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Ask HN: How do you find freelance/contract gigs?

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Re: Ask HN: How do you find freelance/contract gigs?

#51
post #19

Build your network and nurture it. Then, after a while it will come along nicely. I run my business in the field of chemical properties, fluid phase equilibria, so really a niche market, but every year, I send a card to all my contacts in the field (100+ cards) and I try to write a personal note for each person. I takes time, but it now a kind of tradition I do not want to break (started for 2008). On the back of the…

Could you elaborate on the "summary of my year and what is coming next" please? How do you make it relevant and interesting to clients, eg if your contracts tend to involve disparate kinds of work? Or is this possible because you operate in such a niche area? Thanks. Will follow the referral.

Re: Ask HN: How do you find freelance/contract gigs?

#52

This has been asked a few times over the years. Look over the HN search results for some ideas. https://hn.algolia.com/?q=how+do+you+find+freelance#!/story/... (This is not to say it's not a question worth asking again! I look forward to today's responses.)

You can look over the HN search results too: http://hnpaper.forge.partlab.io/search?q=how+freelance+find

Re: Ask HN: How do you find freelance/contract gigs?

#56

I have been on my own for 15 years. I bill around 150/hr give or take 20% depending on the situation. Most of the work is Microsoft stack web related but mobile apps and api building has been steadily increasing for a several years now to the point that probably 20% of my 2014 revenue was in that space. 50-60% of my revenue is sub-contracting. I have a few firms that often take on projects that they are not suited fo…

Odesk and elance are very competitive market places from developers in Asia, Eastern Europe. These are good if you are looking for developers to outsource work to. It was mentioned in a recent Reddit AMA See http://www.reddit.com/r/IAmA/comments/2shhgj/iama_25_year_ol...

I'm trying to figure out a way to be fair to the person in the AMA which is consistent with my own sense of entitlement. Damn.

Re: Ask HN: How do you find freelance/contract gigs?

#57
post #27

I have been on my own for 15 years. I bill around 150/hr give or take 20% depending on the situation. Most of the work is Microsoft stack web related but mobile apps and api building has been steadily increasing for a several years now to the point that probably 20% of my 2014 revenue was in that space. 50-60% of my revenue is sub-contracting. I have a few firms that often take on projects that they are not suited fo…

Could you elaborate on what you mean by "right kind of events"?

User group meetings, startup weekend, hack-a-thons, give camps etc. Things focused on technology and technology solutions, not events that attract sales people or people looking to hop jobs.

Re: Ask HN: How do you find freelance/contract gigs?

#58

I have been on my own for 15 years. I bill around 150/hr give or take 20% depending on the situation. Most of the work is Microsoft stack web related but mobile apps and api building has been steadily increasing for a several years now to the point that probably 20% of my 2014 revenue was in that space. 50-60% of my revenue is sub-contracting. I have a few firms that often take on projects that they are not suited fo…

What would you classify as the right kinds of events, and what as networking events?

Lots of networking events are focused on sales or marketing, they attract lots of people looking for work or looking to switch jobs. Often times they are not advertised as 'networking events' specifically, but if the primary point of being there is to meet other people then it is a networking event. Even if there is some guest speaker or something, you will be able to tell why everyone is there.

User group meetings are the flip side of that, while some people are there to meet others, most come to learn something and their motives pivots around that point.

People who are looking for jobs or work, are rarely you ally in finding more work for yourself.

Re: Ask HN: How do you find freelance/contract gigs?

#59
MY STRATEGY works somewhat? but is old and dusty. old and dusty warning and YMWV - mileage will vary.

-1.) It has nothing to do with your willpower or even your skillsets.

0.) the key strategy is rule out - some big companies, even stingy and the case of CIO chef info officer is clueless - AVOID THEM like the plague. U get a great job. affter change of bosses - once every 9 months for 3 years; you get 'fired' and put on the blacklist.

IT IS A DEAD END.

1.) it's all about MBA work, screening and positioning. get to know the rankings of the S&P 500 rank listing well. this is ONLY a template and guide. oh by the way, over 51 + 7 years of experience; various fields, and some odd experiences.

4.) before I get to the GOOD SEXY FREE MILLIONAIRE STUFF, figure out how to crash the local conferences/convensions. Yes, pay off the low part time work who moved goods. I am a substitute.

get the business card. say NADADADA! research the hell out of them. then it is mano a mano. eyeball to eyeball. i know u need this. this is what your competitors know here a ANONYMOUS QUOTE.

oh, no i am not a journalist. media, lawyer, stranger, etc etc. U R DOING THEM A FAVOR.

5.) ask reasonable questions. no i dont need the money but i really love programming / s?redacted? x, etc etc

6.) remember the obscure system engineer who does unix or the assoc vp does not want a referral free. Grass is always greener on the other side.

7.) it's just me but five dimensional programming code on an origama (YES I AM ASIAN) ORIGAMA ball /can be be fun. and a nice prop. wave it around like a big CIGAR.

8.) most of the workplace have the 'hacks'; unix engineers like i former trying to become a database engineer consult etc. cold mail and cold call - is fine, but the wall street method rule applies - 250 dials a day. 4 days a wekk on various times. wt ???? 250??? is a lot. note - this is dials and yes i have done freelance 'boiler room similar looking like work' - i am not a stock broker film db BOILER ROOM !! yeahhhh baaaabbyy

9.) the MEAT the millionaire the sexy the GOOD STUFF. please delete this comment. or the censors may take it out. ok with me.

here it is...... the Rotary Club works on a non-compete, diversified P2P network. ROTARY CLUB. non-compete since only one real estate agent in any one circle.

THE SCENARIO: my good 'friend' and associate REAL ESTATE AGENT or fill in blank spends a lot of time in the WOMAN CLUB. So, the wife of the VP of the data center mentions how ASTOUNDING is this person.

the VP, is a man married and will give you at least a courtesy interview. Provide value, turn down 20% of the jobs.. shadddde the truth???? but

i have read at least 20 of the top books. compiled linux kernel,blah blah learn a new language Haskell with succky books so the problems are NEVER technical or delivery.

it has only to do with some clueless CIOsss who barely passed certification Micosoft exams. sorry, no person offense meant. IT HAS ONLY at least in USA, to do with some system engineer who WANTS U DESPERATELY but has a outsource contract with a guy who cannot understand code comments in ENGLISH or deal with HR where talent TALENT talent is a priority.

and of course, U are DOOMED. sorry to say. the extra income and part time jobs / health benefits / DESTRUCTION OF THE USA MIDDLE CLASS continues!

PS. full time -?? been there, done tthat kinda. i always allocate at least 10% to make boss look good; frills and bells; make the code look pretty and beautiful; and othher WORTHLESS GARBAGE. this is called the hidden tax.

also, 20% for learning and at least finding HOLES IN THE COMPANY SOFTWARE. logic flaws, security flaws, bad code, bad process, bad procedures, bad SQL, bad db architecture,

warninggg! this can be dangerous. doing the job of the cluelesss CIO chief inof officer can lead to BLACKLIST.

does tthzyat help?

Re: Ask HN: How do you find freelance/contract gigs?

#60
MY STRATEGY works somewhat? but is old and dusty. old and dusty warning and YMWV - mileage will vary.

-1.) It has nothing to do with your willpower or even your skillsets.

0.) the key strategy is rule out - some big companies, even stingy and the case of CIO chef info officer is clueless - AVOID THEM like the plague. U get a great job. affter change of bosses - once every 9 months for 3 years; you get 'fired' and put on the blacklist.

IT IS A DEAD END.

1.) it's all about MBA work, screening and positioning. get to know the rankings of the S&P 500 rank listing well. this is ONLY a template and guide. oh by the way, over 51 + 7 years of experience; various fields, and some odd experiences.

4.) before I get to the GOOD SEXY FREE MILLIONAIRE STUFF, figure out how to crash the local conferences/convensions. Yes, pay off the low part time work who moved goods. I am a substitute.

get the business card. say NADADADA! research the hell out of them. then it is mano a mano. eyeball to eyeball. i know u need this. this is what your competitors know here a ANONYMOUS QUOTE.

oh, no i am not a journalist. media, lawyer, stranger, etc etc. U R DOING THEM A FAVOR.

5.) ask reasonable questions. no i dont need the money but i really love programming / s?redacted? x, etc etc

6.) remember the obscure system engineer who does unix or the assoc vp does not want a referral free. Grass is always greener on the other side.

7.) it's just me but five dimensional programming code on an origama (YES I AM ASIAN) ORIGAMA ball /can be be fun. and a nice prop. wave it around like a big CIGAR.

8.) most of the workplace have the 'hacks'; unix engineers like i former trying to become a database engineer consult etc. cold mail and cold call - is fine, but the wall street method rule applies - 250 dials a day. 4 days a wekk on various times. wt ???? 250??? is a lot. note - this is dials and yes i have done freelance 'boiler room similar looking like work' - i am not a stock broker film db BOILER ROOM !! yeahhhh baaaabbyy

9.) the MEAT the millionaire the sexy the GOOD STUFF. please delete this comment. or the censors may take it out. ok with me.

here it is...... the Rotary Club works on a non-compete, diversified P2P network. ROTARY CLUB. non-compete since only one real estate agent in any one circle.

THE SCENARIO: my good 'friend' and associate REAL ESTATE AGENT or fill in blank spends a lot of time in the WOMAN CLUB. So, the wife of the VP of the data center mentions how ASTOUNDING is this person.

the VP, is a man married and will give you at least a courtesy interview. Provide value, turn down 20% of the jobs.. shadddde the truth???? but

i have read at least 20 of the top books. compiled linux kernel,blah blah learn a new language Haskell with succky books so the problems are NEVER technical or delivery.

it has only to do with some clueless CIOsss who barely passed certification Micosoft exams. sorry, no person offense meant. IT HAS ONLY at least in USA, to do with some system engineer who WANTS U DESPERATELY but has a outsource contract with a guy who cannot understand code comments in ENGLISH or deal with HR where talent TALENT talent is a priority.

and of course, U are DOOMED. sorry to say. the extra income and part time jobs / health benefits / DESTRUCTION OF THE USA MIDDLE CLASS continues!

PS. full time -?? been there, done tthat kinda. i always allocate at least 10% to make boss look good; frills and bells; make the code look pretty and beautiful; and othher WORTHLESS GARBAGE. this is called the hidden tax.

also, 20% for learning and at least finding HOLES IN THE COMPANY SOFTWARE. logic flaws, security flaws, bad code, bad process, bad procedures, bad SQL, bad db architecture,

warninggg! this can be dangerous. doing the job of the cluelesss CIO chief inof officer can lead to BLACKLIST.

does tthzyat help?

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