Tagged: freelance

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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30 Sep

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How to Bag your First Ever Freelance Virtual Assistant Assignment

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The scenario in bagging each freelancers first freelance job assignment, regardless of their expertise, is never easy. In fact, it is always very tricky. The competition is as stiff as ever and if you are not up for the challenge— landing your first freelance job can make you feel very frustrated. One of the many areas in freelancing which poses these challenges is Virtual Assisting.

Virtual Assisting is a freelance job which has lots of field of specialization. To name a few there are data entry, appointment setting, word processing and bookkeeping. These are jobs that were traditionally done in an office setting, but are now being outsourced for practical reasons such as business cost-cutting. And, if it is a common job in the ‘real world’; it should be relatively easy to do it in the virtual world. Needless to say, if you are aiming for this job in freelancing, you can be confident that you are in for a greener pasture out there. Below are tips that will help you jumpstart your Virtual assistant career so you can eventually enjoy the good opportunities this new line of business pursuit has to offer.

  1. Define your interests and know your skills. Be certain of your goals and work on it. As mentioned earlier, you can specialize in this kind of freelance job and specializing will do you good. Not only will it allow you to set your own boundaries, it will also allow you to build a name and brand as a freelancer in the long run.
  2. Do your homework. Research and study to prepare. Be familiar with industry terms and be aware of your job description.
  3. Redraft your resume to satisfaction. Make sure to emphasize your relevant skills and work experiences. If you lack a relevant work experience, make sure to note any possible relationship to any of your activities and work experiences to the freelance job that you are aiming for.
  4. Prepare your place for success. Even if you are not yet hired for a freelance job assignment, make sure to already have the essentials handy— folders, cabinets, a printer— these are you investments. These are fairly cheap as compared to the hassles of travelling to and from work.
  5. Set up a realistic rate. By realistic we mean a rate that is affordable, but is also enough to pay for your own resources that you used for the freelance job (electricity bill and your time). You may have saved on travel fare, but these things replaced it. However, make sure to offer a competitive rate that a client will not dare refuse. A balance in this aspect of your career will back you up for a good and fair competition with other freelancers.
  6. Build your name by offering a service that buyers will be crazy to deny. Go the extra mile if necessary. Make sure to impress a future employer. Do it right the first time!
  7. Finally, be excellent and remain excellent. Landing your first freelance job assignment is no reason to be too self assured and be lousy. Remember that your feedback score counts in your pursuit for a constant stream of work. Similarly, a client’s feedback towards you can cost you a stable continuous business with him or her.
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29 Sep

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Freelance Job Opportunities for Bookeeper and Accountants

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The freelance job community has grown from a relatively small group of people enjoying the perks of working from home into a ‘variety of groups of professionals’ in need of opportunities to make good money out of their certified skills. Prior to the outburst of internet usage in business transactions, very limited freelance jobs are outsourced. Now, due to extreme technological advancements, even the most complex office responsibilities can now be taken into the homes of employees from around the globe – accounting and bookkeeping needs of organizations are one of these aforementioned tasks. What could be the reason behind such a surprising trend?

  1. Statistics show an increase in demand for accountants and bookkeepers who can excellently perform in their field of expertise. In fact, if you are to check your local classified ads, you will definitely see a huge ‘ad’ which will prove this notion. How is this fact related to this kind of jobs getting outsourced? Simple. An increase in demand will require an equal increase in supply hence a witty action from employers – freelance bidding sites exploration!
  2. The global financial crisis has also led a lot of business owners to look for cost-effective ways of meeting their business needs. Getting their accounting and bookkeeping needs outsourced as freelance jobs is one of the viable ways to find/hire people with cheaper rates and those who won’t cause much maintenance (read: benefits and office needs consumption).

The aim for this enumeration of the top two reasons for the sudden increase of freelance job opportunities for accountants and bookkeepers all over the web is simple: to get the word out that accountants and bookkeepers can now enjoy the same advantages freelance writers, programmers and web designers are able to enjoy – and this is an undeniable fact!

How to get started?

If you are a full time employed accountant looking through the option of finally practicing your profession within the comforts of your home, getting started in the virtual world of freelance jobs will no longer be as difficult as it is for a new graduate. This is primarily because freelancing as an accountant or as a bookkeeper is simply a matter of knowledge and experience. In fact, freelance jobs of this kind will be very much similar to the job that you have in the office (sans the boss, of course). Additionally, buyers will appreciate excellent ‘real world’ work experiences if you are to work on an assignment for them.

However, for the starters in both their profession and freelancing, succeeding in this pursuit is still very much possible. There are considerably few great deals for a buyer to gauge your capabilities and skills. This fact is in both ways advantageous and disadvantageous for you. You will no longer need to defend your lack of experience, but you will also lack much skills required to perform excellently which will hit your feedback score big time in the long run. Therefore, it is highly recommended that you take certifications which will both enhance your skills and your profile as a freelancer. Furthermore, those who have much to offer (relevant studies and work experience) are able to enjoy higher pay rates and interview invitations. Finally, freelance job opportunities have indeed grown into almost all employment verticals. So, should you wish to move out of your comfort zone, turn your life around a bit and skip your nine to five work schedule.

Happy Freelancing!

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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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15 Sep

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Global Freelance Market Trends – Aug 09

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If you are to consult a fortune teller just to be able to tell the future of freelancers, she will surely give you one ‘predictable’ answer— there shouldn’t be any worries at all on these home based workers’ end as earning opportunities through freelance jobs are here to stay. We suppose you remember this exact line from last month’s Global Freelance Market Trends – July 09′ post— well, we are surely not in a lost of words. We are just simply trying to put emphasis on an important fact: Freelance Jobs are a great source of stable income provided that you know where to get projects when you want them. Below are the lists of Top Demanded Skills and Top Searches for the month of August that will help you determine where your freelance career SHOULD be heading now.

50 Most Required Skills

There has been a sudden turn of events for Data Entry as it was replaced by MySQL on its spot on Donanza’s last month’s Top Demanded Skills. MySQL proved to be a rising freelance job as it moved from the sixth spot to the fourth on our current list. SEO also gave way to it by moving from the fourth spot to the fifth. Indeed, freelancers who are skilled on database management, particularly on a system such as MySQL, are undeniably in for some more freelance job opportunities in the coming months.

The movement in the trend is not that drastic at all that it is best to refer to it as a shuffle. This only implies one thing: If your skill is on a high-demand now, it is highly recommended that you continue to hone it in order to be a better value provider for the freelance jobs available for your skill rather than to consider a shift to a different skill that you find interesting at the moment. This is of course just an intelligent suggestion to a freelancer who wants a constant stream of work and income. However, if you do freelance jobs for the sake of being able to use your skills and to self-gratify, this piece of advice won’t really be for you.

DoNanza’s Index Skills Trends – August 2009
#Rank Skill #Rank Skill
#1 PHP (-) #26 Illustrator (+4)
#2 Website Design (-) #27 XHTML (+8)
#3 Graphic Design (-) #28 C/C++ (-3)
#4 MySQL (+2) #29 Blog (-2)
#5 SEO (-1) #30 XML (+2)
#6 Flash (+1) #31 Data Processing (-9)
#7 Data Entry (-2) #32 Research (-4)
#8 CSS (-) #33 Excel (-)
#9 Copywriting (-) #34 Script Installation (-3)
#10 HTML (+1) #35 Sales (-6)
#11 WordPress (+1) #36 iPhone (+1)
#12 Javascript (-2) #37 Link Building (-14)
#13 Photoshop (+1) #38 Proofreading (-2)
#14 Logo Design (+2) #39 e-Commerce (+3)
#15 Joomla (-) #40 ASP (-2)
#16 AJAX (+1) #41 Technical Writing (+35)
#17 Marketing (-4) #42 Video Service (+2)
#18 .NET (+1) #43 Linux (-4)
#19 Content Writing (+7) #44 Facebook (-1)
#20 SQL (-) #45 Drupal (+8)
#21 Web Promotion (-3) #46 Lead Generation (+5)
#22 Social Networking (-1) #47 Telemarketing (+1)
#23 JAVA (+1) #48 Internet Marketing (-7)
#24 Advertising (+23) #49 Animation (+23)
#25 Article writing (+9) #50 C# (+34)

You may be wondering what the green and red numbers across each skills are for. These numbers are the movement determinants. Through them, you will be able to tell which skills made tremendous leaps on freelance job demands (the green ones) and which ones failed to maintain a good standing on clients’ needs. Amongst those who have made noticeable improvements are technical writing, c#, advertising and animation which number climbed up our list by 35, 34 and 23 slots respectively. Temporary poor performers for this month, however, surprisingly include link building, data processing, internet marketing and sales which demand dropped from our list from the relatively high number of 14 down to 6. This should be no cause for any apprehension though because as it was already mentioned; freelance jobs are here to stay. A favorable trend or a sudden decline on a demand for a skill is perfectly normal— what’s not is you taking it against your own career. No matter how limited your skill has to offer, you are still the manager of your profession. Look for work; they won’t look for you.

10 Most Popular Searches

10 Most Popular Searches
#1 Graphic Design
#2 Writing
#3 Software Dev.
#4 Web Dev.
#5 PHP
#6 Translation
#7 Web Design
#8 iPhone
#9 SEO
#10 Multimedia

Now, we’ve come to the moment of truth. What do you think is the best way to determine if your skill has its appeal to clients? Check our month’s Top Searches! Similar to Donanza’s August Top Demanded Skills list, our Top Searches list has not had much movement. It has just been literally shuffled. It is, however, notable that admin support has been replaced by multimedia on our top ten, but this does pose any possible source of worry to admin support freelancers at all. This simply appears to be a ‘seasonal’ movement to be expected from time to time. After all, freelance jobs never promised stability.

Constant stream of work and earnings are still highly dependent on the freelancer’s competitiveness and resourcefulness. Needless to say, no matter where your skill is on Donanza’s Top Demanded Skills and Top Searches list, it is still entirely up to you to be able to find and ‘bag’ freelance jobs and gigs for yourself. Therefore, equip yourself with the knowledge and proficiency your career field requires— and explore bidding sites such as www.donanza.com which collectively gives you all the opportunities available across the web— and you are surely going to be staying the world of freelancing for a long time while loving it.

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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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26 Aug

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How to Build a Freelance Career in Graphic Design

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Freelance career It is a fact that freelance jobs have blossomed quite well since its timely advent with the sudden need for use of computers and internet some few years ago. Today, money making opportunities already abound the internet -some are considerably instantaneous (such as that of Google Adsense for bloggers) while others require some hardwork; especially if it is a stable freelance job career that one is looking for.

Having these said, it is also undeniably true that most jobs are already being outsourced. An in-house writer is almost no longer necessary for some small and medium sized businesses as skilled writers for hire already abound the web. This same fact holds true for customer service representatives, programmers, web designers and a lot more. Needless to say, almost any kind of job can already be outsourced, and this is a great advantage for people who are skilled enough to make it through the world of freelance jobs.

Plunging into the waters of freelancing is never easy though; there are a couple of hoops and loops that one has to go through in order to succeed. And as part of our advocacy of bringing you the best freelance jobs all over the web, we will be providing you with your monthly dose of ‘how-to-get-started’ posts that which will help you (especially if you are a newbie) jumpstart your career on the particular freelance job that you chose to do. This month’s highlight will be on new freelance graphic designers. In real life, the how-to’s may not be that easy at all, but they are not that too complicated either. Read on and up your knowledge on your new career a notch higher.

Preparations for a freelance job pursuit

As in most jobs, you will be required to do some preparation in order to be able to be competitive in your chosen field. You are not the only freelance graphic designer in town; and you are still a newbie! What needs to be done?

As a freelance graphic designer, you are expected to be able to deliver quality outputs. This freelance job requires skills on art and its basics. Computer literacy and knowledge on updated design software are also necessary. Therefore the first step is to make sure that you have the required skills to do the job. If you are a self taught designer and you feel you still need to formally attend a short term course or a degree course on graphic designing, then do so! Not only will it help you with future projects; a formal education is also an eye catching qualification that clients look at. However, this is not to say that a formal education is your sole chance to learn— watching free video tutorials will also help. These are available on websites offering online courses on graphic designing or on websites recommending graphic design softwares. Take advantage of them.

After ensuring that you are already equipped with the knowledge and skills to do freelance jobs in this field, it is now necessary for you to do some hardwork and create samples for your portfolio. Your portfolio may be displayed in a hard copy, but the best and more result-driven is a portfolio that is displayed online. Building a website for your work samples is therefore a necessary investment in your pursuit for a career in this kind of freelance job.

Finding freelance job opportunities

Perhaps the best way to jumpstart your career in freelance graphic design and on any freelance job for that matter is to apply on freelance bidding sites. oDesk, Elance and Scriptlance are some of the choices you may consider, but there is a whole lot more. You may also check out www.donanza.com for some search engine feel (and efficiency) in your search for projects.

Your website may also help you gain business. Since your portfolio is already on display there, interested clients may contact you anytime if they like your work. Therefore, make sure to have your contact information posted on your site and also make sure to check your page daily.

Everything is actually as easy as how I made it appear here. It may take some time and effort, but any business and career of any kind will require the same investments anyway! One final note to make— those who are able to make it big in the world of freelance jobs are those who are available for any project possible. Freelance jobs for graphic designers vary, so you might get hit by a feeling of incompetence— never underestimate yourself! All of them are surely still within your scope. Bear in mind that freelance jobs may really be all too customized based on the industry needing it. Jobs which may appear indirectly connected with your expertise such as being a creative director for a publishing company may not ring a bell on you, but it may be a possible project. Therefore, take time to go through each freelance job and to read their descriptions. More choices will always give you better options and better possibilities.

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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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