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04 Nov

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Freelance Writing 101

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WRITING101

It is now easier to find a career at the comforts of your home without a steady employer to please or a relatively large money capital to start a business with. With the ever blooming freelance job industry, you are sure to have some source of income sans the usual hassles traditional jobs have.

Now, you may be wondering how you are going to find a freelance job that will help you make ends meet without a regular job. This worry is a little easy to settle— all you need is a computer and a reliable internet connection— and you would certainly be on your way to being a busy bee making honey online.

One of the best options that you have is to plunge into the waters of freelance writing. Freelance writing is one of the easiest freelance jobs available over the web. It is also a good stepping stone in order to make it to the freelance job on which you are really passionate about— say web design or programming— since website creation requires web content. Speak of being a jack of all trades!

Writing tasks available range from the simplest article writing and rewriting up to the ever demanding web content writing. Anyhow, it is undeniable that a gift of gab used in writing will take you a long way through the virtual world of freelancing without much investment.

So, maybe the next question that we may need to answer relates to the how to’s of a starter in this freelance job. Assuming that you already have excellent writing skills (do not attempt to jump into this job if you are not confident of your writing abilities), below are the 4 steps that will take your freelance writing career into a bloom.

Research-Learn-Experiment. As already mentioned earlier, a highly developed writing skill is necessary to be able to land a freelance writing job. However, it is also critical that you realize that freelance writing will have very specific demands and requirements that you may need to meet. As such, you may be required to stuff in keywords into your articles for SEO’s sake or ghostwrite and adapt the website owner’s writing voice. Therefore, you have to be patient and flexible enough to research details which you are unfamiliar with, to learn new skills that will make you more qualified to do a wider range of freelance writing projects and to experiment in order to be not a stereotyped writer which may hurt the quality of your writing and worst, your reputation. Needless to say, similar to all other kinds of job, freelance writing will require you to continuously grow as a writer and as a worker.

Specialize. No doubt that this is very necessary. A writer who does not specialize on anything is similar to a basketball player who does not know his role in the game. You will be lost if you have not specified what you would love to write and what you can write. You can always be a jack of all trades, but it will still be necessary for you to be able to determine the kind of freelance jobs that you enjoy and that you are capable of doing. After all, with the varied and huge number of writing tasks available all over the web, you would really have to know which ones you would want to prioritize and which ones would you are willing to give up.

Self-promote. Promoting yourself and your work is also essential to making it big in this business. Know for a fact that no client will be willing to entrust you with a freelance job without seeing what you have got first. Therefore, your very own website from which you can showcase your portfolio of writings is very much needed prior to making any application for writing posts. Such an investment will need not be a costly pursuit though. You are always welcome for a test drive through a free blog on Blogger or in WordPress. Simply create an account and pour your heart out writing all your thoughts. It is, however, highly recommended that you keep your personal blog from that of your professional. This will not only make your blog more organized, but it will also help you establish samples for both of your professional and personal voice of writing.

Take some time off writing. A freelance job is flexible enough for you to be able to manage your time as you wish. However, it is the same advantage which causes freelancers to be left with ‘accumulated’ work at the end of the day, leading them to feel all tired and ‘isolated’. Now, as a new freelance writer, you are never going to be any different. At some point of your freelance career, you would also feel these negative emotions towards your work. Therefore, it is critical that you prepare for it and even try to avoid it. Take some time off writing. Refresh your spirits, go out of your home office, continue to socialize and be inspired. The more you see of life and the more you experience; the more you will be able to write masterpieces! After all, writing as a freelance job is never meant to box you; it is a means for you to continually explore your options while earning.

Happy Freelancing!

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02 Nov

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Freelance Job Competition— what is it like ?

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Post We can never better reiterate the effect of the global financial crisis to the economy and employment rate in countries all over the world. It is like a widespread disease that affects almost everyone connected to the chain of the business industry. In fact, even a work-from-home mommy is greatly affected by this sudden turn of events. How? Read on

The economic recession has led to thousands of layoffs which made most of these unfortunately affected people turn to freelance jobs as a source of living. This is not supposed to be a problem at all. For the most of it, it is even a blessing in disguise as it will help a lot of people learn to do freelancing and of course, learn how to be resourceful in a considerably tough time such this. Very good then, but have we ever thought about for the tenured freelancers and the work-from home mommy we’ve mentioned earlier? Without much thought, we can be certain that this movement in the freelance world only spells out one thing for them: C-O-M-P-E-T-I-T-I-O-N!

They need not fret though as honeys are always available for a ready and hard-working bee. Below are the things that you can do (if you are a tenured freelancer yourself) to keep the flow of work and income favorably steady despite the competition.

Know how to play it— and play it right!

The first thing that you will need to do in order to keep yourself in demand despite the presence of your rivals is to strategize. How can such be done? Well, it is fairly easy. You just need to make sure that your strategies point out to a single direction— towards you! You need to be more visible! By this we mean that you try all options possible to be seen as a value provider in your field—someone with proven excellent work history and someone who can be trusted. Update your portfolio and add more recent projects. Create a testimonials page in your website.  Finally, when everything’s ready, check out www.donanza.com for projects that can keep you occupied. A rule of thumb: Look for work as they’ll never look for you no matter how awesome you are.

Be Customer Service Oriented

You’ve read it right. You will have to be customer service oriented because now that the competition is as stiff as ever, you’ll need to be able to separate yourself from the lot! Keep in mind that the sole difference that you have with your closest rival is not the product or the service that you offer, not even the price; but how you deal with clients and with the projects they’ve entrusted you. Stock on professionalism and you’ll surely have enough to keep you up during the dry days.

Be Better, Do Better

Repeat business is always good business. For one, you’ll never have to invest much on a regular client (read: drafting your cover letters and time spent on interviews) and of course, you’ll never have to look for work— they’ll find you whenever they need you! So, how does be better and do better relates to this? Simple— pretty much similar to all other kind of clients, a regular client will have dynamic needs— and you need to meet these needs or else they’ll move on to another provider. These needs can range from a project requiring a new skill in your field to a project requiring a skill that can add value to your already formerly excellent work. Simply put, you need to learn continuously to keep your stream of work healthily flowing.

Now that you are already equipped with the things that you’ll need to keep your business ‘alive’ despite other competitive freelancers coming in, it is now time to think about sharing jobs. Find freelance jobs that you can work on. Never entertain more business than what you can handle. Never be greedy. Give others a chance while you try to keep yourself as productive as before. This is the real essence of a healthy competition.

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06 Oct

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How to knock it out the first time as a Freelance Translator

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In dealing with freelance jobs and clients, most often than not, second chance is never an option. A stained reputation and feedback can cost you your freelance career in no time. Therefore, it is critical that you realize of the importance of doing things right the first time in your overall goal as a provider.

This article aims to provide guidance to beginners in freelance translation. As most of freelancers may already be aware of; freelance translation is one of the most lucrative freelance jobs around these days. Thus, competition is stiff and requirements are even stiffer. Needless to say, the greatest challenge a starter freelancer in this field will have to face is how to knock it out the first time and how to make it big in the long run. Below are some few tips that a beginner translator and a beginner freelancer should keep in mind as they go through the hoops and loops of their chosen career.

  1. If you plan to go on full time, then work on it! It may take a couple of months or even a year to get an ample list of regular clients whom can assure you a constant stream of work. Therefore, patience is highly recommended as well as a consistent effort to market your service. Freelance bidding sites are great sources of ongoing projects from honest and valuable clients.
  2. It is a bad assumption that after a couple of projects, you are already going to have a good source of income coming in each month just like what happens when you are an in house translator. If you do think this way, this will serve as a reminder that in freelancing, there will be the rainy days and the dry days. Enjoy the pour of projects during rainy days, but make sure to prepare for the dry days. Send out applications whenever a project is about to end. This will ensure that freelance jobs will always be available for you whenever you need them.
  3. Never overlook the local market. Most freelancers think that freelancing is mostly virtual and will involve two people from completely different parts of the globe – this is not true. In fact, a neighbor can always be a source of freelance jobs. Therefore, make sure that everyone who knows you are aware that you offer your translation services.
  4. Link with other translators by joining organizations such as the American Translators Association. This will not only expand your network, but will also expand your knowledge about your work and career. Furthermore, doing so will help you find better projects and better buyers.
  5. Acknowledge the fact that you can never win over the freelance job challenges alone. Make sure to ask for guidance from industry experts. Join a freelance translator group who encourages an open communication on helpful exchange of ideas and experiences.
  6. Rework your resume. Make sure to indicate your skills and your being a translator in a noticeable part of it. For example: ‘Spanish bilingual Web programmer’. This conveys a message of expertise on both areas of freelance jobs.
  7. Go the extra mile and offer services which a veteran translator won’t offer. Let prospects know that you are available for work when no other translators are available such as during weekends or when they are in need of someone for rush jobs.
  8. Continue to learn and show a genuine interest in your newly found career. The web is abounded with lots of free E-Books and newsletters which are great resources for a beginner like you. Make sure to take advantage of them. You can even contribute to them when you are already confident to do so.
  9. Send out applications, but never commit to any kind of freelance job that you can’t handle just for the sake of bagging a new project. This kind of projects can generate income for you, but can also hurt your feedback score and reputation big time.
  10. Make sure that you keep your clients satisfied. In every kind of freelance jobs, and even in regular jobs, this should be observed. Keeping them happy will not only ensure you a good rating in the end of the project, but will also help you stay in the industry for a long time.

I hope that this guide will help you in your pursuit to be (1) a freelance translator, (2) to be a good freelance translator and finally, (3) to be an excellent freelance translator. After all, a good freelance career always starts with an excellent kick-off start. Aim high, hit the keys right and you’ll surely be on top in no time.

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28 Sep

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4 Tips for Student Freelancers

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There is definitely no doubt that there has been a great decline of work opportunities these days. The global financial crisis has led to an employment recession around the globe. The scenario: employees losing their jobs and graduates leaving college in uncertainty. Unfortunately, nobody is safe from its consequences; even clueless students.

Now, you may not entirely believe this notion as you may feel that students are not directly affected by this problem unless they work part time- you are wrong. Students will face one of the biggest burdens on this issue and that will be their inability to provide for themselves yet. Students will usually be entirely dependent to their parents- and their parents are not in any way safe from employment recession. Similarly, the job opportunities and the industries for whom they are studying for is never secured from this unfavorable employment situation. Thus, their future is affected and the need for them to be even more competitive for the industry and job for which they are preparing for is augmented.

If you are a student, you may already be frowning in sadness and in doubt now, but we assure you that there is no need to fret YET. Unless you don’t do something now, you have the virtual world of freelance jobs to back you up in this relatively difficult point in your life. Freelancing will not only allow you to have a source of income, but will also provide you with work experience relevant to your studies. This prepares you for the competition that you need to face right after you graduate. Afraid to plunge into the deep waters of freelancing? Here are 4 valuable tips to help you jumpstart your freelancing career in no time.

Have a CV handy.

A lot of people think that working on freelance jobs meant working in pajamas all the time- this is so untrue. Your distance from your client is no reason to be unprofessional. It is critical that you realize that you are a worker and you need to act like one whenever you transact with clients. This doesn’t only hold true in good grooming, but in client correspondences as well. Be it a simple chat or an e-mail, you will need to be a professional communicator. In this sense, you obviously need to start with a good CV and a cover letter! No job seeker will bag an opportunity without these essentials.

There are freelance bidding sites that will require you to complete a profile instead of submitting a CV. In such cases, you will need to complete your profile in the same manner as you would your resume. You need to make it as true, detailed and impressive as possible. These documents are a way to get your name and services out there. Therefore, make sure that they speak the best of you.

Your efforts not paying off yet? – No need to fret. Simply keep trying. The virtual world of freelance jobs is as competitive as the employment arena of the real world- you will be constantly asked for a relevant work experience. However, there are always ‘excellent firsts’ and it will be entirely up to your skills how you are going to be able to convince the client that you can provide them with such a positive experience.

Value client relationships.

As implied earlier, an impressive resume and a professional cover letter are your tickets to landing your very first freelance job- and once you have already jumpstarted your freelance career; expect to enjoy a constant stream of work from then on. And when that happens, the challenge starts. How does 4 freelance jobs while studying sound to you? Exciting and exhausting, probably. You may end up serving one religiously and neglecting the other. Worst, you may end up hurting your feedback score and overall ranking as a freelancer. This is a challenge, but you may choose not to be in such an unfavorable situation. All you need to do is to simply accept freelance jobs that you can handle and those that fit your schedule. Staying organized will also help.

Have a work time and a break time.

Similar to a regular job, all work with no play is no fun! Freelance jobs can occupy so much time PLUS your studies. You’ll need some slack time off work. In the same way, you also need to have your work time. Keep your schedule balanced and stick to it. This way, you’ll be able to avoid missed deadlines and burn out.

Learn, learn and learn!

A work experience in your resume alone is not enough to prepare you for the challenges of employment that you will have to face after you graduate. Acquired skills and good references are more important than a visually appealing CV. Therefore, take each freelance job as a learning opportunity. In fact, your ability to apply, to land and to keep a freelance job is already a valuable education that you get to keep for a lifetime.

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21 Sep

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Work at Home Moms on Spotlight

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How is it to be torn between a freelance job and a toddler?


The boost in internet and technology has given birth to a new breed of independent moms who have learned to earn despite being Stay At Home Moms (SAHM). This is through freelance jobs made available by freelance bidding sites and blogging. Now, they would be on our spotlight- not just to let them know that we salute them- but also to take into account why they are worth a spot on this page and how is it to be torn between a freelance job and a toddler.

We can never deny the fact that being a mother is a full time job that no woman can get away with. In this job, excuses and missed deadlines are fatal so extreme caution should be consistently exercised. Furthermore, being a mom alone is already difficult and exhausting. How much more if you are a woman working full time as a mom and working part time as a freelancer? How will you keep your sanity?

Stay At Home Moms (SAHM)

There are a lot of reasons moms already moved out of their comfort zones and tried their luck in the virtual world of freelance jobs. Three of the most common are boredom, a need for self-fulfillment through a career and a need for a source of income. Whichever amongst these may be a mom’s reason for staying at the comforts of their home while maintaining a career despite the difficulties that they encounter along the way, one thing is for sure- they have found that being a value provider for freelance jobs is a rewarding career and there is no way they are letting go of these opportunities.

We are proud to be Freelancer SAHMs!

I am a freelancer SAHM myself and I can attest that it is not easy to live the life of one. You have to be able to creatively juggle among your responsibilities to your husband, your children, to yourself and to your clients! Well, I consider this a challenge. In fact, taking my bath on time has also been a challenge to me ever since I started working on freelance jobs, but I am not complaining. Time management has been my constant companion throughout my work hours. After months of struggle, I am now able to find time for everything- from my daily bath, breastfeeding my baby up to working on both hourly and fixed price jobs. Therefore, it is to be noted that being highly organized is a skill that a freelancer SAHM has to develop. This is one of the advantages of being a ‘mommy freelancer’. Each challenging day is a learning opportunity which in itself is already self-fulfilling. The career and the attractive compensation for the hardwork are just a bonus.

Who wants to join?

Freelancing has indeed become an irresistible option for a lot of moms out there who are looking for something worthwhile to do while they spend their ‘loving time’ with their family. If you are one of these awesome moms and you think you are up for the challenge, feel free to visit freelance sites. After all, your ‘loving time’ is not supposed to be spent to your family alone. Self love is still an available option for a devoted wife and mother like you.

Happy Freelancing!

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31 Aug

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Types of Clients and How to Deal with them

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How to deal with clientsFreelancing and a regular work may be different in a lot of ways. One thing is common between them, however— you need to be able to effectively deal with a client at all times. Sure, you have got no boss, but fact is; you have a client that watches over your work and pays you according to the job done. Similar to dealing with a boss, clients are from all walks of life; hence, they require varied treatments. Below are the 4 most common types of clients you encounter in your freelance career. Read on in order to be able to identify which amongst is your current client and learn how to better deal with them.

THE ‘I-AM-ON-A-TIGHT-BUDGET’ CLIENT

Deciding to plunge into the waters of handling freelance jobs will definitely require you to learn the art of negotiation; clients are tasked to do the same. Clients are usually from the business sector and so they may be always a little on watch over how much they spend. Additionally, they also wanted to make sure that they get the most out of the money they invested on you.

Clients of this kind will usually set their budget expectations upfront. They are very clear of how much they plan to spend and what kind of work they expect from you, budget wise. These kinds of client require careful handling especially with regard to delivering quality work. Bear in mind that if you decide to agree with their terms, you should make sure that you are able to meet their requirements so as to keep a good record and reputation as a freelancer. A note of caution: Never bid below your standard or below the industry value of the work that they require done.

THE ‘I-AM-NOT-INTERESTED’ CLIENT

These are your busy clients. They are the ones who don’t communicate a lot to do constant follow ups on freelance jobs they need done. They have very little patience over your questions and will usually ask you to go beyond your support boundaries. Simply put; they are too busy to care and just wish you do your job the best way you can.

These kinds of client are a little frustrating to work with. Admit it! No matter how expert you are on your work; an input from them will still lighten your job. Additionally, some personal touch is always essential for you to arrive to what they will consider quality outputs.

These kinds of client are advantageous if you are working on a lot of projects at the same time; they can offer you flexibility by not always needing you to get in touch with them. They are fairly easy to deal with if you are able to identify them at the very start of the assignment— simply ask them of exactly what they wanted done and (if possible) ask them to at least set a schedule for a weekly follow up.

THE ‘I-WANT-TO-BE-INVOLVED’ CLIENT

They are the exact opposites of the ‘I-am-not-interested’ type of clients. They are very hands on and would always want to be involved in the project. They are very supportive yet meticulous on approving works. They can also cause you pressure and stress sometimes because of their presence and constant follow ups. Generally, however, they can be very good clients if dealt with well.

A client of this type is one that is both easy and not-easy to please. They are easy to please because you will know (will be constantly reminded of) their expectations and standards. The difficult part comes in when you are unable to deliver them with the work they expect. Since they are always around for support, they will surely expect you to deliver your best output at the end of the freelance job. The best way to deal with them is to be always pleasant as you can be and to be very attentive to details. Prevention is still better than cure, so make sure you really know the requirements of the project and that you qualify for it prior to applying. This way, you will be able to avoid unsatisfied customers who are serious about finding the best candidate for their freelance jobs.

THE ‘ALWAYS-VERY-GOOD’ CLIENT

The best amongst all the kinds of clients— they are easy to work with. They maintain a balance on watching over the project and keeping you motivated. They are very cheerful people. They are born leaders and are aware of the magic of constructive criticisms. Make sure to keep clients of this kind as they’ll surely make your freelancing career a lot enjoyable. Simply do your job the best way you can to give them what they deserve and you’ll surely be in for a work and play scenario in your freelance job.

A final note to make— no matter whoever your client is and to which category he may fall; always make sure to keep a professional relationship with him. It is never bad to try to extend your patience over some of their shortcomings as you surely have your own as well. After all, a freelance job is still similar to a regular work— it still requires you to be do best in your job and to be people oriented enough to be able to cope with any kind of situation— and client attitude— for that matter.

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23 Aug

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4 Ways to Earn Money From Blogging

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How to earn from freelance blogging

To say that a blog is simply an online personal journal is already an entirely obsolete idea. For one, there are already corporate blogs which do not limit themselves on personal opinions, but also aids in effective organizational transparency and customer relation. Another reason is the fact that blogs can already provide its owners plenty of ‘monetary advantages’ which no traditional personal journal offers.

Now, some may be thinking how such ‘advantages’ are possible or if they are even ‘really’ possible. This is a normal reaction from new bloggers who only wanted to voice out their feelings through a free and personal space on the web. However, you most likely no longer belong in the mentioned group or you would not be in this page at all. Therefore, we assume that you are here to read, learn and apply to your own page the how to’s of earning from your blog so you can also enjoy the aforementioned monetary benefits. This is exactly how people from the freelance job industry think— taking advantage of the opportunities that abound the web. Below are four of the most common, quick and easy ways of earning from your blog.

Be a Blogger-for-Hire

Visit freelance bidding sites and you will find numerous job postings for for-hire-bloggers. This is the easiest way to earn from your blog by making your blog your portfolio of writing samples. Not only will it open the doors of a ‘blogging career’ for you, but it can also provide you with more writing opportunities such as article writing and web content writing. Who knows? You might even end up as the next copyblogger in the blogosphere or a certified freelance job provider!

Pay-per-Click

Google Adsense is one of the most popular ways of monetizing a blog. Pay-per-Click is considerably a ‘passive’ way to earn from your blog. Your investment will simply be to write good content in your blog and sign up for Google Adsense account. Each visitor who clicks on a Google advertisement in your blog equates to some monetary value for you. It may sound very easy for you, but if you would like to earn some good money from your blog without accepting freelance jobs, you may at least want to look into some free options to drive traffic on your site.

Affiliate Product Advertisements

Apart from Google Adsense, you can also earn from advertisements of affiliate products which are on same niche as your voice in your blog is. These advertisements are relatively attractive and will usually come in the form of banners, images and graphics. They can make your blog look credible and may help you earn from it by serving as a link to the product’s sales page. You earn a percentage of the sales amount as a commission for this kind of advertisements. Again, good content is the king and there will be not much commitment such as that on a regular freelance job.

Writing Review Pages

This will be the last one and it is considerably already a freelance job— a writing job. This way applies to those bloggers who already has established and wide readership. In this case, the affiliate product will ask you to write a review page about their product. The same review page will also contain an in-place text link ad that will route a reader to the product’s sales page once clicked.

These four ways are relatively few as compared to the plentiful opportunities that abound the work-from-home freelance job industry. They are all waiting to be grabbed and all you need is to invest some time to go over each opportunity and determine where you fit. Blogging is just one of the few. Feel free to explore.

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17 Aug

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Factors to Consider When Setting Up Your Rate

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How to set your freelance rate

Whether you have just decided to join the shift from the regular nine-to-five work schedule to the flexible hours of freelancing or have been around in the home based industry for quite some time now; setting up your rate will still appear to be quite tricky. Consider these factors to be able to come up with a rate that is not too low nor too high.

YOUR ‘INVESTMENT’

This is one of the most obvious and critical factors to consider when setting up your rate for a freelance job. Make sure you are not working for nothing. Sure, there are limited expenses to take care of in freelancing since it is home based, but you need to bear in mind that the work you do now requires you to use your own resources and these only means having higher bills for phone usage, electricity and computer maintenance.

YOUR ROI & PROFIT

This is business so you surely are to expect some return of investment and some profit on top of it. It is critical that you keep a watch of your earnings to make sure that you are gaining monetary value from your freelance job.

THE DEMAND FOR YOUR SKILLS

There are some skills that are currently of great demand (refer to Global Freelance Market Trends – July 2009). If your skills appear to be somewhat hard-to-find, then you surely deserve some rate extras. However, if you feel that your skills demand is on a decline, it is necessary for you to lower your rate a bit in order to compete amongst those who does the same freelance job as you do or is in the same boat as you are.

THE NORM

This is what most of us refer to as industry standards. This is a little difficult to determine as it varies depending on most factors considered. Additionally, there are very few resources to refer to on the web that has the statistics with regard to the rate of freelancers. Therefore, the best thing to do is to look around and ask. Doing so will at least give you the idea of how much the others charge and compete for the freelance job that you are aiming for accordingly.

EXPERIENCE

Most often think that it is quite unfair to not be able to get a freelance job simply because of lack of experience— this may have a basis. However, with regard to setting up your rate; you can never really argue even if you feel that your skills deserve the same rate as the experienced freelancers charge. This is a privilege that they get to enjoy for staying in the industry. Additionally, clients are more comfortable to pay higher for services of those who are considered tenured as they feel these people are more capable of arriving at quality outputs.

YOUR CLIENT

You should never charge below your standards, however, it is also to be noted that there will be times when you will need to adjust depending on the kind of client and of the freelance job. A job that will allow you to grow in your field should be given considerations despite a lower rate. Similarly, a client who has been very good to work with should also be given considerations during rate negotiations. This won’t simply come out as an act of goodwill, but as an effort to maintain a good relationship with a priced client.

Finally, it is always best to keep a good head on your shoulders whenever you bid or quote a fixed price or hourly rate for a project. Keep everything as standard as possible while keeping in mind the important exceptions that are necessary to be done every now and then. A couple of cents difference is not bad anyway if you get to keep a very good client in the long run.

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