When one browses a popular search engine with keywords online jobs, work from home, data entry work, online home based business and few other similar sounding words the search result is likely to generate few hundred thousands pages. There are abundant online money making opportunities available on the internet. Finding a right online job without getting duped is a daunting task for the beginners.
You must have gone through the overview of online jobs on the Home page of this website. This article is an attempt to solve all your queries on how to go about looking out for freelance jobs on most popular and trusted freelance sites like GetAFreelancer.com and Scriptlance.com. Before going further let me make few things clear.
This article is a general guide to resolve few frequently asked questions related to GetAFreelancer.com and Scriptlance.com.
This article discusses the queries only from the viewpoint of service providers (online home based job seekers).
Getting hands-on exposure to GetAFreelancer.com and Scriptlance.com can automatically provide you the desired confidence to search online work on the other popular freelance sites.
The information may not be exhaustive and the readers are advised to go through FAQ section of GetAFreelancer.com and Scriptlance.com.
1. What is a freelance site?
Freelance means self-employed, whereas a freelancer means a person who works independently for different jobs without any commitments on salary or permanent job. Freelance site is a platform that facilitates or connects freelance service buyers and providers.
2. How to register on freelance sites? Are there any fees?
Registering on freelance sites is absolutely free. Signing up process is absolutely hassle-free and it is open to anybody from any country. You are required to furnish various personal details such as name, address, email id, contact details, username, password and profile.
Most important – Try to provide maximum details about your career profile, skills, area of expertise, your mission, vision and all the important matter that is directly or indirectly related with your talent and professional knowledge. When you have placed your bid for a particular job, the service buyer gives lot of importance to your background besides the price bid. The entire process of signing up gets over in maximum three steps. You can also edit your profile and personal details later on if required.
3. What are the various membership plans and commissions payable to freelance sites?
The amount of commission payable to the freelance site depends upon the type of membership. For a beginner, it is advisable to start with free membership. Generally the commission is around 5 to 10% of the project cost, subject to a minimum of 3 to 5$. As a free member you can place bids on 15-20 projects per month.
You may please refer the freelance sites to know more about gold membership, featured projects and other paid membership plans where you have to pay monthly or quarterly or half yearly or yearly fees to the freelance site. Advantage of paid membership is that you are not required to pay any commissions to the freelance sites and you can place your bids for 150+ projects per month. You should go for gold membership only after you have successfully established on the freelance platform.
4. How to transfer the funds?
Funds transfer involves payment of project commission fees to the freelance site. Credit cards, bank transfer and third party agents like PayPal, Moneybookers and many other innovative and convenient funds transfer options are available on the freelance sites. It is better to study the funds transfer options on the website and then exercise the option that suits you best.
5. How to search and bid on the projects?
Daily hundreds of projects are posted by the service buyers. You can start your search with top 50 newly posted projects on the main page. You may also search the projects on the page that displays all the projects. Projects are sorted based on the date as well based on the category of project. You can also have an option to receive emails whenever a project that meets your criteria is posted on the freelance site. If you just want to bid on the data entry projects then don’t waste time on all the projects. Whenever you feel that you can comfortably execute a particular job then you should place your bid.
Be specific while submitting your bid. You must place your bid details on the PM (private message) section. You can view PM icon just below username. PM section can be viewed only by you and the service buyers. Remember when you click PM icon, you would be prompted to sign in with your username and password. Never place your bid details and sample work on project message board as it is accessible to all the members.
6. What next after placing the bids?
Having submitted your bids does not mean that your part is over. Be on the look out for any responses or messages received from project buyer. Check your PM frequently. You can also check PM through your email inbox. Freelance sites instantly send you an email as soon as a private message is posted for you. If your bid has been selected for any project then the intimation is sent to you immediately by email. Develop a habit to check your email regularly at least 2-3 times in a day.
Immediately upon receipt of the email about selection of your bid, you are required to accept the bid on the website. First step is to make the payment to the freelance site towards the commission. Once you send your acceptance, the freelance site will provide you the contact details of project buyer. Now onwards you will communicate with the project buyer through email instead of PM. Upon successful completion of the work, the project buyer will instruct the freelance site to release your escrow payment. Freelance site will allow you and the buyer to post reviews about each other only after the payment is completed.
7. How to succeed in getting the project?
Getting a first break through is a real test of your endurance. There are number of bidders out there to grab the projects. Data entry projects and simple typing projects that require simple skills are prone to cut throat competition. It is literally not possible to provide a sure shot guide to success. I can only emphasize few important points.
Pay more attention to new jobs (not older than 2 to 3 days). It is really difficult to get the older jobs.
Always be the first to place the bid especially when the urgent projects are posted.
There are many jobs posted only for new service providers. Here you have more chance to win the bids.
Be prepared to bid at the rates lower than lowest bid. You can always revise your bid if you see that somebody else has bid lower than you.
After placing the bid, send a private message (PM) to the service buyer. Here you can explain in detail why you are best suited for this job. You can clearly mention that you are new and prepared to work at the lowest rates expected by the service provider.
Keep an eye on the response received from the project buyer and be prompt to reply back.
Try to provide samples of your past work whenever possible. You may also show your willingness to the project buyer to execute a small part of the project as sample work for free of charge.
Never overstate your capabilities. If you have one job in hand with a very short deadline then it is advisable to complete this project first before taking up new commitments. If you overshoot your deadlines the service provider may give you a bad review and it can affect adversely to your reputation.
Don’t lose patience and go on bidding with conviction and success will definitely come to hard working people like you.
Never display your contact details in the private message (PM) as it violates the terms and conditions of the freelance sites. In such cases your membership is liable for immediate termination.
8. How safe is it to work at freelance sites?
It is 100 percent safe as there are no fees to register on freelance sites. At the most you may lose your time and energy. Escrow payment is the option that ensures fair play. Before starting the work you can request for an escrow payment. Here in such cases the project buyer deposits the money in advance with the freelance site. Your payment would be released after satisfactory completion of work.
9. How to withdraw money from freelance sites?
The procedure differs with the sites. You can request withdrawal to your bank or credit card, PayPal or MoneyBookers. All the freelance sites levy nominal charges for funds withdrawal. There is a limit on the minimum amount that can be withdrawn. When it is your first withdrawal it may take 2 to 3 weeks to get the funds credited to your bank account. Subsequent withdrawals are much faster and depending upon when you have placed the request you may get the funds in your hands maximum within one week. Please refer individual freelance sites to study in detail about various withdrawal options and procedures.
In conclusion
I have tried my level best to resolve all the queries and anxieties. However, I am always available for further clarification at any time. Please feel free to get in touch. My best wishes for your success in online home based works. Failure is part and parcel of life. Accept it in your stride. Importance of success can never be realized without tasting the failure.
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