When you are just starting out as a freelancer, it can be hard to know which projects to bid on. Most freelance writing jobs are advertised by clients who are willing to pay what they say that they will pay for work which meets their expectations. Unfortunately, there are some clients who do not play fair. I know, because I have encountered a couple of them. The best defense against unscrupulous buyers is to be very selective about which projects you bid on.
Here are a few tips that you can use while you are deciding which projects you would like to bid on. I have found these things helpful when looking for work on Elance. I have been able to keep my work schedule filled solely with jobs from Elance, so I do not have experience with other freelance job posting sites, but some of these tips may be general enough in principle that you can apply them anywhere.
Before you bid, learn whatever you can about the potential client. They may have a client profile that you can view, as well as feedback from others who have worked with them. Sometimes, you can even see how many jobs they have posted versus how many have actually been awarded. If there are many jobs posted and few jobs awarded, don’t waste your time bidding because there is a low likelihood that anyone will be awarded the project, even you. If you can, read feedback that other freelancers have posted regarding their experience with the buyer. If you see that a few other freelancers (with otherwise good ratings) have not been able to meet the client’s expectations, think twice before bidding because the client’s expectations may be unrealistic.
Also, try to bid solely or primarily on jobs that use escrow and “Work View” features. These features help to ensure that you get paid for the work that you do by keeping track of your time on a project (with a little timer) as well as evidence (screenshots) of your work during that time. Other sites may have similar features, and I believe that they are a very important safeguard because they create tangible records of the time that you spent working, and escrow helps to ensure that payment will be made available to you once you have earned them.
When you look at a project description, it should provide clear expectations. If you find yourself having trouble deciding what price to bid on it because you can’t quite understand exactly what you would be doing and how long it would take, pass on it. When you select a project with a clear description it is easier to bid and you know what you are potentially signing yourself up for. Going into a contract with unclear expectations on either end is a recipe for disaster.
Photo by mensatic on morguefile.com.