Freelance Jobs

Looking for Freelance Jobs? Try a Computer Programmer

If you’re a computer programmer, there’s good news for you – if you’re interested in freelance jobs, anyway. Big companies are getting bigger by buying smaller companies and laying off a number of excess employees. Meanwhile, small companies are either getting smaller, being bought up, or going out of business. This means that full-time employment at one company for the life of your career may not be an option.

But it does mean that there’s plenty of work for you if you want to go freelance, as the availability of freelance jobs is on the rise in the computer field. If a programmer or software designer is willing to put in the time and effort to market his skills and experience, surviving – and even thriving – in the industry by taking freelance jobs is a great option.

Going Freelance as a Programmer

There are a number of respected websites that offer opportunities for both freelance programmers and for companies seeking affordable outsourcing. The freelance jobs they offer are diverse, and the contracts last for different periods of time. Some may involve development of a new project or testing the code for an existing product, other jobs could require writing open source code or content. It’s simply a matter of matching the skills of the programmer to the requirements of the various freelance jobs.

If you simply type “freelance programming” into a search engine, you’ll come up with thousands of websites offering freelance jobs and services. Your best bet is to find one or two freelancing sites that you can return to again and again. But you need to follow some guidelines in choosing them. A great freelancing services will be one that offers a lot of projects to choose from, pays the programmers promptly after completion of a project, charges reasonable commissions; resolves disputes between the providers and buyers, and has secure payment facilities.

Once you find a service offering freelance jobs that you like, you’ll need to register with them. During registration, list the skill set that’s the primary focus of your expertise. Write a concise introduction about what you have to offer, including your past experience and accomplishments, and the qualifications that you think make you the right person for the job. Then do a search for projects, choosing one which matches your skill sets. You can usually talk to the client through e-mail – but don’t try to bypass site's procedure, as the buyer could develop a distrust on the provider. Be prompt when replying to questions from employers, and provide concise answers.

After signing on for a freelance job, it’s essential that you complete the project on time. Keep your employers updated with regular status reports. After completion of the project, request feedback from the client about the work you did. Good references will help you get more freelance jobs in the future.