In recent years, freelancing has become an increasingly popular career choice, offering many the freedom to work from anywhere and pursue their passions.
With the rise of freelance job sites, finding jobs and securing work opportunities has never been easier. These platforms serve as virtual marketplaces, connecting freelancers with clients from all over the world, and providing a range of job options across various industries.
In this article, we will explore some of the top freelance job sites, their benefits and their challenges.
Below are some Freelance job sites, with their advantages and disadvantages.
LinkedIn is one of the largest networking and hunting sites for freelancers. Its flexibility and versatility make it the best choice for freelancers in 2023. The platform not only helps you market yourself and your abilities, but it also allows you to network with potential employers and other freelancers. LinkedIn also has a comprehensive list of freelance, contract, part-time and remote work opportunities.
What are the pros? It is comprehensive and easy to navigate. It is free to use, effective in accessing a variety of jobs, and has a feature to turn on alerts for available jobs.
The disadvantage of LinkedIn is that there is a lot of competition on the platform, making it hard for beginners to get jobs on the platform.
Indeed.com
Indeed.com is a large online job search platform that can be accessed globally. With an uploaded resume or CV, you can apply for jobs by using the search bar to put in your preferred job or role and use filters to streamline your search. You can also be contracted by employers.
Indeed.com is easy to navigate and free for all to use but on the downside, job postings may not be much suited for freelancers.
Glassdoor
Glassdoor is an American massive employment site, a sister company to Indeed.com, that allows you to compare work experience among companies. When you sign up, you post reviews about the companies you have worked with anonymously and then you get to see hundreds of reviews and ratings from other employees about the companies where they have worked. You can also compare salaries.
You would have to create an account, either through your Facebook profile or your email address. Once your account is created, you can then browse freelance jobs by filters. When you create a profile and fill in your background experience and skills, you can also get personalised job recommendations and alerts.
With Glassdoor, you can filter and screen jobs, and get comparative insight on companies within your preferred industry. Unfortunately, you have to write a legitimate review for a former or current employer to read other people’s company reviews.
Upwork
Upwork is a major marketplace for a variety of skill sets such as writing, graphics designing, web development, IT and networking, data science, admin work, accounting, translation and so on.
An Upwork account is easy to create. When you create a profile, make sure you put your best foot forward. Include your work experience, skills and a professional photo.
On Upwork, you get to search for gigs, bid for jobs and give a compelling pitch to secure the job. Then, you choose the payment option suitable for you to get paid. There are options like fixed-price protection which releases client payments at project milestones and hourly protection which bills clients every week.
Upwork offers tips and resources to help you succeed as a freelancer. It also offers Paypal, Payoneer, Wire Transfer and other card payment options. You can also get paid directly to your local bank account.
Upwork can be used on Mac, Windows and Android devices. It allows for frequent job posting, and the pricing is favourable. The downside to Upwork is that you have to bid with connects to get a job and they take 20% of whatever you make.
99designs
99designs is a job site where freelancers can get jobs designing websites, logos, clothing, and a variety of other products. It lets you create a profile that showcases your experience and past work to gain the attention of high-quality potential clients. The whole process takes less than a minute and it’s free.
It offers Visa, MasterCard, American Express, Discover, PayPal and SOFORT payment options. And you can use 99designs on Windows, Mac, iOS and Android devices. The site is tailored for skilled designers. It offers payment security and good pay. The challenges are that it can be hard for beginners with little design experience to get noticed and the site charges high service fees relative to other job sites.
When you start with a new client using 99designs, the platform charges $100. You’ll also pay a fee based on your experience level, from 5% to 15% of your commissions.
Freelancer.com
As the name suggests, Freelancer.com is a job site exclusively for freelancers. The site is a great place where professionals like web developers, social media experts, and marketing specialists can find jobs. It provides jobs like data entry, product sourcing, sales and marketing, human resources, content writing, accounting translation, and so much more. Once you register and log in to Freelancer, you can get 8 free applications before paying a membership fee. If you want to be a freelancer on this site, you have to bid for the charges and put up a proposal.
Freelancer.com offers PayPal and card payment options. It can be used on Mac, Windows and Android devices, and it gives you access to international jobs with good pay. The challenge with this site is that it has a complex interface. Also, there are issues with spam applicants and fake clients, and there is a limited number of bids you can make each month.
People Per Hour
PeoplePerHour connects businesses with freelancers by giving recruiters free access to profiles and portfolios of freelancers. This site allows you to showcase your talent and get hired by the project or by the hour. It offers multiple job categories like Technology and Programming, Writing and Translation, Design, Digital Marketing, Video, Photo and Image, Business, Music and Audio, Marketing, Branding and Sales, and Social Media.
First, you have to create an account and a profile for free, although new accounts have to be approved by the site administrators. Once a profile is created, it’s added to the pool so that recruiters can browse for qualifications, work history and portfolios. At the same time, freelancers can browse for work by project.
This site offers PayPal and card payment options. It can used on Windows, Linux and Mac devices.
With PeoplePerHour, job listings are based on your location and payments made on the site are secure. Its disadvantage is that there is a limited number of bids you can make each month and new accounts need to be reviewed by moderators, so it may take some time to get started on the platform. There’s no guarantee that a new account will be approved.
These are just a few of the many paid Freelance job sites, and depending on your skill and preference, there are other sites such as Behance, ClearVoice, TaskRabbit MediaBistro, Truelancer, Dribbble, The Writer Finder, Fiverr and many more that are sure to suit you.
Researched By: Olukotun Joan
