As a freelance translator I get offered jobs every day, usually large legal documents that take several days to complete. If you’re a freelance writer, graphic designer, or anyone who works in a freelance manner, you probably get offered jobs daily, but you shouldn’t take every one. I’ve had some bad experiences taking on the “wrong” job, and here are some signs I’ve learned to look for.
Size: small jobs
Is a small job worth your effort? I’ve been offered jobs as small as 1 page for $20. Unless this is from a regular client, it’s not worth the work it will take to get paid. If this is a new client, I need to set up a new invoice form; and a lot of information and paperwork may need to be exchanged. It’s too much effort for the small task and the small money. My time can be better spent working 3 hours on a larger project, rather than 1 hour on this one plus 2 hours of forms and paperwork, W-9, etc.
Payment
Make sure know how you will be paid. If the job is small, make sure that Paypal or a check is an options. Last month I did a $40 assignment for a UK company, and they charged me their bank fee to send me an international wire transfer. Their fee was $20, which they deducted from my $40, cutting my payment in half. Then on my end, my bank charged me $12 to receive the transfer (a fee only issued by American banks, still behind the rest of the world), which left me with $8 for my $40 job. Add to that the paperwork to get paid, and I worked 3 hours for $8. Not good.
By comparison, that same month I did a $1900 job for a Dutch company who paid me with a wire transfer, and they paid their own fee. I only had to pay the bank fee on my end. I got most of my $1900 swept into my account. Time better spent.
Make sure the company will pay its own fees to send you money.
Paperwork
Don’t let things get too complicated. I work for a lot of companies on a regular basis, and most of them just want a simple CV, then a payment form and an invoice that can be copied and pasted in a Word file each month, changing that month’s total amount. However, I sometimes run into companies that ask for a huge amount of paperwork. Some even ask for all the information already on your CV, which they want you to re-type on their form, in their format. This is a ridiculous waste of time. I always delete those requests, and move on. You don’t need clients who don’t respect your time.
Maximize work flow
Work smart, and accept jobs carefully; then you’ll find you have more money and more time on your hands. I’ve managed to maximize my work pretty well. I take on large jobs with easy payment options. It’s a learning curve, and gets better every year. Now I can manage a regular 5 day work week, and I get paid every month without headaches. That’s a real feat for any freelancer. A few glitches come alone, like last month’s $40 job, but most of my work runs smoothly.
Remember to value your own time, and make sure your clients do too.