Elance Series: Part 5
3 Tips for Taking Charge of Your Freelancing Experience
Elance can do more for you than just list jobs. Once you have set up a profile, looked through the opportunities and bid on a few, take some steps to make Elance work for you. As a freelancer, you enjoy being your own boss. Be the boss of your Elance experience as well.
Join a Group
Elance offers a limited number of professional groups, showcasing the skills of certain providers. If you happen to be an expert with Adobe Photoshop, for instance, you can join that group and providers can find you there. Browse through the groups, see if any of them suit your talents and request to join.
Market Your Skills Elsewhere
Elance serves as a streamlined, professional database of your experiences, skills and jobs. With the unique URL Elance assigns your profile, you can attract new business for yourself. For instance, my URL is tiffanys.elance.com. Potential clients, whether they have joined Elance or not, can click on my URL and get information about services I offer. Use this URL in blogs, posts, profiles and email signatures to bring potential clients to your work. Elance also offers a widget, or little picture button, with a link to your profile. The widget comes in the form of an HTML code that you can plug into your blog or website. You can find both the URL and the link to the widget on the right hand side of your profile page, when you are logged in.
Invite Potential Clients
One of the more uneasy aspects of working with a new client is the invoice. Should you sign a contract? What if they don't deliver payment on time? That's where Elance can really help. Ask clients to post the job on Elance, requesting you specifically. You can bid on the job, as per your conversation with the client and they can award it to you. You are then able to work on the project in the workroom, bill them hourly with the Work View function and get paid using Elance's escrow system which protects you and the client.
I hope you have enjoyed this series and I have answered many of your questions about Elance. Although Elance is one of the many freelance job sites I have found to be helpful, remember that your career is in your hands. The best way to reach your goals is to harness these tools and make them work for your business, rather than to sit back and wait for them to bring the business to you. Whether you are just starting out or have freelanced for years, never underestimate your qualifications and professionalism as military spouse.
Tiffany Silverberg is a Navy wife and independent writer. Tired of rebuilding a career every three years, she set up a home office and started writing. Four years later, she has found a career writing for small businesses and nonprofit organizations. With experience ranging from grants to blogs, online and offline pieces, Tiffany Silverberg has the flexibility and passion necessary to be a successful military spouse freelancer.
www.tiffanysilverberg.com
Disclaimer: featuring Elance does not imply endorsement by the NSMN. Elance is one of several online options for freelancers and consultants. It is simply the preferred provider of our writer. We encourage you to research the best solution for your needs.