Programmer looking for freelancer work

by 9 replies
11
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 -
#offline marketing #freelancer #programmer #work
  • Hi Will

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

    Else what sort of companies would most likely need your services ?
  • You should look at the freelancer sites, thousands of companies hire on per project or perm basis on those sites.
  • 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.
    • [1] reply
    • 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! :-)
      • [ 1 ] Thanks
      • [1] reply
  • 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
  • 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
    • [ 1 ] Thanks
  • 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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    Programmer looking for freelancer work

    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?