Freelancer

A previous post that I had was on oDesk, which is a freelancer marketplace.  Since reviewing that company, I’ve found great success with Freelancer.com (international freelancers welcome!).  It is similar in many ways to oDesk, but it is my personal preference.  You build your portfolio, take tests to prove your skills, and bid on open projects.  Your portfolio is pretty easy to build as it requires your resume, any work samples and things of that nature.  It took me a few days to get it all up and running, but I took breaks here and there.  The nice thing is that Freelancer walks you right through it all.  The tests do cost money ($5.00), but it is possible to use your “credits” towards a free test.  I have taken several tests but haven’t paid for one yet.  Now, you may be saying to yourself that you don’t want to deal with bidding against people that are willing to do big jobs for a tiny paycheck because the exchange rate may work better in their favor.  It can be frustrating that some jobs will say that they take the lowest bidder, but there are jobs that are willing to pay what you are worth.  They want quality, and are willing to pay for it.  I’ve had one job that is completed, and two that are in the process of being completed.  I’m very satisfied with my experience, so far.  Now, there are fees if you want more than a very basic account.  The basic account allows you to bid 10 times a month.  Now, that may be okay for you as there are ways to gain your bids back by increasing your level.  Check out the different levels of membership here.

Bidding is relatively straightforward.  You enter in how much you are willing to complete the project for, and it will calculate your fee, in addition to that amount, for the total amount shown to the employer.  Then, you will also enter how long it will take you to complete, how much of a milestone payment you require, and shows where you will be on the list of bidders.  It gives you a chance to pay to upgrade your bid to a higher level, but I personally do not think that is necessary.  The next part is your proposal.  This is the most important part to me because this is where you can basically plead your case on why you are the best freelancer for the job.  Make sure you really read over the project description.  Some may ask you to put in a code phrase to your proposal or require you to complete a sample.  Employers can contact you through private messaging on the site to ask you questions, and some do note that they want to be able to Skype or speak to you on the phone in the project description.  The employer may award the project to you, but you have time to accept the project as bid afterwards.  One thing I think is a negative is that your fee comes out of your account right away rather than when you get paid.  For that very reason, I like to keep a small amount of money in my account as they do charge fees for money transfers into your account.  I’ve withdrawn several times from my account with no PayPal fees which is nice.  They also pay a few different ways, such as direct deposit, PayPal, Moneybookers, Payoneer and international wire.  There is a feedback system for both freelancers and employers, which is very nice. 

There is a great FAQ that can be useful when you first get started, and their customer service department is excellent.  I’ve asked several questions, and have always heard back right away from their staff.         

Pros –

• Anyone can sign up for free
• Multiple payment methods
• Twice weekly payouts when requested on time
• Lots of open projects with new projects added all the time
• Wide variety of work to choose from with some being highly technical (i.e. programming) and others relying on more simple skills (i.e. data entry and writing)
• Ability to work other jobs
• You are in control with your bids\
• Profile and portfolio that can be customized to increase employer interest
• Reliable site as it’s been around since 2001

Cons –

• Lots of bidders increasing competition
• Project fee taken at acceptance of project
• Fees

Freelancer is really dominating the freelancer market, and I personally think it’s a great option for freelancers.  Plus, there is no reason why you can’t try out Freelancer and oDesk to see what your preference will be.