[thelist] One more request... (freelancer tips)

[Debbe Watson]

Thanks Sarah!

-----Original Message-----
From: thelist-bounces at lists.evolt.org
[mailto:thelist-bounces at lists.evolt.org] On Behalf Of Sarah
Sent: Thursday, March 13, 2003 1:15 PM
To: evolt.org mailing list devoted to the web
Subject: Re: [thelist] One more request... (freelancer tips)

Tom,

I haven't done a lot of freelance work, but here is what I can
contribute:
- word of mouth is a very valuable tool - if everyone you know is aware 
that you are available, you never know if they will know someone who
knows 
someone...
- have business cards you can give to people you meet (this is an
extension 
of my first point)
- keep in touch with *anyone* you think might be a good contact for
getting 
you work or introducing you to someone who can
- affiliate yourself with other freelancers, who, if they are too busy
to 
take on a project may pass it on to you, or may partner with you on a 
larger project; they might also make good references
- have a portfolio of your work (including school projects) which you
can 
show to potential clients
- don't be afraid to list skills that you are just beginning to learn,
as 
long as you are confident that, in crunch time, you would be able to use

the skills correctly (with a little help from your fellow evolters, of
course!)
- the most important thing to remember is that most people like to help 
other people out (maybe it makes them feel important ;)), so don't be 
afraid to let people know that you're looking for projects/clients

Hopefully my ideas are not total no-brainers. As far as I can tell,
these 
ideas are what helped me to get projects, which eventually led to 
"permanent" employment. I learned ColdFusion on my own in about two
weeks 
and used it in my first job. When I left that job, I managed to get a 
couple of projects using ASP, which I had learned for about three days
in 
school. Those projects gave me enough experience to get a job using ASP.
At 
that job, I learned PHP. Eventually, my experience with ColdFusion, ASP,

and PHP got me where I am today - working and happy!

HTH

Sarah

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