4 ms·

This is a standard question here and the standard answer is "through my personal network", as if that would be helpful to a person who's asking where to find wo

This is a standard question here and the standard answer is "through my personal network", as if that would be helpful to a person who's asking where to find work. Cold email... 2/10 Cold phone calls... 4/10 Replying to job ads and offering to freelance instead... 5/10

admissionsguy 2y ago
> Replying to job ads and offering to freelance instead Sounds obvious, but I had never thought of doing this. How did it work out? How keen were the companies on such an arrangement? Perhaps it could also be a way to work for some cool small US companies that are otherwise hiring in the US only.
- lukan 2y ago
  " How keen were the companies on such an arrangement" Depends on location. In germany for example there is the concept of "Scheinselbstständigkeit" meaning when you have only 1 client, you do not count as a freelancer and then it gets expensive for the company. Companies do not like that threat and they rather pay a bit more and are safe than having extra risk. In general, if the company is desperate for workers, they are more willing to go out of their way, otherwise most do not like complications. And freelancer instead of normal workers is a complication unless they are used to it.
  - bitwize 2y ago
    Nobody is desperate for workers these days, that's the problem. They're trying to shed their headcount as much as possible and hope they can delegate significant amounts of work to AI.
- philomath_mn 2y ago
  This is how I got my first consulting gig. Never heard a response from 99% of the messages, but I did find one guy who was open to an out-of-the-box arrangement and it ended up working out great for both of us. You will definitely have better odds with startups or other small/scrappy companies. Emphasize the low commitment and flexibility to get your foot in the door, and if you play your cards right you can turn it into a longer engagement.
sokoloff 2y ago
IMO, it is helpful to know the truth for a person asking how others find work/make a decent living freelancing.

admissionsguy 2y ago

> Replying to job ads and offering to freelance instead Sounds obvious, but I had never thought of doing this. How did it work out? How keen were the companies on such an arrangement? Perhaps it could also be a way to work for some cool small US companies that are otherwise hiring in the US only.

lukan 2y ago
" How keen were the companies on such an arrangement" Depends on location. In germany for example there is the concept of "Scheinselbstständigkeit" meaning when you have only 1 client, you do not count as a freelancer and then it gets expensive for the company. Companies do not like that threat and they rather pay a bit more and are safe than having extra risk. In general, if the company is desperate for workers, they are more willing to go out of their way, otherwise most do not like complications. And freelancer instead of normal workers is a complication unless they are used to it.
- bitwize 2y ago
  Nobody is desperate for workers these days, that's the problem. They're trying to shed their headcount as much as possible and hope they can delegate significant amounts of work to AI.
philomath_mn 2y ago
This is how I got my first consulting gig. Never heard a response from 99% of the messages, but I did find one guy who was open to an out-of-the-box arrangement and it ended up working out great for both of us. You will definitely have better odds with startups or other small/scrappy companies. Emphasize the low commitment and flexibility to get your foot in the door, and if you play your cards right you can turn it into a longer engagement.

sokoloff 2y ago

IMO, it is helpful to know the truth for a person asking how others find work/make a decent living freelancing.