Archive for the ‘Freelancing’ Category
Getting Jobs on Bidding Sites
How do you improve your chances of getting jobs on bidding sites? Usually you’re competing against several other freelancers, some of whom may have more experience and more testimonials. Keep in mind that freelancers with a great deal of experience are probably going to place high bids. On the low end of the scale will be people from third world countries, who often don’t speak English as their native language. The new freelancer will probably fit somewhere in between these two extremes.
Write the best profile you can and make sure it doesn’t have spelling or grammatical errors. Spend some time reading the profiles of successful freelancers to get ideas on what to emphasize. You could even hire one of the very successful freelancers to help you write your profile. Be sure to include a variety of samples of your work for potential buyers to read.
For ideas on how much to bid, watch what other freelancers are bidding. Some ghostwriters post their rates on their own websites. Some bidding sites allow you to see what other people are bidding, like http://www.rent-a-ghostwriter.com. Even on sites where bidding is sealed, there is often a way to see the range of bids.
Top Freelance Bidding Sites
If you want to get started working as a freelancer, the best place to start is with freelance bidding sites. These sites are usually free to register. Each site then has different requirements, often with different levels of membership. Depending on the site, a fee might be charged to the buyer or the service provider or both. Choose a membership level, build a profile and start bidding on jobs.
Bidding sites are a great way to begin to develop a portfolio. They allow a new freelancer to gain valuable experience as well as testimonials to the quality of their work. Projects are usually posted daily, so they offer a great opportunity for a new service provider to find work. There is also some protection for new service providers in the sense that buyers pay up front for projects and the bidding site holds the money in an escrow account. This takes away the fear of not getting paid for projects you complete.
There are several bidding sites to choose from. Take your time exploring the sites and evaluating what membership options there are. These are the top freelance bidding sites:
- http://www.elance.com is one of the largest bidding sites and offers quite a few new job postings every day. Opportunities are available in programming, design, writing, engineering, administrative support, sales and marketing.
- http://www.getafreelancer.com offers opportunities in programming, web design, copywriting and technical writing.
- http://www.rentacoder.com is a great source of opportunity for software coders. There are also opportunities for graphic designers, writers and virtual assistants.
- http://www.guru.com has opportunities in web and graphic design, writing, programming, sales and telemarketing, engineering, finance and accounting and administrative support.
- http://www.ifreelance.com is one of the lower priced bidding sites and does not charge commission on the money you earn. Opportunities are available for writers, photographers, artists and programmers.
Check out these bidding sites and start bidding on jobs. To improve your chances of getting jobs on these sites, read my next post.
Advantages and Disadvantages of Freelancing
For those seeking work at home opportunities, what most people are really looking for is freedom. Freedom from time clocks, nerve-wracking commutes, performance reviews, asking permission to go to the restroom, etc.
One path to freedom is working as a freelancer. Freelancing means contracting a particular skill or service, often on a per project basis. You are contracted to do a particular job, but you are not employed by the person who contracts you. Some of the skills that are offered on a freelance basis are writing, photography, graphic design, editing and computer programming.
Some of the advantages of freelancing include:
- Variety of projects and people you work for. When a project is complete, you have no obligation to continue working for a particular company. You can work for more than one company or client.
- Control over what your time is worth. At a regular job, your income is limited to what your employer thinks you are worth. As a freelancer, you charge what you feel your services are worth, and you can adjust your bids at any time.
- Scheduling freedom. If you are a night person, you have the freedom to do the bulk of your work at 10 p.m. or later. Likewise, you can work at 5 a.m. if you’re most alert in the morning, and you can take the afternoon off to do errands or spend time with your kids.
The disadvantages of freelancing include:
- Lack of steady income. There is something to be said for knowing where your next paycheck is coming from. In the freelancing world, until you have established yourself with several steady clients, there is an absence of a steady paycheck.
- Time required finding jobs. For a freelancer, part of your business plan has to include spending part of your work day marketing yourself and looking for more work.
- Income taxes. Being self-employed means being responsible for your own record-keeping and income taxes. If you are single, you also need to worry about health insurance and retirement planning.
If you believe the advantages outweigh the disadvantages, learn more about freelance bidding sites in my next post.
Writing for Money
Job boards such as http://www.elance.com, http://www.guru.com and http://www.rentacoder.com are sites where jobs for freelancers are posted. There are several marketable skills in demand on these sites including web programming and design, translation, administrative support and sales and marketing.
One of the most in-demand skills at these sites is writing. If you enjoy writing and need money, there is no need for you to be a starving artist. All over the web, there are website owners hungry for people to help them fill their websites and blogs with content. They are searching for writers to outsource this work to.
If you have no experience, spend some time browsing websites and become familiar with the type of content that is typically displayed on websites. Remember that people online are scanning the web pages, not reading them. Content needs to be brief and to the point. Subheadings are helpful to break up large blocks of text.
Practice writing articles modeling them against articles that appear online. Web content is typically 300-600 words an article. A good place to review sample articles is http://www.ezinearticles.com.
Put together a small portfolio of articles on various topics such as money, health, parenting, self-improvement, etc. Most of these freelance sites will allow you to upload sample articles to your portfolio on their site. Better yet is if you have your own website to showcase your work along with contact information.
Most freelance job sites allow you to browse available jobs before becoming a member. You may need to bid on the low side to get your first jobs, but if you deliver quality content in a timely manner, you will quickly have more work than you know what to do with.
Be sure to network with other writers. One good place to start is http://www.wahm.com/forum/ . Look for the forum titled “Wahms who write.” Another good place to get information is to do a google search on freelance writing blogs. One freelance writing blog that also posts writing jobs is http://www.freelancewritinggigs.com/.
If you want to write for money, there is plenty of opportunity out there. Get started today.