How to Pick the Best Freelancing Sites
How to Pick the Best Freelancing Sites
Though freelance websites have a wide range of options that provide a continuous flow of projects. It can be difficult for anyone to get access to the jobs and it’s even worse for beginners.
However, freelance websites remain one of the best platforms to quick start your career. Knowing how to pick the best freelancing site will give you an edge over the others while searching for clients. It’s important to know how they work and be in a position to distinguish the good ones from the bad ones. This will guide you on how to pick the best freelancing site to kick off your career or to boost it.
Essentially, freelance websites are a platform for searching for jobs, which helps in finding projects online. Most of these websites offer you the possibility of uploading a portfolio and then acts as a mediator between you and the prospective clients. Freelancing can be a source of extra income for many but is rarely a sole source of income. It’s advisable to have other sources of income offline as online jobs can be inconsistent.
Here are some guiding factors on how to go about getting a project on the available best freelancing sites
Choose Right:
There are a huge number of websites out there that offer freelancing jobs and the task of picking the right one can be enormous.
Understand the terms and conditions:
It’s important to understand the terms of contract as agreed upon in regard to using the site services. You should be extra careful when signing any contract because there’s no chance of changing the conditions afterwards.
Settle for sites with low commission:
Take a look around various platforms to find out the ones that charge considerable commission. Sites that require a high percentage fee will get into your profits. Which could place you in a situation where you might not get the real value for your work. You should avoid those sites with high fees.
Start small:
For starters, it’s advisable to start pitching at sites with considerably low traffic. Opting for the big and established ones may cause you to be demotivated. The competition can be very high denying you the chance to showcase your abilities. Similarly, the commission too would be comparatively high.
Check if the site has good customer support:
Before signing up with any freelancing site, and before working on projects, it’s important to know how efficient their customer support is. Looking through forums and other online resources for feedback from other freelancers will give you a perfect idea of what to expect. A support system that addresses your issues adequately is of the utmost importance when it comes to alleviating your problems.
Ensure that you have direct contact with clients:
Having a one on one with the client you are working for will not only help you to understand exactly what the client needs, but will also nurture a long term relationship. Engaging with the client will guarantee a seamless work process and make your workflow in a smooth way.
After putting all that into consideration, you should then ensure that you’ve packaged yourself the right way. You can do this by applying for only those tasks that match your skills. Give preference to the jobs you are passionate about so that you can expand your skill and knowledge in the particular domain.
Only work on such projects that you can complete satisfactorily in high quality and within the stipulated time. Be proactive in searching for the ideal projects and when offered the job, prove to the client that you were well suited for the task. As you settle in, set for yourself a minimum acceptable rate of payment to avoid underselling yourself.
