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How to Win Freelancer Projects
It is no joke. Securing freelancer projects in the marketplace is a job in itself. You must be prepared to work as hard at finding contract work as you would at completing the work when assigned. And working hard not only means drumming away and mechanically sending out resume after resume with little thought given to the rhyme or reason. Securing a job, freelance marketplace or otherwise, requires a system. You must develop a process for identifying your desires and talents, as well as implement a plan to secure the work.
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7. Maintain a Web site that details your skills and showcases your work. Although employers can see your resume and portfolio, providing them with a URL in your proposal gives them an easy place to locate everything about you. Additionally, it gives you the opportunity to showcase your talent to the entire world and maintain an archive of all the code, Web sites, designs, or writing samples you created over the years.
8. Be proactive in your marketing by seeking new contacts, avenues, and methods to showcase and discuss your skills. New companies and opportunities for freelancers pop up every day and it is your job to stay on top of these developments and use them to the best of your ability. That being said, evaluate the methods you are currently using against the return. If you realize that you spend the same amount of time on three freelance avenues, though you only receive work from one, you may wish to consider shifting the time spent on the first two to the third. Abandoning those opportunities altogether may not be the answer, however borrowing time from them may be. If you spend 30 percent of your time on three venues, borrow 15 percent from the non-returning venues to allow you to spend 60 percent of your time with the company who grants you the most work.
9. Make sure all your documents are free of spelling and grammatical errors. Though you may be a C++ programmer who could not care less about grammar, the person in human resources will likely perceive that as poor communication skills on your part. And, as time has shown, all people need communication skills to survive and do well in the job market.
10. Complete all projects assigned to you in the most professional and time-conscious manner. Good credentials and a well-developed portfolio go a long way to securing future projects.
11. Ask clients you work with for referrals. Research has shown that 60 to 75 percent of the jobs filled today are filled through referrals. People are comfortable when dealing with those they know. If an employer is looking for a marketing analyst but doesn't know anyone personally, he is likely to consider a referral from a colleague a great deal more than a blind submission.
As a professional freelancer, you have to arm yourself with the information and tools needed to achieve success. By approaching job searching in the same way you would approach a hunt, with hunger and a cache of tools to achieve the end goal, your success is guaranteed.
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Extracted from the article by Cara M. Rickard - 'How to effectively market yourself and win freelance projects' - published at Guru.com(http://www.guru.com)
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