Are you confident you’re finding all the leads you need/want/and can do with your solo bandwidth? Hang on. You may be overlooking an opportunity or two. Sure, we know about networking, connecting to other solo pros and agencies for referrals, and joining closed Facebook groups that have a laser-sharp focus. But are you plowing the digital ground?
We’ve investigated some job sites for your and talked to solopreneurs who are using them.
Elaine Marshall landed a $2,000 a month project on
ContractPRJobs.com. She started as a beta user for the platform before it began charging a small fee of $10 a month. Each week, she receives an email that shares jobs and contracts posted from startups, corporate or agencies. Like any online jobs list, a quick match for her interest demands a quick reply. She’s found success by sending a one-pager with some background on her experience, and then follows up with questions about the project budget.
For Marshall, who has 28 years of experience in PR and marketing and has been solo for 13 of those years, the site is worth her time. “I don’t talk hourly rates, but I always ask to get a number first and ask – ‘What’s your funding allocation?’ ” Those who post the opportunities will note if they want to work locally or virtually.
The weekly job list she receives on email is presented in categories of – Startups, Nonprofits, Corporate and Agencies. A recent post: “Looking for a PR contractor/technical writer to handle occasional press releases for our organization (average 6-8 per year), with a template already established.” Another from an agency in Chicago: “Looking for an experienced PR freelancer to help lead media relations for an innovative healthcare client (and possibly others).”
The detail provided for subscribers begins the exchange between job poster and job seeker.
LinkedIn Pro Finder is free. Only five proposals are accepted per posted job request. The service is also limited to jobs within the United States and generally in a limited geographic area based on your profile – say 100 to 300 miles depending on the number of leads LinkedIn can generate.
One of our colleagues in Indy has had success by simply going direct on a proposal request rather than completing the limited ProFinder form.
“ProFinder requests do not include requester or company names. However, with a wee bit of skullduggery, I’ve been able to identify the requester about 75% of the time … and then I've contacted them directly,” said
Scott Flood, a freelance copywriter with agency experience. “I’ve landed several projects through ProFinder. None has been huge, but collectively, it’s been a nice addition to revenue.” Some connections have also turned into longer-term relationships for Flood.
According to Amanda Purvis with LinkedIn: “If you're a service provider, your first 10 proposal responses through ProFinder are free to submit so you can get a sense for how the platform and the process works. After 10 proposals, a LinkedIn Premium Business subscription is necessary for unlimited responses to project requests. The Premium Business subscription costs $59.99 per month, or you may wish to purchase annually and save up to 25%.”
If you feel like you’re getting the wrong kind of proposals, Purvis suggests: “When signing up, ProFinder Pros are able to choose the services that they want to offer, and the LinkedIn team will vet that they are able to provide those services. Once signed up, if a Pro would like to change the services that they offer, they can request a change from their
account settings.”
One of my favorite ProFinder requests in my in box was this one: “I am about 5,000 words in to a Cyberpunk novel and have hit a wall due to writer’s block. The block has been here for weeks and I’m tired of waiting for inspiration. This world is one where augmentation meets gene-spliced lizards that have ended up as dragons.”
If you’re not brave enough to enter the world of gene-spliced lizards, you can look elsewhere for some work reality with benefits.
Here’s a site that offers health benefits for freelancers -
CreativeCircle.com. You pay no fees to participate for a match. The site offers both FTE and freelance positions and real people help you connect to other real people offline. The recruiters via their select city offices will also help you adjust your rates if you’re hitting too high – say using your Chicago rate base for jobs posted in Cincinnati. You receive job alerts via email and there is no limit on your applications. The more description in your profile the better for a match, such as listing you are ‘skilled in Adobe Creative Suite.’ Once you’ve landed 30-plus hours weekly on the site freelancing, you are eligible for health benefits and can become a Creative Circle employee with a W-2.
The process is quite a bit more extensive than some of the other sites – including a check on references, filling out additional forms and making an in-person visit for security clearance. They are serious about making the right kinds of matches.
Larger agencies do subcontract here looking for additional support in skill sets that might just be on your list of desired jobs.
Solo practitioner
Kate Shepherd has tried out
Thumbtack, a site that you might at first overlook just based on some initial descriptions to find – say – wedding officiants or local movers. But many types of professional service jobs are listed.
“I used this when I was starting my own business and I did get one long-term, monthly client at about $1,200 a month for social media marketing and blogging. However, there were a lot of times I quoted on things and never heard back. I think people were often just testing the system and not serious about hiring someone. I was also signed up for resume writing and book editing and never once landed a job. But, that one success made it worth it.”
Much like some other sites, you need to buy credits to bid. But that wasn’t a deterrent for Shepherd – who last used the site about two years ago.
“One thing that was surprising was the fact that some reputable, high-quality businesses/agencies were going on Thumbtack to get bids and find contractors. I was also approached on the site to provide a detailed quote for a state commission for a PR project that would have been worth about $200,000. I came in second. But it was a great experience and if I'd gotten it, it would have been amazing!”
Upwork is another online site (and a publicly traded company) where you can “hire for a project” and assemble a virtual team or “work as a freelancer” and register your own credentials. Unlike LinkedIn, which pulls from your online profile, Upwork will ask you to create an account and fill in your work history.
The work on this site is not limited to the U.S., but there are only 12 broad categories for work on this site such as “design and creative” and “writing.” You can select from here only five sub categories, such as grant writing. Your profile is yours to complete, but you cannot use a link to your LinkedIn profile to complete your bio or work history. The catch is you have to pay for your connections – billed on the site as .15 cents each and with the caveat that most freelancers will spend about $5 a month.
In news reports, Upwork says it is the largest freelancer marketplace in the world with geofilters set for U.S.-based screening. I found few jobs that paid well and many with multiple bids pending. In one instance, there were 20 submissions with the client interviewing four contacts.
You also need to upload a copy of your driver’s license, state ID, passport or green card to verify you are legit – but use of personal ID scanned into a website may scare some users off. The company is responsive to the
Better Business Bureau – but there are a lot of recent complaints, including negative reviews on
sitejabber.com.
Not all job sites may be for you or match your business goals to grow a solo practice. Here are a few reminders for using any online job/contract sites:
1) Remember that for any online job matching site, you will need to do your homework.
2) Try finding an email and ask upfront questions before you sign up – guaranteeing that a real person is available in the event of an issue.
3) Look for concise Terms of Use and privacy agreements and be sure to review them all prior to signing up.
4) Ask your colleagues for references to see if they’ve had success, especially with payment.
5) Check for additional security measures for online payments such as an SSL certificate and HTTPS designation.
6) If a job site encourages app use, check first to see if the app is verified prior to download. Check the user reviews for the app as well as the number of downloads.
7) If you do have a bad experience, report it. You can start with the Better Business Bureau or other consumer agencies in your respective states.
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