by Shannon Hilson

Created on: November 03, 2008

If you're a freelancer, or would like to be, then Elance is definitely a wonderful site to sign up for a membership. I'm a full-time freelance writer myself, and I can say from personal experience that learning your way around Elance is a great way to expand your business, get in touch with new clients, make some contacts with other freelancers, and make some excellent money, too. However, Elance is also a very competitive site, so it helps to know how to set yourself apart from the rest of the crowd and make a good impression to make sure you get chosen for the projects you want.

SPRUCE UP YOUR PROFILE

Literally the first thing you want to do after opening your new Elance account is fill in your profile as completely as possible. This includes uploading a picture, listing your credentials, adding plenty of relevant work samples to your portfolio, and outlining your business terms, as well as who you are and what you're about, as clearly and completely as possible. Make sure everything is completely free of spelling errors and typos, too - especially if you're writer who's supposed to be detail-oriented and good with words. Buyers WILL come to your profile and look over these things, so it's important that you're telling them everything they need to know - especially when you're new.

UPGRADE YOUR ACCOUNT

This isn't absolutely necessary for those that just want to test the waters and see what Elance is like, but it IS necessary if you're at all serious about making money on Elance. When you place bids on jobs you want, they cost you what are known as "connects". A free basic account only comes with three connects, but the upgrade level for individual freelancers comes with TWENTY and costs a mere $9.95 per month, which most of us can easily afford. Plus, you'll be able to view links, attachments, and other restricted members-only information within the job postings themselves.

As most Elance users will tell you, you have to place many, many bids in order to land even a few projects. This is especially so for new members with no feedback or ratings from past Elance jobs yet. It's essential to make sure you have enough connects every month, as well as full access to all the necessary resources on the site, in order to make a decent amount of money. The membership is very much worth it, and it easily pays for itself every month if you are consistent and dedicated to what you're doing.

WRITE YOUR PROPOSALS WITH CARE

Buyers don't like job proposals that sound canned or

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