How can I get enough jobs

Sandra Peters-Schoebel wrote:

Hi Uli,
just some short remarks from my side, as I am one of those always busy translating.

I am working as a fulltime freelancer since 2008, leaving volunteerily a well-paid job in the IT industry... but I really enjoy being independant.

How I startet? I started 1 year ealier with replying regularly on offers on proz.com and got my first jobs there. I worked 1 year in parellel and could then afford to give up my employment when I had enough regular clients.
BUT: at that time it was quite realistic to get a job via proz.com. I am not trying that any longer, as for any badly paid job offer you have hundreds of applications. How separating one's application from the others???
I am sometimes posting jobs myself here, but after the first 40 applications I give up answering them all... Mostly I am taking one of the first ones coming in..

It is like always: as soon as you have done a good job for an agency they will contact you with work directly next time, as nobody loves posting jobs and going through all those applications.

- So, how to help you: I did not care so much about your shirt on your photo, but you sometimes have kind of holiday photos or family photos here, that is an absolute NO GO for me; those translators are trying to present themselves as professional translators???
- BUT: what strikes me regarding your profile is the lack of CAT tools. Most clients require the use of a CAT tool and sufficient experience with Translation memories. I know, at the beginning bying Trados is a big expense, but start with
using Wordfast and Across, as those are available for free.Make youself familiar with those and state them clearly in your profile, as agencies will search for them.
This is much more important than degrees for them.

- Website: Well, I don't have a very good one myself, but what I learned from a professional that you should avoid presenting yourself as a solitary working person behind his/her
desk, but present yourself as a professional agency ("we", "our team")...
- be creative with your experience, as actuallly you don't have much to present there. "Pimp up" the existing information, be a bit creative. You are not handing out your
CV to en employer who is checking it carefully, but you are marketing yourself here!!
- and delete those entries like "basic language skills" as this is of no help for anybody. state the language pairs and services you are going to offer.

- Prices: when I am sometimes asking collegues for help they state prices which make me speechless. I mean, I would love to charge 0,10€ per source word to my agencies,
but honestly - this if far from realistic.
You can have regular and daily work if you prices are somehow realistic. A lot of agencies are "benefitting" from the economic crisis and trying to reduce the prices drastically,
though I am not always sure if their end customers do the same...
- I would love to have more end clients, as I could charge higher prices, but they are hard to find. So I am happy with my regular agencies sending me daily work; they have
their quality systems implemented so I have the second pair of eyes... and they are paying in time. That's all I am requiring...

- But I guess the second point you mentioned is important: networking with collegues is important. When I am searching for help I often don't have the time to
check all profiles on proz.com or post a job, so I am relying on the ones I have already worked with and to whom I can send a quick email.

Well, was I said, just some (unorganized) thoughts from my side. If you have questions/remarks, we could continue that...
Heads up!

Regards
Sandra

Paula Borges wrote:

A lot of the agencies you haven't heard from will contact you at some point and if you manage to impress them, they'll come again.