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Programmer looking for freelancer work

by willmoss
9 replies
I have been following WSO forums for a while now. I am a computer programmer & I'd like to do some work with local businesses or companies (Im in San Francisco) but Im not sure how to get started. I'm a Ruby on Rails programmer - I'd like to do freelance projects, instead of working for a company or startup.

How can I market myself and get some work? Is there any marketing technique or method I can use?

Thanks in advance -
#freelancer #programmer #work
  • Profile picture of the author mjbmedia
    Hi Will

    Do you know of sites like Odesk, Rentacoder, etc ?

    Else what sort of companies would most likely need your services ?
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    Mike

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  • Profile picture of the author TeamBringIt
    Originally Posted by willmoss View Post

    I have been following WSO forums for a while now. I am a computer programmer & I'd like to do some work with local businesses or companies (Im in San Francisco) but Im not sure how to get started. I'm a Ruby on Rails programmer - I'd like to do freelance projects, instead of working for a company or startup.

    How can I market myself and get some work? Is there any marketing technique or method I can use?

    Thanks in advance -
    You should look at the freelancer sites, thousands of companies hire on per project or perm basis on those sites.
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  • Profile picture of the author SashaLee
    Hi there,

    Sign up for oDesk, Guru, and Rentacoder and get some projects under your belt and some good feedback. Then you will look good to prospective clients.

    All the best,

    Sasha.
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    • Profile picture of the author TheBigBee
      With all due respect, ignore all this other advice. If you are a proficient Rails developer you skills that are in demand.

      Build a product, ship it out the door, then go out to every tech meet up and event you can go to showing it off. Be passionate about it. Argue with people. (In a good way) Intrigue them. It can be a "dumb" idea but it should just work.

      Go to Tech Crunch meetups and TC disrupt. Cold email startup CEO's offering useful info while also asking for feedback on what you have built.

      Building something YOU are passionate about will reflect itself in the elegance of your codebase.

      Knowing Rails for SEO (using certain GEMS) is helpful too..

      Most importantly don't forget to rake / migrate your databases! :-)
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      FILL IN THE BLANKS!
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      • Profile picture of the author willmoss
        Originally Posted by TheBigBee View Post

        With all due respect, ignore all this other advice. If you are a proficient Rails developer you skills that are in demand.

        Build a product, ship it out the door, then go out to every tech meet up and event you can go to showing it off. Be passionate about it. Argue with people. (In a good way) Intrigue them. It can be a "dumb" idea but it should just work.

        Go to Tech Crunch meetups and TC disrupt. Cold email startup CEO's offering useful info while also asking for feedback on what you have built.

        Building something YOU are passionate about will reflect itself in the elegance of your codebase.

        Knowing Rails for SEO (using certain GEMS) is helpful too..

        Most importantly don't forget to rake / migrate your databases! :-)
        I did write Im looking to stay freelance (so I work on a project basis and have control over my work schedule) rather than work full time - so recruiters is not really for me I guess.

        This is a pretty cool suggestion, TheBigBee. Since Im here in SF, there seem to be tons of meetups. I think this could be a good marketing technique. Yes rake db migrate , ahahahaha.

        I'll check out oDesk, Freelancer.com etc. , but the problem with this is the competition: If i can avoid it, I'd prefer not to compete with people from India who will work for $5 per hour.
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        • Profile picture of the author SashaLee
          Originally Posted by willmoss View Post

          If i can avoid it, I'd prefer not to compete with people from India who will work for $5 per hour.
          Hi there,

          You can't avoid it, but you can set yourself apart from it.

          As someone who posts projects for programmers on the freelance sites on a weekly basis, I can tell you this:

          The Indian folks simply bid with a C.V full of links to unrelated projects and then spam you with emails. Their communications show they've not read one word of your project and simply assume you'll hire them based on them hammering you with bullshit unrelated to what you are looking for.

          The pro's we hire are the ones who:

          1. Read and understand the project as described
          2. Bid in a way that shows they've read and understood what was posted.
          3. They ASK INTELLIGENT QUESTIONS about the project
          4. They make suggestions about how the project could be improved by doing X/Y/Z.
          5. They provide a link/screenshot to a similar example with an explanation.
          6. They offer a fair bid price for the project
          7. They know how to put together a proper project proposal

          Very few freelancers make it through this simple checklist. Those that do are programmers we've used for years.

          All the best,

          Sasha.
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  • Profile picture of the author bizgrower
    All kinds of ways to get good projects:

    Below are some samples from googling: ruby on rails jobs

    https://twitter.com/rorjobs

    Ruby Jobs | Ruby on Rails Jobs Board | RubyNow

    Ruby on Rails Telecommuting and Part-Time Jobs

    My design and programming friends also get projects through
    temporary and/or permanent placement agencies and recruiters
    which specialize in jobs for their skill set. Finding a good recruiter
    would be one way. From local boutique firms to the Robert Halfs and Kelly...

    Direct Marketing/Networking along the lines suggested by Big Bee should also be effective. MeetUp groups, etc.

    Dan
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    "If you think you're the smartest person in the room, then you're probably in the wrong room."

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  • Profile picture of the author KingOfContentMarketing
    It's not freelance, but Hubspot is looking for developers and paying $30k to the person that refers the employee if hired. Please make my check out to "Joe Golfer."

    Announcing The HubSpot $30k Developer Referral Bonus
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    Marketing is not a battle of products. It is a battle of perceptions.
    - Jack Trout
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  • Profile picture of the author krad32
    Originally Posted by willmoss View Post

    I'd like to do freelance projects, instead of working for a company or startup.

    How can I market myself and get some work? Is there any marketing technique or method I can use?

    Thanks in advance -
    Hi Willmoss,

    One of the best ways you can do in order to promote yourself and get some clients is to create a website and post some of your work there. It will serve as your prof of your expertise to possible clients who can visit it.

    Another thing you can do is to look on different sites like freelancing, forums, blogs, job boards, social media and etc.

    Here's a list of sites where you can look for jobs online.
    Need to Post a Job? Here are the Most Popular US Job Posting Sites | Staff.com Blog
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