You’ve made the leap to being a freelancer, now it’s time to find impactful work. Here are the 5 best freelancing websites to get your career started. Need help let me know.
1. Upwork
Upwork may be one of the best freelance websites for finding work no matter what type of freelancer you are. Those in web development, graphic design, customer support, and even freelance writing will find that Upwork has much to offer. The seemingly unending feed of job postings is continually updated. From small businesses to huge corporations, many different types of companies are looking to hire freelancers in different disciplines including freelance designers and freelance writers.
Upwork, formerly Elance-oDesk, has a bit of a learning curve when you first get up and running. You’ll have to learn the artistry of writing effective proposals, and you may have to bid below your pay rate to build up your feedback rating. Many freelance jobs are posted on Upwork, but there’s a hungry audience competing for them. Unless you’re an Upwork superstar, bidding on a project that already has 30 proposals usually isn’t worth it.
That being said, some freelance designers secure plenty of work on Upwork and score project after project. Upwork can be worth the time — it offers the potential for great returns once you’ve established yourself on the freelance platform.
2. Designhill
Designhill gives employers looking for freelance designers a few ways to find them. Employers can create a project contest to find creative freelancers and receive a variety of design entries to choose from. Or, they can find freelancers by seeking out specific services through a search box right at the top of the landing page.
Design contests are pretty polarizing. If you’re someone who grumbles at crowdsourcing work on freelancing sites, we feel your pain. But not all design contests are a scam, and Designhill shows that they can be a legitimate enterprise if you’re looking to win over new clients.
Designhill has a lot to offer whether you’re a graphic designer, web designer, or pursuing other types of design. Designhill further courts their creatives by offering them the chance to design their own T-shirts, have them printed, and sell them in their online shop. This is a nice touch, giving freelance designers yet another way to get their work out there and to make some money off their artistry via a freelancing platform.
3. Toptal
Toptal pitches themselves as a place to find the top 3% of freelance talent. Their screening process is so rigorous that out of the thousands of submissions they get every month, they only accept a few into their ranks. This exclusivity sets them apart from so many other freelance job sites out there. It may seem intimidating getting in, but if you do, you’ll get the chance to put yourself in front of some pretty big names — Airbnb, Duolingo, and Shopify are companies that have used Toptal to share job opportunities for designers, software developers, and finance experts, product managers.
4. LinkedIn and LinkedIn ProFinder
Whatever your field, especially if you're a creative, you should have a LinkedIn profile. Keeping your profile up to date helps you build your network and connect with people via the integrated messaging system.
You can post examples of your work for each role you've had, making it more than just a resume. And by having your skills searchable on this platform, you're bound to bring in some traffic to your profile and connect with people who may be looking for your exact design expertise.
Another smart feature that LinkedIn has rolled out is LinkedIn ProFinder, which helps businesses find freelancers who are qualified to work for them. Potential employers can filter by different specialties like content marketing, design, data entry, and more. LinkedIn ProFinder also sends project leads your way via email, giving you the chance to write a proposal and bid. It’s like having a recruiter who is always looking out for you.
And thanks to LinkedIn job postings, this is one of the most reliable sites for online jobs, whether you’re looking for remote jobs, part-time gigs, or full-time freelance work. There’s a reason why LinkedIn is one of the best job sites: they continue to deliver what job seekers are looking for.
5. We Work Remotely
We Work Remotely boasts that they get around 3 million users a month. That’s huge. They have a multitude of job postings in categories like programming, design, sales, marketing, customer support, and more. We Work Remotely is one of the most well-known sites for online jobs, including both freelance and fulltime gigs.
People or companies seeking to hire freelancers have to spend a fixed price of $299 to list on We Work Remotely, which acts as a screening process and weeds out a lot of low-quality job leads. With heavy hitters such as Google, Amazon, and InVision all listed as companies who’ve posted on it, this is a legit platform. And what's even better, you don't have to create a profile — all you need to do is click on a job link and be brought straight there.
If you're looking for online freelance jobs, We Work Remotely is a solid resource for part-time and full-time freelance job opportunities that will fit your skill set