The Freelance Resource: freelance scam

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Your First Freelance Job: How you should handle it

Everyone has to start somewhere, and even you would have starting as a freelancer with some freelance job or the other. The first freelance job that a person ever does is a learning experience, and depends on how it turned out, it can even be memorable. Here are some tips to handle your first freelance job.

Inform your client that it is your first freelance job:

There are many concepts in the world of freelancing that are supposedly known by the client as well as the freelancer. Of course, since you are new to this world, there are chances that you might not know what an escrow is, or you might not know what a timezone specific deadline means, etc.

Though these concepts are important, there is nothing in them that should make you lose a lucrative freelance job. If you do not inform your client at the outset that you are a newbie, he or she may take it for granted that you are comfortable with these concepts and it would not be a good picture if the client finds it out later in the day about you being a newbie. Therefore, inform them prior.

Wait for Approvals:

Unless expressly notified not to, it is a very good idea to send part of the work for approval, so that both the client as well as the freelancer is sure that they are on the same page. This is very important if you are working on a long term project, because it saves on a lot of rework for you, as well as it saves the client the trouble of going through the work again and again.

This does not mean that you get the right to slack off on the job just because you are waiting for an approval on a particular aspect of the job. Continue working on your own speed until the client reverts to you with any changes. Once you receive these changes, make them and then send them to the client as soon as possible.

Stick to the Brief:

Of course that thing can be better like that, but the same concept that worked in your job works in freelance, the client is always right. There are some cases where the client will ask for suggestions from your side, or decide you give you a free run on the project, but other than that, stick to the brief.

Freelance Scams and how to stay away from them

If you have been freelancing for a while, you must have already have been bitten by the scam bug. There are many people all over the Internet who will dupe you out of your work and time. All they need is a chance. Here are some tips on how to keep away from Freelance Scams.

Work for Escrow Sites: One of the first steps that you can take to stay from scamsters is t work for Escrow sites. The sites like Freelancer and Scriptlance have their own system where the project poster has to Escrow a predetermined amount of money which is with the site until the project is completed. Once the project is completed, the money is released by the project poster. Of course, there are loopholes for this system too, but then, something is better than nothing.

If it's too good to be true, it is not true:: Once you begin to look for work online, you will see projects that scream "Earn $1000 in a day!". Well, if that guy could earn $1000 a day, why would be post a job application on a ad board, wouldn't be already b owning several television channels and putting the ads up there? The bottom line is, do not be carried away with great PR. Go through the freelancing opportunity and read it carefully, check for anything that seems weird. It probably is.

Be Inquisitive: Curiosity is always a pretty little cat. If you apply for a freelance gig and if you make it to the interview or something, and are finally at the 'any questions' part, ask. Remember, it is your time and your skill that is being used until you are finally paid for it. So, you have every right to ask where your skills are being used.

Three Red Flags for the Freelance Scam Artist

For all practical purposes, freelancing is a business. You, the freelancer are the service or product provider and you have your clients. Like all businesses, there is the possibility of you actually being scammed by some of your clients into giving your services for free, with them not paying you. This is a routine happenstance in the world of freelancing. There is no freelancer in this world who has not been duped in freelancing, for amounts ranging from a few dollars to a thousand dollars. However, the good news is that there are several pointers that if you know about before you interact with a scamster, you can walk away from the interaction before you stand to lose money or time. Here are the three red flags for the freelance scam artist that you should be careful about:

Trying to Contact you out of the protocol: This is one of the most common tricks that the scamster may carry, which is mainly seen in the websites that have the 'Bid for Work' model. The scamster will contact you via the website and then lure you to their IMs or the e-mail ids and you will end up doing work for them, which is then dependant only on their good conscience to pay.

Be very careful while talking to the clients on such sites. Make sure that you do not break any protocol and neither do you allow them to break any. Of course, sometimes it may be possible that the person may tell you to contact them via a mail for better interaction and then return to the website when the required interaction is done with.

Giving you a lot of work, immediately: And this would typically end with 'Payment on end of project'. Of course, even this happens, but that is when the project is only for say two web pages, or a single graphic, or even ten articles. Make it a point to ask an escrow or half of the money upfront for any projects that are liable to continue for more than a month or so. You will be much happier this way.

Being Rude: Make no mistake about it, being a stiff upper lip is very different from being rude. Why would a person be rude to you if they actually want to have a long term relationship with you? Some people are of the thought that being rude lets them off many questions, and the freelancer will not question them too much if they are rude. And sadly, this works.