Getting A Job » Freelance Careers

How To Promote Your Freelance Work

admin — Sun, 10 May 2009 00:38:20 +0000

Many people today are turning to freelancing as a means to make money from the comfort of their own home without the dangers of other home-based business opportunities. Freelancing allows you to be your own boss, set your own hours and rates, work from the comfort of your own home while still being probably the safest home-based business opportunity there is. The only thing is that many people do not know how to go about promoting their freelance work. How do you get freelance work at home jobs? In this article we are going to discuss a couple of methods you can go about promoting yourself and getting freelance jobs.

The first method you will probably want to use is freelance jobs boards such as freelanceworkechange.com, elance.com and guru.com. These freelance jobs boards are the easiest method of getting freelance work. You will just need to register with one or two of these sites, go on as often as necessary (usually daily to begin with) and bid on freelance jobs that you would be able to do and that look interesting to you. You should also have examples of work that you can show but after this you will just need to wait to hear from the person who is seeking the freelancer and see if you won the freelance project.

There are also a number of other websites that offer opportunities for freelancers and depending on the type of area that you are seeking freelance work in you may find websites that are dedicated to that type of freelance work, for example, there are many websites on the internet offering opportunities for freelance writers or photographers. Search for these websites and see what they are offering.

You could also start up your own website and advertise your freelance skills on your own website. If you do not have the web design skills needed to start up your own website then find someone who can work with you and help you to set up your website. This is a more difficult and time-consuming way to get freelance work as you will also need to promote your website but it can offer a lot of work once you have it up and running and if your promotion is successful.

Once again, depending on the area of your freelance work, you may wish to contact companies in your area and find out whether they are offering any opportunities for freelancers. If you are a writer, photographer or artist you may want to contact newspapers, magazines or book publishers to find out if they have any freelance work available for you.

There are a number of different ways you can go about promoting yourself to get more freelance work, the easiest is to start with freelance jobs boards and websites dedicated to your specific type of freelance work. The next thing you may want to do is start up your own website and then contact companies in your area who may commission freelance work in the area you are looking for. There is a lot of freelance work available out there but more and more people are starting to go into freelance work so you will want to promote yourself in the best way possible and using as many methods as necessary to bring in the amount of work that you require.

By: Rob Palmer

About the Author:

Rob Palmer is the Editor of Freelance Work Exchange, the leading jobs site for contract professionals worldwide. Looking for a legitimate home business opportunity? Join Freelance Work Exchange for just $2.95 and get access to thousands of
freelance jobs and
work-at-home jobs for writers, designers, programmers and freelancers.
http://www.freelanceworkexchange.com

Grisly Freelance Death Traps

admin — Thu, 30 Apr 2009 15:35:09 +0000

For most of you out there who are either fairly new to freelancing jobs or who are seriously considering jumping in, a big question may still remain of whether you will be able to make it or not. The answer is that EVERYONE can succeed in freelancing, however, many do not.

Unfortunately for those who do not succeed, they do not realize that many factors that cause them to fail are within their own control. The key is to recognize what these factors are and take the right steps to control them. In this article, I’m going to focus on the factors that will cause the bloody death of your freelance career (and has caused for many other). The next week’s article will focus on the Freelance Life Lines for your career.

The following are the five death traps you want to avoid when starting out in freelance. If you are already in your freelance career, then pay attention. This just may save you.

Death Trap #1: Not having a backup plan or backup source of income

Speaking from experience, most freelancers will not have an idea of what freelancing is really like until they complete their first year… and that is a big IF they complete their first year. Therefore, you would be taking a huge risk if you decide to suddenly decide to tell your boss to go to #!@% off and think you can continue to earn your income by freelancing.

As a newcomer to the freelance world, you will need a period of adjustment to get used to the demands of it. I won’t go into depth of these demands here, but to name a few, there are high/low workloads, customer/client service (yes, you have to keep them happy) and invoicing/collections.

What often happens for a new freelancer, too, is that initially they will notice their income decreases from what they made in a paid position. This is overwhelming enough to cause many to panic and quit freelancing and resume working in their careers for a fixed salary.

To overcome the “freelance panic” and freelancing demands, the best route to go is to not quit your job and to freelance part-time in addition to it. Sure, this may bring about a very heavy workload, however, it is the best way to learn freelancing in your field without losing income.

Once you are established as a freelancer, you may want to decrease the hours in the salaried position and increase the freelance workload if at all possible. This method can all but guarantee that you will have a smooth transition into a freelance career.

Now, there are those who may jump into freelancing right away without having been in a salaried position in their career field. The same demands of freelancing still apply, in addition to the demands of their chosen field. That is why in this case, a fallback job or other source of income, even if not related to their career field, is ideal.

A backup source of income can be vital to giving you peace of mind and keeping you from quitting when times get difficult in freelancing. Believe me, too, they can get difficult.

Death Trap #2: Not being service minded

It is safe to say that most of us have had some kind of job position where we’ve had to deal with customers in a friendly and helpful manner. For those of you who haven’t, then for sure you have had to deal with some kind of customer service whether it was returning a purchased item, complaining of service, or receiving help.

In either case, do you remember being yelled at by the “nasty” customer or getting poor service, yourself? Can you remember what their voice sounded like when they got on your bad side?

Well the same will apply to your freelance job. Argue with your clients and treat them poorly and you can kiss your freelance career goodbye. The opposite is true, too. Treat them like you really appreciate their business and they will keep coming back AND bring their friends with them.

All of this boils down to one simple concept: service-mindedness.

If you honestly appreciate your clients, you will do the little things such as, getting work done on time, delivering high quality and even responding promptly to emails. Such things make a client feel appreciated and keeps work coming which is especially important to a new freelancer.

One thing that must be noted, though, is where the line should be drawn where it may appear that a client is taking advantage of your kind treatment. It is actually pretty simple. In this case, you have to be firm, but polite with them. Not surprisingly, most clients will try to see where their dollar will take them. If you keep giving in to complaints/requests for changes, they will keep coming back with more.

A rule of thumb is to always fix mistakes made on your part, but charge if a change/fix requested was not due to your error. Inform the client in a polite but stern manner and they will they won’t take advantage of you.

Death Trap #3: Not making a working schedule

Part of the reason that the majority of us switch to freelancing is to get out of the 9 – 5 grind Monday through Friday. We want the ability to sleep in on a Monday morning and the freedom to take a three hour lunch break if we want to. What is generally not taken into account, however, is that despite our perceived freedoms in freelancing, we still have to work those eight or more hours a day during the week. Sometimes more.

If you freelance at home, too, you also open yourself to distractions that can inhibit your workday. After all, there is a bed, refrigerator, TV and a sofa all within arm’s reach from your working desk. What has to be done is to get into the habit of eliminating these distractions and getting yourself used to good working habits.

One of the most important things you can do to gain a good working habit is to create a working schedule. This may sound like the dreaded work schedule at your old job, but here you have the freedom to schedule anything.

The schedule should be started by first determining the hours you want (or need) to work in an entire week. Divide these hours up by the number of days you will work in the week then schedule in the daily hours in a weekly planner. Remember, you have the freedom to work at 3 AM as you do 3 PM. The important thing is to stick to those scheduled hours like you would at a job.

As you are working, be sure to keep track of the time and make sure you complete scheduled times. Try not to “cut-off” from working five minutes early nor starting five minutes later than your starting time. The goal is to develop a productive working habit and not be a clock-watcher like most were at their old job.

Once in a while, you will have an emergency or you may have had a little too much fun the night before to keep you from sticking to your schedule. Do your best to reschedule those working hours for another day in the week or divide them among the rest of the week.

Keep the habit of working your desired weekly hours and you won’t have to worry about the distractions that often dooms freelancers to low productivity… and low income.

Death Trap #4: Charging too little for your work

Freelance newbies are often so eager to find work they will accept any price for a job. Then they quickly find they do not earn the income they thought they would and quit.

This is by far one of the biggest mistakes made as a freelancer since this leaves you open to being taken advantage of by employers. Even if you are new in your field, there is a market price for the work you do and you are entitled to it.

The key is to know what prices are being offered for the type of work you do. More specifically, you need to determine a price range paid for a project where you know exactly the requirements to complete it. Then you bid a price on a project within that range.

Note that you may have to take a longer time than a more experienced freelancer to complete a project, but as long as you note the time for completion to the employer when you bid, this will not make a difference.

Do not sell yourself short if you are looking for work and/or if you are new to your career field. Remember that there are plenty of people looking for freelancers to provide a service at a price ideal for you. Your focus should be on looking for one of these instead of taking anything that just happens to come your way. Be patient because they will come.

Death Trap #5: Not tracking your production

As a freelancer, you are officially a business. As a business you need to track your working income to see where you can be more efficient and grow your business to earn even more.

Let me give you an example. Personally, I found that as long as I was able to pay the rent every month, eat and go out on the weekends, then I was doing more than enough to make ends meet. Why should I have to worry about what I make if it appeared to be enough?

Well, the answer is that as a business, you want to run efficiently. You could actually come to find that you are leaving money on the table like I did.

What did I do?

I first kept track of my hours (see Death Trap #3 above), but then kept track of what I did in those hours. For instance, I would spend a typical day responding to business emails and client questions and then doing the work of my field. What I came to find was that I would spend a disproportionate amount of time emailing (which doesn’t pay!) rather than doing productive work earning myself an income.

Just from this finding, I was able to limit non-income business activities and increase my income. This is also without increasing the number of hours I work.

* * *

Fortunately for you, if you are new to freelancing or are even considering it, you don’t have to go through the same growing pains as I did in order to succeed. I don’t want to tell you that everything is roses, because it is not. You will come across obstacles not mentioned here that you will have to get through, but in truth, will be necessary for you to grow in freelancing.

Heed my five Death Traps of Freelancing though. These will help you pass through the worst of what could come.

By: Johnny Spence

About the Author:

Johnny Spence
Author of The Rookie Freelance Job Guide
Journal: The Freelance Rant
Johnny Spence has been a freelancer since 2003 and has not looked back since quitting the J-O-B for good back then. He encourages everyone else to jump on the boat and do the same and will not stop until all middle-management bosses are eliminated from the universe.

Should You Freelance? Considerations to Take Into Account Before You Become a Freelancer

admin — Wed, 29 Apr 2009 21:34:06 +0000

What is a freelancer?A freelancer is a self-employed person who does work in one or more of a number of professions. The most common freelancer professions are writing, editing, photography, web design, graphic arts and computer programming. Rather than being an employee for a business, freelancers sell or contract their work to their clients. This article considers the challenges that freelancers face and helps you make the decision as to whether freelancing is for you or not.

Working as a freelancer seems like the ideal opportunity – flexible hours, good pay, the opportunity to fit your career in around your other commitments (rather than vice versa, as is often the case). But there are considerations that you should take into account before making the decision to go freelance.

Why work as a freelancer?

Most of us have thought at some point that freelancing would be a great opportunity – usually on a cold, wet Monday morning. No travelling to work on a crowded bus or sitting in traffic; no boss shouting in your ear telling you what to do; in fact, no need to get off the couch until midday.

Freelancing does come with a large number of benefits but it isn’t an easy option. You need to consider why you want to be a freelancer.

Good reasons for freelancing include:

Family commitments – if you’re caring for another person such as a child or elderly relatives which makes it impossible to work regular hours, freelancing will save you the journey to and from part time work, and allow you to be flexible with your time

Extra income – if you’ve already got a job but it doesn’t pay well and you have at least 3-4 hours a week you could devote to earning extra money, freelancing will allow you to earn that extra income whilst keeping your existing job.

In addition to looking at your motives, you may want to consider the following issues:

Tax breaks

As a freelancer you’ll be self-employed and so working from home means that you can claim a fair proportion of expenses against any tax liability. For example, if you use a room in your house you may be able to claim a proportion of cleaning, mortgage interest, council tax and home insurance costs against your tax bill, provided that an area of the home is solely in business use for a significant amount of time.

Flexible Working

If you already have a job and you’re in the UK, your employer may be under an obligation to consider allowing you to work flexitime (they do not have to grant this request, however).

Discipline

Do you find it easy to concentrate on a project? Or are you quickly distracted by chatter, the television, magazines, children or other things that surround you? Freelancing from home requires discipline – the ability to shut out all distractions and concentrate on the job in hand. If you’re not particularly disciplined, you’ll find that in the absence of your boss to keep an eye on you, your attention is diverted by the constant stream of chores and distractions that keep you away from the computer.

Solitude

If you enjoy the company of your associates at work, freelancing at home may come as a bit of a shock. Freelancers don’t have the chatter and bustle of a busy office – which can be an advantage, in terms of concentration, but it can also make for a rather lonely existence during work hours. If you love the company you get at work and need to have people around you, freelancing might not be for you.

If you’re still considering freelancing as an option, think about how in your life you can replace the interaction you’d get from work. If you have a partner, don’t rely on them to be your entire social network when they come home from work every day – you’ll have no experiences to share and little to talk about. Join a gym, a class or a group so you have the circle of friends that you would have had as an employee.

Space

Don’t be fooled into thinking you can work at home in the living room if you have two lively toddlers around you in the day. Neither is the cold garage, the windowless attic or the cluttered box room a good environment for home working. You need a comfortably heated, well-lit, tidy room that you can organise your belongings in, free from (the majority of) interruptions. Granted that if you don’t have that space, you may have to improvise but the important thing is that you have some space to yourself that is comfortable, practical and sufficient to allow you to arrange your books, journals and notes without them being covered in coffee stains or used for drawing paper. It is also highly advisable not to use a bedroom or living room because you’ll have nowhere to relax when you’re finished and you’ll end up feeling like you’re at work every minute of the day.

Time Management

One of the most difficult aspects of freelancing at home is time management. Freelancers often choose to work at home so they can fit their work around their life – but this very thing makes freelancing a challenge. It is necessary to draw a line between work time and leisure time, setting aside certain parts of the day for working and certain parts to deal with other commitments. If no line is drawn, you’ll find little errands: ‘making the kids a snack’, ‘running to the shops’, ‘checking your emails’, take up a huge portion of the day. The answer is to create a routine for your freelance work: have the same portions of the day set aside for work, plan reasonable breaks and stick to the planned finishing time. Turn off your mobile if you can, or have a separate number for work and for private calls. Don’t forget that you do need to take regular breaks from your screen for the sake of your health.

Support Team

Whilst you may be considering freelancing so that you can support others, having your own support team is vital to the success of your lifestyle choice. Firstly, family and friends need to understand your decision and know that you aren’t always available for a chat or to go for lunch. Secondly, you need to appreciate that freelancing at home is still a job and if your children get sick and you don’t have any help, you’ll have to sacrifice your work time for your other commitments. Like any other job, if you don’t work, you don’t get paid. So consider building in advance a ’support team’ – people who can help when things go wrong. It’s especially useful as a parent if you have back-up people to collect children from school or nurse them when they’re ill. The better your support team as a working parent or carer, the more chance you have of making this succeed.

No work?

One final, but vital, consideration for those considering freelancing full time. Can you afford to sustain yourself if there’s no work available? Many freelance opportunities are seasonal and you may find during the off-peak times that work is thin on the ground. If you need a regular, reliable income, you may be better off freelancing part time and working part or full time.

By: Jennifer Wiss

About the Author:

I am a F.ILEX (Fellow of the Institute of Legal Executives) specialising in property law, civil litigation and company law.I hold an LL.B with first class honours as well as qualifications in criminology and philosophy. I acquired over six years of experience working in private practice in the Midlands, dealing with both English and American law. Prior to qualifying as a Fellow, I worked in various positions and gained a variety of experience in different business sectors. I have also provided support as an Associate Lecturer on the Open University LL.B course. I now work for a private company in Nottinghamshire, although I still have a current practicing certificate. I have written over 130 research papers in various areas of law over the past three years.

Freelance Job

admin — Sat, 24 Jan 2009 01:54:09 +0000

Work from home, running your own freelance job and take control of your own future. Sounds great, huh? And now you can make it happen. 102Freelancejob is dedicated to bringing you all the latest freelance jobs and employment opportunities, with new listings added daily. Whether you are a freelance writer, freelance designer, freelance programmer or other professional, we are here to help. So no matter if you’re an experienced professional, or just starting out, we can bring you hot leads and cool projects in every work-at-home job and freelance sector, including: http://www.102freelancejob.com

Freelance jobs are becoming a common trend nowadays. With more and more companies offering flexible timings, the rigid 9 to 6 jobs don’t hold true any more. Freelance jobs or self-employment jobs offers one the freedom to pursue something else side by side. When it comes to self-employment or freelance jobs, many opt for work from home arrangements.

Freelance jobs are available in all possible streams, be it content, programming, designing, teaching, data entry… you name it and the jobs are available.

It would be advisable to mention here that data entry; web-designing, writing are segments which works well for freelancers. Freelance options also work nicely in the outsourcing segment. In fact, many outsourcing firms and BPOs are looking out for freelancers to carry out their various assignments. This trend of part time jobs and work from home arrangements are leading to generation of more jobs and more and more people taking up lucrative careers.

Freelance Jobs

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For various types of job opportunities, visit http://www.102freelancejob.com, I assure you will get what you are looking for

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By: freelance job

About the Author:

working as a marketing management

Employees That Work From Home at Online Jobs

admin — Tue, 20 Jan 2009 04:51:55 +0000

Work from Home at Online Jobs

Employees working from home to carry out their online employment it is really no different from going to work in many ways. The jobs that require making calls are based on the idea that the calls are routed to your home either over the Internet, or over the regular phone lines.

Paid focus groups are among the many online jobs on offer. A “Focus Group” is a group of individuals selected and assembled by researchers to discuss and comment on, from personal experience, the topic that is the subject of the research.

Paid surveys and mystery shopping jobs are a great way to make money online and they can produce a significant stream of money for people that have decided to work at home. You can do it part-time and earn $500-$1000 per month or work at it full time and make up to $40,000 per year!

We would like to point out that paid membership is totally unnecessary, as you can locate the same online jobs for free, even though it may take you quite some time and effort.

Jobs should be free to join, and easy to set up. However, do remember what I say when I tell you that you have to spend at least 2 hours a day average to make some progress. Free hosting can be used but it comes with ads that are clustered all over your website and you would normally not want that.

Online work is here to stay, and although not everyone’s skill set is suitable to online work, you might be surprised to find out just how easy it is to work from home if you have the motivation.

Online work is especially enticing if one is already home due to parenting obligations, disability, or lack of transportation. Another benefit of working from home is that a college education is not necessary. Online work is organized according to workshop topics. Each workshop has its own folder with work related to that workshop in the folder.

Sites like Idealist.org , NetSquared or NTEN are good places to find non-profit tech jobs or introductions to organizations that might be hiring.

Working online is quite similar as offline business. Working online is also, in some ways, more secure. If your hard disk crashes, your laptop gets stolen or any other disaster strikes, your valuable online work is stored safely on some big server probably on the other side of the Atlantic. Working online is in no way like working a 9-5 job. Most people think they can just quit their day job and find immediate success.

Communicating with clients is always or should always be a priority and one of the web based services I am using to do that is GrandCentral. GrandCentral is a great tool. Communicate in your own time. In traditional jobs, the phone can be a constant interruption.

Freelancers do a lot of things while working on the Internet. Many bid-for-work sites offer jobs daily for freelancers working on the net.

Online jobs are available right now. Such jobs are basically the jobs that can be done via the internet or via the World Wide Web. Generally, these jobs of working on the internet are associated with working from home. Online jobs are all around you.

By: Steve Evans

About the Author:

Masses of Job Agencies will maybe offer you a job interview, but how will you show yourself in the the best light? We know the feeling well. In fact, so many others in your position just don’t do anything and stay in dead end jobs for many years for the fear of failure. Now, that is not you is it? Nor, was it your author. He scoured the internet for the best reports for online job searchers and is now giving them away for instant downloading. Just follow the link in the last sentence for your reports, plus you get a $25 mystery gift on registration.