Research these sites (oDesk, Guru, and PeopleperHour) to see which skills-set you can profile. There are FREE to register but you must market/brand yourself as the job only goes to the best or those who sell themselves. When you treat your profile as a conversation with a potential employer, more ideal employers will be drawn to you.
BRAND YOURSELF
Listed below are some mistakes that keep you unemployed because your profile has not sold YOU.
Mistake #1: Not thinking of yourself as a product. Even though everyone on oDesk is in the service business, you have to think of yourself as a product. Think of your picture and profile as the packaging, your description as the package design (or the copy that gets the potential customer excited about the product), and your skills and knowledge as the features and capabilities of the product.
When your potential clients are searching the database and results pop up, it’s like looking across of grocery shelf filled with boxes. So your job is to describe and design yourself in a way that attracts exactly the kinds of jobs that you are best at and clients will hire you for again and again.
Mistake #2: An unprofessional picture. You must have a professional picture as part of your profile. It doesn’t have to be professionally taken, but it should be a headshot, meaning that it’s taken above the shoulders. Dress as you would when going into an interview.
In so many ways, when a client sees your pictures, it’s as if you just walked through the office door. So look your best and have a friendly smile. ‘oDesk, Guru and PeopleperHour’ are not ‘Facebook’, so avoid using overly casual pictures with silly clothes or hats.
Mistake #3: Your description is about your goals and not my needs. As a potential employer, I’m coming to these freelance sites with a specific project. If a description starts with your objective to grow your business or the kind of client you are looking for, I pass this by because it doesn’t match what I’m looking for.
The way to get chosen is to focus on the keywords that best describe the tasks or skills that your ideal client is looking for. For example, if you are good at interviewing and doing market research on the phone, write that down because that is the task clients would be hiring you for. Your goal is to describe the talents and tasks that you love to do and that clients would want.
Mistake #4: Your description is too conversational or just a list. Your description is the only face-to-face conversation you will have with a potential client. Don’t count on them calling you for an interview unless the description sounds like a professional introduction.
The best and most appealing descriptions are those that are friendly, a little conversational (not overly so), and loaded with tasks, capabilities, and talents. Great descriptions are written in full sentences and say things like, “I’m great at writing keyword rich articles that sell.” Or “I can complete an hour-long transcription in two hours from the time you give it to me.”
Mistake #5: Too many different skills and abilities in the description. While it’s possible that you have many skills, talents, and abilities, it’s best to focus on the ones you love to do most of the ones where you perform the highest quality work. Placing too many skills in an overview description won’t attract more customers, it will attract less.
When potential clients see too many skills, they won’t know which ones you do best. Focus on what you want to be known for. You can list the others, but don’t describe or “sell” more than five unrelated skills — especially when these skills are different such as programming and copywriting. If that is your talent than only focus on those two and don’t confuse people with more.
Lastly, may I be the first person to congratulate you on this new step of empowerment and encourage you to spread your wings to the world of opportunities around and available to you.
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Yours in love – The Renaissance Lady ©
As a Mompreneur & Lifestyle Blogger, I am constantly on the goal of being ready for the NEW re-birthing and renewing of Oneself as I believe we all have a purpose to fulfil on this earth and part of my mission is for us all to live a Purpose-Driven Life.
