I've been working on Elance for about 1.5 years now and I've to say, it's awesome! Unlike other freelancing platforms like Odesk, you don't get 'peanuts' for your hard work. Although there are clients who offer a next-to-nothing budget for you to work with (and surprisingly enough freelancers willingly want to work with them), you'll find here plenty of clients who have a fairly good budget (for the amount of work they ask for) to work with.
Bidding on jobs is however the crucial bit. How to convince your employer that you are fit for the offered position / job? Beside your qualifications and experience, you need to play with powerful words to entice your clients to hire you. Positive feedbacks from your previous clients (this could be a bit of problem for newbies) and a good reputation on Elance really helps. A fair bid (sometimes the lowest wins but most of the time clients are willing to pay extra for quality) that's within the client's budget is what the clients are looking for. Higher, unreasonable bids are declined very often. If you've taken skills tests and have verified credentials, they make you stand out from the rest of the crowd.
As for my part, I've not all taken skills tests yet as I find it really hard to spare forty minutes to one hour of time to take one in one piece (and I'm a bit lazy too). I am very keen on taking them as soon as possible (just wish my son grows up quickly and gets more independent). I don't have any verified credentials either as I've always worked as a freelance writer. Unfortunately, I can't do much about that.
What I have though is the art of using words to convince my clients that I'm fit for their jobs. With 4.5 years of experience in writing, I often have samples to provide them in the niche they want me to write in. Some good feedbacks left by my valuable clients in the past is obviously a big plus. And lastly, I bid quite reasonably in the low to mid range (I keep my eye on the low and average bids and place mine in between the two, only if I feel I can afford to do it). This helps me get jobs whenever I feel like doing them (I don't always want to work due to a really busy schedule).
Now, don't get the impression that I bid and get a job everytime. That's certainly not the case. My bids are declined like everybody else's too! It's obviously the clients' decisions and their money involved. Nobody can force them to hire you or me. There are hundreds out there who are fighting for the same position and obviously they are far more experienced and better than we am. That doesn't put me off though. "Never mind! Better luck next time!", I say to myself and start bidding again on another job the next day....
Bidding on jobs is however the crucial bit. How to convince your employer that you are fit for the offered position / job? Beside your qualifications and experience, you need to play with powerful words to entice your clients to hire you. Positive feedbacks from your previous clients (this could be a bit of problem for newbies) and a good reputation on Elance really helps. A fair bid (sometimes the lowest wins but most of the time clients are willing to pay extra for quality) that's within the client's budget is what the clients are looking for. Higher, unreasonable bids are declined very often. If you've taken skills tests and have verified credentials, they make you stand out from the rest of the crowd.
As for my part, I've not all taken skills tests yet as I find it really hard to spare forty minutes to one hour of time to take one in one piece (and I'm a bit lazy too). I am very keen on taking them as soon as possible (just wish my son grows up quickly and gets more independent). I don't have any verified credentials either as I've always worked as a freelance writer. Unfortunately, I can't do much about that.
What I have though is the art of using words to convince my clients that I'm fit for their jobs. With 4.5 years of experience in writing, I often have samples to provide them in the niche they want me to write in. Some good feedbacks left by my valuable clients in the past is obviously a big plus. And lastly, I bid quite reasonably in the low to mid range (I keep my eye on the low and average bids and place mine in between the two, only if I feel I can afford to do it). This helps me get jobs whenever I feel like doing them (I don't always want to work due to a really busy schedule).
Now, don't get the impression that I bid and get a job everytime. That's certainly not the case. My bids are declined like everybody else's too! It's obviously the clients' decisions and their money involved. Nobody can force them to hire you or me. There are hundreds out there who are fighting for the same position and obviously they are far more experienced and better than we am. That doesn't put me off though. "Never mind! Better luck next time!", I say to myself and start bidding again on another job the next day....
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