Posted August 26th, 2010 by Mary
It’s never been a better time to find quality freelance workers to help you fulfill needs at your company. Freelancing had already been gaining in popularity for professionals before the economic downturn, but now the recession has forced millions of otherwise full-time workers into the freelance market. Companies looking for good freelance workers now have a wide range of options.
Hiring freelancers can be a huge advantage for businesses as it can greatly reduce costs while increasing flexibility. Instead of keeping a full-time worker on your payroll, you can simply hire freelancers for individual projects, such as building a website. Often times this freelancer could have much more expertise and experience with something than a full-time employee who has many different tasks.
Hiring freelance workers can save money in other ways as well. Freelance workers do not receive health care and other benefits. Your company is also not responsible for paying their Social Security and Medicare taxes, or for offering unemployment benefits. At the end of the year, instead of filing a W-2, independent contractors should receive a 1099 form. The IRS provides a FAQ on the 1099 Form on their website.
So you have a project that requires a skill that is not present in your company, and now you must find a freelancer to fill that need. Luckily, there are now literally millions of options for companies trying to find freelance workers. That has been aided by the rise of the Internet that led to a huge improvement in communication between companies and freelance workers. There are thousands of websites out there that list freelancers looking for work. You can post your freelance job offer and receive bids on the work. This is also a way to save money because it will drive down the price if there are competitive bids.
In today’s economy, businesses are having to stretch their budgets like never before. It’s often not a choice, but a necessity. If you can’t make the tough decisions you can never hope to compete and your company will eventually go under. More and businesses are turning to freelance workers to lower costs and add flexibility to their workforce. This is a trend that will only increase in the future, so it would be a good idea to get on the freelancing train before it leaves the station. But you’re not alone in this process, because there is a huge amount of resources for businesses looking for freelancers.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Stephen_Law
Posted February 19th, 2009 by Contributing Writer
Author Byline: CareerAlley
Author Website: careeralley.com
If you’ve lost your job or are considering a change, you should think about consulting as an alternative (if this is not already your occupation).
There are several ways you can approach consulting as a career alternative – as an independent (working as a contractor for a consulting firm or directly for a client) or as a direct employee of a consulting firm. I’ll review leads for both alternatives and some very high level pros and cons for each.
Independent Consulting Contractor
- Pros: Allows independence as to clients and assignments you take. The per hour pay tends to be higher for independent contractors. You develop direct relationships with your clients which can be leveraged into additional assignments and introductions to other potential clients. Some expenses related to your role as an independent may be tax deductible (speak to your Accountant). Lastly, this can be a viable short term alternative while you are looking for permanent full time employment if consulting is not your long term career goal.
- Cons: You may have gaps in assignments which will create gaps in billable hours ($). You must find your own clients or sub-contract with a third party consulting firm. Your benefits are not covered, so you will need to pay for these yourself. Vacations are not paid.
Direct Consulting Employee
- Pros: Gives you the full backing of a consulting firm. Less pressure regarding assignments as these should be scheduled by your firm. Full benefits (generally) as well as paid vacation. Upside potential for increased bonus for additional assignments/work identified.
- Cons: Less control over assignments, pay is likely to be lower than an independent.
Consulting Firms:
Independent Consulting:
- Sologig – This website provides leads/potential assignments for freelance (independent) contractors and consultants. Similar to job search sites, this is a clearing house of assignments for both employers and contractors.
- Consulting/Freelance – Extensive About.com website which provides resources for independent consultants and freelancers. Site includes a wide range of information on how to get started, what you need (rates, taxes, contracts, etc.). This is an excellent resource for those who are just getting started in freelancing as well as already established freelancers.
I will add these links to “Other Resources” in the next few days.
Good luck in your search!
Article courtesy of the Recruiting Blogswap, a content exchange service sponsored by CollegeRecruiter.com, a leading site for college students looking for internships and recent graduates searching for entry level jobs and other career opportunities.
Posted December 15th, 2008 by Contributing Writer
More and more people are turning to the Internet as a way to make money – and many are reporting more income than ever. Have you checked out the job scene on Craigslist lately? It’s not much fun sending out resume after resume only to find that 500 other people are doing the same thing for the same job. So I did some research on where people are making a living online now, and how they are doing it. And do you know what I found? People are actually making a good living taking assignments as “mystery shoppers”.
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Posted September 11th, 2008 by Contributing Writer
Some of you will probably be familiar with the TV show – “What not to wear”. Essentially it is about taking people (admittedly usually women) and showing them why they shouldn’t wear pretty much everything in their wardrobes. More importantly it is about giving them tips on what style, cut colour etc. they should wear and what is appropriate to various situations.
Well one of the most important places to get this decision right is at a job interview. What you wear at an interview may not be the only deciding factor or technically might not be a factor at all when the interviewers make a decision on who to hire but it is generally accepted that a first impression will be formed within the first 20 seconds of an interview. And first impressions do count!
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Posted September 4th, 2008 by Contributing Writer
Let’s say you work an average of 40 hours a week, you started work when you were 20 years old and retired at 65.
That’s 93 600 hours of your life, or a solid 10 years, devoted to work. If you consider that you spend another huge chunk of your life sleeping, work is a big part of our existence so isn’t natural that we want it to be a happy existence?
It would appear not as I’ve never met one person, who worked for someone else, that loved, let alone, thoroughly enjoyed most aspects of their job.
It made me think of a tidbit I heard during a recent seminar about a survey asking critically ill people what they most regretted in life:
- Not making the most of their relationships
- Not doing meaningful work, and
- Not playing enough
The last two points really had an impact on me. Nobody is sitting on their deathbed proclaiming, “I wish I bought another house.” or “I should have spent more time in the office.”
No, they’re saying they should have loved more and lived more!
One of my favorite quotes is by Neale Donald Walsch, “How can you think of wasting a moment doing something for a living you don’t like to do? What kind of a living is that? That is not a living, that is a dying!”
If we spend workdays craving 5pm or the weekend does that indicate work that is meaningful or fulfilling? And why do we always consider our ‘playtime’ outside the hours of 9am-5pm? Why are a majority of us filling our precious lives with unsatisfying work?
Some answers, and what you can do about it, follow.
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