Freelancer's must read guide....

Hi Again,

In this post I am going to tell you about every thing you need to know if you want to work as a freelancer. To work as a freelancer we have to know few words which we use more often in freelancer sites.

First of all What is Freelancing and Who is a Freelancer. A freelancer is simply a Self employed person who independently works for clients for short term or long term based on contracts. The person who do freelancing is a Freelancer. So we works on different contracts for different persons. So we simply sell our services to different clients.

Here is the words which helps you to start your career in freelancing.

CLIENT: A client is simply a person who pays us for our services. So clients have work. We have to get the work from them and we have to complete it. We must get more clients for more work. In some Freelance websites Clients also referred are Employers. Clients will post their requirement in freelance websites. You will go through the requirements and if it suites you, we will make a contract to complete the task. We can check Client's details by reading their reviews. Before accepting any work from any client, it is a best habit to read their reviews.

BIDDING: According to Freelancing, A bid is a contract that we propose to a client. When a client posts a project on freelancing site, The Freelancer members in the site will be able to see it. If it is belongs to our field of work then we have to place a Bid. In simple words, We are providing a contract to Client to complete the task. In the bid we will tell the client about our previous experience, How much money we charge to complete the project and In how many days(time) we can complete it. The client will see the bids placed on his project and will select one or more based on his requirement. If you win the bid you will be notified by the site you are registered. Once you win the bid, you will start working on it.

DESCRIPTION: While placing a bid we have to write a description. It can be Called as "Asking Questions" and "Cover Letter" as well in different freelance sites. A description is very important thing which plays great role in winning a bid. This is the first message you are sending to the client. It should be simple and to the point. We have to learn how to write a good description. In the description we have to tell him how much we understood the project. Try to ask questions. Don't place "I can do it" such words. Specify your experience and skills. Try to check Spelling and Grammar mistakes.

MESSAGE BOARD: A message board is a place where we can communicate with the clients. In some freelance sites it is called as "INBOX". If you have any queries about the project you can resolve them through this. Don't send your contact details like your email or any other details to your clients. It is strictly not allowed in most of the freelancing sites. If you do it, your account will be suspended. However, once the Contract is made you may be allowed to share your contact details. Try to check your message board or Inbox more often to make sure that you won't miss anything from clients. Our availability is one of the best factor that will impress the clients. It is possible through Message Board. Whenever you get message from Client, be quick in answering them.

ESCROW or WALLET: An escrow is an account which is established by the freelance site. It is referred as different terms in different freelance sites. However the basic idea is same. This escrow is used to hold the funds. Once we have won a bid and contract made, our client will transfer the money into the escrow account. It holds the money until we complete the work. Once you complete the work and submit it to the Clients, he will review the work. After he approves the work he will release the Amount in Escrow. Then it will be transferred to your account. When the money is in escrow, neither you nor the client will be able to access the money. Either you need to complete the task or you need to break the contract to get the money from the Escrow. It will be very helpful in saving from cheaters.

REVIEW: Reviews are the impressions you got from your clients as a freelancer and vice versa. After completion of a project, Your client will give you reviews describing your performance. If you got better reviews, it will be helpful to you to get good work from other clients. So you must work hard to get good reviews.

In online if your client is not satisfied, it will spread very faster through the reviews you got. It is in our hand to make sure that we deliver what we have promised. Don't promise what you can't deliver. A review is the Closure of the project. If you get chance to do small projects which can give you better reviews, go for it.

As a provider you have a chance to give reviews to your client. Give best reviews to him so you can get future work from the same client. If you face any problems from the clients like expectations which are not in contract and all, mention in reviews so that it will help others. 

These are the most common terms we usually see in freelancing sites. If you have any doubt leave a comment. I am always ready to help you.

Regards,
Freelancer

A bit confuse...

Hi Freelancers,

I felt so happy because finally I found how to work online. I went to a freelance site and get registered. The registration process is a bit confusing and working there is really confusing since I don't know much about Bidding and other terminology. Here we have to work on Bidding process. I don't know what is description and what is a BID. I have stopped my PTC work and started spending my time in these sites.

There are many works here in Freelance sites which I can do but the question is how to get started. Then I have read some articles about freelance working and gain some knowledge on how to start. There are many sites online which offers freelance career but we have to find the best sites.

Now I am having good knowledge on these websites. I have good idea on how to find and how to explore what ever I want. I have started my freelance career. At first I have placed bids on these sites which are even not get the response from the clients.

Freelancing career is an independent career. You are your own boss. You are everything to your company. It is completely in your hand how to set it up. You can work whenever you wants and choose what you want. If you have skills that are in demand, you can earn great income. So all we need to do is to enhance our skills.

In Freelancing, you won't get monthly salary. You will get contracts. The contract may be big or small, once it is made, you need to complete it. You will work yourself and money and not for any company. The only thing you need to consider about is your clients. They will give you projects. 

In Freelance websites, every day lot of jobs will be posted by clients. Clients need someone skilled to complete their work. You will go through the job posts and select those which you can do. You will place you bid. If the Client is interested in your bid, he will contact you. Once you both discussed on the contract, you will start working on it. You finish the job and you will be get paid by the client. It is that simple. It is a different kind of work environment and you are responsible for all your actions. 

You may be confused for payment methods. In Freelance websites they have a process called Escrow or Wallet to keep the contract amount. Once the Contract is made the client will transfer the amount to the Escrow or Wallet. Once you finish the work, the client will release the money. If any dispute occurs the money will stay in the Wallet till the dispute got cleared. Neither you not the client can take the money. In this way the freelance sites make sure that the freelancer get paid for their work. 

You may be in dilemma to work for a client since you don't know about him previously. There are Reviews options by which you can come to know about the Client and his payment history. During the contract you can schedule a meeting in Skype or Gtalk and shoot your questions. In any contract the main problems will be deadlines and quality. If you know the requirements clearly you can overcome these problems easily.

New Freelancers will have a common problem in initial stage. In order to get projects they blindly give unrealistic promises. During an interview impressing the client is important and I accept that. But promising which you can't do will definitely spoil your reviews. We should be realistic in setting deadlines and quality of work.

In many of the freelancing sites, you are not suppose to share your contact details directly to the clients. If you do so the account will be deactivated. The Freelance websites will work like a mediator between freelancers and clients. They will convey messages from Freelancers to Clients and vice versa. So use this medium and don't share your contact details directly to your clients. Once the deal is done you may be allowed to share the details. 

I will provide more details in my next posts on Freelancing terminology. Stay tuned.

Regards,
Freelancer