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1. Be patient when doing work online. If you don’t get it the first time in applying, don’t quit. Just stay focused.
2. Take time in knowing what you are really good at. Allow a 6-month duration to explore jobs that fit you.
3. Make extra care in creating your profile, cover letter, and profile pic.
He was an Accountant Specialist, “technical support” representative for an American GPS company for 2 years.
He requested to be transferred to their own account itself and was exposed to B2Bs, handling increase from retailers in the US, became one of the top agents, for 5 years.
Around June 2012, he saw his wife doubling around and getting on some sites and noticed a site called O-desk. He resigned from his corporate work and started freelancing.
How is it been for the past 5 years of freelancing?
What do you think was the biggest challenge aside from you just doing tech support again which is the job you left, except your just at home? What was the other biggest challenge you faced, adjusting from working in a BPO corporate and then moving onto online?
Based sa nakikita ko sa job list at E-lance, pababaan ng bid. Imbes na tumaas yung pag bid, nagiging approach ko nun, mag compete ako sa price mismo. Kapag may nag-bid, i-a-outbid ko siya, ng mga $4 hanggang pababaan an ng bid.
Is that something that you recommend for newcomers to freelancing?
I check nila kung ano ba talaga yung value ng skills nila na pwede nilang ibigay sa market. Kung meron kang skill na alam mo, at alam mo na effective ibenta sa market, huwag mo namang babaan yung price mo. Kasi ikaw rin ang mag-i-istruggle. As long as alam mo yung worth mo, i-meet mo yun. Kung comfortable ka na maging $9 or $10, do it.
How do you compete for those who are charging $3/hr then there are 2 newcomers, one is charging $5, one charging $3; how does a $5 with a contract?
Ang magiging advantage sa newbie sa Upwork or any freelancing platforms, Cover Letter and yung sa Job Title. Ang paggawa ng cover letter ay dapat hindi copy paste, at dapat customized and personalized para sa aaplyan mo. Sa ganun palang na strategy, mapapansin agad ng client na meron kang specialization sa industry nila mismo, na you know their language, you know what they need or possible needs and magkakakintindihan kayo.
What do you find most effective when you’re writing your cover letters, like make it 5 paragraphs, 2 paragraphs?
Ang ginawa ko kasi, in-Introduce ko muna ang sarili ko, “I can help you with your project and let me explain.” Tapos, in-explain ko kung ano yung mga requirements na andun sa job listing niya. Mga 3 or 4 paragraphs discussing yung requirements lang niya. Tapos, magta-transition ako dun a portfolio ko. Kaya mahaba yung sa cover letter ko, gina-guide ko siya sa mismong profile ko. Pero ang sinasabi ko sa kanya, ito si Jason Dumana, SEO-guy for digital agencies.
Ito yung problems mo, ito yung solution ko.
Kailangan mo ng social group, just punta ka sa portfolio ko, tapos dini-discuss ko yung mga images sa portfolio ko, Dun ko sila dinadala. Tapos, ibabalik ko dun sa introduction ko and doon na ako mag po-provide ng pinaka-last na pitch. Ganito kasi ang approach ko kasi sa pag-bid.
Hindi ako naniniwala sa quantity. Napansin ko kasi dati , sayang yung effort ko sa pag send. Sa 'kin lang naman ‘to. Please don’t misconstrue. Gusto kong sabihin especially sa mga members mo. Sa akin naman, quantity, no-no yun. Ginagamit ko mismo yung mga filters ng Upwork mismo. Dun palang, before ako mag-bid, fini-filter ko na kung ano yung i-ka-qualify ko as a client.(freelancer)
What do you attribute that to from that big change in income? What’s the reason you can give, that you were able to achieve that?
Number 1: Patience. Normal naman na ma-disappoint ang isang freelancer na tulad natin. Ang isa sa mga naging adjustments ko is yung mag-antay and to be patient. Binibigyan ko ng time yung mga clients na sinendan ko ng proposals. Binibigyan ko sila at least 2 days to respond. At the same time yung two days na yun, nag a-asses, nag au-audit, nag e-evaluate ako kung ano yung mga kailangan i-improve sa job title ko, sa cover letters. ko kasi kung magse-send ako lagi. Wala ka man na re-receive na feedback, reply or any show of interest about sa profile mo and about sa services mo. That’s the time na pwede ka mag-adjust. Time na siguro baguhin mo yung first paragraph mo. Baguhin mo yung sa job title. Or nagiging factor din yung mismong profile picture.
Regarding specialization, how did you, usually as an SEO, originally you were doing customer service and general VA jobs, right? Would you recommend SEO to somebody who is new or a first-timer?
Well, depende. Sa newbie, mai-co-comment ko, huwag lang muna, siguro mga 6 months. Mag-antay na muna. Kailangan na muna nila makita kung ano yun [SEO]. Magamay yung sistema ng Upwork mismo. Mahirap kasing mag-jump to one scale to another eh. Let’s say, Virtual assistance in the industry. Marami namang pwedeng i specialize na under sa ganung category. Pwedeng book keeping. Isa sa mga clients ko ngayon naghahanap ng bookkeepers from Pinas na virtual assistant. So, let’s say, ang pinaka first gig is meron siyang business sa accounting, sa web design, siguro pwede kang dahan-dahan mag transition dun. And discover mo kung ano ang magiging interest mo. Mag-explore na muna. Pero kung wala talaga, I recommend na i-explore din ang SEO. Madaming nagsasabi na hindi maganda, hindi siya profitable. Kung baga, kasi andaming competition, andaming nangayayari sa algorithms. So andaming nangyayari. Andaming backlash. Andaming negative feedbacks. Andami pang mga scammers na related sa SEO.
Bukod sa patience, advice ko is be you. I strongly suggest na not to copy any freelancer profile. Huwag niyong gawin yun. Just be you.
Kung nahirapan ka na in discovering what’s really you, magstart ka sa mga maliliit na projects. Later on, malalaman mo naman talaga kung ano talaga pwede mong i specialize, pero ang pinaka importante, magiging totoo ka lang.
