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Saturday, April 24, 2010

1stwebdesigner

Posted by Damass at 5:04 PM

1stwebdesigner

Get Hired: 15 Best Job Boards for Freelancers

Posted: 24 Apr 2010 03:14 AM PDT

Nowadays financial issues seem to be a common problem, with everyone complaining about what difficult situations they're in and how they have no money. Freelancers face the same problem as all other people. Projects are fewer, payments are very low and the request for work is enormous. To help freelancers in their search for work, here is a list of opportunities for everyone.

1.48hourslogo

Pros:

Even if a quality logo requires a lot of time and work (including research, sketches and drawing) here a logo can be ready in 48 hours (but a competition can last as long as 6 days). A customer writes some lines about his project and the freelancers submit a jpg picture of their work. At the end the customer selects the winner which gives him the original format of the logo.They take a flat commissioning of 29$ for each project, which is paid by the client. The designer is paid via PayPal.

Cons:

Too few projects, this website and the concept itself are good but need some ads and promo.

2.99designs

Pros:

In my opinion this website is the best. Here the process is like the one at 48hourslogo. There are a lot of projects, the filters are perfect and the prices are high. Here you can find some of the best designers in the world. Also the blog gives you a lot of resources. A few months ago they started a new concept: a freelancer posts his work, a customer likes it and buys it. The freelancer then customizes the project depending on the demands of client. Interesting right? If you are the winner, then depending on which way of payment you agree upon ,it is possible you will have no fees to pay or in the worst case no more than 25$.

Cons:

The website is only for designers, I believe that this platform will be the best once it has jobs for developers too. I hope that the team of 99designs will read this article.

3.Coroflot

Pros:

In my personal opinion a place that allows you as a freelancer to present a portfolio is better than one without this feature. I listed Coroflot because of this option, even if it is useful only for designers.

Cons:

Many projects are only for developers.Another con: in order to post a job here you have to pay a lot (265$) and freelancers are free to bid.

4.Elance

Pros:

Elance is one of the biggest freelancing job’s website and there are a lot of jobs for everyone..They restrict the number of bids, depending on the type of account. Here in order to be a provider/client you have to pass an exam (few question about how to pay or how to be paid, how litigations are resolved etc). The fee of Elance varies from 4-6% plus 2,75% for the payment processors.

Cons:

The number of bids is restricted, which is generally a negative point but for such an important site I believe that restricting the access of amateurs is a plus.

5.Freelancer

Pros

This is a huge place with a lot of jobs. This website presents a great advantage: the jobs are from various domains as: websites, IT, mobile phones, writing, content, design, engineering, science, sales, and business. All the jobs are very clearly categorized so it is very easy to browse and find out what tasks you want. The pay is good, depending on the complexity of each project.. Freelancers need to pay 10% or 5$ of the total funds received and gold members pay only 3%.The system for employers is very variable depending on their preferences.

Cons:

On the downside there is no blog or collection of articles to help you in your activity as a freelancer (tips &tricks).

6.Guru

Pros:

This website has two ways of navigation: one for employers where they list all the freelancers available (they have also some good filters to find the appropriate ones) and one for freelancers that also has a good layout of their projects and a helpful assortment of categories. There you can find jobs in all fields; soon a blog will help you in your freelancing career on Guru.Freelancers are charged 5% or 10% of the project value, depending on their membership level (basic 10%, guru members 5%).

Cons:

As I was navigating as an employer I saw this title "world's smallest price". I believe that as a freelancer that is offensive, they could as well write this "we have a lot of losers, come on!". I understand the importance of publicity but morality is a must not an option. For freelancers they posted an interesting title "Be one in a million, not one of millions".

7.iFreelance

Pros:

Superb organization for employers and freelancers! With two or three clicks every job in your field is presented in great detail. As a personal opinion, the design of the website is very good. A very important advantage is that the offline contact is permitted, so a very long collaboration is encouraged.Surprise, everything is free!

Cons:

Freelancer and Guru take a small amount of money when you win a project, but to bid is free. iFreelance take a monthly charge for participation as a bidder.

8.LimeExchange

Pros:

There are interesting projects, many professional freelancers and trustful customers, tests to pass and show your skills. They also have a very interesting blog, full with very useful information. In the "pricing" you can find a very detailed explanation of how every member is charged depending on his/her membership plan (a very complex scheme).

Cons:

More projects would be welcomed.

9.oDesk

Pros:

It is one of the most famous marketplaces in the world. The jobs here are countless, the filters are very good so you're instantly connected to the kind of jobs you're looking for. They have a rich blog, which is an invaluable resource; they impress with their Help and Learning Center- it helps you a lot in the process of understanding how to successfully bid here. The video that explains this issue is very relevant.You will find that oDesk takes 10% of the total charge rate. (this is the only source of profit for they).

Cons:

The prices are somewhat low. (Of course, for employers that is a pro.)

10.Peopleperhour

Pros:

Here a freelancer with a standard account can bid only for ten projects so the amateurs that bid for everything but do nothing are scarce. A customer can post the job here for free so the projects are numerous. Here you can post a portfolio to show your skills.

Cons:

To be able to bid more than ten projects you must pay a monthly fee and the commissions are high even if you are a platinum member.

11.PureDesignResources

Pros:

This website presents a large array of jobs from a variety of websites. PureDesignResources impresses me because of the rich collection of trend&inspiration, tools&tutorials and articles&blogs. The jobs are from different sources so it is hard to describe them and their commissioning fees.

Cons:

They do not have their own database of jobs for freelancers, it is a compiler.

12.Rentacoder

Pros:

This website has a long history, I could say that RAC is a pioneer of freelancing. They do not support any ads, the projects are numerous and from various domains. Clients know that this is a home for good freelancers. Not a long time ago they adopted the model of oDesk and Elance regarding the possibilities of skill certification. Every provider can take a test to show his/her skills.

Cons:

The prices are too low, for a new YouTube project some bidders want 5$. This situation should be urgently resolved.The Rentacoder fees are slightly higher than those from other opponent sites (ranges from 6.5 to 15%).

13.Sitepoint

Pros:

It has the same feature as SmashingJobs, it is a part of the website Sitepoint. The jobs here are few but the articles, tutorials, tips&tricks are totally amazing. Also the books presented are great.

Cons:

The same remark as for SmashingJobs, they have too few jobs.

14.SmashingJobs

Pros:
SmashingJobs is a part of the well-known website SmashingMagazine. Here you can find some freelancing projects and also many full-time jobs. As a part of such an important online resource for designers and developers it is pointless to comment on the opportunities that can be found here. The prices are not shown, as they are agreed upon between client and provider. Also SmashingJobs has no profit from future contracts between freelancers and customers.
Cons:
SmashingJobs is perhaps not a market targeted at freelancers, but it has some jobs for them. Anyway if you can't find jobs her, you can at least find very good resources, articles and tips.

15.Xemion

Pros:
You can catch a lot of breaks, there are many good jobs. They have jobs from various markets, it is a compiler. I honestly believe that it is impossible not to find a task that suits you.
Cons:
Xemion does not have its own market for freelancers, but that's easily overlooked because of the great offer and the valuable resources.

In conclusion I want to mention that these are only a few of the places where you can find jobs. You can surely find more websites on the web. I believe that no matter the website, a good designer or developer will find enough tasks. Work and patience, this is the key to success!

Editor’s Note: I will suggest you to give a try to elance, guru and freelancer. It is also our request to please share your experiences with each website and which one is good or bad. Thanks.

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