How to use a freelancer website in a beneficial manner?

Freelancer or Upwork both websites offer either hourly projects or the fixed cost projects. And in order to work on those projects you have to show your portfolio and regularly bid on new projects. This way you build a rather healthy profile compared to random bidding on such projects.

Success with such websites is that you set some routine. For example with each such project completed, make sure you get some reference. And that way you are going to get future projects. Also setup the website portfolio where people can look up for your past projects and clients.

In order to get regular projects, you have to bid on the low cost projects. And this way you can create some momentum. Make sure that you are bidding on regular basis and working on small projects. This is how the progress is made and once you have enough portfolio then bid on larger projects.

So in order to stay in touch with the business you have to regularly get new projects. You have to bid on the projects in such way that there are not dry spells during your working days. Focus on consistent work and that way you'd be in demand every now and then with less downtime for the earning too.

While working with freelancer.com, you will need to pay attention to these points.

1. Have a clear genre of your interest
There is a wide range of choices to opt from. If you are interested in journalism, you may go for such portals. The competition between the publishers for the breaking news is quite tougher and it could have a good earning potential. You may also consider writing articles for magazines.
Photography is another good genre that can carry a good deal of earning.

2. Get better equipment that will make your product outstanding
Get better and reliable product that can help you make your freelancing bids easier to complete. If you bid for a writing task and plan to do it on a smartphone, it will be the toughest thing to complete. You will need a good PC and a printer if needed. Likewise go for a good camera if your work area is related to photography.

3. Have a perfect schedule
Since freelancing work has no boss and you are not answerable to anyone, you may tend to be easy on completing the bids in time. Avoid such a tendency. Set yourself a timetable and stick to it.

Can I bid on such projects in which I do not have enough talent? What basic skills should a freelancer have to get promoted for a job?

You can bid on any project on freelancer. The thing is that if you don't complete the project the owner has right to deny you payments and give the same project to someone else.

This is one reason you need to be atleast somewhat comfortable with the things you bid for. Otherwise it doesnt make sense to bid for the project. Also the owner can sense whether you can do project or not. If you are fresher then you have to bid on small projects that can give you some initial experience. Avoid bidding on bigger projects.

Basic skills depends on the type of work you want to do. Let's assume you want to do some Excel related work, in such case basic skill would be knowing in and out of MS Excel. If you are web developer then knowing the in and out of HTML, CSS and JS is plus.

So start with small projects with bare minimum skill set and then build your way upwards.

Obviously you will need some sort of skill set in the concerned job. Else how would you expect to complete it? Even if you complete the task without the required expertise, that would not be perfect job. You are bound to commit mistakes and maybe - in worst case scenario - end up earning nothing for the hard work you put in. So, it would be advisable to bid only for those jobs in which you have fare degree of knowledge - if not expertise.

Remember, bidding for the tasks you are not competent enough will result in rejection of your completed jobs, and may affect your profile on freelancer negatively.