Freelancer.com opens the global job market to freelancers in all trades and professions. Our
unique platform eliminates the need for expensive advertising and lets you offer
your talents and skills to the world without ever leaving your home or office.
Whether you’re looking for part-time work to supplement your income or you want
to expand the client base for your full-time business, you’ll find the
opportunities on our site. Experienced freelancers know how difficult and
expensive it can be to promote yourself and your business. No matter what your
areas or level of expertise, exposure is the key to a successful start. In the
past, that meant spending a lot of time and money spent on getting your name out
to the public. At Freelancer.com, we bring the employers and the jobs to you.
You find the jobs that interest you and compete with other freelancers through a
simple bidding system. Service providers and prospective employers communicate
via a Private Message Board during the bidding process, so you can submit
samples and hold discussions without giving away your strategies. No expensive
advertising, no complicated applications, no business card required. There’s
simply no easier way to find work. Many of our registered service providers find
repeat business and even full-time employment through our project board. When an
employer selects you for a project, we offer secure payment through our
Milestone Payments system. You and the employer can determine a payment schedule
and payments can be made directly to your online account, which is included with
your Freelancer.com membership. Payment through our website is optional; you and
the employer can use whatever method works best for you, however using our
payment system also enables the rating system for the project. This allows you
and the employer to rate each other and leave comments after a transaction. This
information is attached to your profile and helps establish your reputation for
future prospects. As earnings accumulate in your account, you transfer them as
needed to your bank account, PayPal or MoneyBookers account. There’s even an
optional debit card available that provides you with immediate access to the
funds in your account anytime. Working through Freelancer.com is affordable,
too. In fact, you can sign up for free. You’ll pay a small commission on each
project. To avoid those commissions, you can become a Gold member at any time.
Gold members pay a very reasonable monthly fee and no commissions on projects.
Employers may also post important projects for Gold members only, so your
monthly membership fee allows you access to even more jobs. As an added bonus,
Freelancer.com provides a wide range of tools to make finding work easier as
well as increase your earning potential. Add our free button for your Google
toolbar to provide quick, easy access to your account. For really fast access to
projects that match your skill set, select one or more of our RSS feeds to have
project notifications delivered directly to your web browser or RSS reader. Web
developers and site owners can generate extra cash with nearly no effort at all
with our affiliate programs, featuring unusually high commissions and fast
payouts. Developers can also utilize our data feeds and API to populate their
own sites, databases and applications. Freelancer.com helps you turn your
hard-earned skills into a substantial income. Freelancing has never been easier
or more profitable.
Tips for New Freelancers
Freelance contracting is becoming increasingly popular in today’s society, and with good reason. With economic crises and unstable job markets worldwide, it makes sense to use your skills and talents to build a business of your own. Freelancing offers many advantages for motivated individuals, including such perks as setting your own hours and days off. On the other hand, there are a number of ways things can go very wrong. It’s important to know the risks and how to avoid them. There are also a number of things you can do to increase the odds of your success. First of all, using Freelancer.com to search for and obtain work in your field(s) is, of course, a step in the right direction. By providing the marketplace for service providers and prospective employers around the globe, we reduce the time and costs involved in soliciting work for your business. There are several things new freelancers should consider carefully, from the beginning of the bidding process to delivering the final product. By using the tools GAF provides wisely, service providers can protect their interests and build a reputation for themselves quickly. No matter what type of project, always look at the employer’s profile and feedback (if any exists). While the profile information may be sketchy and there’s no guarantee of accuracy, experienced service buyers often provide enough profile information to let a freelancer know who he or she is dealing with. Likewise, the lack of profile information may indicate either a new service buyer or one with something to hide. Feedback, if available, is indispensable in providing an overview of how an employer has dealt with past contractors. It pays to know as much as possible about an employer before you consider entering into a contract. Once you’ve decided to bid on a project, follow the steps outlined in our article titled “10 Tips for Writing an Effective Proposal”. Using these guidelines will help increase your chances of being hired. During the bidding process, use the Project Clarification Board and Private Message Board as necessary to be sure you and the employer both understand exactly what will be provided, when and how much pay you expect. Before accepting a project award, be sure to go over the project details again carefully. If there are possible issues, contact the employer to resolve these before you commit to the project. Better to pass up a job than to accept it with too many unknowns. Depending on the size of the project, you may want to work out milestone payments as portions of the project are completed. Most employers will agree to this on larger projects. It’s also not unusual for freelancers to ask for an up-front payment on large-scale projects, but many employers will be hesitant to do this for contractors without feedback. Remember that there are risks on both sides of a freelance contract. Freelancers and employers alike should consider using Freelancer.com's Milestone Payment service, for the protection of both parties. Finally, gaining positive feedback is one way to build your reputation quickly. Most employers will be happy to provide good feedback for a service provider after a successful project, but it’s important to remember that you must be paid through Freelancer.com in order to receive feedback. Our aim at Freelancer.com is to encourage new freelance contractors and help them to build successful businesses. Good luck and happy freelancing!
10 Tips for Writing an Effective Bid
With thousands of freelancers competing for jobs and perhaps a hundred or more bidding on the same job, how do you make your bid stand out from the rest? The fact is each employer is as different as each freelancer, so there really isn’t a “magic formula” that works for every bid. There are, however some important steps you can take to increase the chances that a prospective employer will consider your bid seriously. Here are ten simple tips for writing an effective bid:
1. Read the project description carefully. After all, if the employer doesn’t feel you understand the project, you’re not likely to win the bidding. Besides, many employers will ask for specific details that you need to be aware of. In fact, employers often include a phrase that must be included in your bid in order to have it considered. The bottom line is, you should always take the time to go through the description thoroughly.
2. If you have questions, use the Project Clarification Board before you bid. Winning a project without knowing exactly what you’re getting into isn’t a good situation for you or the service buyer.
3. Keep your bid clear, concise and to the point. Remember that the employer may have dozens or even hundreds of bids to consider. It’s very likely that every word of every bid isn’t going to be read. Bids with unnecessarily long descriptions may be skipped over completely. Don’t invite the employer to ignore your bid by making it too wordy.
4. State your terms clearly. Using the project description as a guide, be as precise as possible in stating exactly what you’ll provide, how much it will cost, and how long it will take to deliver. Being vague about your terms implies a lack of confidence. If you’re not confident in yourself, the employer won’t be, either. As we’ve already mentioned, use the Project Clarification Board to ask the employer questions if you need more details.
5. Follow up with a private message. After you place your bid, use the private message board to provide more information. This is the appropriate place to add those less important details you avoided in your bid. After all, if your bid generated enough interest to get the employer this far, you’re halfway there. Now those details may make the difference.
6. It’s always a good idea to upload samples with your private message or provide links to online examples. Be sure, however, that your examples are appropriate for the job and represent your best work. Quality, not quantity is usually the rule of thumb when submitting samples.
7. A word of caution: Unless you’re prepared to give your work away, any samples you provide should bear a watermark or other means of identification or at the very least your name and a statement of copyright.
8. Be competitive with your pricing. Note that this doesn't necessarily mean you need to be the lowest bidder. Bidding in a world-wide marketplace makes for tough competition, but if your work is truly above average, you may find that employers are willing to pay above average prices. On the other hand, if you’re relatively new to freelancing, you may need to establish a reputation first. A little common sense will go a long way here.
9. Don’t oversell yourself. A little self-confidence is a good thing, but over-the-top claims probably won’t impress anyone. Being frank and honest about your skills will get you much farther than a lot of hype.
10. Last, but certainly not least, proofread your bid before you submit it. Is it written clearly? Are there misspellings? No matter what kind of project you’re bidding on, a poorly written proposal suggests a lack of interest and poor work habits. Neither of those is going to work in your favor.
Narrowing your Focus for Freelancing Success
If you’re like many working freelancers you probably have more than one set of skills. With nearly every phase of today’s active businesses being partially or completely outsourced, it’s easy to branch out into different areas. For instance, a web developer may have programming skills, and may also have the opportunity to dabble in graphic design and content writing. Dabbling can lead to more work, more work means more income and before you know it, you can find yourself with a whole new portfolio. Situations like the one described above are actually quite common in the world of freelance contracting. What’s more, the situation is often promoted by employers. Many service buyers like the idea of having one “go to guy or gal” for multiple project types. This scenario works for some freelancers. For many, though, one area or another of the business eventually begins to suffer. Many of you reading this article will be familiar with the feeling of being stretched too thin. If you’re pushing project deadlines and working extra hours, maybe you’ve broadened the scope of your business to the point of excess. Overexpansion has been the demise of many previously successful individuals. Just to be clear, the example used above is only an example and we’re not saying you have to specialize or limit the scope of your work to be successful. Every freelancer has his or her unique formula for success. Just remember that adding extra ingredients may weaken the formula. If your current mix isn’t working, maybe it’s been thinned too much. So, if you think you may need to narrow your focus, how do you start? By determining where your efforts should be concentrated. There are several factors to consider, but one good indicator is the amount of income from each area you’re working in. If one or two types of work are creating more income, there’s probably a good reason. It may surprise you to learn that this is probably the work you most enjoy. Perhaps it shouldn’t be too startling, since doing what you love is part of the reason you started freelancing in the first place. There may be other deciding factors and in the final analysis, it’s up to you to determine what works best for you and your business. If you discover that you’re making an unplanned career change by eliminating or de-emphasizing what’s been the supporting facet of your business in the past, don’t be too concerned. Keep a positive attitude and make it a change for the better. Remember that you’re making these adjustments for the health of your business. One final note: You don’t necessarily need to eliminate any income streams. Fortunately, you have the power of outsourcing at your fingertips, just like those service buyers that hire you. Countless freelancers have expanded their business by hiring other skilled individuals. With a work force of thousands of talented people available, it’s easy to find a few that you can work with to continue to provide a wide range of services for your clients.
Milestone Payments
Freelancer.com provides users with the Milestone Payment feature to help projects get completed smoothly. Employers can set aside a specific amount of money into a Milestone Payment for a specific service provider. Both users can then view the payment, but only the Employer can release the payment to the Service Provider. The Service Provider is the only person (other than Freelancer.com staff) who can cancel this payment. This gives each party half of the control over the Milestone Payment. If the project is completed, the Employer can release the payment. If the project is cancelled amicably, the Service Provider can cancel the payment and the money will return to the Employer's account. If there are any disputes over a project, the Dispute Resolution System can be used to get Freelancer.com staff to look at the situation. Freelancer.com encourages its users to send and receive money with the Milestone Payment system, because it's another great way to make sure everyone gets what they want from a project. To manage your Milestone Payments, login to your account and click on "Payments" from the menu list. Contact us if you have any questions.
Why use milestone?
This will help Freelancers build reputation. Reputation puts a Freelancer higher in the bid rankings. The higher you are, the more likely you will be picked and the more money you will earn.
This will help Freelancers with their Completion Rate. Employers will have the security of knowing that their projects will be completed and will not be abandoned by an unreliable Freelancer.
A sponsored bid is a way to get noticed immediately by Employers, over competing Freelancers. Use it to move your bid to the top of the bid list by paying the sponsorship amount displayed. If your sponsored bid is one of the 3 highest amounts, you'll appear in the top 3 spots on the project bid list. Then, if your bid is selected and you accept the project, you get a full refund! If your bid is knocked out of the top 3, you'll also get a refund.
Highlighted Bids is an option for Freelancers to feature their bids, highlight it and make it stand out from all the other bids. It incurs a onetime fee of $1.00 USD. When you want to highlight your bid, tick that option in the bid creation page. If you don't have funds in your account, you will get an "Insufficient Funds" error.
We recommend the use of our Milestone Payment. We also recommend Freelancers to ask for the Milestone Payment first before doing any work. Feedback is also available only if the Freelancer is paid in full using the Milestone Payment system. To enter a contest you need to be a registered Freelancer.com.bd user and have the specific skills required for that contest in your My Qualifications page, such as Graphic Design or Logo Design. If you’re not registered sign up now, complete your Profile, and then read the contest holder’s design brief. You’re now ready to start submitting your contest entries. We’ll let you know by posting an item on the newsfeed in your Freelancer.com.bd Dashboard, and by email, when a designer submits their first entry to your contest. Good luck!
