Last fall creative writer Jaime Case found herself out of a job when the Internet start-up she had been working for ran out of cash and shut its doors. Is that a familiar story?  After about three months of searching for a job that would let her use her talents and not finding anything that would pay her enough to keep her in the style to which she had grown accustomed (eating, roof over her head, etc), she decided to take matters into her own hands and begin the life of a freelancer. Today, she has several contracts, is in control of her days, and is finding new ways to leverage her skills. In short, she has become one of the thousands of freelance entrepreneurs who are discovering that while all sorts of jobs are in decline, contract work has actually increased. The Wall Street Journal recently reported that freelance sites like Elance.com have seen a 50 percent increase in the number of jobs posted over the past year.  More and more companies are finding that they like the flexibility of hiring contractors.

• Figure out what skills you have that companies might need. If you really want to step up your game in this area, identify a skill that matches what companies are posting on the freelance job sites. If you want to go for the gold, find a niche in the market for which there are very few people with your expertise. That way you won’t have a lot of competition and you can command a higher price.
• Write up a one-page description of your expertise and how it can be applied. Be very specific about what you can do so that you stand out from all the other freelancers. Think of yourself as a product you want to sell to solve a customer’s problem. How will you solve it?
• Do some research on the companies you’re interested in so you can make sure your skills and experience match what they need.
• Check out the freelance job sites, such as www.guru.com, www.odesk.com, www.sologig.com and www.elance.com. Some sites are better than others for the type of work you want to do.
• Figure out how much to charge based on what you find on the job sites. Keep in mind that a lot of companies prefer a project fee to an hourly rate. If the type of work you do is complex and varies a lot with the client, you might want to quote an hourly rate and note that you are willing to discuss project-based fees.