On
The way of obtaining freelance work is by bidding for work through websites like Odesk.com GetAFreelancer.com, Guru.com, GetACoder.com or Elance.com. This route to contract work is a
handy tool for stop-gap work but can be a minefield for the uninitiated. The
idea is based on the eBay model, where clients post the type of work they are
looking for within a budget range, timescale, and description of the work they
need completed. Freelancers then bid on the job, and the client selects the
best fit, or sometimes unsurprisingly, the cheapest offer of work.
The system is based heavily on trust and therefore, like the problems
experienced by a minority of eBay users, some people have had bad experiences
using it. Bidding systems have downfalls as well as advantages, so this article
aims at ensuring you get some important advice to ensure you don’t fall into
one of the many pitfalls that exist to trap unsuspecting freelancers.
Research the Client
There are several giveaways you should watch out for when thinking of bidding
for a writing gig:
- the poster seems confused about what it is they actually want
- they are a new poster offering a high budget
- they are a new poster with no references
- the poster has little or no information in their profile or job description
- the poster is reluctant to give up much information about himself or the job
- they are looking for work on a trial basis first
All of these instances should set alarm bells ringing in your head, telling you
the job you might be about to bid for is not all that it seems.
Don’t Bid Low
Not only is it an affront to hard working writers the world over, but bidding
low for projects reduces your professionalism as well as your chances of moving
forward in the industry.
If the job appear in $200 then you bid with a average rate like $150 cause low bid
confuse job provider Watch Out For Pirates
Suppose a client accepts your bid and the ball is set rolling on a project. You
await the full remit but when it arrives you discover it is for something a
little bit more than previously agreed. It would be easy to return with a
volley of abuse, and it might be even easier to take the work as it is and hope
to impress. But don’t. A chancre is at work and he will take you for all you
have. If you were to get involved in this type of situation, what’s to say you
will even get paid at the end of it?
Should you find this happens, a short but polite email to the client
explaining the new remit was not what you agreed, but you would be happy to
discuss new terms as part of another project over and above the currently
agreed one.
Do not let yourself be bowled over by slick sales talk or threats of breach of
contract –stand your ground and be strong. If you lose the gig then you have
lost nothing but a lot of hassle, so thank yourself for having the savvy to get
out while you could.
If the client is genuinely confused then negotiate a deal for the new work, and
who knows, a continuing working relationship may develop to be very fruitful
for both parties.
Another popular scam is to sign up a writer, only for the client to say they
would prefer you to write an amount of the project and submit it in advance,
just to see if you are both compatible. Challenge them to put their money up
first, stating you don’t work for free, or simply prepare to walk away. The
chances are if you undertake this work you can wave goodbye to any form of
payment and will never hear from them again.
Be Prudent with Payments
The main rule when handling payments is safety first. Escrow systems are
normally in place to which it is recommended clients place the agreed amount of
money first. This money is then held in this third party account until the job
is completed and can be released; a system designed to protect both parties
from intellectual and monetary theft.
Using Escrow means you are also able to leave comments for each other after a
project’s completion in order to boost your profile within the community. A
downside to this though, is you will normally be charged to withdraw your money
to an external account, which if this is PayPal or WorldPay for example, may
also take its own percentage depending on the amount.
One way around this is to bypass Escrow and simply agree with the client to
take payment straight into PayPal/WorldPay. This eliminates any extra charges,
but loses the protection afforded from Escrow. In this instance, ask the client
to deposit a percentage of the agreed fee into PayPal (unless you have worked
with him before), to ensure confidence on either side that the work will be
done, and that payment is safe.Don’t Entertain Anything Illegal
From time to time seemingly well-paid gigs arise which may be illegal in some
countries. Very often jobs are posted that ask the writer to plagiarize other
articles or content, write unethical reports with “guidelines” that consist
merely of lies, or offer payment to provide false names or testimonials in
articles for people and products that do not exist. Many of these scams are
used to gain money from people over the internet under false pretenses which
in most countries is an illegal practice called fraud.
So don't try to do fraud.
Thnaks!
ReplyDelete