Freelance Switch |
- Linkswitch #54: Freelance Jobs & Raising Your Rates
- Ask FreelanceSwitch: Business Structures and Working with Agencies
- The Monster List of Freelance Job Sites – 2011 Edition
- 8 Portfolio Phrases That Send the Wrong Message
| Linkswitch #54: Freelance Jobs & Raising Your Rates Posted: 30 Jan 2011 05:30 AM PST
The Monster List of Freelance Job Sites – 2011 Edition The second edition of our Monster List of Freelance Job Sites has been valuable and much visited since April 2009. With over a hundred comments from our fantastic readers which has really added to its value. This list is a thorough update, removing dead links, adding new sites, and taking on board many of the suggestions from your comments.
Computer Safety: How to Protect Your Body Nowadays we use computers almost everywhere — and for everything. We use computers at work to do our job and at home to play games, chat with friends, view pictures or videos and sometimes even more work.
Guidelines for Successful Communication With Clients OK, so this is a yet another article about dealing with clients. But let's face it — it doesn't matter how well you can design or code; as a freelancer or if you're running a digital agency, if you don't get the client management right, it can spell disaster for your business. By getting it right from the very beginning, you'll most likely see things flourish.
7 Simple Ways to Raise Your Rates and Keep Your Clients Raising your rates. It's something that every freelancer wants to do, but most of us are scared to do. Or at the very least, we're not sure how to do it. It's natural to have questions about rate-raising. Is my work worth more? Will my clients flee at the sight of higher prices? Will I be able to recover if they do go somewhere else?
Six Areas of Technology All Freelancers MUST Stay Current With Freelancers operate in a rapidly changing technological environment. I don't use the same computer software and hardware that I used eight years ago, and neither should you. Freelancers who don't keep up with the changing technologies may soon find themselves out of business. While you don't necessarily have to be on the cutting edge of new developments, neither should you lag too far behind.
Are You Wasting Hours of Your Work Day? How much time do you waste, every day? You probably don't try to, or mean to. But if you work for a typical company, you're probably losing hours of productive time every single day. Maybe a typical day looks something like this:
How to Create Your Personal Social Media Brand In this video I interview Mari Smith, author of Facebook Marketing: An Hour a Day. Mari talks about the Brand of You and how to monetize your personality on social media. You'll discover the steps needed to build your own brand equity with social media, along with some great tips for both the self-employed and people who work for large companies.
Starting A Web Design Business If you don't like the idea of working for somebody else and you're quite attracted to idea of world domination then starting a web design business might be right up your alley. Unfortunately though, contrary to popular speculation, it's not an easy ride. In fact it's probably the number one most difficult path which you could choose to follow in this industry.
Welcome to Android.AppStorm – We're Live! After announcing the site a couple of months ago with our huge roundup of 100+ Absolutely Essential Android Apps & Tips, I'm incredibly excited to let you know that we're officially launching Android.AppStorm today! Get ready for fantastic daily updates covering the latest Android apps, news, how-tos, and roundups of the latest and greatest Android software.
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| Ask FreelanceSwitch: Business Structures and Working with Agencies Posted: 28 Jan 2011 05:30 AM PST
In this issue of Ask FreelanceSwitch, we look at contacting agencies for work and business structures. Ask FreelanceSwitch is a regular column here that allows us to help beginners get a grip on freelancing. If you have a question about freelancing that you want answered, send an email to askfreelanceswitch@gmail.com. Question 1
The problem that I’ve found with contacting agencies out of the blue is that most of them have a group of freelancers that they work with on a regular basis. Unless something comes in that their regular freelancers can’t handle, it’s tough to get them to send work along to you. Unfortunately, a follow up phone call may not change things — although I don’t think that making that phone call will necessarily make you look desperate. It may be time to put a new spin on things. With your experience and expertise, what can you offer agencies that they aren’t going to get from their run of the mill freelancers? Maybe you can put together a a special package that will help them more with their clients or a service that’s beyond what the typical freelancer is offering — which, in turn, gives you a very good reason to call back your contacts and update them. Question 2
For most freelancers, a sole proprietorship is the best option. That’s because there’s a lot of paperwork and added expense that goes along with an LLC that, frankly, most freelancers just don’t have the time to deal with. You pretty much automatically have a sole proprietorship the moment you start taking on freelance work. Either way, your billing won’t be impacted — although there are some ways to improve your tax situation with an LLC, provided you’re earning enough to hit the higher tax brackets. If you’re doing something beyond run of the mill freelancing — like selling a product — or there’s concern about liability, it may be worth looking into an LLC. Since the rules and regulations governing LLCs differ from state to state, it’s important to consult an expert (like a CPA) before starting the paperwork, even if you’re going to use one of those inexpensive online filing services to set up an LLC. I do want to remind you that I’m not a lawyer or an accountant (I don’t even play one on TV). Because everyone’s tax situation and business are difference, it is a very good idea to consult a pro before making a final decision.
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| The Monster List of Freelance Job Sites – 2011 Edition Posted: 27 Jan 2011 11:00 AM PST
This list, like Isaac Newton, stands on the shoulders of giants. The second edition of our Monster List of Freelance Job Sites has been valuable and much visited since April 2009. With over a hundred comments from our fantastic readers which has really added to its value. This list is a thorough update, removing dead links, adding new sites, and taking on board many of the suggestions from your comments. We start the list with FreelanceSwitch's own Job Board, which has categories for design, development, writing, illustration, Flash, and miscellaneous jobs, and at the time of writing contains a huge 220+ jobs. Jobs are hand-moderated by FreelanceSwitch staff and volunteers from our dedicated community of freelancers. You can see the available jobs with no strings attached, but to apply for jobs, you need to sign up, which costs just $7 a month. And you can advertise jobs at absolutely no cost. Is this list now finished? I doubt it ever will be. Like the last list, it will become more valuable as you comment on which sites you found most helpful, inform us of sites that have been missed, and warn us when links stop working. And, best of all, get those jobs! Traditional Job Boards
Job Bidding Sites
Jobs Search Engines
Job Aggregators
International, Non-English Sites
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| 8 Portfolio Phrases That Send the Wrong Message Posted: 27 Jan 2011 05:30 AM PST
Like corporate website, which use phrases like "innovative strategies" and "leading-edge solutions" ad naseum, many freelancers’ online portfolios tend to use some of the same tired phrases again and again. I combed through dozens of freelance websites (many of them discovered through FreelanceSwitch's Find a Freelancer Directory) to create this list of over-used and ineffective phrases. If you're using these in your own portfolio, consider finding other phrases so you can stand out from the pool of eager freelancers. Newbie/Don't Have a Lot of Experience/Just Starting OutBelieve it or not, I found profiles containing these phrases and variations on this theme. Every freelancer started somewhere, but broadcasting your newbie status on your website may not be the smartest approach. Even if you don't have a fancy degree or decades of experience, at least have the confidence to let your samples speak for themselves without sabotaging yourself. Phrases like this could scream to potential clients "I'm willing to work for cheap!" or "I don't have enough experience to design your website!" Try this instead: Dig deeper and think about what you do bring to the table, rather what you don't. Maybe you have an eye for choosing fonts or you're meticulous about deadlines. Perhaps you bring a fresh approach to photography or an in-depth knowledge of spreadsheets. Remember, even if you haven't been freelancing for eons, the skills you honed at university or working in a cubicle could still benefit the client. Unique ExperienceSorry. We all like to think we're as unique as a snowflake, but this phrase falls flat because it's so generic. Anyone could claim they have unique experience, but chances are, someone else somewhere in the world spent five years shooting video in Ghana or ghostwriting romance novels, too. Try this instead: Hone in on what you're trying to say and use specifics. For instance, "my background in Ukrainian literature and art brings a global perspective to my work, capturing the unexpected details and colors on film." Or, "having worked in retail for eight years before becoming a copywriter, I understand makes customers tick—and how to emphasize benefits to complete a sale for your business." Using the classic technique of showing rather than telling tends to be more persuasive. I, I, ISo many freelance websites start every sentence with "I." For instance, "I earned a BA in Graphic Design. I worked at an ad agency for five years, and now I'm a freelance package designer." Or, "I love creating user-friendly websites that are both functional and fun to look at. I'm always up for a challenge, and I'm committed to meeting deadlines." First of all, too much "I" is repetitive. Second of all, it doesn't speak to the client and their needs, because it's so focused you rather than them. Try this instead: See how many of your "I" sentences can be restructured, perhaps using "my experience includes …" instead of "I worked" and some dependent clauses to vary your syntax. Also try to emphasize what you can do for clients by speaking directly to them. For instance, that second example above could be rewritten as follows: "My mission is to create user-friendly websites that are both functional and fun to look at. You can count on me to meet deadlines and work through complex design challenges!" Guru/Ninja/Rock StarThese days, lots of people call themselves a "social media guru," a "web development ninja," or an "XTML rock star." (Guilty confession: my Twitter profile includes the phrase "copy ninja" because a designer called me that during a fast-turnaround project. I really ought to update that!) These terms can sound cute in a social media profile where you're trying to inject a little personality into a ridiculously small number of characters. But when you have virtually unlimited space on your own website, they're kind of a cop-out. Yes, you want prospective clients to think you're awesome. Maybe you think "freelance designer" doesn't do you justice. But as this post points out, there are some negative connotations to these terms. Try this instead: If you're tempted to call yourself a guru because you think you know everything there is to know about social media, maybe tell a quick story about how you tripled a client's Twitter following in three weeks. If your killer coding skills make you a rock star (at least in your own eyes), why not mention the number of websites you've coded or the time you isolated a single line of code among thousands that would have caused your client's site to implode? (And if you can get a testimonial from said client about how you saved the day, even better!) Describe a few key projects or accomplishments to show prospects what a catch you are without relying on cliches! What do you think? Do you agree or disagree with these recommendations? Or are they other terms we should nix from our portfolios? Supercharge your freelance business with the FreelanceSwitch Job Board, the only hand-moderated job board built around the way freelancers find work. Check it out now.
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Every freelancer needs a source for clients. We rely on clients, nurture our relationships with them, and provide a quality of service that keeps then coming back. And we can never have enough of them! The Monster List of Freelance Job Sites has one purpose: to massively increase your source of potential clients and potential jobs.
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