Where to Find Copywriting Jobs Online

Finding copywriting work online can be a real headache, not only are well paid jobs hard to come across, but the competition is rife too. It can be pretty frustrating which results in many freelancers having to take on part-time work to make ends meet.

The good news is there’s a choice of freelancer job sites out there which are all  platforms where people can post projects and look for work, but the bad news is some are not as professionally run as others. These include the following sites which I’ve listed based on personal preference rather than anything else.

Peopleperhour

• Easy to navigate and as professional as you will get these days
• Free to register
• Rates are not that exhorbitant
• Receiving payment from the site is fast and efficient
• Disputes are dealt with fairly and in a timely fashion
• Site admin is sometimes very efficient other times you tend to get robotic replies which can be frustrating
• Community was one that could be trusted, but more and more fake identities are appearing on the scene which is a real shame for members who opt to be more transparent

Guru

• Quite hard to navigate which makes looking for relevant and interesting projects to bid on a time consuming exercise
• Free to register
• Rates are just about acceptable
• Receiving payment from the site could be made a little easier
• Disputes are dealt with in a strange and long winded manner
• Site admin appears to be efficient, but it’s often hard to get across just what is wrong – again you often get robotic replies back for any queries you may have
• Community is a mixed batch of employers who want to pay peanuts for top quality work and members who are willing to provide the work which tends to lower the standards of the site. Quite a few fake identities which makes it hard to know who you are working for or who is actually providing the copy if you are an employer

Elance

• Another hard site to navigate which means it is time consuming to find work or post a job on the site
• Free to register but you have to buy credits in order to work on the site
• Rates are just about acceptable
• Receiving payment from the site is not the easiest in the world!
• Disputes are dealt with pretty efficiently, but tend to always favour employers
• Site admin – hard to deal with if there is a problem due to robotic and automated responses which can be very frustrating
• Community is a mixed batch of amateurs, semi-professionals and professionals, but jobs tend to be very poorly paid. Again lots of fake identities which makes working on this platform pretty hard

Freelancer

• A site that was at one time a pretty nice platform to work on, but sadly as it got bigger it became one of the worst around which is a shame
• Free to register
• Rates are quite high these days which makes it harder to find well paid work
• Receiving payment from the site is a real pain and often takes far too long which is unacceptable in this digital world
• Disputes are dealt with in an okay manner although they always tend to lean towards project creators which is another big minus for the site
• Admin is robotic and not really available to settle any disputes or answer queries in a professional manner which can be frustrating
• Community is a complete shambles with many, many fake identities having been allowed to “rule” the roost which makes it a very hard platform to work on

Alternative Ways to Find Work

There are alternative ways to find work, which includes setting up your own website, but this needs to be done in a very professional manner. You can use Craiglist, but again I’ve heard of many copywriters who’ve encountered many problems getting their invoices paid.

Another option is to submit a request through websites like the Writer’s Job Board .  It’s just one of the platforms around that allows you to apply for copywriting jobs that cover many different niches. Another plus in going down this route being that most of the jobs posted also provide submission guidelines which makes it easier for copywriters to work to. Finally, and as a real bonus these jobs tend to be very well paid  as compared to those posted on freelancer websites.

There are other sites offering a similar ‘job board’ service and I will publish these in future posts which hopefully will make it that much easier for copywriters to find work and earn a respectable living to boot!

Author: Honey Wood

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How to Cope with Career Transitions

It goes without saying that for most people a change in career can be a daunting experience. Whether you’re leaving a successful career to start your own business, or just simply moving to a new company, the decision to take the leap is often full of uncertainties and fear.

Some people cope better than others, although it would be fair to say the majority don’t, which is why it’s important to appreciate that it’s perfectly normal to go through phases of fear, then uncertainty before embracing what the future may bring.

Tackling the uncertainty of making a career change is not something that should be taken lightly. It takes a certain amount of courage and self belief, but it also means knowing one’s strengths and weaknesses. The three stages that follow such an important decision can prove debilitating which is why it’s so important to appreciate just what it all entails so you can then deal with everything in a positive manner.

The First Stage

The first stage is a completely natural fear of the uncertainty that lays ahead. Acceptance of this being a perfectly normal emotion to experience  is a positive step forward. Coming to terms with fear is knowing how to root out the causes. The next step is to jot them down in question form before answering each one of them in turn. An example would be “How will I cope financially?” and then answering the question by noting down all available options.

The Second Stage

The second stage is to overcome all and any uncertainties. Many “in the know” believe that writing down uncertainties in question form and then answering each of them helps restore confidence. More often than not it is a fear of not being able to earn enough money that instils uncertainty, but there’s always a solution which includes taking on a role as a consultant, as a freelancer, cutting down on a few unnecessary expenses and so on.

Then of course, there’s the all-important networking and the best way to build up a business network is to meet people face-to-face by attending organised events in industries of interest. The people you meet at these events could well become future clients or employers.

The Third Stage

The third stage is to embrace fear and uncertainty and turn them into strong assets. This is achieved by simply having an appreciation of just what you might be afraid of, by overcoming any uncertainties which then means all that’s left to do is take action. Treating life as an experiment is the route to go down because not every decision has to be the perfect one. Life is about “trial and error” and taking a few risks, making mistakes is par for the course.

Taking life a little less seriously helps ensure the ups and downs can be embraced and even enjoyed which in the end means a much happier existence. However, it’s also important to define success in your own personal way and not base this on how others may perceive it. This can only be done by defining the trade-offs you may have to make when changing careers.

Author: Honey Wood

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