Selling Yourself - business on web site - Brief Article

Kiplinger's Personal Finance Magazine, Dec, 2000 by Kimberly Lankford, Justin Wiser

JOBS | The Internet opens up a world of opportunities for FREELANCERS.

LISA WILLIAMS didn't want much. With two young children, she sought to expand her career in Internet marketing, earn more money, and work primarily from home. Sound like a pipe dream? Well, Williams made it work.

Her attempt to start her own consulting business got off to a rocky start when she found that networking and scouring the classifieds for clients was "a waste of my time." The options were limited in her small town of Hood River, Ore., especially because she didn't want a permanent, office-bound position.

So she turned to the Internet and posted her profile--basically an online resume--with Monster.com's TalentMarket, a section of the Web site devoted specifically to freelance opportunities. Within two weeks, two employers were bidding for her services. She took a six-month job doing marketing for a startup software-development company. Her boss was in Utah, but Williams did most of the work from home through teleconferencing and the Internet.

Before that project ended, she was tapped by another firm that came across her Monster.com profile. A three-month stint working on strategy and promotions for the company's e-business unit has since been extended for a year.

"My kids are 9 and 10," says Williams. "Working at home has improved the flexibility in my life."

In the past, freelancers spent a big chunk of their time searching for new assignments; now they can post their profiles online and search for jobs throughout the world. One of the big freelance job-search sites, Guru.com, has 350,000 users and 52,000 hiring companies in 131 countries.

The sites listed in the box at left concentrate on short-term jobs for independent contractors--whether they are people with their own businesses, those with full-time jobs who want extra assignments on the side, or stay-at-home parents, retirees and others in search of part-time, flexible jobs.

At each site, employers list openings and workers post their profiles. You can apply for jobs that appeal to you, and employers contact workers whose profiles appeal to them. There's no charge for job seekers.

Monster's TalentMarket offers a little twist: You announce when you're available and employers bid for your services. You aren't locked into a particular pay scale beforehand, but be realistic with the salary range and goals you list. That way you don't waste your time dealing with employers that have different ideas.

Because competition is getting fierce--there are 40,000 people seeking work at Monster's TalentMarket right now--you need to write a persuasive profile. Employers often do a keyword search and your profile will pop up only if you included the right buzzwords.

Be thorough in listing your skills. FreeAgent.com, for example, provides companies with lists of people who have the skills they're looking for even before anyone sees the job posting. If a company wants someone with five years of Java experience and you've mentioned that in your profile, you'll jump to the top of the list.

Because posting is free, it doesn't hurt to fill out a profile at each of the big sites. Different companies use different sites, although all three seem to attract a combination of big and small companies and recruiters. Information-technology jobs are most common, but each site has other specialties, too (you can search the site by category or keyword). It's worthwhile to visit the sites even if you're just curious about the market for your skills and the quality of the competition.

WWW | Finding work online

Monster.com TalentMarket http://talentmarket.monster.com

FreeAgent.com www.freeagent.com

Guru.com www.guru.com