Irrespective of being a writer, photographer, programmer or any other type of freelancer, there are a few tips which you can use to make sure that you get more jobs than the average applicant and that too at a higher than average rate.
Here are some tips which you can easily use to get more and better prospects online:
Have a Portfolio to Show People
One essential component of an application is mentioning the websites where your current writing samples have been posted. You can also include the urls of the specific task done by you (website design or article, etc).
In case you are a writer, you can post your articles on HubPages : it’s a simple place to post content, it looks professional, and you even get paid based on the number of views your article gets. You might earn a good amount from it and the best part is you can easily send people to see your sample work.
There is an assortment of sites that different freelancers can use to post their projects. Nobody wants to hire a freelancer without being able to see his/her work. On the off chance that you don’t have any paid work yet, then simply show samples of your own projects which you have done for fun or school. Moreover, consider doing a couple of volunteer projects, which will help you in building a great portfolio.
Consider Having Your Own Website
If you are serious about getting work as a freelancer, setting your own website will help you a lot. This is an easy way of showing samples of your work and to make it clear to the potential customers that you are an expert. Anybody can apply for a freelancer project but somebody who sets aside the opportunity to build up their own particular site uncovers that they serious about their work.
State Your Qualifications And Past Experiences
In case you have any relevant certifications, diplomas, degrees, or previous experiences in the job you are applying for, then don’t forget to mention it. Even mentioning a book you have recently read or saying something insightful about the topic can help you in getting the job, because it shows that you are aware of the topic.
There are jobs which don’t require any qualifications, like writing jobs; all you need is passion and a way to write things which others will appreciate. The key is to continually be learning and enhancing yourself and then mention these activities while applying for online jobs.
Offer A Trial Article With No Commitment
In case of writing jobs, it will be a plus if you provide your clients a trial article without any commitment. The same goes with other projects, you can provide a dummy sample so that the client will have clarity about your potential and will be assured that you will do the job accurately and with proficiency.
Keep Your Rating High
Another advantage of composing trial articles is that it keeps ratings from clients who don’t like your work. Having a high rating is important to win high paying projects.
The way to keep your rating high is to tell individuals that the rating matters. You can also ask you clients to rate your work so that other employers can have an insight about your work from it.
Start with a lower rate and complete several projects to build your ratings, once you have higher ratings you can increase your pay rates and can earn higher amounts for the same work.
Keep Your Applications Short
In order to have the most effective cover letter, keep it short, 2-3 paragraphs is enough to get a project. No need for long introductions as people will skip it and if you keep it too short, people will not take it seriously. So the cover letter needs to be concise and informative.
Apply To Recently Posted Jobs
Once a job has been up for two or three hours it will probably have 20+ candidates. Now, it is possible that you will not be noticed. You need to apply as soon as you see the job posting, because clients notice only the first few applicants. In case a job has been posted for a while but still has only 3-5 candidates, you could still apply for it, however the best occupations to get are the ones that have recently been posted and have less than 3 candidates.