Freelance Advise

5 Ways to Get Paid When Working Online

2012-05-26T08:04:00.000-07:00

When I introduced freelancing to my friends, the first thing they ask is: "Where to get work?"; "How do I get paid?" So, here is a quick guide on how you can start working and get paid when you start your freelancing career.

Where to get work?

oDesk is my only source of freelance work and I have never explored other freelance sites due to the fact that using oDesk gets me all that I need. The advantage of using oDesk as your first and probably the only source for work is that you get to register for free, no other fees are required, only the client's fee and withdrawal fee is what will be charged, and there are a lot of clients waiting for freelancers.

How to get paid?

What most people think when working online is to have a credit card for you to get paid. Well, that was before. Credit cards need not to be a necessity nowadays because we now have a ton of options to send or receive money online.

Local Funds Transfer (LFT)
oDesk has a unique way in transferring your money to your bank account, it is called Local Funds Transfer. It directly sends your money right from your bank account without the need to use a payment processor. The processing takes about a week.

PayPal
Paypal is a payment processor that can process payments online. It solves higher remittance fees for money transfers and to those not comfortable in sharing credit card details to unknown clients. When clients ask for your PayPal you will just need to send your registered PayPal address so they can send money.

Skrill (was MoneyBrookers)
Skrill (MoneyBrookers) also a payment processor similar to PayPal, but unlike PayPal, Skrill is a bit expensive for us in terms of their processing fees.

Payoneer Debit Card
In oDesk, you can get your own Payoneer Debit Card for free, just inform them that you want a Payoneer Debit Card. I have one that I use mainly for showing off and prove that working online really pays :). Apart from that, since I find the fees to expensive and processing time is similar to PayPal and LFT, I have no use for it. However, it does have its advantage like you don't need a bank account or a credit/debit card to get your money since it is a debit card.

Wire Transfer
Those who have SWIFT codes can benefit from Wire Transfer, although you may find it too expensive to use.

Any other options other than the bank?

Except for Payoneer Debit Card, you need a bank or a debit card to transfer the money to you. For beginners, signing up for banks or debit card accounts can be a bit expensive. So here are some fast and cheap ways to get your own debit card.

SmartMoney
SmartMoney is an electronic wallet offered to Smart subscribers. If you are a Smart user, you can get your own SmartMoney card for as low as P100.

UnionBank EON
UnionBank EON is a debit card made for online shopping and online payments like PayPal. You can get your own PayPal-ready EON account for only P350.

Standing Desk - My Experience

2012-01-23T09:05:00.000-08:00

When I first posted about standing desk, I have to admit, I don't use one. So I tried one for myself using whatever I have in my house and create my own standing desk. A bit of a challenge I encountered is since my only computer is a laptop, I have to create a standing desk fit for a laptop.

Luckily, I have everything I needed at home, thinking outside the box was just the thing I needed. So, to make a standing desk:

1. First I followed computer ergonomics but this time, it is not meant to have a better sitting position but a better standing position while working. So here is the standing desk ergonomic that you should follow too:

2. Then I look for the things I need to achieve the needed ergonomics. I don't have a desk that high nor an external monitor for my laptop so here are some things I used:

Wire shelves as my laptop dock.

2 "Durabox" stacked.

A plastic box like this one

Curtain to cover the durabox.

Since I'm 5 feet 8 inches tall, 2 "Durabox" is not enough so I added 1 large speaker at the bottom to get my table height.

My 1 week experience

1st day. My leg is aching but I'm experiencing more benefits compared when sitting like I'm more alert at work therefore I can do more tasks over a short amount of time.

2nd day. Leg still hurts but I'm still more active at work. When I woke up what I first open do was my work and since I didn't feel sleepy, I was able to finish tasks faster. I'm not used to standing for hours so I sit from time to time.

3rd day. No more sleepy afternoon which is one of the greatest advantage of having a standing desk.

4th day. Procrastination was minimized because I became more active. My breathing has also improved.

5th day. I did not noticed that I've been standing for hours. No more pain in my feet.

6th day. Sitting desk is history, preferred standing desk more. I also noticed that my hands didn't hurt as much as when typing while sitting.

7th day. My clients were very pleased on how productive I was. Got a bonus for it. :)

My goal for having a standing desk is productivity and ergonomics. I'm happy I was able to achieve that in just a span of 1 week thanks to my new desk. It may be not one of the best looking desk in the world, but it doesn't matter, because the advantage it has was never so close to a conventional desk.

Stand-Up Desk: The Benefits of Standing Up

2012-01-14T09:21:00.000-08:00

Sitting in a computer for hours can cause drastic effects to our health. I happen to sit for hours without taking breaks and have experienced some altering effects to my health like being obese, having muscle aches, and sometimes I find it hard to breathe.

According to Mashable's infographic about sitting, sitting for 6 hours a day makes you 40% more likely to die within 15 years compared to someone who sits for less than 3 hours even if you exercise. And also, people with sitting jobs are more likely to cause cardiovascular diseases than those with standing jobs.

So if you've been working with clients for hours sitting in a desk, take some time to stand up, walk for about a few minutes, or do some exercises. But if you are like me, who mostly wants to get the job done without any interruption, a standing desk can help us stay healthy.

The Stand-Up Desk

The stand-up desks are simply a desk that has increased height which will make you stand up while doing work. This may be a bit frustrating at first because you will feel pain in your legs and feet after standing for a few hours but the end-result is very beneficial.

Below are some of the advantage of stand-up desks:

You increase focus. You won't get that sleepy feeling when you work while standing because your muscles are more engaged, and you will feel less comfortable, thus giving you that kick to stay alert all the time.

You burn calories. When sitting, you are only burning 1 calorie which is when standing, you can burn up to 200 calories per hour.

You save your back. Even the most ergonomic chairs out there cannot give you that proper posture that your back should be since it all depends on your way of sitting, and let's face it, we could not usually follow the proper sitting posture. With stand-up chairs, you are forced to stand up straight therefore keeping your spinal chords in a position that it is meant for.

To lose weight. Like I said earlier, you burn more calorie while standing; moreover, your heart rate beats faster than when you are sitting because you consume energy. This is also a solution to that big fat belly of yours.

Switching To Stand-up Desk
Switching is easy, you just need to increase the height of your usual desk with whatever sturdy appliance/materials you have to help it get elevated. Below are some of the thrifty solutions in converting to a stand-up desk as suggested in artofmanliness.com.

Who cares if they are ugly? As long as you are keeping a good posture, and is benefiting your health, these suggestions are some ways to urge you into standing desk immediately.

Stand-up to good health and increase your life using stand-up desks!

How To Land Your First Job In oDesk

2012-01-10T03:22:00.000-08:00

Landing your first job in oDesk is not as easy as you think it is, but devoting your time, effort and being patient is the key in landing your first job. Below are some tips on how to land that first job faster.

Make Your Profile at Least 80% Complete

Your profile in oDesk is like your online resume. This is where your clients will be looking for more information about you when you apply in jobs. When making your profile, don't forget the following:

Your skills. Determine what skill you have that are sell-able online like:

Computer programming (define what type of programming language you know)
Writing (are you a copywriter, blogger, or article writer?)
Office skills
Search engine optimization.

Category. This is where you will be search-able so your clients will know what to expect from you. You can select up to 10 categories. Make sure that your selected categories are the things you are knowledgeable about.

Education. I prefer to put just my college degree since it greatly defines what skill I have.

Portfolio and Certification. If you have past or present works that are related to the skills you have, add them in your oDesk portfolio. If you have past and present certifications related to your skill add them in your list of certifications too.

These two are the showcase of what skill you actually have thus making you more sell-able to clients.

Take Tests

Tests measure up how well you know a particular skill or application. In this way clients will expect what they see in these tests. Don't forget to take the oDesk readiness test to get 20 application quotas per week.

Create a Killer Cover Letter

Cover letter templates can be easily detected, so it is best if you create a cover letter out of your own words. Your cover letter should be straight to the point, with no other irrelevant information. Follow this guide on how to create a killer cover letter.

How To Create A Killer Cover Letter

2011-07-15T08:30:00.001-07:00

Cover letters are the freelancer's first impression. If cover letters are bad, you wont get clients. But if cover letters are good, you will get clients quick. Creating a killer cover letter is not that hard, we just need to follow the guides.

What makes up a killer cover letter?

It's 200 words or less. These people don't have enough patience. They need you to get things straight and get there fast. Be straight and get him what he wants. What are the skills he require that you have? Tell it along with your experience with it. After that, tell him where you can be reached and at what time (use GMT or UTC for the time). Then close the paragraph politely. Don't forget your greeting ("Dear", "Hi") and your closing remarks ("Kind Regards", "Sincerely").
It's Unique. Anyone can tell if your message is taken from the internet, or canned. Employers can tell right away if you read his instructions, knew what skill he requires, and knew what his project is about from the start of your sentence or paragraph.
You sound serious yet relaxed. Watch the tone of your message. Do not sound too friendly or over confident. A serious and relaxed tone will do. When I write a cover letter, I always think that I'm applying in a company. In that way I look serious and professional.
Follow directions. Some clients add additional instructions in their job descriptions. This is a way for them to tell if you are reading his post or not. Read all their post description, and if it has additional instructions follow it.

Cover Letter Dos and Don'ts

Do

Introduce yourself.
Briefly mention his job post in the second or third sentence of your cover letter(what is the job about, the requirements).
Insert links of the samples of your work.

Don't

Write an essay cover letter. Get straight to the point.
Advertise your service. Do not use phrases commonly used to advertise a product like: "proven potential" or "deliver maximum results". It sounds too confident and it's not that impressive anyway.
Mention your contact details unless he replies. You will become an easy target for unscrupulous employers.
Do Spec Work. Do not submit bare samples of your work or do some work before you got hired. Just send them samples using a link to your portfolio or a completed project.

And Here's an Example:

Dear Hiring Manager,

Hi, my name is Robert Rutherford, I'm a Freelance writer and a web developer. You said in your post that you require services for these two, I happen to be skilled in both of them. I had have been a freelance writer for 2 years. I write any article topic. One of my finest work is on www.getmyjob.com. When I became their blogger, the site generated 100,000 site visits, 30,000 subscriptions, and 10,000 sales during my first 2 weeks. My web development skill is displayed at www.designmyweb.com. It is my personal blog. I create website templates and post it on the website.

Other similar projects are in my portfolio you can visit it at www.robertfolio.com.

I am available to chat in IM, email or Skype. I am available all the time at 8:00am to 12mn (GMT +8).

Kind Regards,
Robert Rutherford

note: any name or websites stated in the cover letter is purely fictional.
the fountain pen is a S.T. Dupont Classic Fountain Pen with Classic Laquer and Chinese finish from IguanaSell.com

oDesk Guide: Creating a Profile that Will Woe Competitors

2011-07-13T08:37:00.000-07:00

Every contractor needs a profile to showcase their skills as a freelancer. How you create your profile tells exactly how you are. So don't copy other's profile, make them stand out. How will you create a profile that can stand out?

Easy.
1. Take oDesk Readiness Test first. In this way, clients see you as a person not an auto generated bot.

2. Take Skills Test. This will determine your skill. Take tests relating to your skills. Do not attempt to cheat because it will only hurt your reputation in the long run. Answer honestly.

3. Upload a portrait. The portrait must be professional looking. Not those taken somewhere with friends or those commonly used pictures in social networking sites. This is work, so treat it as one. A good portrait doesn't have unnecessary background. White is preferred. Clothes in the picture must look professional too.

4. Create a unique title. A title must not just have your skill, show what other things you know. Be unique and descriptive. Ex. Web Designer (CSS, HTML, JavaScript) and SEO Freelance Writer

5. Build your Objective. Your objective is your sales pitch. Write objectives that will draw the employer's attention. Be creative, clients will know if your objective is just taken in the internet.

6. Set up your portfolio. Any works related to your skill can be your portfolio. If you don't have one, I'm sure you have school or personal projects that you have kept elsewhere.

7. Education and Certification. Education tells how deep your level of understanding is. Show off what you have attained, describe the degrees you have taken. If you have honors and special mentions describe them too.
Most freelancer have certifications, most don't. If you have one, it is one of your greatest advantage. Show off your scores too.

8. Employment Background. Put an employment background that is more related to your work. We don't need carpenters, janitors, or sewing or any job not using computers.

9. Skills. Skills must be as much as possible relevant to your chosen field. If you want a data entry position, show data entry skills like for example MSExcel, MSword, or Powerpoint. Treat each as a skill and not in groups(MSOffice Applications).

10. Other experiences. What other skills or unique abilities you know? Show them off here. Make sure that they are relevant to your chosen field.

An outstanding profile:

Has a title and objective that can stand out from the rest.
Has taken odesk readiness test and odesk skill tests.
Completes at least 80% of the profile.
New: Has a verified identity.

With your identity verified, you will stand out to at least 80% of your competitors

identity picture credits to: www.identityzine.com

How To Stay Away From Bad Clients

2011-07-11T06:30:00.000-07:00

Bad clients can hit your freelance reputation hard. Good clients will think of you as a joke, bad clients will think of you as a profit. So if you are in a bad client situation fire them (yes, you heard me right, fire them) immediately. Look for a more reputable project fitted for your rate and skill. Look for a kind of people to work with that understands you more.

Here are some tips to keep bad clients away:

Watch out for job descriptions and client profiles. Here are additional details to look out for:
1. Job description. This must be as clear as possible and not "I need a blogger" or I need someone to write an article for me. It's too short to be trusted.
2. Confirmed to Pay. Freelance marketplace like oDesk, and Elance have indicators that tell whether they verified for payment or not. Do not take your chances by asking for projects on unverified payment.
3. Bid Price. The bid price must be reasonable enough. Do not work with people offering cents.

Never Work For Peanuts

Do not lower your rate. Calculate your time and effort for a project before agreeing on the contract. Do not beat the competition by lowering your rate. It will affect your freelancing reputation.
When submitting work samples, submit your portfolio or a link of your own work. Do not submit bare samples or samples that can be stolen from you. Do not do spec work. Requesting for a 500 word article during the application process is an example of spec work
Different contract for different jobs. When your client asks you to do another task not related to what was in the contract, ask for a separate contract and rate, if he declines, withdraw your contract.
Communicate. Communicate with them often so that you both understand what the project is about. Keep him informed every week of your plans and aims for the next week. Keep the conversation simple, not too formal and not too unformal either.
To avoid non-payment, do not accept projects on untrusted websites. To avoid delayed payments, remind them about the payment days before your payment date.

Remember: You Can Fire Your Client

Bad clients are pests in your career. Do not waste your time in these types because they are the ones that only gains the benefit not you. You, on the other hand, will loose reputation thereby slowly degrading your business.

A time well spent can reap better rewards.
--Arnel Colar

satan picture credits to: NinjaFreelance.com

5 Signs of A Bad Client

2011-07-09T07:53:00.000-07:00

Good clients are those that have an organized project, communicates often, and pays at reasonable rate. These clients are often hard to find because bad clients outnumber the good ones. Bad clients spread all around job searching websites like spam mail.

Bad clients are not hard to detect. You just need to know the signs.

Let us keep ourselves from working in these kinds of clients by following these signs:

1. Unreasonably cheap.
$1 per hour for a freelance job that you know can take so much effort such as web design is very cheap. Clients often targets freelancers working in third-world countries, like in the Philippines because they know we accept jobs even if its less than $1 because of a higher exchange rate.

2. Asks for a free work.
You'll know if it's a free work when during the application, a client asks for samples other than your portfolio, like for example asks for 5 articles based on the topic the client provided, or a code for his website or software. Or your client lets you do some things before he consider hiring you for the project then leaves once the job is finished.

Do not work for peanuts

This is also known as spec work.

3. Adds a new task other than what was in the contract.
Your contract, based on what your client offered was only to write articles then suddenly, your client changes the contract and asks you to web design without any increase in your rate is a sign that he wants the project to make more than what you are paid to work for.

4. Does not communicate often.
Communication is crucial for every project. It is to better understand what a freelancer must do and how the client wants it to be done. If your client takes 3 days or more to answer your questions about the work, or does not reply often if you have suggestions or anything, it means that your client does not care much about his project. Which means in time, he won't care about you.

Which leads us to the fifth sign:

5. Delays Payments.
Your contract says that you will get paid every week. If your client delays payment most of the time, it is usually a sign that the project is failing. If you don't end your contract immediately, you will risk non-payment. Usually, this incident happens on fixed-priced jobs(project based) and forums but rarely happens on freelance marketplace because incidents like these allow you to file for a dispute.

Delayed/Missed Payment is Very Frustrating

What about you? Have you encountered these signs? Share your experiences by leaving us a comment.

How To Create a Freelancer's Blog

2011-07-07T07:59:00.000-07:00

For a freelancer to succeed he/she should have public visibility. Online, being publicly known is easy for there are tools free and readily available for us to use. One of which, are blogs. A blog is type of website, usually arranged in chronological order, the top being the newest, and the bottom, the oldest.

Blogs for freelancers is a money making opportunity. Why? Here are the reasons:

You can get clients faster. Searching for clients online is a slow and tedious process. Marketing yourself using social networking sites is faster but marketing yourself using your blog is the fastest method to get clients.
You can showcase your skills. Your level of expertise can be determined from your blog posts. The more tips/advice/opinions you post, the more expert you look like. Just be sure that your post are from your own experiences and not a plagiarized post.
Your portfolio. If you save your portfolio in your computer then your works will not be publicly known. Show your talent to the world, blogging is the easiest method.
It beats the competition.
Home for other income opportunities. Fill your blog with text ads (AdSense), sponsor ads, affiliate marketing to earn passive income.

Convinced? Are you ready to make a blog now? But first, here are some things to consider.

To create a successful blog:

keywords

Think of a particular topic. If you are expert in web design, topics about web designs are fit for you. If you have several expertise, then write a blog about those. Just be sure that they are almost related to each other so that readers won't be confused. Stick to your topic, do not add politics or personal affairs to your post, it will draw away readers. The topic that you have thought about is called niche.

Talk about your topic often. It means that on your every post, like for example, web design, mention web design, templates, or other related to web design. These words are called keywords. Keywords make your blog easily located.

Post on a regular basis. This earns your reputation and professionalism and most of all readers will visit you often. Do not miss a week without a post. For starters, post on alternate days but it is better if you can post everyday.

Now are you ready? Then let's blog.

Register a blog to any blogging website(wordpress.com or blogger.com)
Create a domain name. It must be unique and relevant to your keyword. Your name will also do to create a unique branding of your blog.
Domain names must not start with a number or include any number, or special characters, and must be 5 words max. If you can describe your blog in 1-2 words, it's better.
When it's done you can now create blog posts.

Additional tips:
Blogging is not a get-rich-quick nor a get-known-fast scheme. You must take your time and effort in it to be able to reach your goal.
Even if you are not a freelance writer, make your blog reader friendly. Check for grammar and spelling errors.
If you have money, buy a domain, host your own blog for SEO reasons. Trust me, you'll get there faster.

What it Feels Like Being A Freelancer

2011-07-05T10:31:00.000-07:00

Like what I said before, freelancers online have many advantages in contrast to working in 9-5 company in your location. But my testimonial about freelancing isn't that testified enough. Here I listed what freelancing usually feels like:

The Working Environment

You wake up in the morning open your computer then start working. Do you know what is missing? The time it takes for you to go to your work, the travel times that you should have gained money in, and the unnecessary deduction just because you are late. You control your time so it doesn't matter how early you will start or how late you want the work to end. Most clients do not set schedules they just want you to produce results.

The Distractions

This is common in work at home jobs. To solve this:

Tell your family and neighbors that you are working at home and earning money from it. In that way, they will respect what you do.
Tell your friends, relatives, and schoolmates(if any) that even though you are working at home, they cannot just barge into your place anytime they want. Do not take errands either.
Empty rooms can be become your office. If you have a fixed place to work on, they will respect your place and you won't get distracted often.
Converge with fellow freelancers and rent a room. It's less distracting because all are focused to work.

The Budget
Freelancers start with zero earnings. The hard part is how will you be able to survive on your first month. The best part is your pay. Imagine having to work at the comfort of your home on your own personal time and having more salary compared to working on a 9-5 job. But compared to a company, you yourself have to deduct your payments for:

tax (yes freelancers pay taxes too)
Tax paying is a law, you might get caught for tax evasion. And besides when you want to buy a house, a proof that you are paying tax is required unless you are to pay a house in full.

Social Security, insurance, and other employer benefits
Start early to reap the benefits when you retire.

The Holidays

Freelancers don't have holidays but they can set their own day off. We do need a rest sometimes but we must make sure that our clients know that we need a day off specially when you will be out for a week or two.

The Advantage

Set your own rate.
Clients are around the world.
Multitasking means multiple earnings, accept projects as many as you can.
Freelancers are exposed to other income opportunities.

comics are from: http://www.webdesignerdepot.com/2011/01/comics-of-the-week-59/

Where to Find Freelance Jobs and Projects

2011-07-03T07:12:00.000-07:00

Freelancing has all the resources available on the web. Which means that by just searching for "freelance jobs" you'll be surprised by hundreds of results and thousands of jobs right at your fingertips. But of course, we are confused on what site to trust and how we can find reliable clients on these sites. To save you time looking for legit freelance job search websites, I have here a list of websites offering freelance jobs and projects that I have been to and I'm planning to find jobs/projects soon:

Top 5 Freelance Marketplace

Freelance marketplace are the best place to look for jobs and long term projects. They have a system to make sure clients benefit on freelancers the same way freelancers benefit on clients. You can create your own profile, add skills, and make it visible to clients so it is not always you that looks for jobs. When a client did not pay, you can file for dispute. There are also tools to guarantee payments on freelancers like a desktop application that takes snapshots of your work. And when freelancers get hired, payments are automated so no need to bother clients over and over for missed payments.

oDesk.com
Elance.com
Guru.com
Freelance.com
IFreelance.com

Top 5 Freelance Forums
Tips, advice, projects, jobs, and other income opportunities are what you'll find in most freelance forums. A word of warning though, freelance forums do not have a system that manages job seekers, and employers unlike in a freelance marketplace. There may be times that a client won't pay for your project or there may be times when you won't get what your client promises. But they say clients that are looking for freelancers in forums pay high compared to the freelance marketplace.

freelanceswitch.com
work-at-home-forum.com

freelanceforum.com
talkfreelance.com
thefreelanceforum.com

Top 5 Freelance Job Search in the Philippines:
Global competition is tough, so narrowing your search for jobs from international to the Philippines alone can increase your chance of having projects because freelance jobs online in the Philippines are not yet known to many.

Jobstreet.com
remotestaff.com.ph
Bestjobs.ph
Essays.ph
writers.ph

Tips:
Search for jobs based on your expertise. You cannot get web developer projects if you are a freelance writer.
Do not stay on one freelance website, explore other websites.
Take as many jobs/projects as you can but make sure you can finish it all.

Hourly and Fixed Price Jobs Explained

2011-07-01T10:08:00.000-07:00

A freelancer has 2 types of work, Hourly and Fixed Price jobs. The best thing it is we are free to choose whatever type of jobs we like. We can go for hourly, fixed price or we can do both at once for a more profitable freelance career. Let me explain what these freelance jargon then choose what is best for your career afterwards.

Hourly Priced Jobs

Hourly jobs are the jobs paid on every hour worked. Perfect for those that are just beginning a freelance career because it is less stressful and more manageable. Plus it builds up your discipline since working online has so many distractions.

Advantage

Set your own rate based on your skill and capability. A higher hourly rate means more earnings per day.
Payments are guaranteed. Every hour worked provided that you send a snapshot of your hourly work or an invoice of your job on that day. Alternatively, websites like oDesk and Elance have desktop application that automatically takes screenshot at upload it to your client as proof.
Can stay on a client for months. If your client likes you, you can work for months until he decides to end the contract or you end your contract with them.

Disadvantage

Must complete the time limit per week in order to get your maximum earnings. If you have a 50 hours per week limit, you must meet that, not because your client wants you to but because you won't get your desired earnings in a month if you missed even an hour.
You missed your job for 1 day and you have a lot to catch up on.

Time = Money
The maximum time that we have in a day is 16 hours if we have 8 hours of sleep, 14 if we have 6 hours of sleep. Allot 2 hours for eating, taking a bath, rest, etc and we now have 12-14 hours of work per day. If we miss a day of work, we have to adjust our time of work the next day in order to complete our number of hours per week.
Cannot request an upfront payment.

Fixed Price Jobs

Fixed price jobs get paid for every project, milestone or per module sent. Most experienced freelancers find this kind of job very profitable because it has more multitasking advantage over hourly jobs.

Advantage

You won't work per hour. Work whenever you feel like it because the payment you and your client agreed on is fixed. If he agreed you get paid $250, then you will get than in full even if you missed a day of work when the project is done.
Can request for an upfront payment. Its not only an advantage but a must for fixed price jobs. Request at least a 10% of your pay on the project not only to be sure that your client will pay but also your motivational tool.
Can be paid per milestone reached. A client can pay you for every portion of the project until it is completed or every project you sent(ex. get paid per article).

Disadvantage

Clients can accept or decline your project. If creating a project and your project was declined your client has the option to pay you or not pay at all thus leaving all your hard work for nothing.
No guarantee.Sometimes they pay in half, in full, sometimes they don't. Oftentimes they pay at least 25% of the proposed rate but most of the time they intend not to pay at all.
Deadlines. Unlike hourly rate jobs where your client can hire you for months, fixed price jobs have very short deadlines that sometimes their requirements are hard to meet(ex. 50 unique articles in a week), when you fail to meet the deadline, you won't get paid and it will reflect to your professionalism.

What type of job is right for me?

For aspiring freelancers that have day jobs, a fixed price jobs will help you manage your time.
For full-time freelancers that had just started, hourly priced jobs will keep your career going because of a longer contract term over fixed price jobs.
Experienced freelancers can do both particularly if their projects are easy.

Additional Tip:

Multitask

More computers mean increased productivity and profit.

Top 4 Reasons Why Freelancers Must Blog in Order To Succeed

2011-06-29T08:48:00.000-07:00

Freelancers cannot just stay on one job for the rest of their life. Being free is what it all has to be. The difference between company-based jobs and freelancing is that there are endless stream of projects and many opportunities for augmented income, specifically online. This won't happen if we see ourselves as regular "employees". This is business, so we have to market ourselves to survive. Then why blog?

1. It's your own, organized portfolio
How would you show what your expertise is to clients? Will you rely on outsourcing websites and use their web address to show the portfolio you saved there? That will be unprofessional. Will you build a slide show of your website design or archive 10 of your best articles and submit it to clients? Well that will be very time consuming both to you and your client. It will draw away clients thus consider you as unorganized, unprofessional, as a result unfit to do their tasks even before the negotiation process begins. So what better way to showcase your skills than to put it somewhere organized, a blog.

2. You can show your area of expertise in a certain field
Your blog is not just where you can showcase your designs, projects, etc. but also you can share what you know on a particular field. Blog about your experiences like what to do when a fatal error happened to someone's computer, or provide step by step techniques on how to produce professional-grade photos. When potential clients look at your blog and see what you know, they'll realize instantly what are your strengths then add you for a project based on what you know thus an easier job for you.

3. More Possible Clients
Looking for clients are hard even if there are outsourcing websites because clients have various preferences and it varies based on their project. Clients not just post their projects elsewhere in the internet, they also look for freelancers online because it saves them more time. If you have a blog, it may be possible that out of your 100 visitors, there will be 10 potential clients. In your case, it will also be easier for you to look for projects.

4. More Room for Income Opportunity

When a blog becomes popular, clients will not be the only one who you'll earn money from but also advertisers, network marketers, and be able to start affiliate marketing in which you can earn lots and lots of passive income. Which means less effort and more money.

Blogs don't just rise to the top and become popular overnight. There are so many competitions that to thrive you have to do extra effort. To begin a blog you can register for a blog on free blog hosting sites like www.blogger.com and www.wordpress.com. Think of a unique name for your blog, a good name will be your name because it creates your own brand hence a more optimized blog. Don't forget to update your blog regularly so that search engines won't forget you. Moreover, if you have some cash you can buy your own domain name (yourname.blogspot.com or yourname.wordpress.com will become www.yourname.com) and host your blog (try godaddy.com) to make it search engine optimized.

How To Become an SEO Freelancer?

2011-06-27T08:41:00.000-07:00

SEO or Search Engine Optimization is a way to help a website become popular thus achieve a higher page rank. The responsibility of an SEO is to market the website not design it. By that, an SEO must know how search engines work because 90% of web surfers search the web using search engines like Google.

What does it take to become an SEO freelancer?
An SEO doesn't need to be a graduate in any computer related studies but having IT skills is beneficial. Additionally an SEO must know:

HTML
Web Marketing
Search Engines
Directory Sites
Keywords
Links (reciprocal links, backlinks, etc.)

And if you want to take freelance SEO seriously you might want to learn other skills like web design, web development and other skills related with websites. But for know, a basic knowledge with SEO will do.

What is the goal of an SEO freelancer?

The goal of an SEO freelancer is simple. Web visibility. There are millions of sites being published online. The oldest and the most popular gets to the top and the young and the new starts at the bottom. So how are these websites seen? Through search engines of course. When searching for a particular topic for example, if we want to ask how to be an SEO, we search it in search engines like Google, Yahoo, or Bing. These search engines then produce a list of the most relevant result on your query. The problem is, if the site is just new, it goes down the bottom of search engine results. Most people don't go far beyond page 3 or page 5 of the search engine results. As an SEO, your goal is to make a website appear on the first or within the 5 page of search engine results by making use of keywords, links, and other SEO techniques.

robots.txt

How Will I Start SEO?
With a lot of competition, application without practice makes one incompetitive. We cannot ask clients to practice SEO on their website, so we have to do it on our own. So, without further ado, here are the tips for beginning SEO.

Learn basic web development
Learn HTML, CSS and build your own website without relying on WYSIWYG editors. This technique makes you become more familiar with the codes used to develop a website.

Apply What You Learn
Try to practice creating your own website by hand-coding it. In that way you will be familiar with HTML tags. Familiarize yourself with the <meta>,<a>,<title> tag as these are the important tags in seo.

Then create a blog and apply what start your own topic. This is the basic of SEO. Content helps a site become popular. But remember that the content must be unique. The more unique your content is, the more search engine friendly it will be.

Websites like Wordpress, Blogger, and Webs will help you create a website.

And that's it! This is just part 1 of SEO. This topic is broad so if you are interested visit: http://www.webconfs.com/seo-tutorial/.

Writing for the Web: How to Start a Freelance Writing Career Online?

2011-06-25T16:56:00.000-07:00

A freelance writer is probably one of the easiest job online and one of the most in-demand. Content is King, so as they say. So writers are the heart of every website. Without content, a website will not be friendly with Google Search engine.

Anyone can write. But not everyone has the skill to entice people to read what they wrote about. With constant practice, we can earn this skill. As a start, writers need articles and these articles must be web-friendly.

Here are some tips on what a web-friendly article should be:

1. Know Your English.
English is the language prevalent online. Non-native English writers must understand the language well enough so that everybody can understand what you are trying to say. Watch what you are writing particularly on your grammar and spelling. To help with grammar and spelling turn on spell checker and grammar checker of your word processing software. You can also check for your errors online by visiting these websites:

www.spellchecker.net - checks for grammar, spelling, and has a thesaurus.
www.paperrater.net - checks for grammar, spelling, word transition, bad phrase, correct word usage, checks if the article is plagiarized, and the best feature of this site is that it grades your article.

Both of these website offer suggestions for your mistakes. A word of warning though, computer-assisted spelling and grammar checkers are not 100% percent accurate. Manual checking is still the most effective way to take care of these kinds of errors.

Here's one example: A uniform or An uniform, which one is correct? Isn't it that 'U' is a vowel?

2. Know How the Web Speaks

Contrary to most beliefs, the web speaks like a commoner and not like a business person. Unless it's a corporate website, readers don't need complex words and sentences. What they need is to get things straight and get there fast.
Readers in this world skim, they don't read every paragraph that you write like a book. They look at your bullet points, if they don't find one, they won't read it all 'cause they find it uninteresting. Know what you want to portray, keep it simple then point it out.

Do you need "abhor" when "anger" can express just the same?

3. Create your own articles
Articles should be created by you alone and is 100% unique. Do not copy paragraphs from other websites because its plagiarism. If your article contains plagiarized content, your integrity as a writer will be compromised. If you have copied some texts cite references and state it as not your own.

Articles are important for a freelance writer because this is their portfolio. A blog will also do but blogs that talks about your family, your rants, etc does not entice clients. Try making blogs that answers questions, give tips, or provide knowledge to readers. Blogs made that way shows how knowledgeable you are on a certain field. The more diverse the topics, the more interesting you are as a writer.

Additional Tips:

Create a blog or article that talks about a certain topic or in web terms: niche. Any niche will do just be sure you know what you are talking about. A good idea for a niche is to talk about your hobby, pets, computers, or create how-to's. This will serve as your portfolio.

Submit your created articles on article submission sites. Look for an article submission site that is strict and reads articles manually. Sites like EzineArticles.com are probably what you should look for. This is a way to thoroughly proofread your created articles.

Do you know any similar websites that uses the same policies and methods as EzineArticles.com?

5 Tips To Land a Freelance Job and Where to Look For It

2011-06-23T08:23:00.000-07:00

Let's face it, the hardest part in earning the job that you are aiming for is during the application process. This is also true when applying for a job online. They say that if you are a freelancer, clients look for your service. But what if you are just beginning your freelancing career? My advise, treat it as a job first then make it your business once you have earned your reputation. And with that, here are the ways on how you can easily land a job online.

1. Know Your Skills

Professionals know exactly what their skills are particularly on those that focuses on a certain field like for example a web designer. People without any professional skills need not to worry because there are skills that are often overlooked but are in demand in the online industry. Do you know how to write a blog, create articles, and expresses yourself in English well? Then you can be a writer.

Do you know how to use a spreadsheet and other office applications? Then you can be a data entry. If you know how to edit pictures, create logos,designs, draws graphic arts then now is the time for you to shift your work online because there is a great market for you here.

Other Skills Required:

Knows any office applications
Can type fast (40 wpm and above)
Can speak, write, and understand English

2. Build your Profile

What is your name? Where are you from? What have you attained? Do you have awards or certificates?

Be sure that the information you are giving are all accurate. Think of it as a way to display yourself to clients. Put pictures and make sure they look decent and professional. Think of it as applying for a job, the only difference is that it is online.

One more thing to look into is your hourly rate if your client asks for one. Your hourly rate is based on your own assessment. Are you confident that you are skilled? Do you have proofs that prove that? Then you have the right to have a higher hourly rate. Are you just a beginner but you know some skills? Then your hourly rate must be lower than those that are skilled.

3. Create a Portfolio

What can be your portfolio?

graphic arts, edited pictures, created logos, created banners, etc.
animation, short film, video blog.
created thesis, articles, blog, poems, lyrics
a recorded voice
A collection of softwares you created, web design templates.

And anything that can prove your skill can be your portfolio. Make sure that what you put in your portfolio are your all your own.

4. Create A Good Cover Letter

How can you convince your client to hire you when you are not talking to them face to face? Make a professional looking cover letter. Cover letters must be in a business letter format, it must not contain any wrong spelling or grammar. A good cover letter contains:

A professional greeting.
The point of this letter - why you write, what are your skills, work experience(if any).
Mention the skills required and prove your skills.
Close the sale - tell your available time, how many hours you can work, and some closing remarks.

NOTE:

Some clients may ask for instructions like some words you have to add in your letter or other specific request. This is designed to eliminate the "copy&paste" approach of some applicants. Be sure to read their job descriptions well.

Reread, reedit and reconsider your cover letter before submitting because once its submitted, you can never get it back.

5. Be Persistent and Determined

Success can happen in an instant but sometimes it tests you. When you got rejected the first time, don't give up. There are a lot of opportunities online and there will come a time that you'll find your client. Just don't lose hope.

To minimize the chance of failure, below are the websites I suggest you look for projects:

oDesk and Elance

Why?

Guaranteed Payment

Clients must confirm if they can make payments or not. There are indicators on job postings if the client is verified for payment or not.

Two types of Jobs:

Hourly - get paid for every hours worked, work times are logged and screen shots are taken at random intervals.
Fixed Price- get paid for every project agreed on.

Millions and millions of clients flock on these websites to look for professionals.

But...

In oDesk:

Most jobs are easy but contractors are cheap. You can get very easy jobs like deleting a client's Facebook friends, do some negotiations, or type captchas but their price can go from $0.50 to $95 per hour. The lowest offered to me before was $0.15 per hour yet I accepted it because it was my first time and my goal that time was to become an earn experience and reputation.

In Elance:

Contractors pay a reasonable price for every project but the jobs are hard, perfect for professionals. The lowest price offered is $1-$5 per hour.

But both are great websites with organized systems. You can pick just one or you can pick both. The more jobs, the better.

Now what will it be? oDesk or Elance? or Both?

Your Choice:

Do You Have What It Takes To Become A Freelancer?

2011-06-21T01:07:00.000-07:00

A freelancer is someone not currently committed to any employer for a long time. Freelance have multiple jobs available like journalism, data entry, accounting, copywriter, blogger, web development, programmer, etc. It is like a normal 9-5 job but the difference is that a freelancer gives the job to clients and controls the job to offer and to whom to offer it to. Meaning, if a freelancer can do web development, programming, and copywriting, he or she can be paid in each of these skills. And the best part, you get to work at the comfort of your home.

Why Freelancing?

There are many get-rich-quick schemes online but freelancing is different. First, It is like a normal job only that you can do it at home. Second, it is a job and not a scheme. Third, results are based on the jobs you can offer and not on how many people you have recruited or how much you have paid. And compared to your day job you can:
Get paid for every service you can offer. The more skills you have, the more payments you will receive.
Take control of your time. Work in the morning, in the afternoon or at night.
Take 2 jobs or more.

How to Become a Freelancer Online?
Becoming a freelancer online is easy. Create a portfolio showing your skills, then go online and look for clients that need your skills. For beginners, I can recommend to have a look at www.odesk.com first to get the feel of what a freelancer is all about. There are various jobs to select from and payments are sure and automated.

The Advantage of Freelancing

Save money
When you work online, it means that you won't have to travel, you'll only stay at home, eat home-cooked meals, and wear whatever fits you every day. No more strict uniform rules, no more costly meals and no more budget on daily trips from home to work.

Be your own boss
You can choose who to work with and what to work on, take negotiations, set your own price, and choose your own working hours are all under your control. If you feel that you need a raise, ask your client for a raise. And if you are eligible for a raise, they will give you one with no hesitations.

Have multiple clients
Unlike working full time in a company that once you lose that job, it's hard to find another job that fits you. You can select how many projects they can take. What's best is that online, there are websites that gathers these clients so it is easier for you to look for projects.

The Disadvantage of Freelancing

Distractions
Children roaming around, neighbors talking, your family, and your bed will be the distractions you will face. But setting your own room, letting the people around understand that you are working helps reduce these kinds of commotion.

Instability
There may be times where you are working in full load but there will be times when you have to apply for a job to pay your bills. This can be prevented if you have a back up freelancing project or you have learned several skills aside from the one you are working on.

Your work is all yours to blame
You work alone and when you need help, nobody can solve them except you. So if it fails, you take all the credit. But with that your skills will improve and the more that you learn from those mistakes the more that you can work without relying on somebody for help.

So is freelancing right for you? Do weigh all the advantage and disadvantage of becoming a freelancer before making that shift.