The Great Elance Job Hunt

So this morning, coffee in hand, I’m scanning the new job listings, as is my typical morning routine, and I realize that there are currently over 800 writing jobs listed on Elance. This isn’t anything out of the ordinary, but it dawns on me how intimidating this might be for a new freelancer.

How the heck do you figure out what to bid on with so many listed jobs?

I was going to write about crafting job winning proposals today, but my half-caffeinated morning epiphany made me realize that I was putting the cart before the horse. Before you can even begin to bid, you need a system to figure out exactly what to bid on.

I’m sure there isn’t one system that will work for everyone, and you’ll develop your own style over time, but until then, I’m offering up my system as a place to start.

I developed this system over time with a good deal of trial and error, with one main objective – money. I don’t mean making money. I mean not losing it. You see, as a freelancer, you have to value your time. And the time you spend on the job hunt is time not making money. So anything that streamlines the hunt means more time to work on actual paid assignments, and consequently more money in your pockets.

So in keeping with this goal, I’ve developed the following job hunt system:

Scan the New Listings

Do this very quickly. Don’t go into the job descriptions, just take a quick peak at the details. If it seems even remotely interesting, put it on your watch list. If you do this daily, this should only take a few minutes.

Delete the Duds

When you’re done your scan, quickly go through the possibilities now in your watch list and delete any obvious duds. Jobs with unrealistic budgets (ie: I want 500 articles and my budget is only fifty dollars), jobs that clearly don’t match your skills, or jobs that just give you a bad feeling for no apparent reason. (In this business, you really need to rely on those gut feelings, but that’s a whole different blog post…)

Put Out Some Feelers

With your possible job list now much smaller, it’s time to look at each of them more closely. If a buyer has a low award rate, they have never posted a job before, or their job description is vague, post a simple question about the job on the public message board, then forget about it. If they respond, it is worth pursuing, but if they don’t, you haven’t wasted valuable time crafting a solid bid proposal or pre-bid question. And if they do respond, chances are much higher that the job will be awarded.

All of the above, if done daily, should take less than thirty minutes once you get into your groove. Spend the remainder of the hour concentrating on the very small number of jobs that still remain on your list – those with reputable buyers and clear job descriptions. Those are the ones you bid on.

If you’re spending anything more than an hour a day job-hunting, you’re wasting precious and valuable time.

There is no guarantee that every job on your shortlist will be awarded, but the chances are much higher; meaning your investment of valuable time, energy, and resources won't be wasted chasing dead ends.

There is also no guarantee that every job you eliminate will be a dud. Many will actually get awarded. But personally, I'd rather spend my caffeine-fueled energy on paid work rather than trying to psychically deduce a buyer's intentions.

Anyone have any more good tips for picking jobs to bid on?



image by MayaEvening