How to get more freelancing jobs

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As employers - or project owners - we often find it difficult to find the right person for the job. One of the reasons for this is that it can be very difficult for us to distinguish between the different candidates.

Many applicants clearly apply for many different projects at the same time - and just copy/paste in a standard application - without making it clear why we should hire that person.

In fact, it is often obvious that many of the applicants don't even bother to read the job posting before hiring.

For us as employees, this is a nuisance. We are never going to hire a person based on a copy/paste application. They are simply ignored or deleted.

What we are looking for, is clear signs that you can do the job.

- Have you done something similar before?

- Did you write a good application that made us remember you?

- Do you have good reviews from previous projects?

Getting the basics right

And then there are the basics such as your language and grammar.

- If your profile and application have errors - will the work you do also have errors?

- If your English in your application is bad - will it make it difficult for me to communicate with you during the project?

If English is not your first language, then do yourself a favor and run your application through a spelling and grammar checker before applying.

There are plenty of free resources on the net. Grammarly is one of the best. So there is really no excuse for errors in your application.

Errors in the application is a sure way to disqualify yourself from the job - and it is easy to avoid.

While all of this may sound like a lot of work - it is the best way to ensure you get the job.

It really is worth applying for fewer jobs, while putting more efforts into the jobs you do apply for.

Make your applications stand out

If you are pitching for a job as a designer or to develop an app or website, then one of the best ways of standing out is to "go the extra mile".

To stand out from your "competitors" you should show that you have already put some efforts into the project. Not only does it show that you are interested in the job, it also proves your competencies - and most importantly, it makes it easy for the employer to start engaging with you - and makes it much more likely you will be chosen for the job.

One way of doing that is to make a quick mockup showing your thoughts. A mockup does not have to take long to do - especially if you choose to do it as a wireframe - rather than a prototype.

It can also be a great idea to use a tool like NinjaMock or Balsamiq to quickly draw a mockup of your thoughts on the project - and make your application stand out from the crowd. Hosting these images in dropbox and including a link in your bid is a nice way of standing out.

Conclusion

In short, my experience from many years of hiring freelancers is that if you want more freelancing jobs, then you should focus on quality applications rather than applying for as many jobs as possible. Quality beats quantity - every time.

You need to make your applications stand out from the crowd. If you do that, I guarantee that you will start seeing freelancing jobs coming your way.

Good luck.

Posted 11 October, 2016

Bo225

Website owner :-)

Hiring people for website development, design and content creation. Entrepreneur.

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