Internet sites such as Elance.com, Guru.com and GetAFreelancer.com have literally thousands, and in some cases tens of thousands, of freelance assignments open for bidding. These range from writing and editing, the graphic arts, photography and web design to computer programming and virtual assistance. The beauty of these sites is that you can either use them as an ongoing source of work, or simply to get your foot on the freelancing ladder. Becoming self-employed can be quite a scary business, especially for creatively-minded folks who often doubt their own abilities, but gaining your first few projects through sites such as these helps you to quickly build your portfolio and give you the confidence to extend your client list through other routes.

Registering with a freelance site is straightforward and free, although most offer paid subscriptions which allow you to bid on a greater number of projects or across a greater number of work categories. The way that the sites make most of their money, however, is by charging a percentage commission to the freelancer, which is based on the value of the work carried out. Once you have registered, all you need to do is set up your profile, in much the same way as you would on sites such as LinkedIn or Facebook, in the work categories that you are interested in. Your profile should describe the services that you offer and market you in as professional a way as possible.

Freelance sites work using a bidding process. Employers post their project briefs, set a closing date for bids and state the range in dollar terms that they expect to pay, and professionals registered with the site bid on the projects using the free or paid ‘credits’ available to them. The number of credits required to bid on a particular project is usually dependent upon its monetary value, so a low value project might only require one credit, whereas a higher value one might require three. Although you cannot see the details of any bid submitted by other professionals, on most sites you can see the range of bids already submitted which can be useful in gauging your own.

Once the closing date and time for bids has expired, project owners sort through the bids and select the ‘winning’ one, and an important point for the freelancer to remember here is that not all winning bids are selected because they are the lowest. Often they will go to the bidder who demonstrates the capacity to do the work, particularly if it is a large project, or the one whose skills most closely match the project requirement.

In the same way that you would match your skills and abilities to a ‘conventional’ employer’s needs, it is vital when preparing your proposal to do precisely the same. Many freelancers on these sites do nothing more than send a note saying ‘This looks like a really cool project. I can do this’, which in no way demonstrates their suitability for the work. The most successful bids are the ones where the freelancers have put effort into constructing meaningful and tailored proposals which show that they are the best person for the job.

If your proposal is accepted, all further communication between yourself and the project owner takes place using the site’s private message boards. Using this facility effectively protects both you and the client in the case of any dispute, because the site can refer back to any agreements made between you. Dependent upon the site and the project, you will sometimes have to agree project milestones up front and record your progress along the way.

When the project is completed, payment is facilitated through the freelance site itself. This allows the site to collect its commission, as well as helping to protect you by making sure that you get paid. Paypal is the most common method of payment, and again a Paypal account is quick and easy to set up. Many sites also allow project owners and freelancers to use Escrow facilities and require project owners to deposit full or part payment into the Escrow account before work commences, which of course affords even greater protection all round.

Getting started on freelance sites can require a little perseverance to begin with, but do not lose heart if your first few bids come to nothing. Just keep putting in proposals until you strike lucky, and then once you have one or two under your belt, and some positive feedback from your satisfied clients, it will become much easier after that. You might also find that you achieve greater success by registering with specialist freelance sites which concentrate on your particular field, such as www.freelancewritinggigs.com for writers.

Good luck, and let me know how you get on!

I have been dwelling on the possible reasons for this, and there are only two reasonable explanations that I can come up with. The first is that they completely misunderstand the entire concept of networking and so expect their new contacts to ‘come up with the goods’ on their very first acquaintance. The second is that maybe they simply do not know how to follow up, or even who with. Perhaps the prospect of calling or dropping a note to someone they have just met feels in some way presumptuous or impertinent.

Okay, first myth first. To be quite blunt about it, anyone who expects a complete stranger to trust them sufficiently to refer them for a job on their first meeting is kidding themselves. Relationships born of networking require time to develop and should always come from the perspective of giving, never of taking. Follow-up is essential in that process of building trust and mutual respect and relationships with contacts should never be neglected until such time as you need them.

In terms of not knowing how to follow up, or who with, we will come to this in just a second, but not before clearing up the second myth. There is absolutely nothing rude or inappropriate about following up with someone who has willingly offered you his business card in a networking situation. The whole reason he gave it to you, was precisely so that you could contact him, and on the basis that 95% of people do not follow up in any way, if you do not communicate further with him, the relationship is simply going to shudder to a premature halt. Now there is a wasted opportunity if ever there was one!

Perhaps what scares some people off is that they imagine their follow-up has to involve some grand gesture, when in fact, after a first meeting, all it takes is a quick note, call or e-mail to say ‘Hi’, to express how nice it was to meet the individual and to invite him to contact you if he needs any help. You could also offer some specific help if this is appropriate. Remember to include the name of the event where you met, along with a mention of something that you discussed, so that your contact will be better able to place you.

Thereafter, there are a number of things that you can do, none of which are either onerous or time-consuming, to maintain communication and show your contacts that you are genuinely interested in their career goals and needs. Here are a few suggestions:

* Send them an article which will be of interest to them – send it through the post and include a handwritten note to make it seem extra special and have more impact

* Point them in the direction of a helpful website or a specific article or news story on the Internet

* Research other networking or industry events which might be relevant to your contacts and let them know when and where they are due to take place

* Write or talk about something that you have in common – this could be a professional topic or a personal one. Remember, the aim is to build the relationship

* Provide them with the contact details of someone who could be useful to them

* Personally introduce them, or refer them, to someone in your network

Another way to stay in touch is by providing a personal update on your job search activities and status. This is especially effective and important if they have done something which has helped you to achieve a positive result. Of course, under these circumstances, you would not only wish to update them, but to thank them. Your thanks are something that you should never be frugal with, and even if nothing comes of a piece of information, an introduction or a referral provided by a member of your network, it is important to show your appreciation anyway. A short, preferably handwritten, note is all it takes.

As to who to follow up with, the answer is, in the first instance, everybody. It does not matter whether you met the individual at a formal networking event or whether he was someone you got talking to about careers on a long bus journey, you cannot tell at such an early stage where the relationship might lead and so should always play it safe.

As there is no way to accurately assess a contact’s potential based on a single meeting, it is also important to try not to pass judgement too soon. The guy who spends the evening bragging about the extent of his network and the opportunities that he could put your way, may simply be full of hot air. The shy wallflower, however, could turn out to be both an excellent networker and an excellent contact who is far more open to building a solid and long-lasting relationship.

The other issue which many people who are new to networking, or just not very good at it, seem to have difficulty with, is knowing how often to communicate with their contacts. To some degree, this depends on how highly you rank them - whether you consider them to be highly credible professionals who have great potential for supporting your career aims, or whether they are somewhere lower down the scale. Generally speaking, however, you should aim to contact the higher ranking individuals at least one per month, and the rest at least once a quarter.

By following up your contacts, maintaining regular contact with them, and being a ‘giver’, your relationships will grow to be genuine, mutually beneficial and personally rewarding. Make sure that you are one of the 5%!

While on-campus recruiting is said to be suffering declines of up to 50 per cent, not all the news is bad, however. Surveys carried out this year by the National Association of Colleges and Employers report that many organizations do still plan to hire graduates. There are still opportunities out there…just fewer of them.

So, what should college seniors and graduates be doing to help themselves in a tough job market?

1. Start your search early

If you are due to graduate this year, don’t wait until the last minute to begin your job search or you could be missing opportunities.

2. Consider continuing your studies

Education is never wasted, so where funding is still available and, particularly if it was in your mind anyway, perhaps now is a good time to continue your studies until the economic situation improves.

3. Gain some experience

Use your time wisely while you are looking for work and consider doing an internship or taking up a voluntary position to help you gain relevant experience.

4. Rethink your plans

What seemed like a dream job a few years ago when you started at college might not be such a great idea now – especially if Wall Street was your aim. Take the opportunity to think about what you would really like to do and go for it.

5. Focus in on the ‘safe’ areas

Health care, certain jobs within the IT industry, and education are just some of the areas which are considered to be more ‘recession-proof’ than most. It is highly unlikely that this will be the only recession that you live through in the course of your working life, so consider the services which will always have a market. The Bureau of Labor Statistics reports are an excellent resource for keeping abreast of which industries are thriving and which hardest hit.

6. Look further afield

Are you restricting your job search to your home state? If so, you might be limiting yourself. If you ever dreamed of working abroad, look into whether the opportunities might be greater in a foreign country.

When it comes to job search tactics, much of the advice that applies to jobseekers in general, applies equally to graduates, so don’t forget:

7. Use all the resources at your disposal

In particular, make use of the careers office at your college and specialist college job sites.

8. Network

Is there a network of college alumni that you could tap into? Are you talking to family, friends and friends of family? Have you considered all the options for online networking?

9. Focus on your transferable skills

You may not have much experience in the workplace, but you can still market yourself effectively based on transferable skills gained through college activities, part-time or vacation jobs and volunteer positions.

10. Find yourself a mentor

Having somebody behind you who you can learn from, to whom you feel answerable and from whose experience you can benefit could be an invaluable source of support in current times.

Most of all, remember that employers are currently looking to hire people who show higher levels of motivation and demonstrate a focused interest in their industry, so do your research and go in there all guns blazing.

If you need any further information on networking your way into a new job or how to be a star at interviews, drop me a line to find out how to get hold of my books on these subjects.

1. Stay cheerful and positive

A study carried out by the Harvard Business Review showed that it is not necessarily the most skilled or proficient employees who keep their jobs in a recession, but those who are cheerful and generous contributors to the company. If you are spending your days commiserating with your colleagues about the state of the world and bringing everybody around you down, your name just moved up the list. If you were already suffering from negative attitudes in better times, then maybe it is time to think about making a move to a different company or a different job. Attitude is everything.

2. Stay motivated and help to motivate others

Yes there is a recession on, but it should be your aim to help see your company through it, and that takes more effort than in a healthier economic climate. Don’t just do your job. Go and speak to your manager and ask if there is anything extra that you can be doing to help. Explain that you understand that you all need to do more at a time like this and offer to take on extra tasks or responsibilities. Help to motivate others and discourage them from negative talk and attitudes, and help to keep your workplace a positive and efficient environment.

3. Don’t be invisible

If the people that matter do not even know who you are or what you contribute, they are going to have fewer qualms about letting you go. Raise your profile by making positive contributions to the company’s effort.

4. Be on your best behavior

Your manager might tolerate lateness, frequent absence or underperformance under normal circumstances, but he certainly will not when times get tough. Recessions are the perfect opportunity for employers to get rid of trouble-makers and poor performers, so make sure that you are not one of them.

5. Prove your relevance

Not only will employers use tough times to let go of people who do not appear to add value, but also roles. Take the opportunity to demonstrate the relevance of your job to the company and convince them that it is an indispensable one.

6. Demonstrate your ability to make savings

You do not have to be a budget holder to help cut costs. Try to think of ways that you and/or your team could help to make savings on behalf of the company and present these to your manager to demonstrate your willingness.

7. Improve your performance

You might think that you pull out all the stops already, but now is the time to go that extra mile. Make sure that every task or project that you are involved in demonstrates your excellence and avoid making any decisions that you will regret when the recession ends. Give it your all and think ahead.