| Employment for freelancers and contractors has | | | | goes above and beyond the call of duty. Also |
| grown steadily over the last few years as the global | | | | remember that when you are starting out you will |
| contracting market is now open to all via the internet. | | | | have no feedback and the first person to hire you will |
| No matter what your field of employment and the | | | | be taking you on trust. For this reason it might be |
| corresponding contracting sector, there will be work | | | | worth bidding low on your first few jobs, just so you |
| available online via one of the many freelance work | | | | can get work and start to build a reputation. |
| sites. There are hundreds of sites dedicated to | | | | Thirdly, learn to only bid on jobs you can do, and have |
| contracting work but the top sites and those with the | | | | a good chance of winning. There are a number of |
| most established reputations are Elance, Virtual | | | | reasons for this but the main one is not wasting your |
| Assistants, Guru.com, Odesk and Sologig. All of these | | | | bids (often you pay the site for a certain amount of bid |
| have a huge variety of jobs across most industries. | | | | 'credits'). Similarly, it does not look good if your profile |
| As an example, Elance covers 'Writing & Translation', | | | | shows you have bid on loads of jobs, across a |
| 'Web & Programming', 'Design & Multimedia', 'Sales & | | | | number of fields and hardly won any. |
| Marketing', 'Admin Support, 'Legal', 'Engineering & Mfg', | | | | Next, remember that when bidding you should always |
| and 'Finance & Mgt'. | | | | have a game plan or tactic that suits your style and |
| For most freelancers new to these sites however the | | | | works for you. Once you have established your |
| important question is how to get noticed. Unfortunately, | | | | tactics, stick to them. Some people, for example, like to |
| just as the number of available online jobs is on the | | | | be the first to bid, once they have found a project that |
| increase every day, so too is the number of people | | | | they are interested in. This method suots people that |
| competing for those jobs. There are now contractors | | | | have a price in their heads they will work for and who |
| in every field and no matter how good you might be at | | | | will not negotiate that price. The advantage is that your |
| your job, if you are to make money contracting online | | | | bid will be at the top, will get the most attention and of |
| you need to make your bid stand out when submitting | | | | course, will be the first bid the buyer reads. With most |
| proposals. | | | | sites the buyer can end the bidding at any point so it is |
| Indeed there are certain things you can do, and steps | | | | important to get in early. On the other hand, some |
| you must follow, to ensure your bid is the one that | | | | people prefer to wait until later on in the bidding. There |
| lands the job. | | | | are many buyers who are looking for a combination of |
| Firstly, you need to make sure your profile is | | | | good proposal and good price. The advantage of |
| immaculately presented, well written and includes a | | | | waiting is that you can put in a more competitive bid |
| portfolio of your very best work. This portfolio should | | | | once you have seen how everyone else has bid and |
| cover the areas that you specialize in, as well as | | | | pitch somewhere between the highest and lowest |
| broader areas you have covered. It should include | | | | bids. Whichever system you favor is up to you. |
| qualifications and industry accreditations as well as a | | | | Finally, make sure that the proposal you submit is more |
| mission statement about how you work. Finally, it | | | | appealing and more professional than your |
| should include a link to both your own website and | | | | competitors. Do not use a standard form that gives |
| references. It cannot be underestimated just how | | | | the impression you have not read the job details. Make |
| important this profile is. This is your business card, cv | | | | sure your proposal shows a clear understanding of the |
| and portfolio all rolled into one and it is on the strength | | | | specifics of the job and give details of work you have |
| of this profile that most people will make a decision. | | | | done in the same field, pointing to examples in your |
| Secondly, the next most important thing to your profile | | | | portfolio and possible referees. Highlight how you will |
| is your reputation on the site. This is built on the | | | | go about the job, a timeline for each step of the job |
| feedback you get from each job. Again, how much | | | | and a firm deadline for completion. |
| work you get on these sites depends on the reviews | | | | Follow all these steps and you should soon be on your |
| people read, so you are only as good as your last few | | | | way in the world of freelancing. For more tips on the |
| jobs. For this reason, you can never, ever let your | | | | best bidding sites and the best tactic for bidding, |
| standards slip on these sites as you cannot escape | | | | consult the various contractor forums and contractor |
| one dodgy review. Make sure, particularly when | | | | news sites on the internet. |
| starting out and trying to get feedback, that your work | | | | |