Skimming through the comments on the recent FSW poll about freelance
job bidding sites, there's not a lot of love out there for the
freelance bidding sites like Elance, Get-A-Freelancer, Guru,
Rent-A-Coder and the like - and it's no wonder when you see projects
offering to pay you $1 per custom designed t-shirt image!
The general consensus seems to be that in the following circumstances they can be of some value:
* If you're a student looking to get some extra cash and experience
* If you're a freelancer living somewhere with a lower cost of living
that allows you to take advantage of being paid lower rates for jobs
* If you're just getting started and your main focus is on building up your portfolio
* If you want to hone your skills in a new area
* If you're looking for quick turn-around jobs
This year my husband, Jonathan, decided to
transition from being a graphic designer to a professional illustrator
and turned to Elance and Guru to help him build up his portfolio. We
tested out 2 very different strategies: the first was to get our
Virtual Assistant (VA) to bid on any relevant projects with a certain
criteria (quantity) and the second was to personally bid on specific
projects that he was attracted to (quality).
The results?
projects which, although not the highest paying gigs you could
imagine, are helping him build up his portfolio with the kind of work
he wants and paying some of the bills at the same time
As the saying goes'. It is quality rather than quantity that
matters. Jonathan won 5 major illustration projects which, although not
the highest paying gigs you could imagine, are helping him build up his
portfolio with the kind of work he wants and paying some of the bills
at the same time.
Tactics
Here are 8 of the key tactics that he used to win bids successfully:
1. Choose your projects wisely.
Bid specifically for projects which you know you can deliver on, that
play to your strengths and that interest you. Avoid personal projects
like the plague - these are often the lowest paying jobs and the
project owner is less likely to take the project timelines and budget
as seriously as somebody who is doing it for commercial purposes.
2. Use a personal touch.
Don't use a template reply for every single project you bid on; tailor
your response to the actual project spec and address the project owner
by name if it's on the bid. You should also ensure that your bid
response addresses all the questions that are specifically asked.
3. Don't bid the lowest bid for the sake of winning the project.
Not only is this selling yourself and everyone else short as well as
de-valuing the skills in your industry, but if you win you'll end up
having to do the job for that price. And what's worst is you'll usually
end up resenting it. Set a price for the project that you are happy
with and stick to it - no compromises.
4. Have relevant pieces in your portfolio.
It's important that if a project requires a certain style or specific
skills for the job, that your portfolio or the pieces you bid with
reflect this. If you plan to use the job bidding site a lot, then it is
definitely worth taking the time to upload your best work to the
internal portfolio within the site as well as having a good portfolio
website that showcases your skills to send interested project owners to.
5. Be prepared to demonstrate your suitability and expertise.
Whilst I'm not advocating doing work on-spec or for free (see next
point), there are times when you might want to consider doing some
brief sketches or provide a tailored pitch, to demonstrate that you can
provide the specific skills the project calls for. If you have any
suspicions at all about the integrity of the request however, politely
decline and move on!
6. Don't do on-spec work
Don't apply for projects which ask you to submit your actual designs or
ideas so that they can then select the best one to win - this not only
devalues the industry you work in, it encourages more people to use
this tactic on the site. A useful resource for more info on this and
one which you might like to refer people who use this tactic in their
project spec to, is No-Spec.
7. Show professionalism at all stages in the process.
As some FreelanceSwitch commenters noted, jobs you find through these
sites can sometimes turn into long term clients. Always demonstrate
that you are a professional in your industry. Treat any project you
win, as you would a typical job and show no less professionalism than
you usually would.
8. Above all, be honest, realistic and authentic.
Don't over-commit to deliver a job with a deadline you know you can't
make; don't promise things you can't deliver and don't bid for jobs for
which your skills aren't suitable. Always show honesty, integrity and
authenticity in your interactions on these sites - whether you win a
job or not, the site is still a shop window that displays what you do -
behave well, even if you think no-one's looking!
by Lea Woodward (freelanceswitch.com)
