Is it possible to become a freelancer from scratch. Mastering freelancing from scratch: where to start and in what direction to move

Hello dear friends and guests of my blog. My name is Pavel Yamb and I want to talk today. Namely, how to become a freelancer, what it is and why education is not important here.

Let's think:

A young mother, on maternity leave, has more and more free time every day, but is still far from going to work. The pensioner is already on vacation, but the pension does not particularly please him. The student has a lot of free time, but he doesn’t know what to do (he doesn’t play tanks online J). You're on vacation, but you haven't saved up any money.

Familiar? If you saw yourself on this list, then the topic of additional income should be of interest to you. In this article, I want to help you and offer you to learn how to become a freelancer from scratch without education. My blog will help you with this, and examples will dispel your doubts.

First you need to make out who a freelancer is and how he differs from an ordinary office worker.

Who are you?

The peculiarity of freelancers is that they do not work in any company, but carry out various orders of employers remotely, using the Internet. This type of work is possible in many professions, for example, programming and of course. Even without education, you can choose for yourself exactly the area in which you understand best.

Many of you have a question: where to start? I propose an algorithm, after passing which, over time, you will be able to receive money while working at home.

Get off your couch or get away from these cats on Vkontakte! If there is an opportunity to work at home and do what you like, and not sit in the office and wait for 18.00 to leave this hated job as soon as possible, use it. Your income will depend only on you!

What you need to get started

Where to work

For beginners, a direct road to freelance exchanges. This is a place where the customer of services, who is ready to pay for them, and the contractor, who is ready to provide them, meet. Ideally, everyone is happy. Your task now is to understand: what you can offer the world, what level of your skills and how much you want to earn. It is on the stock exchange that you will find out everything. You may come across a customer who alone can provide you with work for a year. Or maybe vice versa.

You can immediately rush to complete the task, or you can doubt for a week and not even try. Who will you blame then? Do not be afraid and try - you will gain experience, a very important component, and then, being a master, you will be able to look for customers yourself.

If you suddenly know nothing, then go learn. I used to be a student, and I am still a student. There are many courses, both paid and free, on the Internet. There are even those who promise to employ you later. I recommend 1day1step.ru. My wife has already studied them and is happy - how it was and how such courses are held ...

The most popular freelance exchanges

I offer you the most popular freelance exchanges where you can start making money:

1. kwork.ru- recommend!
2. work-zilla- an old proven exchange.
3. weblancer.net— one of the largest sites, with a simple interface and a large number of customers. Also, nothing, you can here.
4. Etxt.ru- a huge exchange for rewriters and copywriters, will allow you to get the first orders, my favorite in copywriting.
5. freelancer.com- this is already a foreign platform, where about 20 million freelancers are registered. I think for a beginner it will not be superfluous to visit here. My favorite foreign I work with freelancers of this exchange for English-language projects.
6. Freelance.ru is also a fairly large freelance exchange.
7. FL.ru- a platform where you need to buy expensive specials. accounts, but thanks to them, the probability of receiving an order increases.

Congratulations, your account is full, you can start searching for your first orders!

If there is silence on one freelance exchange, there is no need to despair - just register on a few more sites, following my previous tips. This will allow you to monitor a greater number of orders, respectively, the opportunity to be a performer increases significantly.

• The long-awaited moment has come and you have been chosen as the performer! Very good, but this is where your work is just beginning, get serious about the implementation, do not delay the delivery of the order. The customer will appreciate it, thus you will get regular employers who are ready to pay good money for the work.

A fairly simple algorithm that will allow anyone, absolutely from scratch, to become a beginner freelancer. Of course, I do not promise you to immediately receive a very large order on the first day of registration on the freelance exchange, for which the employer offers a tidy sum. It takes some time, you will delve into the work, get regular customers and a decent income from remote work is provided.

Beware of scammers and do not write test tasks for free - any work, if it is done well, should be paid!

Let's recap:

1. It is quite possible to become a freelancer from scratch;
2. It is necessary to decide what remote services you can perform with high quality;
3. You need to start, and not sit on the couch - register on the exchanges and earn money;

Good luck in your search for your work, and may it be a pleasure. If you have questions, feel free to ask. Pavel Yamb was with you. Until communication.

Today, freelancing has become the embodiment of freedom in its most diverse senses - creativity, self-expression, movement, finance, lifestyle and daily routine. More professionals are seeing freelancing as a seductive alternative to traditional office work, while companies are enthusiastically moving to outsource projects and even functions.

Curiously, most go through similar stages of professional development, despite the diversity of industries and specializations open to freelancing. Understanding the specifics of these stages allows you to correctly prioritize and avoid dangerous traps, achieving success even without connections, experience or formal education.

Let's try to figure out what these stages are and how to successfully overcome them.

Stage 1. Unrecognized genius

Nobody knows you, nobody trusts you, you apply for hundreds of projects and you don't even get rejection emails. You just don't exist in the freelancing world.

The goal of this step is to create a credible profile.

What to do

Sign up with the leading freelancing platform in your field, one is enough to get you started. Next - fake it until you make it. Clearly and concisely describe your skills and relevant education or certifications, add a photo of yourself with a cheerful smile and write a friendly letter with a wish to work together.

Don't worry if you don't have an education that matches your specialization, this can be easily replenished with the help of a portfolio and reviews.

Portfolio is the most important element of your profile. If you don't have a portfolio and you're hoping to create one when you start working on the platform, then this stage will be much longer than necessary and will probably lead to depression.

A portfolio with examples of projects that you ideally look forward to should be ready in advance. These could be projects you made up or projects you made for friends. The main thing is that they demonstrate the quality of your work. If relevant, include examples of before and after your intervention, this is one of the most effective means of capturing a potential client's attention.

Once you've created your portfolio, start writing reviews for yourself. Invite friends or family, create a few projects, and hire yourself for those projects. As a rule, after 5–7 reviews and a beautiful portfolio appear in the profile, potential clients begin to respond to letters.

What not to do

Don't quit your job. Creating and promoting a profile and portfolio from scratch will take a lot of time, and you will need a parallel stable source of income.

Stage 2. Promising

You are hired on the first projects, you are checked frequently and meticulously interrogated in interviews. You receive a response to 25% of sent emails.

The purpose of the stage is to confirm the declared reputation.

What to do

Work hard and develop communication

Fight desperately for projects, recycle, be in touch at any time of the day or night (thanks to the current exchange rate, the best projects come from abroad), listen to the client and fulfill his wishes, be polite and correct.

When applying for a project, be sure to indicate several ways to contact you (phone, Skype, email). Monitor the prices for the services of your closest competitors and dump, at this stage the price and speed of communications are your best friends in the fight for the customer. Develop telephone and business communication skills, especially if your main market speaks a different language.

If your foreign language is not good enough, invite the client to conduct all discussions by email under the pretense of saving all the details and wishes. As a rule, the majority perceives such an approach positively and even distinguishes you from the rest as the most responsible performer.

To plan

Since each new client still seems like a miracle and an extraordinary stroke of luck to you, it is tempting to agree to all the proposed projects. The monitor is overgrown with files with unfinished tasks, coffee cups are multiplying on the table, and email jingles with letters from clients with a bewildered “When will I see the new version?”.

You need to start time and prioritize projects, learn to say “no” or at least adequately evaluate employment (“I can start in two weeks”).

Manage client base

Be sure to start compiling a file with the client base: include contact information, data on the work done, the specifics of communication with this client, his personal or professional interests. Start building relationships with clients, the end of a project doesn't have to mean a complete end to communication between you.

At this stage, you will longingly remember lazy lunches in the corporate office and fun evenings with friends over a glass of wine. The main thing is to realize that it is not endless and after 30, 80 or 150 projects (depending on your specialization) you will be recognized as a professional worthy of respect and decent pay. Of course, only if the reviews about your profile are impeccable and speak of the high quality of work and budget, and, not least, of your pleasant personal qualities.

What not to do

Don't give up on difficult clients.

They are often your most ardent supporters and lead a steady stream of projects through friends and colleagues. Yes, you may lose time (= money) or some nerve cells in the beginning, but in the long run you will be in the black.

Stage 3. Top specialist

You receive dozens of invitations to new projects, you have a stream of regular customers, you are recommended in professional circles as a specialist with a good reputation. You get paid enough and you can choose which projects you sign up for.

The goal of the stage is to follow the strategy.

What to do

Choose projects that will bring you the best results in the long run. For example, between a small project of a corporate giant and a highly paid one-time project, choose the first one. If successful, you have a high chance of becoming a permanent freelancer in the verdant field of corporate projects.

Try to build friendly relationships with talent managers on freelance platforms as well. They are constantly on the lookout for reliable freelancers with great references for the platform's enterprise clients. A carefully selected pool of talent gets direct access to Fortune 500 companies and projects with unlimited budgets.

What not to do

Don't think that you are irreplaceable. You will be forgiven for a couple of missed calls or unanswered emails, maybe a couple of delayed deadlines, before hiring a dedicated and rock-solid freelancer to replace you.

So freedom is freedom, but it's not worth it to suddenly go traveling for a month with unfinished projects.

Stage 4. What's next

In principle, top specialists are already free enough to live where they want, work in their own style, grow professionally and creatively. For some, this stage becomes the norm of a happy life for many years.

Someone gets tired and takes a job with one of their clients or their partners (which is much easier if you maintain a long-term relationship with your client file). Others will try to translate personal success into starting their own company and growing into a managerial position. There are many options and the decision is yours.

The described stages give a rough idea of ​​what awaits a novice freelancer on the path to success, how best to prepare for this and what mistakes should be avoided.

Despite the fact that it is easy to become a freelancer today, only a few reach the level of top specialists. Understanding the steps and following the basic tips will help you achieve your goals faster and with minimal losses. If you have already gone this way or are halfway there, share your impressions, experience and tips on the steps with us in the comments to the article.

20May

Hello. In this article we will talk about what freelancing is and who freelancers are.

Today you will learn:

1. What is freelancing and who are freelancers;
2. Why is this trend so popular in recent years;
3. How to find a job as a freelancer;
4. How much can you earn;
5. Which direction to choose.

What is freelancing in simple words

Recently, you can often hear the words freelancing and freelancers. If for some citizens this is a mysterious word, then for others it is a way of life. So what is freelancing?

- This is a remote "free" work. A special type of employment, in which you do not need to officially get a job and carry out orders from superiors during working hours, since in this area everyone decides independently with whom to cooperate and what services to offer customers. For some, this is simple, while for other citizens it is a stable, good income.

Who are freelancers

Some still do not even know who a freelancer is. Translated from English, “freelancer” is a free specialist who works for himself via the Internet.

He himself is looking for a customer, and also decides what work to do and sets a work schedule. Freelancers can work with one or several customers at once.

In most cases, among freelancers you can meet representatives of creative professions. Although recently, engineers, consultants, teachers and many others have been engaged in remote work.

Finding a job today is very easy. All that is needed is to visit a special exchange, register and start actively doing work.

In practice, freelancers earn 1.5-2 times more than regular office workers. The income of successful freelancers ranges from 50,000 to 100,000 rubles per month. There are, of course, stars who have and receive more than 100,000 rubles a month. Everything is real - the main thing is to work hard and go towards your dream.

Who are freelancers you already understood. Let's see what they can do.

Fields of activity of remote work:

1. . This is purely based on my own knowledge. If you are an expert in some field, you can write author's useful tips. Everyone needs texts today, so you definitely won’t be left without work. For a convenient search for orders, there are.
2. Rewriting. If you lack your own experience and knowledge, this direction will help you. In this case, you will need to carefully read the finished article on the Internet and simply rewrite it in your own words. The main thing is that at the end you get a completely unique material.
3. Translation of material. It should be noted right away that this is a very popular type of activity and well paid. All you need is to translate small articles and get paid. Just do not hope that you can translate an article with basic knowledge using an online translator. Customers only want quality work.
4. . This unknown word is well known to those who deal with them. This is a very good profession with high pay, which requires special care and experience.
5. Administration. Today, among the vacancies you can find such a position as a project administrator. But who is this? This is a person who leads groups or projects in social networks. You will need to always be online and control all actions: delete obscenities, spam and other intrusive.
6. Programming, layout and website development. It should be noted right away that special knowledge is needed here. For some, this direction is from the realm of fantasy. Thanks to this type of activity, you can.
7. . Today without design anywhere. To choose this type of activity, you must be able to use all graphic editors. As they say, the main goal is to make it beautiful and stylish. A designer can make good money.

As you can see, there are many directions, so anyone can become a freelancer and start.

Why freelancing is becoming more and more popular

Why today more and more people choose remote freelancing, call it a trend and claim that it is the future? If you look closely, today pensioners and office workers become freelancers.

Probably, all the demand lies in the freedom of action and self-realization. Thanks to this destination, you no longer need to get up at 6 am, quickly run to work and ride on a crowded bus.

If at work you were told all the time what and how to do, then there are only the wishes of customers and complete freedom. What could be better? No bosses and envious employees, no fines for being late or not fulfilling the plan.

But do not forget that remote work is, in turn, an interesting job with which you can combine several areas at once and constantly develop. Working as the so-called "office plankton" it is hardly possible to get good skills and do what brings positive emotions.

Every person has hobbies. They can bring not only positive emotions, but also good money. There are a lot of directions in freelancing.

Freelancing pros and cons

As in any field, this area has its positives and negatives. Before you start working remotely, you should carefully study them. Let's start with the positives.

Freelance pros:

1. Free work schedule.

This is perhaps the most important thing that people who have chosen this area as their main job appreciate. You can decide for yourself how many days a week you work, which days you take days off and when you go on vacation.

The main thing is to complete the order on time. You can wake up and go to bed at a convenient time for you and not worry at all about having to get up on time.

1. Work at home.

What could be better than doing the work in cozy pajamas with a cup of aromatic tea? You no longer need to waste time on the road and communicating with unpleasant colleagues. Working from home, you are in a comfortable environment for yourself, next to your loved ones and decide for yourself with whom to communicate.

1. It doesn't matter where you live.

If you look at the level of wages, then in large cities it is much higher than in small towns. At the same time, specialists are the same everywhere. This is the biggest disadvantage of regular work, since the salary depends on where you are geographically employed.

When it comes to freelancing, it doesn't matter where you live. You get paid solely for your ability.

This is the most pleasant thing that a freelancer has. It should be noted right away that the level of income here is unlimited. Your earnings will depend on the kind of work you do. In some areas, payment depends on the quantity of work performed, while in others it depends on the quality.

1. Quiet work.

Peace of mind is what many citizens value. No more nervous customers who will bother you and ask various questions. The same applies to nervous bosses, who often swear and load with useless work.

1. Opportunity to combine work and travel.

Some may think that you can't work and travel at the same time. Everything is real if you work as a freelancer. All you need to work is a computer or laptop with Internet access and some free time.

As mentioned earlier, any job has its drawbacks. Consider what they are in remote work.

Freelancing cons:

1. There is no fixed salary.

Many citizens have been accustomed to doing the same type of work and receiving a fixed salary for years. As for remote work, it is difficult to find an employer who will agree to pay a fixed salary for the work performed.

1. Search for customers.

You should not hope that you will simply register on the freelance exchange and orders will fall on you. You must look for customers yourself, apply and actively develop.

Freelance services:

Work-zilla- the best exchange!

If you want to find an order that you can quickly complete and receive funds, then this is a great exchange. A simple and intuitive interface will allow everyone to instantly get involved in the work and start earning.

Fl is one of the largest exchanges.

This is one of the largest remote work services. Every day a large number of free orders in different directions, good pay and friendly customers.

However, there is a small downside. To start earning good money, you will need to buy a Pro account, and these are additional investments that are sometimes unacceptable for a freelancer.

Etxt, Advego and Text.ru - the largest copywriting exchanges

These are trusted exchanges. Only here you can get a job there only in one direction. You can make money on the listed exchanges if you know how to write articles. These are the so-called rewriters and copywriters who write articles to order.

You can also find a regular customer today on special forums, in a social network or groups.

How much do freelancers earn

How much can a freelancer earn? This is the most popular question that arises among all newcomers who have decided to give up office work and.

It should also be taken into account that each field of activity has its own range of payment. The more useful information you know, the higher your payment will be. If in one direction the size depends on the number of completed tasks, then in the other direction it depends on the quality.

If you approach work responsibly and devote at least 8 hours to remote work, you can earn from 30,000 rubles or more. As for the beginner, the first time will be paid less. But you should not give up and you should always strive to move only forward, develop and receive more money.

As experienced freelancers advise, you should clearly understand how much you want to earn. The set plan will need to be divided by the number of your working days.

Is it a real amount for daily earnings? If yes, then everything is in your hands. The main thing is to strictly follow the task and do your job with high quality.

Today in freelancing you can meet many successful professionals who receive more than 100,000 per month. They share their achievements on the World Wide Web.

Most in-demand freelance professions

What are the directions, we have already briefly considered above. Consider which areas are the most in demand.

How to make money freelancing:

1. Graphics editor.

In order to expand the client base, well-designed promotional materials are needed: leaflets, business cards, brochures, etc.

To do quality work, you need to be able to use graphic editors. And, of course, you need to be creative and follow the innovations that appear in the field of design.

A novice freelancer can get 500 rubles for developing a simple logo or leaflet.

1. Website developers.

Almost every company seeks help from specialists in order to create their own website. This is a well-paid field of activity that requires special knowledge.

It takes several weeks to complete the work, but you will be pleased with the payment. Creating an "empty" site without information costs an average of about 30,000 rubles. The cost of publications is negotiated separately.

Example. Do you own a cosmetics store? To increase your customer base, you find a freelance developer who . But just creating a website is not enough, you need to correctly place information about each product.

The buyer must visually see what he is purchasing, study the characteristics and understand how much to pay. If new products appear, you will need to again seek help from a specialist and ask to publish the material for a fixed fee.

1. Developers of mobile applications or games.

What is a mobile application today even a schoolboy knows. Applications are ordered, as a rule, by cafes or online stores.

For development and creation. Some site owners order games that require investment.

1. Photographer.

This is a great direction that everyone can do. Just do not think that it is enough to buy a good camera and start taking pictures. If you set a goal, you will need not only to learn how to take high-quality pictures, but also to process them.

Every day, citizens use the services of photographers: weddings, children's parties, presentations or exhibitions. Some citizens simply ask to take some good shots in a special studio or in nature.

1. Videographers.

With the advent of YouTube, the attitude towards video content among marketers has changed a bit. If earlier they shot long videos about the company's activities, today they prefer short, well-edited videos.

1. Accountant.

Not all firms can afford to hire an accountant. But what if you need to prepare reports? In this case, you can use the services of a freelancer for a fixed fee.

At the same time, a remote accountant can keep records of several companies. What is most attractive is the persistence. You need to do quality work and then companies will contact you constantly. The vacancy of a remote accountant is not only in great demand, but also well paid.

1. Tutors.

This is a great direction if you can teach others something useful. Today, it is not necessary to personally meet with the client, since training can be conducted via Skype, and payment can be accepted by bank card or electronic wallet.

English tutors and musicians who can teach how to play the guitar will be able to make good money.

If you have thought carefully, clearly weighed all the advantages and disadvantages of remote work, and decided to set off on a free swim, then you should follow a few basic tips.

Tips to help a beginner at the beginning of their career growth:

1. Education.

No wonder they say that it's never too late to learn. It is always necessary to learn new material and develop, regardless of the field in which you work. Today, you can easily find training videos, thanks to which you can immediately understand how to work in the necessary program.

Do not forget that there are also many freelancers on the Internet who are ready to teach you for a fee. If you understand that paid courses will benefit you, then you should not save money and should purchase them.

Remember, the money invested in knowledge will help you earn much more.

1. Do not look for expensive orders right away.

If you have just registered on the freelance exchange, then you should not immediately look for expensive orders. Customers are ready to pay well only to proven freelancers who already have a good portfolio, rating and positive reviews.

1. Forums.

To get as much useful information as possible, you should visit a special freelance forum. Today, each exchange has a forum where system participants share their knowledge.

1. Portfolio.

If you want clients to offer you a job, then you need to make a good portfolio. If you are a beginner, no problem. Start doing the work and gradually fill this section.

1. Improve constantly.

It must be remembered that there is no limit to perfection. Try to constantly follow the latest trends in the field in which you provide services. Constantly read professional books and communicate with more experienced colleagues.

Even if you are sure that you know everything, attend special courses. All this will help you become better and achieve greater success.

In conclusion, it is worth noting that freelancing is a very interesting area that is actively developing in Russia. More and more citizens prefer to do what they love, manage their own time and earn good money. Only with a strong desire can you achieve good results.

Greetings, beginner freelancers!) Today in the article I will share my experience in freelancing - how to start making money on the Internet better, faster and more correctly.

Why can I advise you something?
I am a freelancer with 2 years experience, here is my account from the Work-zilla exchange.


I have been registered on it since May 2014, that is, 1.5 years. With over 10,000 freelancers, I'm currently ranked #192 and have completed over 100 projects. This exchange is just one of the sources where I make deals with clients for my services - I create Landing pages and make websites and online stores on WordPress.

And I started from scratch. I didn’t know how to do anything and didn’t know how to communicate with customers at all and how to make them pay me money!)

In the article, I will tell you what steps I would take if I were now a beginner and started my freelance career from scratch. Let's start!

Beginner freelancer. Where to begin?

1. Choosing a profession - Try everything at first, it's easier to decide what you like and like more, in which direction you want to develop.

If you have already decided what you will do in freelancing, then great. If not, then decide :-) How brilliantly said)) But it's true, without this step you will not move further.

Do you want to learn how to make websites?
To save on development or make money by creating websites for others? I recently recorded a new course and where I told a step-by-step plan on how to create cool sites. I have been developing for more than 7 years, I earn more than 50 thousand a month on sites, and I posted all the technology on how to make such sites in the course. The course is new - 2020. Take it while fresh. Read more.

How to quickly decide on a profession in freelancing?
Try everything that interests you even a little. Before I started doing web design, I studied creating sites on WordPress, Joomla engines, studied SEO, Infobusiness, MLM, Programming languages ​​and only then web design and landing pages. And I do not regret anything, the acquired skills in all areas help me so far.
Read
Don't be afraid to take the time, even if it doesn't end up being what you want to do. All the time is spent thinking about whether it is mine or not mine. You probably won't know until you try.

Choose a niche you like, you should like it, in order to achieve good results in any niche you will need to develop, it should be interesting to learn new material.

There is a course of my colleague Vasily Blinov and Svetlana Kirilyuk "Start in freelancing", after passing which you will master the secrets of freelancing, understand the algorithm for making money on the Internet - link to the course

When you decide, I advise you to do only one thing, one profession, perhaps even parallel related topics, but nothing more.

If you are engaged in only one thing, for example: Creating Landing pages, then you will develop as much as possible in this vector and as a result:

• the work performed will be more and more professional every time
• you will better understand your customers
• your work will cost more
• you will be happier seeing your progress.

You need to respond as much as possible to projects on freelance exchanges such as work-zilla, offer more people to offer their services, shine on message boards, etc.

Develop the habit of being polite with your clients, the exception may be people who consider freelancers to be idiots :-(, but this is a separate conversation. Being polite to people is basically normal :-), but in freelancing it plays a very big role. Customers are very fond of adequate and polite freelancers, because it saves them time and nerves.

And here another important thing comes into play - this is word of mouth. If you do all of the above correctly, then you are provided with a sarafan. If you are recommended to your friends, then this is a big plus for you, it means that customers are satisfied with the way you do your work.

Take reviews. The best option is a video review, but if they don’t want to shoot, they can at least write in the text and give a photo. You can post reviews on your website or in the same Google Docs document.

At this stage: We declare ourselves and our service as confidently as possible, stop being afraid of customers, communicate with them more, improve communication skills, identify customer needs.

6. Repeat all this in a circle

— We are developing in the chosen niche — we are looking for orders — we are doing work — a new project in the portfolio — the client is satisfied — we take feedback — we are advised to other people — we develop a base of regular customers — we communicate better, more confidently with customers —

parting word

This is the path I would take if I were a beginner freelancer.

How long would it take? I don't know, and it's not the most important thing. The main thing is to see your progress, never stop developing in your profession, in communicating with clients and the ability to sell your services more expensively.

If suddenly this path seems difficult to you, then just remember why you decided to freelance at all?

I see obvious reasons to work on the Internet:

• Compared to a paid job, I make more money than I could earn by working for an uncle.
• I can work from anywhere in the world where there is internet
• I grow personally, develop as a professional in my niche
• There is no fixed salary, but there is no ceiling, all my earnings depend only on me. I control my life, not someone else and that's cool!)

That's all. I hope I answered the question - How to become a freelancer from scratch? I wish you the best in your freelancing journey! :-)

You are tired of a stuffy office, you want freedom, to work according to your vocation, not to depend on anyone. You have decided to go freelancing.

The first problem you will face is where to look for your first clients?

In fact, everything is simple. For this, specialized sites work - freelance exchanges.

Freelance exchanges are special resources for meeting freelance professionals and customers their services .

There are a lot of exchanges for freelancers, but it’s not easy to work on them: each has already experienced users with many reviews and high ratings. You need to know how to stand out from the competition, how not to run into a scammer, of which there are a lot on the exchanges.

Working on the freelance exchange is a real art. Let's learn it together.

Features of freelance exchanges

To begin with, I would like to dwell on some of the features of these sites. Having understood the nuances, it will be easier for you to get started.

As a rule, exchanges work according to the following scheme :

1. The customer publishes the project;

2. Freelancers study the task and leave their applications. They can be open to other users, or only visible to the customer;

3. The client chooses one contractor and entrusts him with the work;

4. The selected freelancer completes the task and gets paid.

Almost every exchange has list of registered freelancers , or directory. The list is built by rating: on the first page there are those who have a higher rating on the exchange. The customer can choose a contractor from the catalog and offer him a job directly without opening the project. This scheme works on all major sites.

The trick is that the higher you are on the list, the greater the chance that you will be offered a personal project. So strive earn high ranking . To do this, as a rule, you need to work through the exchange, and not bypassing it, earn positive reviews, replenish your portfolio.

Every self-respecting exchange offers "Safe deal" service. It can be called that, or be called "Safe" (Freelancehunt.com), Fair Play (Freelance.ru). This is a service through which all transactions go through the exchange. The platform provides a working area for cooperation between the parties, and acts as a guarantor of "fair play". For this you need to pay a certain percentage, but you are protected from fraud. A secure deal is only a plus, and experienced freelancers only work through it.

Every freelance exchange has unique business model . But everyone has common features: each platform has paid accounts (PRO, PROFI, Business, Plus) and personal advertising that you have to pay for. Experienced freelancers actively use all these tools to make their face and name recognizable, to attract the attention of customers.

These are the main features of all exchanges for freelancers. But each site has its own characteristics, which you will learn when you register and get started.

First, you need to choose a platform for the launch.

Exchange selection

Some of the exchanges have more projects and generous customers, some less. On some sites there are a lot of dumping (bringing down the price) freelancers, on others competitors are more adequate. At first glance, all these subtleties cannot be determined.

But some preparatory work needs to be done. I would recommend doing the following:

Find a list of freelance exchanges. For example, a huge one is collected on our website.

Follow the links and make a first impression – are you comfortable? Is the site easy to use? Is everything clear? The exchange will become your main working tool for a long time, it is important that it is easy to use.

Find descriptions of exchanges and read reviews from freelancers, especially about scams and arbitrage. How does the administration treat its users? Is there a black list of scammers? Do they often cheat?

Pay attention to whether there is a Safe Deal service on the exchange.

Does the exchange take a commission, how much does it cost to work on it. There are exchanges where you can start absolutely free of charge, and there are sites where, without first paying for an account with special features, it is almost impossible to get a job. For example, if you choose the largest FL.ru exchange in Runet to start, get ready to pay immediately for a PRO account. Almost all projects here are closed from "mere mortals".

Account rates on major freelance exchanges :

Fl.ru - no fixed rate; the calculation of the cost is carried out individually, and depends on the rating of the performer and his specialization.

Freelance.ru - from 440 to 650 rubles per month.

Freelancehunt.com - there is no fixed cost, the freelancer chooses how much to pay.

Weblancer.net - from 1 USD, depends on specialization.

Look at the number of projects – is there a lot of work? If you look at the major freelance exchanges, the number of projects per day reaches:

Look at project budgets. Remember that it is not so much the number of projects that matters, but their quality. Choose your specialization, see what kind of work is available and how much they offer for it. The price tag from the exchange to the exchange can vary significantly.

Many freelancers register on several sites at once. This is a smart move - so you have a better chance of finding a worthwhile project. And in order not to miss something important, you can use special aggregators of freelance projects . These are services that collect projects from several sites and display them in one feed. Projects can be sorted.

The most popular and convenient aggregators:

FreelanceGrab (to see projects from all exchanges, you need to register)

Trust large sites with good user reviews. After all, the exchange will now become your breadwinner, your main place of work.

Registration and registration of a profile

Have you chosen an exchange? Go ahead - register!

After registration, you need to complete your profile in as much detail as possible. This will increase the credibility of customers and will also add points to the rating.

A few tips for designing a profile on the freelance exchange :

Do not use stupid nicknames - Solnishko, Kotik, Yagodka. Use your real name - you're a professional!

Upload a real photo. No normal photo? Do it, it costs a penny, it will come in handy more than once - for resumes and social networks.

Write about yourself. Simply, no boasting. List your achievements, not places of work - this will tell the customer more. Compare:

"I worked at Horns and Hooves." By whom? Janitor? Loader?

“He worked as a leading designer at Horns and Hooves, created the design of the company's official website (link).

Now everything is clear.

List the benefits of working with you. Only not the ghostly "quality and speed." More specifics. For example, “I make up a landing page design in a day.”

Complete your portfolio. If there is no work, ask your friends to give you a task on which you could complete the work. Come up with something yourself. But the work in your profile must be mandatory, ideally - at least five.

Specify contacts. How to contact you? Many customers simply write to the artist they like by mail or on social networks.

Do not write too much and do not praise yourself - many letters will not be read, and eulogies will look suspicious.

Response to the project

As I wrote above, freelancers “fight” for each project in response to it. You need to stand out from the crowd so that the customer pays attention and chooses you. This is something remotely reminiscent of an auction, and all means are good in trading for a performer's place.

Many beginners think so, and write that they will do the work for the review. Or very underestimate the price of their services. If you want to be a successful freelancer, don't do this. Know your worth and answer like a pro:

Analyze the project and terms of reference (TOR) to it;

Think about what you can do for the customer;

Briefly outline your plan of action, give some practical advice. But all the cards do not need to be revealed;

Be sure to start your answer with a greeting: "Hello, Imyarek Imyarekovich." Politeness and the fact that you mentioned the name of the customer will immediately endear him to you.

No need to write answers like: "I will be glad to cooperate", "I am ready to work", or copy the same answer into a dozen projects. It looks like disrespect to the customer. And the chances of you being selected are negligible, because everyone wants attention to their person (especially the one who pays) . If you understand this, your chances of success increase.

The same is true for personal projects. Treat with understanding. State your plan of action. So you will demonstrate professionalism and a serious approach to business.

Pass by those projects in which the customer writes that you only need to respond to mail, and he will not read the answers under the TOR. In 80% of such cases, a fraudster is hiding behind the customer's nickname.

Fraudsters and how to deal with them

Speaking of scammers. There are a lot of them on freelance exchanges, and they come in all sorts of ways. The most common fraud schemes:

You are offered to complete a trial (test) task, which will not be paid later.

How to fight : Never do test tasks. You have an example of your work in your portfolio, if they do not suit the customer, let them look for another artist.

All correspondence is conducted via e-mail, you are given a task - you send the finished work - you are not paid.

How to fight : never send a finished unpaid work to a customer. The text can be screened and a watermark applied to it, watermarks are also superimposed on the logo, and the site is first uploaded to its hosting. Work through secure transaction services. Take an advance payment.

The scammer fakes your Skype, writes on his behalf to customers. Requires advance payment and hides.

How to fight : Don't share your contacts. Make sure that on the exchange they are hidden from prying eyes (at least from unregistered users). Write a warning in your profile that a scammer is operating under your nickname. Add customers to contacts yourself.

Fraudsters steal work from your portfolio and pass it off as their own.

How to fight : if you have identified such a scammer - write to the Site Administration and attach the source code of the work, or links where you uploaded it earlier.

conclusions

It is best for a beginner freelancer to start working on exchanges. For a successful start you need:

Choose an exchange with good reviews and a user-friendly interface;

Work through a secure transaction service;

Fill out your profile in as much detail as possible, indicate your real name and upload a real photo;

Respond thoughtfully to projects;

Beware of scammers;

After completing the work, ask the customer to leave a positive review.

In fact, everything is simple - you need to start. Good luck on freelancing, and generous customers!