Ask HN: How do you find freelance programming work? | Hacker News Reader

Ask HN: How do you find freelance programming work?

16 pointsEllipsis7538 comments

I'm interested in how other's find work and particularly how people find work making applications or doing coding in lower level programming languages.

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(1) Past employers - previous bosses already know the quality of your work and may have work for you

(2) Past coworkers - they've worked with you and can usually recommend you for contracts/gigs

(3) Recruiters - get spammed on LinkedIn for full time opportunities? Ask if they have any contract gigs available. Most recruiters only deal with full time jobs, but some of their clients need contract work

(4) Agencies - find agencies doing similar work and ask if they have any subcontracting opportunities available. You'll get a lower rate and your client won't really be yours, but you can focus on your craft instead of marketing

(5) Gig boards - you'll usually have to compete with a lot of other applicants (craigslist, hnhiring.me, letsworkshop.com, giggin.com)

(6) Presentations (long term) - join local meetups/groups as a presenter. Give free valuable information. Use one slide to let attendees know you're freelancing/conracting/consulting

(7) Blogging, Mailing Lists, Podcast (very long term) - Continuously drip valuable information. Let your audience know you're available for hire

(8) Guest blog/podcast/interview - "borrow" an audience that would enjoy learning from your expertise. You'll usually get a bio section or segment to advertise yourself

(9) Meet-ups - each city should have at least a few for various topics

Good list of ways. I have been using some of them, and thought of (3) recently, and am going to try it.

(3) is how I ended up building a solid base of subcontracting opportunities. I built a good relationship with two recruiters. When I don't have any work lined up, these recruiters usually have plenty of options. I'm happy for work during dry periods, recruiters are happy because they get a %, clients are happy to have work done.

Think about what kind of business would benefit the most from your skillset and experience. Contact them and explain how you could improve one of their projects, services, or products. If you can write well and you know truly know your stuff, people will notice, but you have to put yourself out there and make it as easy as possible for them to say yes. It's a difficult technique to master, but once you do, the world is your oyster.

More than this, think about the businesses/industries in which you may have insider know-how and relevant skillsets. It is a lot easier to find a pain point to solve, and convey the value of your solution, when you:

- Know the current way things are done

- Have experienced the pain-points from those processes first-hand

- Have seen existing solutions and have ideas on how to improve/revolutionize them

I'm currently looking for a web developer for freelance work. E-mail me <username>@gmail.com -- going to bed soon, but I'll get back to you tomorrow!

- Elance & oDesk

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