Freelance job hunting

Hi everyone

We're just doing a bit of research into how freelancers find work. Hopefully you'll enjoy word of mouth recommendations and will find clients through your own marketing too. However freelance jobs are also advertised online, on sites like Monster and TotalJobs. Also there are recruitment agencies specialising in the media/creative sector and they tell me they're busy with placing freelancers too. Has anyone used either successfully? Your thoughts are appreciated :happy

Many thanks
Freelance UK

 

I would say 90% of my work is 'word of mouth' recommendations & returning clients.

The other 10% is on-line advertised jobs, and some of those new clients will become returners [one hopes].
That figure is so low because many on-line freelance jobs barely pay enough to cover the time-cost of writing emails back......let alone making any tangible profit or allowing enough time to do 'a good job' for the client. :devil

Agencies will always tell you that they are busy, if they didn't we'd all think there was something wrong with them.
And freelancers too no doubt.....busy busy busy........if we suggest work's thin on the ground then prospective clients may begin to expect a bargain-basement price on their job, rather than a fair one.

 

Well that's definitely the way you want it to be, with work coming to you, no mean feat though so well done you.

Interesting that even these niche recruitment agencies are offering below the going rate though. Many thanks for your thoughts.

 

Yes you are right, you can find freelance job through monster or total . but placemnet agencies are not concerned about FREELANCERS !!

 

I've only recently made the switch from full-time agency work to freelance (it's been about 8 months now) and so far I've been lucky to get all my work through word-of-mouth and returning custom. I think it really helps to have at least 1 or 2 agencies feeding regular work.
I've always been reluctant to go through recruitment agents, but I guess if work thinned out and I was having no luck marketing myself then I would as a last resort.

 

Thank you both. We're looking to get some jobs on Freelance UK in the not too distant future, so hopefully this resource will supplement your own marketing. We're always looking for feedback so if you've any other thoughts (on jobs) or anything we're missing, please do let us know, either by posting on here or emailing us editor@freelanceuk.com

Thanks! :happy

 

freelance

best to build a portfolio and then work on recommendations.

gain a customer for life as they say!

Kind Regards
Stephen Doyle

email: steve@ccuk-ltd.com
web: Visit Stephen Doyle for Free powerful Tips & Advice, Triple your income, Killer Copy Writing & Super Human Sales Training, Internet Marketing, Tele Sales, Direct Marketing, Write Press Releases, Direct Mail

Killer Copy Writing Super Human Sales Training Direct Marketing

 

freelance web designing

just need to look at some websites, advertise and SEO. After it U can think about recomendations.

 

freelancing

the only work i have found lately has been through friends who have recommended me to employers. i have had a bunch of shifts this month on various nationals through that channel. through websites and job adverts? nothing. that's been my experience...

 

Besides this, you're quite uncertain about a freelancer home job [when working thru a website] whether you'll get paid in the long run or notttt :eyes

 

what are you on about he didn't even mention web sites. Honestly some people freelance as an alternative to paid work but people like you do it because you can't get a job.

 

If you've a niche then you've a target. In example, I write much about nation-state related affairs which allows me to seek out nationalism everywhere with evolving politics. Luckily in Scotland it's all relevant and gets picked up easy from nationals. Go to the editor via email, never a news desk with your completed work.

Agency work is poorly paid, best just left.

Oh, and finally quote your NUJ number in all correspondence.

 

Newby looking for work

Hi all.

I am a newby looking for work and I am after some good advice on how to bag my first paid job.

I have only written one article of just over 400 words and that is a brief overview on Amsterdam, But I would consider writing anything.

I would like to try my hand at writing instructions or gadget writing, so if anyone has got any help please let me know.

Regards

Maurice

 

Jobs on here would be good - but as one of the other posters says, unfortunately there are so many of these online sites where you 'bid' for work that offer peanuts. Sadly because some people are willing to write for practically nothing, it devalues what we do significantly. I've bid for a few projects on things like 'peopleperhour' but the rates some people offer (or are willing to pay) are just ridiculous. I saw one on a site the other day that was an 80 page website with approx 800 to 1,000 words per page and he was offering about $500 for the lot!

 

tech writing

What sites are there for jobs writing instruction manuals or gadget instruction writing?

 

I have a myriad of (global) contacts from my former positions as a reporter, columnist, etc. so finding freelance positions isn't a concern for myself. I wouldn't mind breaking into photo-journalism.

 

Recommendations, networking, industry colleagues, attending industry events . . . they seem to be the main ones that work for me. Plus quite a few people find me through the web now too. Have had some success with Google Adwords but not masses.

 

My husband and I both do freelance work. My husband has been doing it for about 5 years now and I can say, it was a struggle at first but there is success in it! My husband and I both started out doing little jobs on some of these freelance sites that offer work. Yea ok, the pay wasn't that great at first but the more jobs you got, the better your reputation was.

After awhile, we started getting more and more jobs, the jobs went from being little jobs to bigger jobs with better pay (all because our reputation had exceeded). Now we are financially stable and the jobs keep pouring in. Some from word of mouth, some from returning customers, and also some from the sites we go to when we do need to find work.

Building our reputation is what made us a success (my husband more than I) in freelancing. My husband now considers freelancing his career and it just keeps getting better and better.

I think that if a person is just starting out in freelancing, he/she may want to visit a couple of these sites that offer freelancing work and start out slow, with the little jobs, build a reputation and have a lot of patience

My husband makes thousands a month by freelancing but it isn't easy, he works long hours and sometimes is under alot of pressure meeting deadlines and he also has to turn some projects away because he just simply does not have the time to fit it all in.

Good luck to everyone who is starting out in freelancing. I hope this helps a bit

 

I've just started out properly as a full time freelancer, and I have to say I'm having real trouble finding work. I have a fully functioning website with a vast portfolio, but other than that,I'm not getting any work at all:frown2 I have however just done a major project for a high profile personality, but I'm having sever payment and communication issues with them so that's really knocked my confidence a lot.

The director of the above personality's company found me on Facebook or all places, although to be fair I have placed ads and the like on every inch of the web, just to get my name out there!!!.

But generally, I'm having truoble finding more work after this major project.:eyes

 

Hi Beckie,

I've had a look at your website and I think I know what the problem might be. On the upside, the site clearly shows your enthusiasm, creativity and originality. However, on the downside, it has a tendency to come across as a bit amateurish. It also gives a slightly 'student-ish' impression and has a number of typos in it - which in turn will put people off. Lastly, I can see that the 'third person' approach (which you refer to at the end) might add to the originality and the quirkiness of the site, but I'm not sure that is helping you either.

The bottom line is, whatever business your potential clients are in, and however off-the-wall or original they would like your copy to be, they also want to see that you are a professional business that they can trust and rely on. This is the bit which I think might be lacking at the moment. You're coming across as an 'individual' whereas you really need to be coming across as a business - a supplier who can provide them with an efficient, accurate and reliable service, even if it is a creative service at the end of the day.

Another tip also. I had a new business enquiry the other day from someone who did a Google search and found one of my posts on this forum. Which means that you need to be careful about how you write messages on here too - again you have a number of typos in your message, which could also put someone off beore they even look at your site.

Hopefully this is constructive - I'm sure you have all the core requirements to make a succes of this, I guess it just needs a little 'polish'!

Cheers,

Gill