How Do You Get Your Elance Membership To Work For You?

Elance is a freelancing outsource site where writers, programmers and other job seekers bid on tasks that clients have posted. The bids and proposals are much like applying for a job where many persons apply for the same job and the client chooses one.

Unlike many other outsourcing sites, Elance employers pay well. A freelancer can earn $8 an hour or more, depending on the client or task. Do the work exceptionally well and the client will repeat.

Of all the outsourcing or freelance sites, Elance has gotten the best review. They make sure the client pays them as soon as the job is awarded and you get paid immediately after submitting your completed status. The only delay might be a few hours while the client authorizes payment.

There are several ways to recieve your money from Elance.

1. You may choose to recieve your money through paypal
2. You may have your money deposited directly in your US bank account
3. Non US residents have two options, a Payoneer prepaid mastercard directly from Elance and a deposit to a Moneybrokers account.
4. Withdraw you money directly to your credit or debit card

Not yet an Elance member? Sign up here

So you have heard quite a lot about Elance.

You have gone and sign up thinking that you will be getting those freelance contracts and making money soon.

You bid on profects after projects and no client is picking you

You have been there a month, two months or more and still no clients

You bid with your ten free connects each month and still nothing.

You have given up thinking it's not working or you just are't lucky, or you don't have the patience.

• When you view a job, check out the lowest and highest bids of the previous bids. Bid below the lowest bid. This is really no guarantee that the client will choose you but as a newbie many clients will pay less to give you a chance.
• Be the first to bid. Try catching the jobs as they are placed and place your proposal and bid first. Half the time the client will pick the first bidder especially if the job isn't too technical or if they are in a hurry to get the job done.
• Make every proposal unique. Never cut and paste a proposal that you have used before. Some clients are able to spot this immediately. Your proposal must be specific to the current position you are applying for. Make it stand out. You are a writer, use that skill to woo the client.
• Use your connects wisely. Read the job requirements before applying. Make sure it is something you can handle easily. Don't experiment and hope it works out, be sure you apply for a job you are equipped to do.
• If you find a job you really, really want, use an extra connect to place you at the top of the bid list. The client will read your bid first and may just choose you. If there are no other bids at the time when you place yours, still use that connect. That will ensure you remain at the top of the list.
• Just in case you change you mind and you want to decline the job, do so courteously after the client has chosen you. Send a message when you "decline" letting them know that you were chosen for another job and you wont be able to handle both.
• Submit writing samples and links. Whenever I check my stats on certain hubs and see traffic from Elance it always pleases me. If you are a writer on HP then submit your link with your proposal/bid. If you have articles saved on your computer, attach a sample with the bid. This way the client will get to see your writing style, the kind of articles you are skilled at writing and how well presented your articles are. Make sure they are error free and interesting.
• After each job give your a client a raving review. A client had rated me 4.8 because I made an error in figures. I was referring to how many people search the internet each year and wrote billions instead of millions. So my rating dropped to 4.9. I received an email after a job that asked me to rate the client and I did. I realized that when I rate a client first they are more likely to give me a good rating. So I did it a few times (even at Freelancer.com) and my rating went back to 5.0. Clients are more likely to hire you with five stars.

Take the tests - they are free

When you sign up at Elance in order to start applying for work you need to take the Elance proficiency test which is compulsory. You get to choose one cetegory per month in which you can apply for jobs. In this category there are many tests that you can take to show on your profile.

For example, if you select the writung category, the tests can range from fiction to ghost writing. These tests will show your proficiency and skill level in a certain areas and clients will feel more confident in employing you.

Unlike Odesk and Freelancer, the Elance tests are free. You can take them anytime and the pass rate is 60, which is very low. There is no excuse, take some of the tests.

Upgrade you membership

Upgrading your membership from the free account will give you 15 more connects each month. This way you can more than double the amount of proposals you submit.These connect also roll over, so if you don't use them up by the end of you membership month, they add to your new month.

Free membership only gives 10 connects while paid membership gives 25 connects. Your membership status is also featured on your profile and increases your chance of employment by about 40%. Paid membership for the individual costs $10 per month. It is worth it.

Change your category

If your skills match more than one category, consider switching each month. Do it early as it takes a while to take effect when your membeship is free. Paid members have their categories switched immediately. You can also pay $5 to have another category added to your account.

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