How to Legally and Safely Use Freelance Bidding Web Sites

Whether you're a programmer, a web designer, a writer or a virtual assistant, you've probably used - or been tempted to use - freelance bidding web sites. Services such as Guru, Elance, GetAFreelancer and HireAGhostwriter provide networking opportunities where freelancers and employers can build relationships. Most of these freelance bidding web sites charge a fee, either up front or after you are selected for a job.

How It Works

Although each of the freelance bidding web sites in the market operate differently, their premise is the same. Employers post advertisements looking for a freelancer to hire, either for a specific project or on a long-term basis. Freelancers are then able to "bid" on the jobs that interest them the most, giving a fee requirement (or range of fees) and information about themselves.

Most freelance bidding web sites also provide freelancers with a space to set up an online portfolio and biography. They can list the projects they've completed in the past, explain their experience and education, and sometimes even upload samples of their work or link to an external portfolio. The employers then choose the bid that impresses them the most, sometimes after communicating with their top choices through e-mail or private messages.

The Benefits

While you aren't guaranteed to find work on freelance bidding web sites, they do present a unique opportunity to gain access to dozens, hundreds or even thousands of jobs at one time. You aren't required to bid on any job that doesn't interest you, and many of these sites don't limit the number of bids you can post in a given day.

The main benefit to freelance bidding web sites, of course, is that you get to set your own fees. The employer may post an acceptable monetary range, over which he won't consider bids, but you have the freedom to establish your rates. If an employer isn't willing to pay what you require, you can move on to the next job.