The Difference Between Job Posting and Job Bidding Sites

Job Postings versus Job Bidding

Here is the big distinction that I should have made clearer, sites that allow someone to list a project and then respondents to post their bids on the project are the ones I stay away from. These include eLance, Get a Freelancer, or Rent A Coder and the like. From my experience, these sites are where people go when they want something cheap from someone off-shore where they can pay peanuts for work. As a result, I’ve worked with many people who have hired someone from one of these sites and have had to look elsewhere once the site was built for decent maintenance and support on the web site. In every single case, I’ve told the client that I’d have to start over, because the quality of the work done on the project was so poor that I didn’t even try to work with it. Sadly, the people who hire these suppliers just don’t know enough to be able to find a decent web developer/designer so they go this route.

Job Posting Sites

When I started freelancing, all there was to look for work was eLance and the other job bidding sites mentioned above. Authentic Jobs, Freelance Switch, Krop, and Fresh Web Jobs did not exist, so once I got burned on eLance I decided to swear off those job bidding sites and never really gave them any more thought with the rare exception that I had to help out a client who found a provider on one of those sites.

What I love about these job listings sites is that it isn’t implied that the cheapest response will get the job. The people posting jobs on these sites have experience in the industry, know what they’re talking about, and know what they’re looking for. They have the realization that good developers and good designers cost money, and they’re not just looking for someone to build a web site for them. They have a specific project in mind, and often list the technologies you’ll be working with like HTML/CSS, AJAX, PHP, and MySQL. That’s more than you’ll find on most bidding sites. I’ve found that job bidding sites is where people go when they have an idea for a web site and a friend or associate tells them to get someone to do it cheap on eLance.

I’ve used some of the job listings web sites recently and I found a great freelance designer – he cost a lot more than $500 but he was well worth it and I got what I paid for. I’ve also looked through a lot of jobs listed on these sites and they all look to be really high quality - I’ve put in proposals on freelance projects and I’ve been more than satisfied with the professionalism of the people postings projects on them. Some of the full-time jobs I’ve viewed even post salaries as high as $75,000, or freelance gigs from $15,000 and up. I’m obviously not looking for a full-time job, but for freelancers like myself that live in small cities where there isn’t a big market for web work, or at least the work that is around is generally low level and clients don’t want to pay much, these sites are a great way to expand your client list.

Build Your Portfolio

One problem that faces freelancers is that when you send in a response to one of these jobs, you may find that you don’t have a good enough portfolio and other firms or more experienced freelancers are getting the jobs instead of you. That’s when you need to work with some local clients or smaller projects and build a decent portfolio. For these projects you’ll need to put the extra effort in to make it something to really showcase your skills and what you can do. This is when your own web site is crucial to your success.

Recommended Freelance Job Posting Sites

Some of these sites have been around for a while, but it’s good to see that there are some credible and relevant job sites available now for freelancers. You’ll find high quality freelance and full time jobs on these boards for clients that you’ll actually want to work for.

• Authentic Jobs
• Freelance Switch
• Krop
• Fresh Web Jobs

Job Bidding Sites To Stay Away From

Watch out on these sites, you’ll often get under bid by someone international, and the clients tend to have a very low knowledge of what they need or want. Now to say that the sites aren’t for you, but I have had a really poor experience with each of them.

• eLance
• Get a Freelancer
• Rent A Coder