I’ve received this e-mail from a good friend of mine, regarding finding part-time or freelance jobs.
Enjoy…
Recently, I was looking for a part time job, so that I could generate additional income to satisfy some financial obligations. My current job doesn’t really give you much leeway to get a part time job, so I knew my options would be limited.
In my pursuit to find a part time job, I came across a couple websites called Elance.com and Odesk.com. These websites are basically people/companies, that are looking for people (freelancers) to complete jobs for them. There are different categories ranging from IT jobs to administrative support to art projects. Some are full time positions and some are part time.
Elance.com seems a little more professional than Odesk.com, so I recommend using Elance more. On both websites, you set up a profile similar to LinkedIn (Elance will actually import your LinkedIn profile if you want). You can take ‘skill tests’ (JAVA, HTML, C+, Microsoft Word, Excel, Project Management, etc) to make your profile look more appealing to potential employers. On Elance, you can set up a portfolio, to display work that you might have done before.
I wouldn’t have written this email if i didn’t think it could help someone. I have actually used the websites myself. On Elance, I have made an additional $1000 in a week. That is not very much money, but the reality of the situation is that you are competing against people around the world to get these contracts, so it is really competitive and takes persistence. This might be helpful to people that have more time than I do because a lot of the opportunities require certain office hours.
OH! One other point. Elance also offers a paid subscription. I was able to get my jobs with the Basic subscription, which is free. I don’t want anyone to think i’m promoting a website for cash. I used the free membership and was still able to secure a few jobs.
I am not sure if this can be a permanent solution for some, or just a little assistance to get on track. I guess it can be whatever you make it. I met a woman on Elance, who said she turned this into a business. I figured I would share with others and see if it could help another.
