As a contractor on oDesk, your profile is your key to winning projects and building a strong clientele. You gotta make sure that it attracts, persuades, and convinces potential clients to hire you. So with this snazzy looking profile out and ready for the oDesk public, you can take advantage of the updates to make it work for you.

In this post, I’ll share with you a couple of tips on how to make the most out of your new oDesk profile by taking advantage of the new features and layout, and improving some of the older sections as well.

1. Skills

Below your name and title is a group of words called skills. Skills is an updated feature in that clients can now search for contractors based on his or her skills. By adding standardized skill terms from the oDesk Skills Dictionary to your profile, clients can easily locate your oDesk profile when searching based on the skills they need for a project.

Click on Settings > My Contractor Profile. Scroll down till you see the Skills section and press the yellow Add button to add your skills. Add as many relevant skills as you can, or suggest a few to oDesk if they’re not available in the database.

2. Plain Text and the Objective

oDesk contractor profiles support plain text editing only, so any signs of CSS or HTML coding in your objective, portfolio descriptions, and the like will reflect badly when previewed up front. If you used to decorate your profile with colors and funny symbols, it’s time to sweep them out.

While cleaning up your descriptions, take a look at your objective and see if there’s anything you can do to improve it. Rephrasing a sentence or completely rewriting your objective can make a huge difference for you, so take some time off to review and improve this important section of your profile.

3. Work History and Feedback

The next section is your Work History and Feedback. It’s one of the most crucial parts of a contractor’s profile because it shows all of your feedback stars, ratings, and comments from clients you’ve worked with in the past.

By clicking on a particular work history, a pop-up window opens up to show the job description, the feedback given by the client, the star ratings, and your own feedback and rating for the client.

Wow your potential clients with your awesome five-star ratings.

What should you do at this point? Use it as motivation!

Aim to earn four- to five-star feedback ratings for all of your present and future contracts. Your contractor profile will then sparkle so much that your future clients can’t refuse to choose you as a potential candidate. Oh, and your profile will rank higher in oDesk’s searches too.

4. Portfolio, Revamped

At a glance, the portfolio section shows thumbnails and titles of your latest finished projects. A client will have to click on a particular thumbnail to know more about what the project is about.

With that said, there’s no reason for you not to fill up each item with its respective details and a short description of what it’s about. A tip would be to mention how you came up with this project, what methods/tools you used to create the project, and the results if there are any.

5. Tests

Your skills test are just below your portfolio with the test scores and time duration displayed clearly. It might be a good time to re-take old tests and aim for higher scores.

Clients do consider how knowledgeable you are of a particular skill or field, so impress them with a couple of Top 20% or Top 10% badges this time around.

Final Thoughts

If you haven’t checked out or edited your oDesk profile in a while, now’s the best time to do so. Since the new design showcases the most important details of your profile, taking some time off to review, edit, and improve these areas will surely benefit you as an oDesk contractor.

Here are a couple of other helpful oDesk blog posts you may want to read as well:

• The oDesk Profile: 6 Commonly Overlooked Items and How to Improve Them
• The oDesk 2-Part Series: How to Be a Great Contractor
• Additional Cover Letter Tips for oDesk Contractors

How is your oDesk profile doing, so far? What steps have you taken after receiving news of the new design?

Freelancing has been a blessing for many people for the flexibility and the added income it offers. But the idea of being one’s own boss to rely on can also be scary and frightening to some.

So for today’s Q&A, what scares you the most about freelancing?

Personally, what scares me the most is not establishing a stable flow of work every month. Since freelancers work on a contractual basis, they are not tied permanently to their clients.

Once the project is done, it’s done.

Second to this is when a client decides to cut the project prematurely and only a portion of the agreed project price is paid. Most freelancing experts would suggest a severance fee whenever this happens, but the time spent planning the project and the effort given to bring the project to life are wasted nonetheless.

Let’s hear from you now. What scares you the most about freelancing?

There’s only one problem with freelance work, and it’s a problem that scares talented individuals from getting on the freelance wagon:

Freelance work always has an end date.

Even after doing an exemplary job and the client is thrilled, she will eventually tell you when the project is coming to an end. In other words, you’re needed only until the project is complete. And because of this, freelancers tend to fear going out on their own because they feel that there is no stability or assurance that they will be able to find work after the contract is over.

Well, there is a way to maintain a stable flow of freelance work. You can increase your chances of finding work even after your first project is coming to an end. And it is in this post that I’ll share some great tips on how to do so.

•  Always give your latest contact details. Package your latest contact details—work email address, Skype ID, mobile number, or landline if you take phone calls—into a business card or a splash page to make it easy for both present and future clients to contact you. Clients favor responsiveness, so it’s important that communication between you and a potential/current client is always smooth sailing.
• Suggest great ideas for future projects. In other words, think of great ideas that could turn into extensions of your current freelance project. For example, you’re working on articles for a parenting website, so you can suggest a website copy make-over as a future project to your client.
• Aim for quality every time. If you constantly produce excellent work and customer service, your client will want to keep you in her team or refer you to others. Simply put, a great reputation attracts customers. And with more customers comes more work. This may not happen all the time, but when it does, it can bring in long-term work.
• Encourage your client to hire you again. If she’s happy with your service, encourage her to hire you again for future projects. And don’t stop at your last email to her. Even after a few months or so, you can send a light email to remind your client that you’re still available if she needs work done.
• Encourage your client to refer you. If a client decides not to hire you, encourage him to refer you to those who may need your service. If the contract’s over and your client is happy, let him know that you’d appreciate it if you could pass on a good word about your service to his friends or colleagues who may need a writer/designer/developer.

Although there’s no telling when a project is going to end, you can still maintain a stable flow of freelance work. And with these five tips, you can rest assured that there’s bound to be an interested individual out there who might just send you an email about a potential freelance project to work on.

What are your strategies to maintain a stable flow of freelance work? Go ahead and share your ideas in the comments below! I’m sure we can all learn a thing or two from them. 

There were many issues with the old teal theme, but three major problems compelled me to switch to a more responsive and organized theme:

1. Comment responses are squished and elongated, making them almost unreadable.
2. The blog’s social channels are mere HTML links, which isn’t very encouraging.
3. Sharing buttons are stuck at the right side of the post. Not encouraging as well.

After carefully searching through WordPress theme marketplaces and going through lists of potential themes to install, I decided on this magazine theme by Themnific. Let me give you a quick run-through of what to expect with TFP’s new look and feel:

Version 4.0: The Blog Tour

• Instead of posts listed traditionally according to reverse chronological order, major categories (Freelancing Tips, Clients, oDesk, Productivity, and Resources) are presented to you in an organized manner. You can check out other categories and their respective posts by clicking on the options in the Categories widget.
• Use the Tabs widget on the sidebar for the latest, popular, and random posts. You can also search for posts using the Tags tab.
• Have a look at the blog footer for New Posts, New Comments, starting points for freelancers new to The Freelance Pinoy, and the blogroll!
• You can finally click on the social buttons (RSS, Twitter, and Facebook) to follow, be a fan, and subscribe to The Freelance Pinoy. There’s one set on the top of the sidebar and another set at the bottom, just above the footer section.
• We’ve got two open slots for sponsors/advertisers who would like to advertise their products/websites with TFP. Please contact me via the Contact form if you’d like to advertise or be our first sponsor!

• Posts are now clean, smooth, and easy to read. There’s more space to relax with more room for media such as photos, videos, tweets, and the like.
• Liking and sharing posts you love is now easy! Just click on any of the social buttons or use the Add This pill to share the post to other third party social networks.
• Comments look much better now. You can also click on the checkbox below the comment box to subscribe to the post and receive notifications of new replies.

Once you’re done reading a post or exploring the site, just click on the gray arrow at the bottom right of the site to shoot straight back to the top.

Areas for Improvement and Feedback

Everything is done by yours truly, so there’s still a lot of work to be done.

You’ll notice posts with no photos, the new logo on top, no favicon, and messy tags overlapping one another. I’ll be busy with the editing and formatting of posts, but the logo and the favicon may take a while to do since I’m not a web/graphic designer.

More importantly, The Freelance Pinoy aims to help you, the freelance Pinoy, in your journey to a better and more fulfilling freelancing career. With that said, please let me know what you think about the site as a whole. I’d greatly appreciate any feedback and suggestions you may have to improve the blog. You can use the Contact form to send me your feedback.

I might hire a talented freelance logo designer to help me conceptualize a timeless logo, favicon, and Facebook cover and profile photos for The Freelance Pinoy in the future. If you’re interested, please leave your name, contact details, and 1-2 pieces of existing work in the comments section below.

Thanks, everyone! Happy freelancing and a blessed Holy week to all.

They use the Internet to spread the word about their brand and content. Most would enable readers to subscribe to their feeds and social networks. Others would submit their website URLs to blog directories and other online communities. You can apply the same ideas and strategies to your own freelance website.

Strumming the right note to make the audience take in your “rhythm” and hook onto your thread might just be the key to giving your website the viral power it needs, and one of the best approaches is to have high-quality content.

In this article, I will share and discuss five tips on how you can write content that markets itself to readers and that can drive potential clients to your freelance website:

1. Identify Your Niche

If you don’t know who your market is and an idea on how to begin creating content, you can provide feeds of relevance to get the ball rolling.

For instance, look for trending topics in Twitter, updates in Facebook, and other online discussion groups related to your site’s theme and message. Jot these ideas down and pull out the top three that can really catch potential clients’ attention.

2. Post Teasers on All Networks

Anything new creates momentum.

For instance, Colgate, a worldwide well-known toothpaste company, keeps on launching the same product: toothpastes. But whenever it has a new flavor, packaging, or mineral formula that strengthens the enamel of the teeth, it recreates a defining pre-launching teaser that draws people’s interest.

Use this paradigm for your own marketing. Build on excitement by giving out teasers in the form of a tweet, poster (picture), video, or any short content for potential and existing readers to look forward to.

Tip: Link your accounts in Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, YouTube, Google and all networks you can think of, so that when you publish a feed, everything will be streamlined and broadcasted right away in just one click.

3. Write Catchy Titles

Do you read the body of a blog post first before reading the title? No? Me neither.

Majority of online readers use titles as a deciding point on whether or not they should read the rest of your article. It works the same way for potential clients. If your blog post has a weak headline, no one will read it. With that said, treat titles as mini advertisements to maximize your chances of compelling your target audience to check out and go through the entire article.

Headlines are the most important element of your page, so put a lot of effort into identifying the right key words, and invest time and patience before publishing the post. To get a good list of keywords that will hit the first few pages in Google, for instance, go to Google AdWords and use its keyword generator tool for free.

4. Have an Engaging Tone

Once you’ve successfully gotten into your reader’s mind to click on that “Read More” button, make sure that the title is as captivating and “enlightening” as its content.

The secret is to write as if you’re talking directly to your readers. You need to ask yourself one simple question: “What do my readers want to know?” Once you’ve figured out what you want to say, develop your message according to the KISS principle: Keep It Short and Simple (but meaningful and applicable to them).

5. Encourage Sharing

By definition, “viral” is something that spreads quickly over a short amount of time. If your content does not encourage sharing, you’re not doing viral marketing the way it should be done.

Be bold with your statements and carry an outright, worth-remembering message that will ignite the desire to share the word. Install Retweet, Like, Recommend buttons and other sharing plug-ins in all other social spaces you can think of, to enable them to share easier. The more your information shared, the farther its reach is. Who knows, your latest post could land you your next big project after all!

Conclusion

Employing the right tactics for a successful viral marketing takes practice and experience. Usefulness of information you bring and enticing teasers give that oomph to a viral-marketing-worth content. After finishing the content, don’t forget to add internal links and share buttons to bar them from bouncing off your pages.

Good luck!

Sure, having the best-looking website or the most affordable freelance rates can attract a client or two. But the success of every project, of every work relationship, and of every endeavor starts within the self.

Everyday, a client has to choose from a handful of potential candidates the best match for his project. To win his attention and his trust, you need something more than ten years’ worth of experience in the ___ industry, five certificates signifying your knowledge on (insert skill), or a huge portfolio.

To become successful, you need to have the personality and mindset of a successful freelancer.

• Never hide behind excuses. If you’re new in the writing, design, marketing, or whatever industry you intend to break into, master the basics. If you screwed up a project, learn from the experience and correct it. If your client fires you for someone else, find out why and work on these areas.
• Love what you do. A freelancer can be just as depressed if he’s stuck with five high-paying projects he absolutely hates waking up to. Love what you do. The money will just come right after.
• Work for it. As Pablo Picasso once said, “Action is the foundational key to all success.”
• You are your responsibility. Whatever you do, say, feel, or decide on, you have only yourself to reward or to blame.
• Think. Speak up. Suggest. Follow instructions. Read the guidelines. Voice out your concerns. Provide constructive feedback as well. You aren’t hired to simply respond to your client’s every beck and call.
• Stop pretending. If you don’t understand your client’s instructions—or the project for that matter—putting up a fake “You can count on me” impression is just going to backfire. Ask questions and be honest about the situation.
• Support one another. If your fellow freelancer receives praise from the client, congratulate him or her. Crab mentality won’t make you the better freelancer.
• Do not compromise. Never betray your principles. If his offer is way below your intended price, decline the proposal. If the client wants you to engage in illegal and dangerous activity, turn the other way and run.
• Accept your strengths, weaknesses, and shortcomings. As much as you want to serve all of your clients, you’re not Super Freelancer. If you can’t handle the project and the demands of the work, give the floor to those who can take on the job. If it’s a job beyond or below your skill level, don’t be afraid to point your client to someone who are a better fit.
• Again, love what you do. Not because you get to work lying down, in your pajamas, or you earn twice more than when you were employed. Love what you do because you get to work on projects that you are passionate about that you can be proud of.

With this, I leave with two wonderful quotes:

Banks usually award these shiny square things to employees with stable monthly incomes, loyal clients, and businesspeople. If you don’t have proof of income to show, or if the bank reps think you don’t have the capacity to pay on time, they won’t hesitate to reject your application or extend the processing time. And I must confess, I’m a victim of the latter.

While a credit card is convenient for PayPal verification or online shopping, there are other alternatives that freelancers can go for that are cheaper (in terms of annual fees and maintaining balances), easier to manage (online or by phone), and that won’t tempt you to spend over your budget.

For this post, I’ll share four easy, tried-and-tested alternatives to credit cards and a short step-by-step process on how to verify PayPal for each.

1. Unionbank EON (VISA) – this is a debit card/savings account that freelancers can open up easily. You can use it to verify PayPal, pay for purchases online and off, and of course deposit your earnings. Read How to Withdraw Your Earnings from PayPal to Unionbank for more information.

How to Verify Paypal using Unionbank EON:

• Register your EON card through Unionbank’s online banking service.
• Make sure that your Unionbank EON account has at least P200 for the verification process.
• Add your Unionbank EON as a credit/debit card, the 3-digit CVC code at the back, and click on the Verify link to initiate the process.
• Log in to your EON CyberAccount and locate PayPal’s EXPUSE or Expanded Use number, which is the 4-digit code needed to verify. According to Unionbank, give PayPal at most 5 days for the number to reflect in your account.
• Enter the EXPUSE number in the space provided when verifying your PayPal account.

2. BPI My ePrepaid (MASTERCARD) - this is one of BPI’s express cash cards that is designed to function similarly to a credit/debit card in that you can use it to shop online, verify accounts, etc. Registration costs P500 (renewal every 2 years), there’s no maintaining balance, and all you need are 1-2 valid ID/s and the registration form to apply for a BPI My ePrepaid account. For convenience, I suggest applying for the BPI My ePrepaid card online.

How to Verify PayPal using BPI My ePrePaid:

• Transfer or deposit enough funds to your BPI My ePrepaid account. You can do so over the counter, via mobile, or your BPI Express Online account. In my case, I enrolled my ePrepaid card to my EOL account.
• Add your BPI My ePrepaid as a credit/debit card and the 3-digit CVC code at the back of your card to your PayPal account. Click on the Verify link to initiate the process.
• After 1-2 days, email myeprepaid@bpi.com.ph to request for the 4-digit EXPUSE code. Don’t forget to include your name and 16-digit card number in your email. I emailed my request around 1:30 PM and received a response 10-15 minutes after.
• If you’ve enrolled your My ePrepaid card on your BPI Express Online account for balance inquiry, check the list of the last five transactions for the EXPUSE number.
• Enter the EXPUSE number in the space provided when verifying your PayPal account.

3. Payoneer (MASTERCARD) - one of oDesk’s and Elance’s payment options, you can use Payoneer in the same way as Unionbank EON and BPI My ePrepaid. It’s a debit card, so you can use it to pay for purchases and PayPal verification. It’s a more expensive option though as compared to the first two (with a $2 withdrawal fee for oDesk users), but it works nonetheless.

How to Verify PayPal using Payoneer:

• Activate your Payoneer account to be able to use it for ATM and online/offline transactions.
• Load funds enough for the PayPal verification process.
• Add your Payoneer card as a credit/debit card and the 3-digit CVC code at the back of your card to your PayPal account. Click on the Verify link to initiate the process.
• Log on to your Payoneer account and retrieve the 4-digit EXPUSE number.
• Enter the EXPUSE number in the space provided when verifying your PayPal account.

4. Ko-kard (MASTERCARD) - Finally, we have the relatively new Ko-kard, in which one of its functions is a debit card you can use it to verify your PayPal account and for online and offline purchases. Again, there is no maintaining balance required when using this option.

How to Verify Paypal using Ko-kard:

• With enough funds in your Ko-kard account, add your Ko-kard as a credit/debit card and the 3-digit CVC code at the back of your card to your PayPal account.
• Click on the Verify link to initiate the process. The usual $1.95 fee will be deducted from your Ko-kard funds.
• Contact Ko-kard customer service via email or their hotline number at 045-499-0788 to request an Excel spreadsheet or a PDF file of all the transactions made.
• Locate the PayPal EXPUSE number and enter this into the space provided to verify your PayPal account.

What’s great about these four alternatives is that you don’t need to present proof of “stable” income in order to apply for any of these cards. You have full control of how much goes in and out of your account, you don’t need to worry about maintaining balances, and you can use it for all of your online and offline purchases. In fact, these are the benefits that convinced me to cancel and cut up my credit card.

Do you have other alternatives to credit cards in mind that you can add to this list? Share them all in the comments section below.

At present, PayPal and the Local Funds Transfer for oDesk contractors are two popular payment options Pinoy freelancers can use to receive payments, both of which have been written extensively here at The Freelance Pinoy.

For this post, I’d like to introduce a relatively new payment option called Ko-kard. I discovered the service a week ago and contacted the Ko-kard customer support to ask if they could let me give the service a test run. Thankfully they helped me through the entire process, which turned out to be very convenient, fast, and affordable as compared to our usual payment options like PayPal and Payoneer.

The Background Info

Ko-kard is an online money transfer service that works similarly to PayPal, but functions as an ATM card and a debit card. It is tied up with our very own Banco de Oro Philippines and can be used to withdraw from any available ATM or for purchases at stores around the country.

A client who uses the Ko-kard service can issue a Ko-kard to a freelancer in order to pay for services rendered. The freelancer can then instantly withdraw payments transferred from any ATM nearby.

As pointed out in the Receiving Money section, money transfers are done within one hour and the receiver is notified via SMS if the funds are transferred to his Ko-kard. This means that the freelancer doesn’t have to wait for 2-3 days for the money to arrive and money can be withdrawn from an ATM as soon as the he receives the SMS notification.

The Benefits of the Ko-kard Service

If you deal with clients directly, you can use the Ko-kard service to receive payments without worrying about how long the money will arrive or how much will be deducted.

The sender (in this case, the client) shoulders the transaction fees and money is delivered in an hour or less to the receiver’s (the freelancer’s) Ko-kard. What’s more, BDO ATMs are widespread so you can withdraw money without expensive withdrawal fees to worry about.

Lastly, you don’t have to sign up for a BDO bank account to use the service. As long as the client issues a Ko-kard through his account for you, you can instantly use the service for payments for projects.

So if you’re a freelancer who is tired of strict verification processes, expensive fees, and waiting time, you can shift to the Ko-kard service and have your clients pay you using the service.

How the Ko-Kard Service Works

To give you an idea of how the Ko-kard service works, I’ll tackle both the sender and the receiver ends, in which case the latter is based from my experience in using the service.

A. Ko-kard: The Client/Sender

1. The client signs up for a free Ko-kard account at http://www.ko-kard.com/

2. The client adds a credit card to his Ko-kard account, filling in all the necessary details.

3. The client clicks on the Verify link, which will begin the credit card verification process. This is a security measure by Ko-kard to ensure that the user is capable of sending funds to those he issues Ko-kards to.

4. An amount between $0.01 to $0.49 will be deducted from the client’s credit card. The client checks his statement of account or via his bank’s online service (e.g. BPI Express Online) for the dollar amount deducted.

5. After entering the exact amount, the credit card is verified and the client can now issue Ko-kards, link said Ko-kards to his account, and send money.

6. For every transaction made, the client pays the amount due the freelancer and the required fees. He can use the Calculate My Fees tool on the Ko-kard homepage to see how much in total he has to pay.

As stated in the website, issued ko-kards are “delivered within 2-3 days free of charge via LBC throughout the Philippines.” The fees only come in when the client links a Ko-kard to his account and when he transfers funds. Linking a Ko-kard requires a one-time payment of USD 4.38 for every card to cover activation and SMS fees.

B. Ko-kard: The Freelancer/Receiver

1. Ko-kard Support contacts and instructs the freelancer to email necessary information in order to process and mail her Ko-kard. These are the date of birth, mailing address (in my case, my residence), and a scanned copy of an ID that’s listed in the Ko-kard List of Acceptable IDs (link).

2. Once the information is sent, Ko-kard Support informs the freelancer that her Ko-kard will be delivered via LBC and that a PIN number will be given via phone as soon she notifies that she’s received the card. Note: This PIN number is what you will use when withdrawing funds at an ATM.

3. Based from my experience, LBC delivered my Ko-kard three days after. If you reside within Metro Manila, you should be able to receive your Ko-kard within three days as well. Of course, the delivery time will depend on your location.

4. After receiving the Ko-kard, the freelancer calls Ko-kard Support at (045)499-0788 for the PIN number. Use this opportunity to ask questions you have in mind about the Ko-kard service.

5. The Ko-kard is already activated, so it’s ready to receive funds. The project and payments can now begin.



6. The freelancer receives a notification via SMS that money has been sent to her Ko-kard. She waits for at least an hour to make sure that the money has already been transferred.

7. The freelancer happily heads on over to the nearest ATM (ideally BDO) and withdraws. After entering the PIN code, select the Cash Card option and the amount to be withdrawn.

As you can see, all you have to do is wait for the SMS notification from the client before heading to the ATM to check balance or withdraw. The process is that simple and you save time and money along the way.

Important Notes on the Ko-kard Service

There are a few things to expect when receiving your Ko-kard.

Since the company is tied up with BDO, the cards are designed to look like BDO’s remittance or cash cards.

According to Ko-kard Support, new Ko-kards with the actual Ko-kard logo and unique design will be issued soon. Once this happens, all users will be issued a new Ko-kard free of charge. To determine which is your Ko-kard, only your Ko-kard number beginning with 5267 is printed on the front of the card.

It may be difficult to switch payment options, especially if your current clients are already paying you through popular payment systems like PayPal. If you’re interested in giving the service a try though—especially if you’d like to save time and money from the usual fees and charges—you can suggest to your current and prospecting clients to use the Ko-kard service by pointing them to the official website.

Ko-kard Contact Details

Of course, it’s important to gather information about the service yourself to see if it will fit your needs as a freelancer. With that said, here are important contact details you can use to reach the Ko-kard company:

• Official website: http://www.ko-kard.com/
• Hotline number for users within the Philippines: 045-499-0788
• Hotline number for users outside of the Philippines: 1-800-626-1081
• Email: support [at] ko-kard.com

Let’s hear from you, Pinoy freelancers. What are your thoughts about the Ko-kard service? Would you add Ko-kard to your list of payment options? Share your thoughts in the comments below! 

You can have freedom and enjoy your passion, but it can be an unstable line of work too. But whether you are planning to go for it full-time or part-time, there are many things to consider.

Joining freelancing or outsourcing sites, setting up your profile, working on your portfolio, and preparing your cover letter are just the tip of the iceberg, so to speak. The hard part is landing that first job, and how that job pans out.

Breaking into the freelance writing scene can be particularly difficult because of two reasons. First, serious and well-paying employers are less likely to take a chance and hire you because you do not have any work history in your profile. Second, being a newbie attracts those scrupulous employers looking out to exploit beginning freelance writers for hire with low pay for difficult work, or worse, not paying at all. Of course, not all employers are like this, but it does happen and it has been happening quite often. It sounds scary, but it is true.

Getting Paid for My Nationality

Freelance writers from countries such as the Philippines and India are particularly vulnerable to the second scenario.

Given that the cost of living are different from countries such as the USA, Canada, Australia, and the UK, it is acceptable (expected even) that the pay given to, say, an American writer is higher to what will be given to a Filipino writer.

I find this rather sad. I have received insane offers like $0.50 for a 500-word SEO article. No thanks.

Am I being paid for being a freelance writer or for being a Filipino freelance writer?

On the brighter side, I am fortunate that I have great employers who have treated me fairly and paid me for what my work is worth. I did have to start low, and that’s alright as it helped me gain the work history and credibility I needed to gradually increased my rate. But I think all writers, freelancing or not, should be paid for their work and not their nationality.

Subcontracting and Its Shortcomings

Another pain is that when some freelancers themselves subcontract their work, they can more or less become the “scrupulous” employers we all hope to avoid.

There’s nothing wrong with subcontracting per se. I think it can help both parties attain their goals. But when it’s done at $0.10-0.15 per 100 words, it can be pretty alarming. What’s more, there are freelancers who actually apply for these very meager-paying jobs. I do not judge freelancers who jump at job posts like these, but I wish they did not have to jump in the first place.

I guess I’m just naïve or too ideal, being a newbie and all, but couldn’t it be done another way, with both the contractor and subcontractor getting paid for their work’s worth?

Resolutions

Well, all this actually boils down to the freelance writer. Starting out with a low rate can work at the beginning, but do not allow yourself to be exploited especially if you know you have the skills and talent worthy of a great-paying job.

I have discovered this early in my freelance writing career that having a profile that sells, a portfolio or sample that impresses, and a friendly yet professional communication with potential employers can get you hired and can get you paid good money. I have gotten hired and gained long-term employers because of all three.

So I suggest that you work hard on those things, have patience, and ask for help when you need it. That first job will come and you’re going to own it!

With that said, The Freelance Pinoy presents its 2012 freelance jobs directory where Pinoy freelancers can find clients, long-term to short-term freelance jobs, and finally establish themselves as solo professionals.

Freelance Marketplaces and Jobs Forums

Here are freelance marketplaces and jobs forums that are great places to find projects and clients for freelancers:

• Elance – Regarded as one of the world’s major freelancing marketplaces, Elance boasts of over 67,000 jobs and 1.3M registered contractors all over the world. Elance offers escrow for payments but require higher fees and subscriptions to use their service.

• oDesk – one of the most popular outsourcing websites in the world, oDesk provides contractors the tools to find freelance work with clients for free. A 10% oDesk fee is taken from the overall price of the project.

• Guru – another popular freelancing marketplace, Guru offers an easy platform for clients looking for online talent. With regards to charges, Guru takes about 8% to 12% off the project fees depending on the freelancer’s standing.

• Freelancer – Freelancer is another world-renowned freelancing marketplace that you can use to look for freelance projects. There are free and paid memberships, with more benefits and less fees (from 10% to 3%) for Gold members.

• Freelance Writing Gigs – this site contains all kinds of writing job leads for freelance ghost writers, copywriters, editors, and bloggers.  Just click on the Read More link to visit the actual links to the leads.

• Problogger – known to be one of the most popular blogging sites on the web, Problogger is also a goldmine of freelance writing jobs for article writers, bloggers, copywriters, and editors.

• Smashing Jobs – powered by popular web design and development magazine, Smashing Magazine, web designers, developers, and engineers can find great freelance jobs using their forums.

• Bloggerjobs – this is also a website where you can find all kinds of blogging jobs for bloggers, writers, and the like.  Though some of their job ads are pretty old, it’s still worth a shot.

• Linkedin – known to be a “social networking” site for professionals and career men and women, Linkedin is a great place to set up a professional profile for yourself and to find potential clients to work with.  Registration is free and the community is enormous.

• Zerply – Zerply is a great place to set up a professional profile online, display your skills beautifully, and to endorse other professionals to potential clients around the world. It’s beautiful professional networking.

• Freelance Folder Forums – Freelance Folder is a blog and a community of freelancers worldwide where you can gain immense knowledge about the world of freelancing.  They have a section in their forums where you can post a self-made ad about your services and respond to posts by clients looking for freelancers.

• Freelance Switch Job Boards – another world-renowned blog for freelancers, Freelance Switch offers freelancers of various fields a job board where they can create an account and look for jobs fit for their skill sets.  Whether you’re a writer or a programmer, you’ll find quality job posts here.

• Shelancers and the Editorial Freelancers Association – Freelance Folder’s post for today features responses from freelancers to the question, “What was the best thing you did for your freelancing biz.” Two freelancers shared that they were able to find clients through these two sites so I’m adding them to the list.  Shelancers require a paid membership while the EFA is free.

Freelance Jobs Websites for Filipino Freelancers

In this section are freelance jobs websites catered specifically for Filipino freelancers.

These sites don’t use a particular platform or system, they don’t require subscriptions or fees, and most use PayPal and other payment options to pay hired freelancers.

• AyosDito.ph – Besides selling your old furniture and technology, AyosDito.ph offers freelancers the tools to post ads for their freelance businesses and clients who are looking for online talent. Check out The Online Virtual Assistant’s post on finding jobs at AyosDito.ph.

• Craiglist – An updated list of possible work opportunities for Pinoy freelancers. Check out the sections where your skills fit best.

• Bestjobs.ph – you can create your very own BestJobs profile and resume. Potential clients will then contact you if you’re available for work.

• OnlineJobs.ph – I’ve worked with a couple of clients through this site, all of whom I had to convince that my rates are reasonable for the work they are asking for. The only reason why I’m adding this to the list is because it is possible to get work here.

With so many places to find freelance work, we tend to stick to what we’ve already tried. But I encourage everyone to try out different sites and to discover even more because you’ll never know what you will find in these online job boards, forums, and blogs.

Have you found clients from other websites aside from the ones on the list?  Share them as well as your experiences there in the comment section below!

Photo credits to arinas74