More often than not, you would see generic proposals from freelancers to increase the number of bids. In this process, the quality of their proposals suffers from the copy+pasted approach to writing proposals. Eventually, this bidding strategy leads to no reply from potential employers.
But what’s even more interesting is that competition has grown through the years. In America alone, freelancers are about 56.7 million, data collected just last year. I’ve seen more and more of my social media connections getting jobs through online freelancing websites as virtual assistants, graphic artists, English tutor and more.
So, with the growing competition, how do you create a stunning proposal to land the online jobs you’ve been hoping for?
REVIEW THE ONLINE JOB DETAILS CAREFULLY
The first thing you have to do is to make sure the online job is legit. Check these tips I wrote about spotting legit online jobs here. Please read it carefully for instructions on how to bid. Copy+pasted approach bidding wouldn’t care about reading hidden instructions on the online job ad description. Some employers would have specific details on what to put on the subject line. For instance, a client will include “If you read and understood the job post, write the word “resilient” in your bid.”. Those extra details are only some of the smart ways to test if the freelancer is paying attention and not just rehashing their proposals to every job post they find.
HIGHLIGHT YOUR WORK EXPERIENCE REQUIRED BY THE EMPLOYER
One thing I always practice is to find similarities from the projects I’ve handled in the past and highlight them to justify why I qualify for the job. For example, if the job ad is from a specific country , I would mention the current and previous projects and my approach to working on the project.
PROVIDE A BRIEF STRATEGY FOR THE PROJECT
Sometimes it’s better not to waste your employer’s time. Instead of letting them find the wrong candidates give them a favour by sharing your brief strategy on how to help your employer’s business. It will help the employer select the best candidate with the right strategy in mind.
INCLUDE YOUR AVAILABLE SCHEDULE FOR ONLINE MEETINGS
I have a good reply rate from clients, but I’ve lost a handful of opportunities in the past because I wasn’t available to chat when a client was ready to discuss. It usually happens with clients who are on a different timezone. So, make it to a habit to include your online schedule for meetings or send an email notification whenever there’s a new message from a potential client.
USE A CALL-TO-ACTION
Provide a clear direction on what to do next after an employer read your proposal. Invite your client to view your portfolio through your online freelancer profile. Be sure not to include any links to any third party communications platforms other than what is provided on the freelancer platform you are using.
Apply these tips on your next bidding to online freelancing jobs.
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