Freelance websites are the places where you can search for a job according to your knowledge and skills. I posted a good (but not complete) list of freelance sites here. Browse (or better: search) our blog for reviews of separate freelance markets.

To start your freelance job search, you need to select a few best from your point of view freelance sites, register (as a rule, create a free account) and start browsing the listed projects. You will discover tough competition – there are tens of bids for every project.

How to win projects in this situation? You definitely need to apply some techniques to increase your chances:

• Your proposal should be personal. Take your time to modify your proposal template for every bid you place.

• Focus on your experience and skills. Show you are an expert in this area. Refer to your past successful experience.

• Be clear: what the customer can expect from you, when and at what price. Not every listed project gives you complete info. So, you should contact the buyer and get the details before you quote your services.

• Portfolio. You should have specific samples of work done for every project. The buyer is not interested in your general portfolio; he wants to see your experience with the similar tasks he needs to be fulfilled.

• Tell about yourself. Provide some information about yourself or your company. Build some trust. Show you are a real person.

• Reply asap. If you get any queries from a prospect try to reply as soon as possible. And remember to answer all questions you get in the messages.

• Study your competitors. The competition is cut throat for every project. You need to know who you compete with: their experience, prices, location, etc.

• Build your reputation. Reputation is of great importance at freelance sites. The better your history and feedback the higher chances to get a new project even if your price is higher than competitor’s. Repeat customers are a great benefit for freelancers as well.
Browse these two popular sites for freelance projects:

eLance (aff)

FreelanceWorkExchange (aff)

Summary: yes, freelance sites are great places for freelance job seekers, but you should have your own proved strategy and tactics to succeed. You will compete with freelancers from all over the world who can beat you with lower prices and better expertise. Hopefully, the above steps will increase your chances to get one or more projects.

[tags]freelance, job sites, freelance jobs, home business, work from home, elance, strategy, tactics, business, online business[/tags]

MySpace, a popular Social Network, have announced the launch of a job division of the site – MySpace Careers. It is powered by SimplyHired. It is a nice addition to MySpace services – the site has millions of registered users aged 15-27 – most of them need their first or new jobs. Employers are likely to get interested to adv on this huge marketplace.
It is a good way to expand for SimplyHired as well. Job sites competition is no doubt tough. For instance, Indeed.com, another job site and SimplyHired competitor, received investment from the NYT last year. Now the website powers jobs at New York Times.

[tags]myspace, simplyhired, indeed.com, nyt, new york times, job, job sites[/tags]

I think a FREE service provided by Sidejobtrack.com is a great tool for all kinds of freelancers who run one or a few projects simultaneously. What does it do?

Advantages for independent home workers are:

1. FREE
2. Tracks your projects: what to do, when, for who
3. Managers your projects: reporting, invoicing

To better understand the benefits you can take a tour

Summary:
The fact that the service is free and supports about 10,000 accounts means there is something in it. But every independent worker and freelancer have his own needs. Start with a tour, sign for a free account and make a decision if the service is likely to help with your freelance projects.

[tags]freelance job, self-employment, sidejobtrack, job, work from home, home jobs[/tags]