14).Well Then… Where Do I Start?

Here’s the truth: There’s a million websites to find freelance projects, but if you want to find them right away, you want to start out with a freelance work exchange. 
To save yourself the least amount of time and give yourself the best opportunity to find projects immediately, I highly recommend you start with a freelance work exchange. This is not to say that freelance job boards do not work. It is guaranteed,however, that you will spend WAY more time searching for work if you are new to this process. This is simply because the number of projects and jobs available are far less on job boards than the number of freelancers looking to fill them.
I know this from first hand experience and can tell you that the money you invest in subscription fees is far less of a hit on the wallet than what you will lose in wasted time searching for and bidding on projects on job boards.
Once you have a couple projects underway THEN it is a good time to hit the job boards. Only when you have projects and are working should you really be looking on the job boards at all. Once you get used to the bidding process of an FWE, then it makes it easier to move the job boards and look for projects.
Don’t worry. In the next chapter we’ll go over how to bid and win projects.
Here are some tips for creating your online profile with FWEs and job boards:
• Nearly all of the information that will be asked of you is already in the profile you created. Therefore, you can just copy and paste most items directly from it. Some FWEs and FJBs may even allow you to upload a resume in which you can upload your entire profile.
• It is important that you fill out all options available in creating your profile in any job board or FWE. Many of them are optional to enter in but do not leave any blank if possible. The more detail you add to your profile, the more keyword exposure you have.
If you apply for projects and contract positions on job boards and FJBs, you will need to create a cover letter if you are applying for a position or a bid if you are applying for a project. It is important to use a cover letter or bid to personalize your profile to your prospective employer.
. In addition,bids will be covered in the next chapter which can apply to the cover letter too.
• Nearly all FWEs require you to choose a category and, possibly, subcategories for where your career specialty is. Make sure you look through all the options and choose the most proper fit to your career field. Some FWEs charge a separate membership fee per category selected and do not allow you to switch from one to another without paying for an additional category.
• Sometimes you may be allowed to upload a logo for your profile. Take advantage of this and have one created for yours. The reasons are that 1) These images will brand you and catch better attention and 2) Employers will initially judge those profiles with images as more professional before even looking at your profile.
• If you decide to use a logo, you should have two different logo images made for your profile. One should be your main logo with a length to width ratio of 3:1 and have your name or the name of your business on it. The other should be a square image without a name or words on it, but an emblem or symbol for your business instead.
• You also may be allowed to upload files such as images, video or document files as a part of your profile. Take advantage of these since they offer a potential employer another way to evaluate you and can make you stand out from other freelancers competing with you.