How to get jobs?
Thread poster: Thais Muniz
Thais Muniz
Thais Muniz  Identity Verified
Brazil
Local time: 18:07
English to Portuguese
+ ...
Mar 3, 2021

Hello!
I am a new member here and I must say I'm LOST.
If you can help me, I would be glad.
How do I get jobs in here? I applied for some, but nothing so far, I saw people saying that clients come to us, but how do I get a competitive profile? What are kudoz and browniz? When applying, how to stand out from the competition and get the job? Do agencies really hire people with no experience?
I just want to get my first job here but I don't know how.
Are there any *re
... See more
Hello!
I am a new member here and I must say I'm LOST.
If you can help me, I would be glad.
How do I get jobs in here? I applied for some, but nothing so far, I saw people saying that clients come to us, but how do I get a competitive profile? What are kudoz and browniz? When applying, how to stand out from the competition and get the job? Do agencies really hire people with no experience?
I just want to get my first job here but I don't know how.
Are there any *recorded* webinars about this??


Thanks!


[Edited at 2021-03-03 21:56 GMT]
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Charlene Bishop
Eduardo Davi Geraldo
 
Sanaz Khanjani
Sanaz Khanjani  Identity Verified
Local time: 00:37
English to Persian (Farsi)
+ ...
Be active Mar 3, 2021

Hi
Welcome to proz

First of all, try to introduce yourself completely in your profile and show your abilities well because this helps to attract outsourcers then be active in Kudoz because the points of Kudoz are important when you quote for a job and also increase your rank of account.

I hope I could help you.

Good luck.


Maria Teresa Borges de Almeida
expressisverbis
Mervyn Henderson (X)
Charlene Bishop
 
Maria Teresa Borges de Almeida
Maria Teresa Borges de Almeida  Identity Verified
Portugal
Local time: 21:07
Member (2007)
English to Portuguese
+ ...
@Thais Mar 3, 2021

Besides what Sanaz said, you should start by reading Proz.com basics:

https://www.proz.com/about/overview/

and the FAQs

https://www.proz.com/faq

Good luck!

P.S. Criticizing is not exactly the best way to open up a relationship…


expressisverbis
Mervyn Henderson (X)
Morano El-Kholy
Charlene Bishop
 
expressisverbis
expressisverbis
Portugal
Local time: 21:07
Member (2015)
English to Portuguese
+ ...
In addition to what has been said by both colleagues: Mar 4, 2021

What are Kudoz and Browniz?

https://help.proz.com/what-is-kudoz

https://www.proz.com/faq/community/browniz_points.html#what_are_browniz_points_

'Hard work combined with patience is a superpower.'
Maxime Lagacé
... See more
What are Kudoz and Browniz?

https://help.proz.com/what-is-kudoz

https://www.proz.com/faq/community/browniz_points.html#what_are_browniz_points_

'Hard work combined with patience is a superpower.'
Maxime Lagacé

Good luck!
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Maria Teresa Borges de Almeida
Mervyn Henderson (X)
Matthias Brombach
Charlene Bishop
 
Patricia Fierro, M. Sc.
Patricia Fierro, M. Sc.  Identity Verified
Ecuador
Local time: 16:07
Member (2004)
English to Spanish
+ ...
Placement in directories Mar 5, 2021

Hi,

This might be useful:

https://www.proz.com/faq/directories.html#how_is_placement_in_the_translators_and_interpreters_directory_determined_

Good luck,
Patricia


 
IrinaN
IrinaN
United States
Local time: 16:07
English to Russian
+ ...
The main point has been missing so far Mar 5, 2021

Thais,

First and foremost, Proz is not a source to count on in building your business. There is no magic key to a magic treasure chest where stacks of guarantees jobs are neatly compartmentalized by subjects, just waiting for us. Many Prozians have never [sic!] gotten a single job from it, in years, many do not even seek it.

There are only two kinds of clients who "come to us" - either a mass mail, or pinpointing people so unique, with such impressive profiles that it w
... See more
Thais,

First and foremost, Proz is not a source to count on in building your business. There is no magic key to a magic treasure chest where stacks of guarantees jobs are neatly compartmentalized by subjects, just waiting for us. Many Prozians have never [sic!] gotten a single job from it, in years, many do not even seek it.

There are only two kinds of clients who "come to us" - either a mass mail, or pinpointing people so unique, with such impressive profiles that it would take years and decades to achieve. Those instances are far and between.

There are people here who found good steady clients on Proz but I bet that in ~85% of the cases it happened a long, long time ago, back in times when Proz was not overwhelmed with meager rates and MT, the global supply range was much narrower and rates of .12-.15 were a common everyday thing.

Occasional exceptions happen but not nearly often enough to place Proz on top of your hopes and desires. All advices given above are good and justified but... Building your clientele is a slow and painful road.

Beware of Scams!! Read Scam Alert and other Scam forums.

Sorry.

Good luck!

Irina
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Maria Teresa Borges de Almeida
Julita Hille
Kevin Fulton
Sanaz Khanjani
Nikki Scott-Despaigne
Valmal
Fatine Echenique
 
Nikki Scott-Despaigne
Nikki Scott-Despaigne  Identity Verified
Local time: 22:07
French to English
On and off ProZ since 2003 Mar 7, 2021

You cannot and should not count on any single source to find work. I have been on and off ProZ, with varying levels of activity since 2003. I have never received one single job offer via the JobZ pages. Further, now that it is a paying feature, I will certainly not bid for work. For the record, have nothing against ProZ having people pay for a service. ProZ is a business providing a range of services. I choose to make use of the free services. It is possible to find work via ProZ without going ... See more
You cannot and should not count on any single source to find work. I have been on and off ProZ, with varying levels of activity since 2003. I have never received one single job offer via the JobZ pages. Further, now that it is a paying feature, I will certainly not bid for work. For the record, have nothing against ProZ having people pay for a service. ProZ is a business providing a range of services. I choose to make use of the free services. It is possible to find work via ProZ without going through the JobZ section.

Apart from your profile page, KudoZ offers you the chance to use the site to showcase your expertise. In my experience, when fellow translators notice that you have specific knowledge and skills, they may contact you they have a request for work outside their speciality. So go onto KudoZ, observe how it works and start contributing. In my early days on ProZ, I learnt a lot from observing how colleagues searched sources and I soon found myself being brave enough to start making suggestions. Over time, I have been contacted for work directly and indirectly via colleagues having contributed to KudoZ questions.

Note that KudoZ points are sometimes clocked up over years and years. Don't be put off by that. Yes, it points to peer agreement and proficiency but also to the time the individual is willing and able to devote to the forums.

To sum up:
- ProZ in not the only place to look for work
- seek presence on other platforms too, experiment and see what suits you. Try to choose wisely the platforms you will spend time on in order to get some form of return on the time spent
- detemine your specialist areas and think about what knowledge, skills and connections make you stand out from the crowd, then target relevant organisations directly.

Good luck!
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Maria Teresa Borges de Almeida
Valmal
IrinaN
expressisverbis
Mazurah Abd Kudus
 
Qing Jia
Qing Jia
Australia
How to get jobs? Mar 12, 2021

My suggestions would be firstly complete your profile with useful info like your skills & experiences, then seek for jobs on relevant websites also join the relevant conferences/ forums/ events to do networking.

Mazurah Abd Kudus
 


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