on Pangea are not your average freelancers looking for a side hustle for the heck of it. They represent the future of their prospective industries and are ready to roll up their sleeves and get to work for you. Freelance style.

Whether you’re a business or a freelancer, joining Pangea is free and easy. Sign up today and join the only platform that puts the power of freelancing in your hands. Also, if you’re ever stumped on what to get mom and dad for their birthdays this year, be sure to check out ParentPresents.com!