Setting up a Freelance Profile-to work from home

Online Freelance Profiles

Compare freelance web sites to decipher which ones you will be using in pursuing your work at home career and publish a profile on it. Make certain these sites offer the type of work you are looking for. Take time to complete a well-planned profile and keep it ultra-professional, because this is a presentation of how you will appear to business professionals in the field you anticipate to work in. When bidding on projects and working with buyers or vendors remain professional and keep communication lines open in order to be successful working from home in a "virtual office.” Because jobs are not on site, prove you are responsible to complete projects in a timely and superior manner and are just as accessible working off site. Creating a Freelance Profile

Your Freelance Profile is Your Best Marketing Tool

Prepare a quality and professional profile that can be used on each of these sites. All of the work at home job boards have different sections, but are basically the same. If you already take the time to work on a profile with the basics, you will be one step ahead of the game and can contour this profile based on the website it will be posted to. Plan and double-checking grammar and spelling in your profile in order to avoid unprofessional mistakes. Remember, this profile is a sales pitch and marketing tool for yourself; it must look professional and exhibit all qualifications and skills so that a prospective employer/client will have the information they need in order to make the decision to hire you.

Create a work summary

Write a brief, but quality summary of what type of work you do, your work ethic, a listing of your qualifications and what type of position you are seeking. Edit and include a current resume that includes all the positions you held that are relevant to the work you are pursuing. Include a picture of yourself on your profile that looks professional. Remember online is the same as offline, but even more difficult to land a job because you need to sell yourself without doing it in person.

Skills and Qualifications

Make a list of the skills you have and most importantly be honest. Take as many skills test as you can that are offered online. Free Online Business Courses, Workshops and Seminars Show that you are qualified and can do the job. Here is a great website that hosts a free typing test. Typing Test Take advantage of the many websites and resources available to test skills and brush up on old ones. Microsoft Training Home Page Prepare, plan and complete. Do not complete and post a sloppy profile and remember to update your profiles systematically.

Good luck and much success.

Work at Home Using Freelance Websites

Freelance Websites

While establishing yourself as a freelancer in the field of your expertise, one way to start working from home and earning money is to work as an independent contractor on websites that are designed to host freelancing relationships. If you find other work at home opportunities, do research and check out consumer reports or the BBB Better Business Bureau to validate the legitimacy of the company that you are interested in.

List of 6 legitimate websites that host freelancer relationships are:

1.) Odesk Profiles are free. There are over 100 free multiple-choice type skills tests that allow buyers to see provider’s knowledge and level of skill. There are different service fees based on the ending project price and the pay for hourly work is guaranteed. This website is different in the fact that a provider is logged into the Odesk application the level of activity, screen shots and web cam shots are recorded. Odesk has been reviewed in the news and business articles and magazines due to its recent growth and popularity. PCMag If you are interested in working from

home, this is a great site that has been growing in numbers.

2.) eLance Basic profiles are free on eLance. The paid membership plans range from $9.95 to 39.95 per month. The more costly profiles include a higher quota of proposals in order to apply for jobs. The paid memberships also include free skills tests and the service fees depend on the membership plan.

3.) Guru.com Freelance professionals with a free basic profile can bid on jobs through Guru.com. A basic free profile has limited options as far as job exposure and only includes 10 bids per month for jobs. The other profiles range from $29.95 – 129.94 on a quarterly basis and provide a higher amount of bids per profile, which can be reused every 30 days. The service fees are also different depending on the membership level.

4.) Rentacoder This website is for freelance software developers. A coder’s account is free, but the service costs a “rent a coder’s” fee of 15% of the final bid for the project.

5.) Getafreelancer.com A global freelance website that specializes in Programmers, web designers, copywriters and translators, but also has some jobs in the data entry, bookkeeping, accounting, telemarketing and data processing areas. A basic account is free, but there is a commission for providers to pay on closed projects. Gold Members, which costs $12.00, do not have to pay commissions on projects and have a higher ranking in the bidding pool.

6.) iFreelance.com Service is 100% free. Membership cost is between $4.69/month and 9.00/month.

In summary, there are many opportunities in order to freelance and work from home on the internet. Realize what site matches what you are looking for and create a professional profile.

Introduction to the Work at Home Blog

The “Virtual Office Work at Home” Blog provides useful information and guidance regarding opportunities for working from home via a virtual office. There is a great amount of information on the web about legitimate work at home jobs and also the various opportunities available to allow working as a freelancer online and it helps to have these topics researched and organized in an accessible way to obtain and use.

Independent Contractor vs. Employee The first question to address is whether or not you want to work at home as an independent contractor or as an employee of a company. There are many work at home jobs that are provided through companies that hire virtual employees and also it is possible that the current job you are working can be transferred into a telecommuting position based on then needs of the current company you work for. The pros and cons for each scenario must be considered and also the type of “work” personality has a lot to do with it. Do you thrive on setting your own hours and organizing your workload? Do you need structure and guidance? How many hours per day/ week are you willing to work? There are pros and cons to each side of becoming either an independent contractor or working at home as an employee. Take time to research all of the options available and the amount of commitment and effort that is needed in order to figure out what is the right path of work for you. Is it right for you?

Pros vs. Cons of Working for Yourself One of the pros to working independently would be that you are your own boss, but on the other hand more time is spent on selling and marketing yourself and keeping a professional appearance and not just providing the services that you originally wanted to provide.6 steps to being your own boss - MSN Money An additional plus is that there are more business deductions at tax time, but financial decisions, organization of time, prioritizing of workload, client inter-action, paying ‘self employment’ tax and tax filing at the end of the year; are all tasks that an independent contractor would need to do in addition to regular work that is generating income. Working as an Independent Contractor An independent contractor receives 1099 forms and needs to keep accurate and organized records of expenditures and earnings in order to file taxes. Reference the IRS website in order to make sure you are filing the correct forms and keeping all the tax information that is needed. Irs.gov If this becomes complicated, it is best to consult an accounting professional in order to figure out what expenses are valid and what are the correct tax forms to be filed. Find a qualified local Accountant or Tax Professional