A number of individuals and businesses now outsource some of their jobs due to time and manpower. If you are skillful in writing and translation, sales and marketing, web design and programming, finance and management, admin support, engineering and manufacturing as well as legal services, then you can make money on Elance.
The only requirement is to sell yourself and your services in order to show prospective clients why they should pick you instead of another provider.
How can I Make Money on Elance?
The tips below will show you how.
Your Profile
The first thing you do is to fill out your profile. This is an opportunity to sell yourself to people who do not know you, so you have to be very descriptive and present yourself in glowing terms. This is where you also state your qualifications and experience and any commendable jobs you may have done for prestigious clients. Your profile should be professional, do not make excuses for any shortcomings you may have.
Your portfolio
Your portfolio is your creative works on display. Samples of the best works you have done should be included in your portfolio. If you are just starting and have no best works to show off, then you can write or design something good to include in your portfolio. What is required is something to show how skillful you are even if they are not actual project that you did for clients.
Take the tests
There are test you can take on Elance to prove how good you really are. These tests are free and even though they are not mandatory requirements, they help to show potential buyers just how good you really are. But make sure you delete results of bad performance. Show only those ones you scored very high.
Before you bid
Your bids should be personalized. Many providers simply copy and paste bids and this sounds bland and uninspiring when reading. Take time to personalize your bids. You have a limit to the bids you can place so make each one unique.
Go ahead and bid
This is where many providers miss it. They bid very low believing that the lowest bids are more likely to be accepted. If you have taken time to write a good profile and portfolio as well as taken some tests, you do not necessarily have to bid too low.
Read Also: Make Money with Digital Scrap Booking Templates
You do not need several low-paying jobs to make money on Elance. You will easily make more money if you handle a few high-paying projects. This is why you should only bid on jobs that you are sure of completing to a very high standard.
Get excellent feedbacks
Excellent feedbacks can be given and received. Buyers usually use feedback ratings to assess the worth of a provider while providers depend on the feedback ratings of a buyer because it is a measure of their integrity. It is essential to get feedbacks but it is a process that cannot be rushed. You should only be professional in all your approach and it will surely come.
What is Elance and How Does it Work?
Elance is an online workplace where businesses find and hire people “on demand” to get work done quickly and cost effectively. The Elance platform allows businesses to easily find, hire, manage and pay highly qualified professionals – for exactly what they need, when they need it.
Now, business owners and managers can focus on what they do best – by outsourcing the rest. Elance provides an opportunity for everyone to find work and do what they love. Individuals and firms join Elance and create their online profile in order to be immediately connected to businesses looking for their expertise. The Elance platform is an end-to-end solution for working on demand.
Does Elance Still Exist?
Upwork Global Inc., formerly Elance-oDesk, is an American freelancing platform headquartered in Santa Clara and San Francisco, California. The company was formed in 2013 as Elance-oDesk, after the merger of Elance Inc. and oDesk Corp. The merged company subsequently rebranded to Upwork in 2015.
In 2017, Upwork had over twelve million registered freelancers and five million registered clients. More than three million jobs worth over $1 billion USD together were posted in 2017.
Elance was founded in 1998 by MIT graduate Beerud Sheth and Wall Street veteran Srini Anumolu in a two-bedroom apartment in Jersey City. In December 1999, the company’s 22 employees relocated to Sunnyvale, in California’s Silicon Valley. Elance’s first product was the Elance Small Business Marketplace.
oDesk was founded in 2003 by two friends, Odysseas Tsatalos and Stratis Karamanlakis, who wanted to work together even though one of them was in the U.S. and the other was in Greece. Originally created as a staffing firm, oDesk was eventually built into an online marketplace that allowed registered users to find, hire, and collaborate with remote workers.
Elance and oDesk announced their merger on December 18, 2013 to create Elance-oDesk. In 2015, the new company was rebranded as Upwork, which coincided with an upgrade of the oDesk platform under the same name.
The newly named Upwork also planned to phase out the Elance platform within a couple of years. The Upwork platform has experienced brief outages, with one in September 2015 leading to an apology from then-CEO Stephane Kasriel.
Is Elance Free?
Elance provides an online tool called Workroom, which creates a virtual office that enables contractors document their work and if working in teams collaborate with other members of the team just like in a real office. The Elance Workroom also enables clients to communicate and verify work done by their remote teams.
Unlike oDesk that guarantees only projects billed on hourly rates, Elance guarantees both projects billed on hourly rates and fixed budgets, provided you follow specific guidelines.
Membership of Elance online work marketplace is free for both clients and contractors. Elance charges between 6.75% and 8.75% of whatever the contractor makes from a project. Elance also has paid membership.
Clients can pay their workers on Elance using MasterCard, Visa, Cheque (only US based clients), American Express, Wire Transfer, or PayPal. The payment is made through Elance and not directly to the contractor. Payments to Elance contractors are stored in their Elance account until they make a withdrawal.
Elance contractors withdraw their earnings through various means including Payoneer Debit MasterCard, Skrill, PayPal, cheque (only US & canada based contractors), bank transfer (only US based contractors), or Wire Transfer. Not all withdrawal methods will be supported in all countries. When you join oDesk only withdrawal methods allowed in your country will be supported in your account.
How do Beginners Make Money on Upwork?
Upwork.com is a freelancing website where you get hired to do various kinds of freelancing jobs. There are so many kinds of job you can find at Upwork: writing, data entry, social media manager, technical writing, programming, contracts, web design, graphic design, business plan writing, translating, business planning, consulting and numerous others. You can be in Nigeria, U.S., India, South Africa or any country at all and earn income.
Follow these steps to make money from Upwork:
1. Sign up
The first step is to open up an account and set up your profile. Defining your title is key, it increases the chances of you getting hired. Choose your skills, explain clearly what you are good at, state what people like about you as regards your skill and you can also put a link to samples of your work so that potential clients will see. Create a portfolio and aim for the “big fish,” the large jobs.
2. Search for jobs
Once you have set up a juicy, detailed and attractive profile. Your next step is to search for jobs that match your skills. You should see, my jobs feed on the home page. Which will show jobs that match your skills.
You can also use the search button to search and set filter to help you get the ideal jobs.
3. Win job bids
Once you have find a job that you want to go for. The next step is to bid for it(apply for it). To win bids, you must convince the client that you are the best out of the numerous people who have applied for the job. Get their attention with your pitch and don’t be too expensive for a starter.
A good and convincing job pitch along with a cheaper price will give employers a valid reason to go for you as a beginner instead of going for experienced and expensive freelancers. Give them reason to decide that you are the best for the job.
4. Build your reputation
On Upwork.com what will mostly increase your chances of getting jobs are the reviews that you get from clients. This will earn you clients’ attention, and their trust. And help you climb up the ladder to a premium and sort after freelancer.
To get good reviews, you have to be attentive to client, do a good job and be very responsive. Communicate always and meet deadline.
Having good reviews, may be challenging. Upwork.com is a wide platform; it has people from all over the world, people who have different native languages and ethics. Getting exactly what the client wants might be hard to grasp, but with experience, this becomes a piece of cake. So pay attention and only accept jobs you can execute.
Let your clients know that you value the job they have given you. in summary, the key is be responsive, be friendly and meet deadline.
5. Get traffic to your profile
This will only happen if all the above steps have been accomplished, make your clients happy that they recommend you to other potential clients. Make all your clients loyal to you. You have to be intelligent to get there.
How can you make your clients happy? Simple, do exactly what they ask you to and even better. Some client might be bossy, humble yourself, remember it is worth it. Talk to them, and familiarize yourself with their way of expressing what they want. Build things you are great at and perfect your greatness.
Create a schedule; this will help you submit the deliverables in due time, clients love it when work is presented at the time they asked you to. Some of them have deadlines too, help them meet theirs also.
With this few steps, your good to make money through upwork.com and establish your brand.
Is Elance and Upwork the Same?
Elance and Upwork are the same. Upwork was a merger of Elance and oDesk. Selling your services at Elance is driven by supply and demand. Like in other businesses marketing is needed to get the necessary attention and trust.
You will need to prepare a sharp resume / profile that specifically targets your market where you can offer core competences. That requires a bit market research to understand if you are offering the right services that are demand.
Check out your competition and analyse what they offer, how they present themselves and what prices they charge.
Next add work samples, presentations and always helpful a video of you and your offers to your portfolio section of your profile. Your future customers want to see what you can offer.
Be ready to take on your first jobs for low service fees as long as you do not have sufficient reference projects. Focus on smaller projects. You do not want to work for free for ever.
Once you gained positive results slowly increase your price.
Actively apply for job offers and do not wait that somebody approaches you. As beginner you are falling most of the times through the initial filter criteria of your potential customers but they are often ready to consider your active application if you offer them a great deal.
Send tailor made applications to potential customers and be very responsive to replies. Be specific in your answers by addressing the problem of the client and how you are going to resolve their issues. Use always references from your real life to promote your online business.
Why Should Consider Upwork
If you are looking for part time jobs to complement your income then Upwork is the place for you. Also if you are looking to make money full time from online, then Upwork should be one of your channels. We have seen Professors, PhD holders on Upwork doing freelance jobs. We have also seen beginners, people with skills and no major educational background making good income via upwork.
What matters most is your skill. If you are skilled at what you do, you will succeed.
This is a very cool way to make money online from the comfort of your home with your skills; all you need is a working internet connection. You also need to be fluent in English or any other major languages like German, Spanish, French because apart from skills, you will need it to communicate.
According to Upwork, freelancers are earning more than $1 billion via the site each year.
So how much can you make from upwork? That will depend on your skill and trust rating. As you do more works, get more reviews your reputation shoots up and that will give you leverage to earn good rates. If you check through profiles of freelancers, you will see those who have made over $1000, 000 and above or below. This will depend on you. There are also those who have earn $10, 000 and below. It still depend on you.
How Much can you Make on Upwork in a Week?
Freelancing has become a popular option for people looking to supplement their existing income or as a full-time income source that offers more control over the jobs they take on. The demand for talented freelancers has been growing over the years, and as a result, many freelancers can set their prices and work on projects that interest them.
Here are some figures:
- Upwork’s past industry research has shown that 60% of freelancers who left a full-time job to become freelancers make more money than they did in their previous jobs.
- According to 2020 freelancer research data, freelancers in the United States earn an average hourly rate of $20.
- Freelancers working in web/mobile development, marketing, legal, accounting, and other skilled services earn an even higher $28/hour average wage. At $28/hour, these freelancers are making more than 70% of all workers in the United States.
With that said, the rates that freelancers charge fluctuate based on many variables. Below are five of the most common factors that impact freelancers’ rates.
- Years of experience: Experience is a valuable resource in any field. A freelancer’s pay rate typically increases with the years of experience they have in their service area.
- Specific skill set: A freelancer’s skill set also plays a vital role in their pricing. Freelancers can charge a higher price if a job requires a strong underlying technical skill set such as programming, mobile app development, or legal writing.
- Education and training: Education and certified training can significantly boost a freelancer’s pay scale. Although this will vary from profession to profession, certified training and formal education usually allow a freelancer more leverage in pricing negotiations.
- Reviews and proven deliverables: Past project reviews provide an easy way for a company to verify a freelancer’s performance. A large number of positive reviews proves a freelancer’s credibility, which allows them to set higher rates.
- Location: While a freelancer can work anywhere in the world, the client’s location can dramatically impact the pay for a project. For example, a customer in Venezuela will typically not pay the same rate as a client in the United States.
When it comes to freelancing, there are many different types of work. Generally, the more technical a profession is, the more freelancers in that field can earn. According to CNBC and additional research data, the average hourly rate and annual salary for the most popular freelancing opportunities are listed below.
- Writers: On average, a freelance writer has a rate between $30-40/hr, with an annual salary of around $42,000.
- Editors: On average, freelance editors earn between $25-35/hr, with a yearly salary of approximately $40,000.
- Programmers: Across multiple programming languages, the average freelance programmer makes $60-70/hr, with an annual salary of around $120,000.
- General developers: A freelance developer looks to earn anywhere between $50-60/hr with a yearly salary of approximately $100,000.
- Mobile developers: On average, mobile app developers make an hourly freelancer rate of $55-65 with an annual salary of $100,000.
- Web developers: Freelance web developers design and create websites at an hourly rate of $50-60 with a yearly income of approximately $90,000.
- Graphic designers: A freelance visual or graphic designer’s hourly rate is about $40-45, with an annual salary of around $90,000.
- Transcribers: Freelance transcriptionists typically earn around $20-25/hr, with a yearly salary of about $32,000.
- Bookkeepers: A freelance bookkeeper makes $30-35/hr with an annual salary of around $40,000.
- Online marketers: Freelance digital marketers earn around $50/hr, with a yearly salary of approximately $100,000.
- Photographers: A freelance photographer has an hourly rate between $35-45/hr, with an annual salary of around $42,000.
- CRM managers: A customer relations manager (CRM) looks to earn $50-60/hr, with an annual salary of around $120,000.
- Data analysts: A freelance data analyst averages $55-65/hr, with a yearly salary of $100,000.
Is Elance Legit?
ELANCE.com is one the best best online staffing platform. its now operated by Upwork. its allows businesses to post jobs and projects, and searching for freelancing professionals. and it allows freelancers to search clients and projects to make money.
It provides many categories for posting jobs and getting projects done like website designing, apps development, game designing, logo designing, online writing, and engineering and much more.
Yes, Upwork is most certainly legit. However, like any other large freelance platform, there are bound to be scammers and fake profiles; but that doesn’t make Upwork a scam. Additionally, the Upwork platform provides various features and services that protect freelancers and employers from fraud and scams.
Of course, there is some really bad stuff about Upwork. The biggest one is that Upwork takes 20% of a freelancer’s pay up until they reach $500 with a client. That means that if you aren’t having repeat clients and working with the same people, you’re always going to hand over that 20% to Upwork.
How can I Earn Money From Upwork?
It’s one of the most popular freelancing platforms in the world and when a company needs to outsource a task or project, Upwork is the first place they tend to look for qualified professionals that can solve their problem.
All you need is a computer and a skill and you too can take advantage of this.
One of the biggest annoyances faced by freelancers is dealing with financials: invoices, accounting, chasing payments… Upwork takes care of all of that so you can focus on producing your work instead of dealing with paperwork.
The platform doesn’t just connect work with workers, but it also serves as a middleman between the two – it ensures payments always happen on time when work is delivered by essentially making clients pay in advance into Upwork accounts. This way, workers are protected from clients vanishing without paying once work is underway/completed.
You can get paid in one of two ways: hourly or fixed. The client will specify in the job description which method they want to use.
Upwork does take a cut from all payments that are made on their platform. The Upwork commission fees range from 5-20% and if you’re wondering specifically how much does Upwork charge, all you need to do is consult this table:
How much you bill the client (total) | Upwork commission |
---|---|
$<500 | 20% |
$500.01 – $10,000 | 10% |
$10,000+ | 5% |
Important note: it’s a sliding fee that takes into consideration total billings with a single client. What does that mean? Examples will help clarify:
- If you complete work for Client X for $700, then you will have to pay a 20% fee for $500 ($100) and a 10% fee for $200 ($20), which amounts to $120 in fees.
- If you complete MORE work for the SAME client, then Upwork takes into consideration the previous earnings and continues counting from there. Let’s say you complete another job for Client X for $400. Now, you will only have to pay 10% in fees ($40), since you’re in the second fee bracket.
In short, Upwork rewards repeat work with the same clients – the more you work with one client, the less you pay in fees for the specific client.
How to start making money on Upwork in 3 steps
Step 1: Identify what you can offer
First and foremost, you need to identify what skills you have that you can put on offer. If you specialize in any of these top 100 skills, it’s good news for you! But, even if you don’t, you can still earn with Upwork as long as your work can be conducted on a computer.
Important: try to focus on as specific a niche as possible. If, for instance, you want to offer digital marketing services, but you’re especially knowledgeable in SEO, then it’s best to focus on offering SEO services, or even go more specific, e.g. backlink building. Why? Because businesses mostly look for skilled professionals that can solve a specific problem.
Imagine you’re a business owner who needs to build backlinks – will you hire someone with the title of “Digital marketing expert” who also claims to know how to do SEO, or will you turn to an SEO specialist with a proven track record?
It’s good to be a jack of all trades, but on Upwork, it’s best to be a master of one.
So if you’re someone with a broad skill set, take your time to explore what skills are in the highest demand on Upwork and build your professional persona around that.
Step 2: Create an account and polish your profile
A good profile is half the battle. Creating an account and filling out your profile takes no time at all. But doing it well is a different story entirely.
Your profile has to convince the client that you have the skills and expertise to deliver exactly what they require and more.
Uploading a high-quality profile picture is a must. Seeing a human face, rather than a blank placeholder, helps immediately establish a basic level of trust. Don’t forget to smile!
Beyond that, however, there are two sections that you need to pay close attention to: Overview and Portfolio.
Overview
This section is your main pitch to the client, as this is the part they will read most closely. Therefore, you need to concisely present the most important information in an easily-digestible way. Here are 3 basic tips for writing a good overview:
- Use specific numbers and data to showcase your achievements and experience
- Use bullet points and write in short paragraphs to make the information easy to absorb
- Answer questions the client might have
Take a look at these SEO expert examples. Which do you think would fare better and attract more clients?
Example 1 | Example 2 |
---|---|
Hello, I’m an SEO expert with 5 years of experience helping businesses of all sizes build backlinks, optimize content, improve websites, and so much more. I graduated with Honors from Leeds University and have a broad background in digital marketing, which helps me make better SEO decisions, as I understand how small changes affect the broader ecosystem. I enjoy a challenge and can help take your business to the next level, so don’t hesitate to reach out if you’re in need of an SEO expert. | Looking for an SEO professional? In my 5 years of experience, I have helped various businesses: – Get rank #1 on Google purely through technical SEO – Achieve 70+ Domain Authority through strategic backlink building – Increased blog traffic up to 150% through keyword research and content optimization – And so much more I’ve been able to replicate these results for 20+ different B2B and B2C companies. I can do the same for you. |
The first is a typical example of what a beginner would write in their overview – it’s very vague and uninformative. Such a description would work for pretty much any SEO expert. On the other hand, the example on the right is informative, explains exactly what can be achieved, refers to specific past projects, and is much easier to read.
Portfolio
Your portfolio is your best way to justify the claims you make in your overview. By adding case studies and success stories, you can show the client what to expect, what you can do, and how you can do it.
This allows you to introduce a lot of transparency, which is something that’s crucial on sites such as Upwork, where people have to take a leap of faith and essentially trust a complete stranger.
Plus, it’s one of the best ways to boast about your achievements.
Step 3: Start sending proposals
As previously mentioned – a good profile is half the battle. The other half? A fantastic proposal.
During most of your Upwork experience, you will need to browse jobs and send proposals in order to make money on Upwork.
Just like with the overview, your proposal needs to be clear, concise, and substantiated. But there’s one key difference: the proposal should focus on your potential client, not yourself. Don’t talk about yourself and how amazing you are, but rather explain how this experience will help solve the client’s problems. And the more accurately you can explain this in your proposal, the better.
Yes, this means you need to personalize each proposal! DON’T JUST COPY & PASTE A TEMPLATE.
Read the client’s brief carefully and answer the exact problems they put forth, by answering that:
- You’re happy to help with this challenge
- Why you’re the perfect person for this specific challenge (leverage experience)
- How you’re going to tackle it
- What are the next steps
Proposal writing is a skill in itself and you will only get better with time. Don’t get disheartened if you don’t get any responses to the first proposals you send out. Optimize your approach and keep sending them until you get a job.
Is Upwork Good For Beginners?
Upwork can be a great way to kickstart your freelancing career – as you’re able to browse millions of jobs and find the ones that are perfect for you. However, in order to succeed, beginners with new profiles have to overcome a few hurdles such as their apparent lack of experience and massive competition.
What that means is, if you want to get started on Upwork and earn a full-time income from your freelancing, you’ll need to work hard for it. Persistence is key to making it as a beginner on the platform – but strategy does play an important role.
A lot freelancers fail on Upwork because they give up too soon, but the second most common factor is they’re just following a bad strategy (or no strategy at all!).
Upwork is a freelancing system and an online job search. it is one of the biggest and most used platforms on the internet. The system is based on the gig economy and is aimed at freelance professionals worldwide.
Upwork is a number game you play by the numbers and earn points. They give you several points to reach. And when you get that number, you can start to make money. It is essential to play by the numbers and call them right away.
Upwork is a new way to find temporary work to complete your projects and start making money on the side. Upwork lets you work anytime, anywhere, and earn in various ways.
When you work for Upwork, they hire you for a full-time job.
If your rates are too low at Upwork, clients will ignore you. Upwork is a place where you can post projects and get paid per hour. Some people make a lot of money this way, but not many make money from it if you are looking for a simple way to earn some cash.
As an article writer, you need to make sure that you get your message across to your clients in the most effective way possible. As a freelance writer, if you do not get your rates right, people will not call to hire you.
It is a great way to practice your skills and see if you like them! It is also an excellent way to learn how to communicate, be friendly, and understand how you react to certain situations.
Life is hard for Upwork beginners:
There are a lot of things to do to be successful. There are a lot of questions that come in beginner’s head, and these questions are:
- When didn’t you know how to choose the best keywords?
- What is the best rate for the best keywords?
- How to do the best job?
- How to get the best reviews?
- What to do when you get a terrible client?
- What is the best rating for a client to review your profile, etc.?
“Upwork” is an online platform that allows freelancers to post their skills and create portfolios to promote themselves. People build business relationships and eventually become recognized freelancers on the forum; be honest towards your work. If you want to make money on Upwork, you have to be good at writing. The hardest part for a beginner on Upwork is to get the first few clients.
How can I Start Freelance With no Experience?
Landing your first freelance job can be a frustrating situation. But, unfortunately, it’s also a relatable one. Many companies don’t want to take a chance on someone who’s really green. They’d rather find someone who’s proven to be successful before.
So, what do you do? How can you manage to land your first freelance clients and start earning some income—even when you’re new to the game?
1. Prioritize Experience over a Paycheck
You’re likely deciding to freelance because you have a passion for your craft, no doubt. But, let’s be honest—you also want to earn some income. Whether it’s a side hustle or your new full-time career path, you need to rake in some dollars in order to make this whole thing worthwhile.
That’s more than understandable. However, even if you have years of experience in your field, it may be difficult to demand a high price tag for your services when you’re just starting out.
To combat this, make an effort to prioritize the experience over how much it will earn you. That publication may pay a low fee. But, will a byline there give you more exposure in your chosen niche? That web development project’s budget might be lower than you hoped, but will it get you some much-needed contacts in your field?
It can be tough to resist the temptation to turn into one of those cartoon characters with dollar signs in your eyes, but make your best effort to stay focused on the big picture—rather than the digits on the paycheck. It can eventually pay off.
2. Consider Your Existing Skills
You don’t have any experience as a freelancer. But, that doesn’t mean that you have zero valuable skills to bring to the table.
Think through what unique experiences you have that could help you pitch yourself to prospective clients and stand out from the other freelance competition out there.
Perhaps your background in the healthcare industry would make you the most suitable fit to take photographs for that hospital’s new promotional materials. Or, maybe the fact that you’re a self-proclaimed Excel whiz would qualify you to write for that Microsoft-oriented blog.
Don’t be afraid to think outside the box and identify those unique traits and special skills that will make prospective clients take you seriously—despite your lack of traditional freelance experience.
3. Create a Website
Having a website for your new freelance business will serve as a space for you to showcase your portfolio of work and as a way for potential clients to find you. It can provide a quick and easy way to present a bio about yourself, what kind of projects you want to take on, your pricing, and your contact information.
And you don’t need to be a web developer to create a website. Many platforms, such as Squarespace and Wix, make it easy to choose a template and get up and running.
4. Lean on Your Network
You’ve heard that old, “It’s not always what you know, but who you know” cliché. And, as much as it might make you roll your eyes, it can actually be a huge benefit to you when you’re trying to get your freelance career off the ground.
Why? Well, because word-of-mouth marketing could be just what you need to get some potential clients to take a chance on you—even though you don’t have years of experience to your name. When you’re recommended to clients by someone that they trust in their own network, you’re far more likely to get your foot in the door and make an impression.
So, reach out to your contacts and let them know that you’re freelancing and you’d appreciate any recommendations. You never know who your acquaintances might be connected with!
5. Meet with a Fellow Freelancer
Take your networking into the real world and consider finding a mentor or securing an informational interview with someone who is already freelancing. A career mentor is an ongoing relationship where you can regularly meet to talk about your freelancing ups and downs. An informational interview is likely to be a one-time get-together to talk and ask questions of someone who’s doing what you want to do.
Read Also: How To Make Money As A Risk Consultant
Either situation can provide you with a great way to get advice and tips on how to break into the freelance world. While your motivation for talking to a mentor or scheduling an informational interview should not be to ask for referrals or a job, you never know what could result from making these connections.
6. Know Where to Search
Finding freelance jobs can go three ways: you contact a potential client directly to offer your services, a client reaches out to you to request your services, or you use a job board to find open listings.
Using a job board to find freelance work is where things can get dicey. Job scams abound in this field. With most freelance jobs being remote, you can see how the potential to get scammed is high.
You need to be adept at researching companies and understanding the legitimacy of the job board you’re using. Popping on Craigslist to find a freelance job may score you some actual leads, but it can also be chock-full of junk.
This is why using a job service like FlexJobs can be so valuable. We go out and scour the internet and our partner employers to find real, legitimate, and scam-free freelance jobs. We verify the employer is legit, and we summarize and categorize each posting we find. This allows you as a job seeker to easily search through our 50 job categories to find a freelance job that fits your needs without worrying if the job is a scam.
7. Understand Your Chosen Industry
You’re excited and eager to get your freelance career rolling. But, as enthusiastic as you might be, it’s important that you understand the potential of your chosen industry.
Is it a competitive landscape where you’ll run up again tons of other freelancers wanting the same gig? Do companies even hire freelancers in your area of expertise, or do they stick with employee roles? What is the average rate of pay, and will it be sufficient for you?
Understanding the growth rate of your industry will help guide you on who to contact and where to focus your freelance job search.
Finally
These are some tips that can get you started. Follow these tips and with time you will start to make money on Elance.
When a business is looking to hire someone to create a website a freelance web developer is a great option for them to outsource the job at a fraction of the cost.