Tagged: job search

28 Feb

Many of the best freelance jobs are just around the block from you. Still, many freelancers miss them while searching for lower-paying work from half a world away. With DoNanza’s new search upgrade, that won’t happen.

At DoNanza, we’re bolstering our search offering with local freelance jobs – those gems that often pay more and offer steadier work but don’t turn up in global searches. DoNanza has so far added nearly 50,000 extra local jobs to its search for the US, UK and Canada alone and we’re adding more countries and boards daily.

By “local,” we mean clients in your city, country, or region who aren’t looking just to pay bottom dollar. They want a freelancer who speaks their language, understands their environment and might be available for a meeting. They’ll often pay more for it.

At DoNanza, we’re working around the clock to become the only source you ever need for all things freelance.

Stay tuned (We’ll have some great new tools to announce soon…),

Team DoNanza

Filed Under: Featured, Freelance Job Opportunities, Freelance resources, Freelancers, News

Tags: donanza, job boards, job search, local gigs, local jobs, local search, marketplace, search engine

23 Nov

2 Comments

Passive Income for Freelance Web Designers

by MLK

Here is a free-built path to income

Are you a freelance Web Designer? Looking for some extra cash to help you attain your goal to be financially independent in the near future? No time for more work? If your answer to all these questions is a BIG YES, then read on (Don’t worry, this is not a get rich quick scheme!).

A lot of Web Designers would be delighted to know that they can ‘passively’ earn a good sum of money in the Web. What you are about to read here is not at all a secret for most tenured designers, but can absolutely be a good reference for new Web Designers with budding freelance careers. So here we go with some of the known ways for Web Designers to gain passive income;

Affiliate Marketing – This one is the most known option amongst all others listed here. This is in no way a surprise for most of us because affiliate marketing is viable money making option not only for Web Designers, but also for ‘almost anyone’ who owns a blog. Web Designers have an edge over all others however because they have been gifted with skills to alter a page’s design for an affiliate banner to blend well with the other elements of the blog.

Consulting Services – Offering a service such this is another viable source of passive income for Web Designers. We are pretty certain that a lot of ‘traditionally employed people’ would want to know how you earn at the comforts of your home. Give them a helping hand while gaining monetary benefits in return. Now, you may argue that this is in no way a passive source of income as it will require you to spend time teaching others to learn your craft. You are partly right, but just think of it this way: No matter how busy you are, you’ll need some time off work and you’ll need a social life. Spend some time socializing while still earning by sharing to others what you enjoy doing.

Resell Hosting – Now is the time to see the opportunities right in front of you! You are designing websites so why not consider being a one-stop-shop to your clients? Well, this is not at all too laborious to do. Simply tell your client that you also offer hosting (and make sure you really do!). Saves them time spent on looking for a reliable hosting provider.

Sell themes – Again, you may argue that this option is not at all a source of passive income because you will obviously need to spend hours designing a theme. But hey, we’re certain that once in your career, you’ve done some experiments and you’ve come up with some mediocre work. Why not do some touch up on these designs and sell these themes at an affordable price. Not only will this help you build a brand of your own, but will also help you raise some funds for business expanding purposes.

This list contains the options that will help you gain extra income while keeping a constant and more reliable stream of earnings through freelance jobs. This post not only serves as a resource for you to find more opportunities, but also serves as an eye opener towards seeing the web as a good start for any business endeavor.

Filed Under: Freelance Job Opportunities, News, Uncategorized

Tags: freelance, Freelance Jobs, Freelance resources, job search, jobs, make money from home, money, Tips

12 Nov

12 Comments

Home Based Customer Service

by MLK

The earning opportunities that freelance jobs have offered to a lot of people in this tough time of recession are limitless. These freelancing options have provided us with the ability to cope with the situation despite the lack of job opportunities in our respective locations.

A good example is the people from India or people from the Philippines who have literally lived a night life for quite a long time because of their call center jobs. They are now left to sleep day and night, without any work to do, after the announcement of the global financial

crisis late last year. This is very unfortunate as these people are already equipped with skills and strengths to be able to perform excellently in a customer oriented setting— Filipinos are undoubtedly good in communicating in English while locals from India have their inclinations in technology. There is no question that these people are a good fit for customer service positions and that losing job such this is a major nosedive not just in their individual income, but in their country’s economy as a whole. Good thing freelance bidding sites are here to rescue—these people can now continue with the kind of work that they enjoy doing.

If you are a part of this good sum of population who have lost their jobs in a snap or if you are someone gifted with the ability to talk things over, then this guide is for you. Read on.

Defining Home Based Customer Service

It is always easy to confuse this position with that of a Virtual Assistant or that of a Telemarketer because of the general nature of the job. Therefore, if your aim is to land a CSR or CCR job, then make sure to identify the differences that it has with that of the two aforementioned positions. Below are the IT IS and IT IS NOT’S of a Customer Service Representative freelance job;

WHAT A HOME BASED CUSTOMER SERVICE JOB IS NOT;

Very sales oriented
Pay is performance based
Outbound calls
Focus is on sales quota
Responsibilities: Calling out prospects (outbound), follow ups and documentation

WHAT A HOME BASED CUSTOMER SERVICE JOB IS NOT;

Absolutely no sales involved
Pay is on an hourly basis
Focus is on KPIs such as customer satisfaction and AHT (Average Handling Time)
Responsibilities: Taking in calls (inbound) and documentation

This is a relatively short list to describe a home based Customer Service position. There’s a lot more to learn in order for you to enjoy the privilege of working home based while you are also able to do the things that you are good at. You just have to do your homework— by this we mean you conduct a self-initiated research that will help you exhaust all options available for you in the industry. You may opt to utilize the ‘search engine’ feature of www.donanza.com to help you find freelance jobs in this category. Alternatively, you can also visit the following links;

http://www.filcancommunications.biz/career.php

http://www.bsgclearing.com/riskmanagement/voicelogthirdpartyverification

http://www.convergys.com

http://www.plantronics.com/north_america/en_US/careers/index.jhtml

http://www.teletech.com/en-US/careers

http://www.overflowusa.com/jobs.html

Happy Freelancing!

Filed Under: Freelance Job Opportunities, Freelance resources, News, Uncategorized

Tags: Career, freelance, Freelance Jobs, job search, jobs, make money from home, Market Trends, work from home

11 Nov

7 Comments

Freelance Job Transcription Opportunities

by Clarisse Caysip

There is no doubt that a person’s gift of gab can take him to inexplicable career heights that even he might not be expecting. Communication skills, both in writing and speaking, can help a freelancer acquire numerous jobs; each of which has different nature which gives him options and growth opportunities as a home based worker. This proves that now more than ever is the best time to learn to be a good English speaker, writer and– listener? Read on.

We’re certain that we have caught your attention there. Here is a trivia: If you have not noticed yet, transcription is on the fifth spot in Donanza’s September Top 10 Most Popular Searches but it is not in Donanza’s 50 Most Required Skills. Puzzling, right? Whether there is demand for this service or not is definitely no issue. The result can only mean that freelance job transcription opportunities are just around the corner completely unnoticed.

Now, you might argue that if clients need transcription jobs, then why don’t they post job openings for it in freelance bidding sites? Well, it may sound unfair, but unless it is really urgent; no client will proactively reach out to you to send you projects— and this does not only apply to freelance job transcription opportunities, but to all other freelance jobs as well. Therefore, as frequently mentioned here in www.donanza.com, keep in mind that jobs won’t find you so you should be the one to do the looking. This said, we have prepared the following tips to help freelancers address the growing need for freelance transcriptionists by finding their job ads and taking advantage of them.

1. Utilize Google

Never underestimate the power of your fingertips! The reason you may not be seeing transcription freelance jobs a lot in bidding sites is because they’re not posted there at all! They may be on the ‘Careers’ page of a potential client’s website for all we know. Therefore, you may need to exhaust all of your resources– and these resources include search engines. Simply type in the relevant keywords in the search bar and hit go/search. Should you need help with keywords, we’ve listed some that you can use in your search;

- General Transcription

- Legal Transcription

- Court Reporters

2. Network with fellow transcriptionists

Nothing beats a good network that won’t only help you find freelance jobs, but can also share valuable tips and advice that can motivate you to keep going with your search and eventually, find these elusive freelance job transcription opportunities. Forums such as that in www.TranscriptionEssentials.com is a good venue to where you can start realizing your professional networking goals.

3. Read through advertisements

This is fairly easy. All you’ll need to do is to read through the advertisements available in the page where you get your daily dose of freelance job transcription tips, advice and tricks or even on the same page where you get your job leads.

Finally, it is also crucial that you understand that finding freelance jobs is not yet the end of your journey— it is only the beginning. You need to have prerequisites prior to it such as a resume and cover letter that converts and/or skill enhancement. And the most challenging amongst all these: You’ll need to keep your clients. After all, it has not been easy for you to find them. Make the most out of your efforts.

Filed Under: Freelance Job Opportunities, Freelance Transcriptionist, News, Uncategorized

Tags: freelance, Freelance Jobs, Improve Visibility, job search, make money from home, Tips, work from home

19 Oct

0 Comments

Global Freelance Market Trends – Sep 09

by DoNanza Team

Committed to delivering valuable information that will help freelancers in their search for freelance jobs and in intelligent strategizing, www.donanza.com has once again release its monthly dose report of Global Freelance Market Trends— this time, for the month of September.

With a relatively increasing number of followers and job seekers, the Donanza Team provides detailed statistics for freelance job scopes such as Web Design, Graphic Design, Content Writing, Social Networking, SEO and Sales to keep freelancers clued up on the movement of the ever changing world of freelancing.

This month’s Donanza search engine results are based on thousands of job postings from prominent freelance bidding sites such as oDesk, Elance and Scriptlance. The figures aim to serve as a guide on how ‘new’ service providers can find job from various sources in a single webpage and on how ‘tenured’ providers can commit wise decisions with regard to their field of expertise and career direction.

Last Month’s freelance job market trends report focused on the implication of the month’s statistics on the overall movement of the freelance job and outsourcing industry. Now, the statistics will be presented as is to give freelancers an unbiased feel on how to decide for their own careers.

50 Most Required Skills

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

This report covers 50 skills (considered most required) with rankings based on the number of jobs posted under each skill in the month of September. Our top 3 skills seem immovable from their spots. Freelancers from India will surely be most delighted on this result as news from softpedia specified India as the next largest PHP development source on the internet— with United States as its nearest competition.

SEO, however, which is currently in the fourth spot of our top 5, appears to be moving in ups and downs from top 4 last July to top 5 last August and now on top 4 again. MYSQL completes our top 5 with CSS and Data Entry always in an attempt to replace it in its spot.

The biggest rise in the list as of the month of September is Ghostwriting. The biggest dive out of the list, on the other hand is article writing with 9 steps behind its former slot. Finally, the Market Trend’s most impressive growth was recorded by Ghostwriting which is now 28 slots up from its former position in the top 100. Ironically, other skills under the category of content development recorded tremendous losses this month.

10 Most Popular Searches

10 Most Popular Searches
#1	Graphic Design
#2	Software Dev.
#3	Writing
#4	Web Dev.
#5	Translation
#6	Admin Support
#7	PHP
#8	Illustration
#9	Java
#10	Web Design

In demand trends or what we refer to as our 10 Most Popular Searches are Graphic Design, Software Development, Writing, Web Development, Translation, Admin Support, PHP, Illustration, Java and Web Design. The list has not gone through much change this month except for the fact that SEO, Multimedia and iPhone are already nowhere to be found in the top 10.

As advised earlier, this report is now simply a representation of the statistics based on collected facts. It will be helpful if you will check out our online freelance job market trends for the month of July and August for a better look on the status of your field of expertise and the demands (opportunities) that it generates for you.

Filed Under: News, Trends

Tags: freelance, job search, jobs, market statistics, Market Trends

06 Oct

4 Comments

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

by Clarisse M. Caysip

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.

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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.

Filed Under: News, Translation

Tags: freelance, job search, jobs, Tips, Translation

30 Sep

10 Comments

How to Bag your First Ever Freelance Virtual Assistant Assignment

by DoNanza Team

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.

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.
Do your homework. Research and study to prepare. Be familiar with industry terms and be aware of your job description.
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.
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.
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.
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!
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.

Filed Under: News, Virtual Assistant

Tags: freelance, job search, jobs, make money from home, Virtual Assistant

03 Aug

10 Comments

Global Freelance Market Trends – July 09

by DoNanza Team

Freelancing Industry is indeed here to stay— this is what Donanza’s Search Engine Results and Rankings imply. If you are in doubt that this is for real, check out these three categories which can show you how the virtual home based scene has evolved from an unemployment option into a fulltime home based position.

50 Most Required Skills

Together with Donanza’s mission to expose all the freelance jobs available over the web comes a need to monitor market trends, provide statistics and present these data in an organized and unbiased manner. This category, together with the rest that will appear in this post, are going to be a constant content of this page as Donanza continually gives you a bird’s eye view of the freelancing industry’s movements. Below are the 50 Most Required Skills based on all the freelance websites’ job posts collected and tabulated.

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

Topping our 50 Most Required Skills chart are Php, Website Design, Graphic Design, SEO and Data Entry— all of which happen to be working together as a team to come up with an ‘attractive’ webpage. By attractive, we mean pleasing to the eye and search engine friendly.
An increasing trend on content-related skills (Copywriting, HTML, WordPress, Content Writing, Link Building, Blog and Article Writing) is also notable. This is obviously brought about by the increasing number of businesses with online presence which requires regular content updates for marketing purposes. Needless to say, content is a critical part of any webpage which may even determine a page’s affectivity over internet browsers and site visitors.

15 Most Popular Searches

10 Most Popular Searches
#1	Writing
#2	Software Dev.
#3	Graphic Design
#4	Web Dev.
#5	Admin Support
#6	Translation
#7	PHP
#8	SEO
#9	iPhone
#10	Web Design
#11	Java
#12	.NET
#13	Logo Design
#14	Android
#15	Paython

The best part of reading this is that you get to know which amongst the 50 Most Required Skills are consistently on every prospect clients’ watch list. Here is a table showcasing the top performers in Donanza’s search engine.
Landing the top spot is writing, which is a common freelance job, outsourced by clients from around the globe. Admin Support also finds its place in our list’s Top 5 as more and more people are already outsourcing administrative freelance jobs which includes (but are not limited to); web research, e-mail correspondence, diary management, blog posting, article submission to directories and business call handling.
Our Top 5 Most Required Skills also made it in our 15 Most Popular Searches. A common factor simply implies that there is more to come for these industries for a long period of time. Therefore, if you have the gift of gab or competitive programming skills, you are surely going to be in for some great freelance job appointments!

Funniest/Weirdest/Most Romantic Freelance Job Post

The last, but surely not the least category will be Donanza’s Funniest/Weirdest/Most Romantic Freelance Job Post. Let us cut out some slack and entertain ourselves with a job post which will have you wonder how a future bride would feel if she knew that her future groom’s efforts to make his marriage proposal to her extra special has even made its way to the virtual freelancing world!

This is a proof of how limitless freelance job opportunities can be. This is not unique at all. Sure it is separable from the lot, but if you’ll care to browse some more, you will know that almost anyone can go on freelancing through the use of their valuable skills and a little self promotion.

Watch out for next month’s Search Engine Results, Rankings and Market Statistics, and continually make use of these data to be able to properly strategize and demand-proof your freelance career goals.

Filed Under: News, Trends

Tags: Freelance Jobs, job search, market statistics, Market Trends

Tagged: job search

DoNanza Upgrades Search to Include Local Freelance Jobs

Passive Income for Freelance Web Designers

Home Based Customer Service