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As a freelancer, how do you start finding work?

15 points by antihero ↗ HN
Basically I've just finished university and I'm looking to make some dough before I can move to Brighton and start networking and joining in with start-ups/making my own at the moment. I basically have a huge amount of time to make sites, and I'm sure there are people out there who want apps or sites made, so where have you found the best places are to quickly get projects? I'm pretty experienced (PHP/Python/HTML/CSS/JS+Sysadmin) and doubt there's many problems I couldn't tackle, but I've only done a few freelance projects which were for friends of friends. Finding the work is my biggest concern.

11 comments

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ohashi
Plenty of freelance sites like oDesk, freelancer.com, etc. Those places can get you work fairly quickly but the rates may not be impressive (at first).

Generally people don't just jump into freelance though without any clients or big projects lined up. Perhaps finding a job first and networking/developing a portfolio to freelance later may be an easier route.

antihero
Well I have a job lined up, I just have a month or two where I have no income until it starts. I have skills to offer so all I really need is someone to go I WANT A WEBSITE THAT DOES X and me to quote it, make it and charge them. Bam. I understand the processes involved in getting something from an idea to a reality, but I'm not hugely keen on sites like freelancer that just seem kind of scammy.

I'm sure if there's any startup people on HN that want a prototype whipped up quickly I can do that sort of thing, too.

nhangen
My team is always looking for freelance developers that don't suck. What are your rates? What do you like to build?
vraa
I am very interested, can you shoot me an email - ricky.agrawal@vkcsubway.com -- I need a redesign of the site in my email address + about 10 other pages (that are the same but just different color schemes)

Major emphasis on HTML5 and all the latest buzzwords :)

petervandijck
1. Have a simple webpage (url) with your information, contact info etc.

2. Tell everyone you're available.

sidmitra
Just as a side note: we're planning to launch our app: http://www.jobbrew.com soon.

Our aim is to help freelancers collaborate, manage their projects and reach out for help. It will have a Q&A app, a personalized job board + lead management.

mootothemax
I started on RentACoder[1], earned little money for 2 weeks, and then saw the work pile in after clients discovered that I was competent. It worked for me, no reason if you're talented (and reply to emails within a reasonable amount of time ;)) that you can't do the same :)

[1] I documented my experience here: http://tbbuck.com/winning-your-first-freelance-job-on-vworke...

nhangen
Referrals are the best way to get high paying jobs from clients that dont' suck. Our biggest source of referrals right now came from a shitty job I did after another shitty job on Craigslist. Now, we're building a list with a blog and great products so that we don't waste time on those job boards, which haven't been worth their time.

We also pay 15% referral fees over the lifetime of clients, which our customers and friends like.

jterce
Try and springboard off your existing contacts.

If you just finished university there should be some subset of people at the university who already know you in the context of tech (assuming tech was your major). Professors/administration either have projects or know plenty of people who do. Talk to everyone there you have rapport with.

This is where I'm at now. I developed quite a name for myself and my work while at university, and now six months after leaving I have more work than I can possibly do--almost without exception referrals from university contacts.