Tag Archives: find a freelance job

Secret Weapons to Finding More Paying Freelance Gigs

PhotoFunia-3d80f2dby Joe Wallace

If you’re wondering what a doctored photo of a moon walk has to do with getting a freelance job, keep reading. You won’t find freelance jobs on the moon, but if you’re fed up enough with a fruitless hunt for more paying gigs to consider looking there anyway, you’re well on your way to getting a new freelance opportunity.

I just started a high-paying freelance editor gig for a major national corporation. I found this gig in a place I least expected to–and that was probably the reason why I landed it. There was no horde of eager applicants to compete with–just a reasonable amount of competition. My source for this job isn’t as important as the idea that I landed the work because I opened myself up to new opportunities by looking in places I wouldn’t have explored a year or two ago.

So how can you create your own secret weapon to finding new freelance work? Continue reading Secret Weapons to Finding More Paying Freelance Gigs

Freelance Writing Jobs for Thursday September 10 2009

get freelance jobsThe never-ending quest for more freelance jobs and jobs for writers continues. A creative staffing agency seeks a freelance medical writer for telecommute work for oncology and hematology topics. Don’t apply if you aren’t able to write in depth about those–this one’s not for the inexperienced.

The American Association of University Women seeks a writer who can do articles and marketing materials. This is a freelance position but you’ll be plenty busy–the list of projects they want you to work on is quite extensive. Send them your resume, cover letter, writing samples and references to editor@aauw.org.

CVTips.com has positions open for freelance writers who can write web content and SEO. This is a good opening for a new freelancer developing their SEO content skills and the pay is commensurate with that experience level.

A Houston-based online news group seeks freelance reporters for community reporting. Pay is listed as “competitive” and you’ll have to do local and suburban news topics–drop an e-mail to jpape@instantnewskaty.com and include at least three writing samples.

Freelance Jobs Weds August 19 2009

get freelance jobsThere are lots of full-time staff writer jobs floating around out there lately…including a gig writing for Warner Brothers Games, plus a defense industry gig with Northrop Grumman writing on intel topics.

Sounds a bit spooky for the likes of us, but somebody out there is rubbing their hands together and using their best Mr. Burns voice. “Ehhxcellent.”

The freelance writing jobs scene includes some unusual ones, like this short term faith-based comedy position and Brain Hurricane‘s on-site temp gig editing five educational books. Drop them a line with your resume at editor@brainhurricane.com.

You could also check out this SEO writing position for a small net-based company. This is a $5-per-250-words type gig, so it’s a good one for newcomers to SEO writing, but high-priced SEOers won’t be interested. Contact katherine.martin98@yahoo.com for details.

As always, please feel free to share your own freelance job leads in the comments section and if you find something good as a result of reading these updates, please let us know.

More Secrets to Finding a Freelance Job

freelance jobs compeitionby Joe Wallace

I’m a big believer in not following the herd. If there’s a fire, I’m looking for an alternate exit to the one the screaming masses are all trying to jam themselves into. The same rules apply when I’m out searching for freelance gigs.

Take Craigslist, for example. There was a time when I used Craigslist almost exclusively to find gigs. Then every freelance job board in the world started getting RSS feeds of Craigslist writing jobs. Now there are 200 people ahead of you by the time you start replying to that CL job post. The herd has beaten you to it.

So what’s a freelancer to do?

  • If you must use a freelance job board, start by identifying one that hasn’t been stampeded by the herd.
  • Use your contacts in other parts of the biz. For example–I have colleagues who work for a DVD company that routinely outsources work for the dust cover blurbs and reviews. If I needed to scoop up a new gig, the first thing I’d do is contact them to see what movies need blurbs that month.
  • Ask your previous employers if there’s more work available. You can also re-query your previous editors with new material or try a new slant on an old topic.
  • Try asking steady clients about associated markets. For example, if you write for a banking-oriented website, you could ask your client if they know anyone looking for writers for insurance topics. “I need to expand my portfolio a bit and insurance is an area I’ve been wanting to get more clips in.” Don’t ask your clients about their direct competition, though–bad idea.
  • Read your local paper. You won’t find freelance gigs advertised there, but you may find some local businesses who could use a website makeover or a press release writer. This is more about reverse engineering a freelance gig than finding an advertised one.
  • Pick your favorite major retailer and look at their Jobs page or Work With Us page. You’d be surprised where you find some freelance and contract writing jobs.

How to Get a Freelance Job: Think Like an Employer

find freelance jobs background checkby Joe Wallace

Learning how to find a freelance job isn’t all about knowing how to write a query letter or write a solid article. Part of the game is learning how to think like the person who needs to pay a freelancer to do this work in the first place.

How can you improve your chances of finding freelance work? Simple–think like an editor. There are three factors involved in hiring a freelancer. Editors, project managers and hiring managers all want the same things–they need a reliable person who will turn the work in on deadline, provide clean copy and be responsive when the editor writes back with revisions.

SmartMoney’s SmallBiz.com ran an excellent article on how to evaluate freelance help, aimed at hiring managers. The piece is chock full of advice on what to look for when hiring freelance talent, and how to check out a freelancer to make sure they are a good fit for the company. Background check? You bet. Freelance contracts? Definitely. Here’s a hint–the author encourages hiring types to use Craigslist and MediaBistro.com.

The article isn’t aimed at writers, so why should you spend your time reading it?

Continue reading How to Get a Freelance Job: Think Like an Employer