Finding Freelance Jobs

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Freelancing: Working Out of the Box, with Help from the Web

Maybe you're just making the leap from a steady, 9-to-5 job to the sometimes unpredictable lifestyle of an independent contractor, or maybe you've been freelancing for years. Either way, managing your current work and looking for your next gig can be a daunting endeavor. Online you'll find freelancing advice, tax information, tracking and organization tools, and much more to help you find success in the freelancing world.

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Getting Started in Freelance

You should make sure that you know what you are getting into before you take the leap into the ... read more »

Finding Freelance Jobs

But most freelancers are constantly working to make sure they have enough projects lined up to pay the bills. There are a few sites that help make your search for freelance work fast and efficient; the only thing left for you to do is, well, work.

Dulcinea's Insight

You'll find that job posting sites for freelance work mostly falls into three categories: job bidding sites, résumé posting sites, and job listing sites. Some sites fall into all three categories.

Job posting sites just list freelance or contract work that is available; you then send along a résumé and/or work samples to the client or apply directly online.

Job bidding sites list jobs that clients need done, and freelancers are then given a chance to "bid" on the project (i.e., tell them how much money you'd be willing to do it for) and the client chooses the best candidate/price to suit their needs. These sites tend to favor freelancers outside the United States who can often submit very low bids.

Résumé posting sites allow you to post a résumé and portfolio, and potential clients can then browse through all the résumés or portfolios on the site to find people they think would be suited for a particular project.

Most job search sites have search options that allow you to specify if you are looking for freelance work. Try looking for freelance (or contract) work on a site that posts jobs in your specific field (engineering, publishing, etc.). For a listing of some popular (nonspecific) job posting sites see our findingDulcinea Job Hunting Guide.

Online classifieds sites such as craigslist.org or oodle.com are often a good source for freelance postings.

One of the best ways to get regular freelance work is to develop relationships with your clients. Often, if you regularly produce quality work you will be asked to do more; your contacts there may even recommend you to friends or colleagues.

Professional associations usually have job postings for their members. Consider searching for a professional association in your discipline; the Internet Public Library has a list of associations and their Web sites, organized by discipline.

Don't discount job sites that are based in other cities or even other countries. For example, you might be able to find work that lets you complete projects remotely through postings on a site based in Canada, the United Kingdom, or other English-speaking countries. If you speak other languages, it might be worthwhile to check job postings in countries where that language is spoken.

Dulcinea's Picks

For job sites that are specific to freelance work ...

Sologig has a huge directory of projects. Try sorting your results by date rather than relevance because often the older opportunities have already been filled. You can also post your résumé so employers can find you.

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FreelanceSwitch has a job forum that is very straightforward, has large text, and makes looking for work a breeze. Search the jobs in categories like Design/Illustration, Programming, Writing/Blogging, or Miscellaneous.

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37signals has programming and design "gigs" (otherwise known as short-term projects). You can subscribe to the job postings via RSS feed so that you don't have to keep checking the site every day. The job board for this site is also worth checking out.

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Krop is an incredibly straightforward job-post site for creative and tech jobs. Either look at the list of recently posted jobs or search for keywords (for example, type of job or location). You can also subscribe to get the job feed via RSS.

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For sites where you bid on freelance jobs ...

Guru is an online job posting community for freelance professionals and companies that need them. Basic membership is free but you have to agree to receive all your payments through the site. Create a profile, upload a copy of your résumé, and start looking for jobs to bid on. If you decide to only use the free service, you are limited in what jobs you can apply for. Upgrades cost anywhere from about $150 to about $200 annually depending on what features you need, and there are discounts for upgrading more than one of your profiles at once.

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Elance.com lets you develop an online portfolio and then place bids on projects listed on the site. The basic free membership greatly limits your ability to get work (as you can only bid if invited by the client) and minimizes your ability to maintain a strong presence on the site. Paid subscription allows you anywhere from 8 to 120 bids a month and can cost from around $10 to $200 a month depending on your profession and the type of membership you'd like. Elance also takes a cut of your project fee.

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oDesk will help you find and bid on technology jobs, or simply post your hourly rate and take a few skills tests to let potential employers find you. oDesk is free to join and helps you track and receive payment.

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For the freelance sections of general job search sites ...

Craigslist isn't technically a job search site; it is a classifieds site that has job postings. Find your city on the list of cities on the right side of the homepage, then look for freelance work in the "jobs" industry of your choice, or take a look at the "gigs" posted (these are almost exclusively contract, short-term, or freelance work). If you don't mind sorting through the sometimes adult-themed content and occasional ad post, this is a great place to look for short-term work.

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Indeed's advanced job search allows you to search by job type ("contract" is one of them), location, keywords, and when the job was posted. This site searches all job listings on major job boards, newspapers, associations, and company job pages so it usually produces pretty comprehensive results and is a good place to browse the general pool of job listings.

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Mediabistro.com is not exclusively freelance but it does provide a good amount of listings for contract and freelance work for those in the media industry. You'll find the most job listings in larger cities but if you plan to work remotely, this won't really be an issue.

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