Freelancing
Tutorial
If you have developed some skill or expertise, freelancing can be a rewarding career move. Many skilled workers turn to freelancing to have more freedom and control over their work and life. However, with freelancing comes inconsistent workload and income, so make sure you are a good money manager and can ride out the slow times. Marketing is also a must and not everyone finds this part of the job fun. The internet can help by connecting you to employers through job boards, and also to other industry professionals through forums.
Before you start searching for jobs, make sure you have all the equipment, software, and training you need to offer a competitive product or service. Have several examples of your work available to show, and an up-to-date resume to forward. Depending on your business, it may be a good idea to have a small website with details of your work experience and a portfolio of your work. For ideas of how to get your own website, go here.
Lastly, research the going rate for your services both in your area and around the world so you will have an idea of how much to bid for each job. Browse around the job boards below to see what type of work is being sought and what the requirements are.
Popular freelance jobs include:
Writer: If you love to write and are passionate about something, there are many more options open to writers than just publishing a novel or writing a newspaper column. Check out FreelanceWriting.com for advice and tips.
- Become an Advertising Copywriter, freelance for a company or write on-line ads for google or craigslist.
- Write an e-book and self-publish at lulu.com. Advertise on free sites, with google ads, or other.
- Start your own blog - if you haven't entered the blogsphere yet, get ready for shell shock - its a whole new world. Blogging works best if you can blog about something you are passionate about. Many people blog just for fun or to keep in touch with friends and family, but serious bloggers who know how to monetize their blogs can earn a pretty decent living. To get started, visit www.problogger.com. Popular spots to host your blog are www.wordpress.com and www.blogspot.com.
- Write articles for on-line newletters or magazines. Become an About.com guide. About.com pays about $725 month to start and goes up from there depending on the popularity of your topic.
- Ghost Write: The job boards are full of requests to ghost write memoirs, web content, e-books, technical manuals, etc. Check around on the freelance boards mentioned below to see what kind of projects are being offered.
Virtual Assistant: If you have prior office experience and up-to-date software on your home computer, you may be able to get freelance work doing general administrative tasks. These vary widely, and often you are in competition with foreign workers who will work for very little pay. But some jobs do specify a US presence, and once you get your foot in the door and do an outstanding job, chances are you will get repeat business.
Transcriptionist: These jobs are also plentiful on the job boards and often require you to transcribe audio interview session or the like on a very short turn-around. Good English and grammar skills are a must. You must own your own transcription equipment and must be able to accept tapes or MP3 and other data files.
Programmer/Web Designer: Many small companies with no dedicated IT staff will pay for one-off programming and web design services. Once you have done a successful implementation, you can almost bet on on-going maintenance and upkeep work.
Graphic Design: One of the hottest freelance gigs. The boards are full of opportunities large and small to design company logos, ad campaigns, custom greeting cards, and on and on.
Articles
For more information about freelancing as a career, read the following articles.
A great list of articles about all things freelancing.
Are you a lonely freelancer or a new startup with little money for traditional office space? Co-working facilities blend the appeal of an independent environment with many of the advantages of the traditional office. Less expensive than an office and less lonely than working from home. For a small monthly fee much like a gym membership, these new spaces provide desk space, meeting rooms, and access to a shared kitchen on an as-needed basis.
A list of things to consider when setting your bid price for freelance jobs by Collis Ta'eed.
As the title says, here are 9 tips for new freelancers by Raj Dash of Freelance Switch.
Opportunities
The following companies regularly hire freelancers.
Demand Studios hires writers, film makers, and copy editors. We are looking for experienced, passionate, creative professionals to join our community and lend their talent to our network of leading publishers.
Women Centric can help you book speaking engagements, teleseminars, panels, training gigs, article assignments, etc. Their fee is low because you provide all the logistics, etc. They help with finding opportunities.
Hires skilled proofreaders, editors, and writers for all types of freelance proofreading and editing jobs.
Essay Edit hires freelance editors to edit admissions essays for clients.
Register to become an OpenAd creative. Respond to client pitch requests and/or sell your ideas through the Gallery. Creative rights remain with the creative.
Heritage Web Solutions is looking for qualified web designers, PHP programmers, and site content writers. After completing initial evaluation, web design pays $20 a page, and content writing articles would net $35 including subject interview. Bonuses and commission also available.
Freelance Job Boards
Today there are several well-established freelance job boards, some are free while others charge a fee. If you're serious about freelancing, we suggest you subscribe to a couple different boards until you find which one works best for you.
In addition to gigs you can apply for, this site has information on insurance, events and meetups in your area, and political advocacy information. A must join for serious freelancers.
Post your profile and bid on projects of all types. All work is done commission free so you are free to forge off-site relationships and promote your services directly to buyers. A monthly fee of between $4.00 and $12.00 depending on type and length of membership will allow you to bid on as many projects as you wish.
A job board listing hundreds of short term, one-off jobs in the live entertainment industry. Production assistants, light board operators, runners, and everything inbetween.
Find freelance, contract, temporary, or consulting jobs. Free to search.
Aquent is the world’s leading marketing and design staffing agency. We match professionals with freelance, contract, try-before-you-hire, and full-time job opportunities at top organizations. Marketing, communications, web development, graphic design, etc.
A network of freelancers in the Seattle to Bay areas.
All types of freelance jobs. Free to look but must join with $39.95 monthly membership to apply for jobs. $2.95 trial subscriptions sometimes available.
Register, build your profile, take free online certifications, and apply to jobs to get started on oDesk. No membership fees.
A broad range of freelance opportunities. Gold and standard memberships starting from $24.00 mo. Can browse jobs for free so take a look to get an idea of job types and going rates.
A broad range of freelance opportunities. Must become a member to post your profile. Attracts a world-wide audience. Safe pay through escrow account.
Opportunities in Europe right now (do you speak German, French, or Spanish?) but coming to the US soon. Sign up to be contacted for the first US jobs.
Freelance project work for IT professionals like web designers and programmers
A broad range of freelance opportunities and probably the most popular site. You can sign up for free and receive job notifications, but before you can bid on a job, you must pay to become a member. Elance attracts a world-wide audience and so you will be competing against workers and companies from other countries. Some jobs will specify US only or English speaking only, others will not. Safe pay through escrow account. Can browse jobs for free but many of the bids are sealed so its hard to tell what the going rate is.
For media professionals including freelance writers, advertising professionals, copy editors, etc., Media Bistro offers a job board, career help, on-line courses, and community.
A compilation site for many freelance job postings.
When you've made the decision to become a freelance writer, this site gives you daily updated market listings, help with query letters, a tracking tool to organize and track your manuscript submissions, and lots of expert advice at your fingertips. All this for a reasonable price of $3.99 a month or $24.99 a year.
Next Steps
Check out our steps to starting your own business or preparing for flex work.
Start an on-line portfolio of your work. For information on getting your own website, go here.
Establish an advertising budget and start an advertising campaign on the internet or through the mail. For tips on marketing your services business, start at the Promotion Hub.
