photo credit: headsclouds

I recently posted a job opening for a blog designer and, as usual, was struck by the variety of responses I received. In this case, I listed the job on three sites, asking for the same information from the applicants.

Some people seemed to intuitively understand what I was looking for, while others… not so much. Beyond the actual design skills, they didn’t seem to realize that much of the hiring process is based on communication skills—and this is especially true for online, telecommuting jobs.

I understand that being good at design (or programming) doesn’t automatically make you a good communicator or good at marketing yourself, and that everyone has to start somewhere, so I’m writing to share a few tips about applying for an online freelance job.

Prove you can follow directions

This is first in the list because it’s the most important advice I can offer you. In my postings, I asked for three specific things:

1. A link to an online portfolio
2. An hourly rate with a tentative time estimate
3. Current availability

You would not believe how many people sent me “applications” without giving me that information.

Listen, if you aren’t willing to read and follow the instructions on a job post, stop wasting everyone’s time. If the instructions are too complicated or you can’t follow them for some reason, the job is probably not a good fit anyway, so you’re better off spending your time finding and applying for a job that works for you.

Despite this being the “low hanging fruit” of applying, just following basic directions will differentiate you from the huge percentage of people who don’t make any effort.

Showcase your work first

Unless this somehow contradicts the instructions in the job post, you are generally better served by presenting your work before your rates. Why? Because you always want to “wow” the person hiring with your skills before you talk money.

Of course, this assumes your work is good (if not, it’s still helpful as a time-saver, but probably won’t get you the job). But if your work is good, your rates become less significant.

If your rates are on the high end, someone who liked your work will be more inclined to tell themselves, “Well, they’re more expensive, but they’re good,” rather than just thinking, “Nope, too expensive,” if they’d focused on the money first.

If your rates are on the lower end, you just look like a fantastic bargain. In either case, you win.

Specific rates help everyone

Many designers give the impression of desperation when they are too flexible with their rates. This primarily takes two forms:

1. A range (for instance, “$35-50/hour”)
2. Asking to be given a rate (“How much are you willing to pay?”)

The first is a bad idea because you’re handing over any leverage you might have. What sane person would ever offer more than the bottom end of the range?

The second looks particularly desperate and is also likely to annoy the job poster; if they asked you for a rate, and you don’t provide one, you’re asking them to make an extra effort to consider your application.

There are legitimate reasons to charge different rates, and you can definitely address those. For instance, I’ve received several applications that say something like, “My hourly rate is $50. Being a freelancer, though, I appreciate steady work, so I am willing to negotiate a special rate if you can guarantee a certain number of hours.”

Do you see the difference between that and the range? Instead of just arbitrarily giving away $15/hour, you’re using price as a possible incentive for something that you want. You’re bargaining!

Make it easy for the job poster

In most cases, the person who’s hiring is going to see many, many applications. Anything you can do to make it easier to consider you will help your odds.

What kinds of things? The items above are a good start. Beyond those, just take a moment when you’re facing a decision of what to include, and ask yourself, “How can I make this easier to use?”

That might mean writing shorter paragraphs (easier to read) or making sure that if you include web addresses, you put the full address in (including “http://www.” will turn it into a clickable link in most email programs).

One specific suggestion I have is about showing your work. Whenever possible, link to online items rather than attaching files. Some people don’t like to open attachments for security reasons, and it’s a hassle even for those who do open them. If you work isn’t already online, and you don’t have a website or online portfolio, get one. Services like Coroflot make it easy—both for you and the job poster!

Good luck!

I hope these tips are helpful. If you have other tips, please share them in the comments. And if you aren’t currently applying this way, give it a try and let me know how it goes!