Profile improvement guideA guide to completing the most important profile information for meeting new clients and raising your freelance income. Summary of required profile fieldsThis is a quick look at the most important fields in your profile. See below for details. Account type Real name Languages Native language Services Fields of expertise Address Map location Time zone Years of experience Phone Tagline Rates Recommended information to add to your profileAccount type If you're a freelancer, ensure your account type is set to "freelance translator or interpreter" so you appear in the freelancer directory. If you are a freelancer and also outsource work to other translators, set your account type to "freelancer and outsourcer". Real name Showing your real name presents a more professional image to potential clients and collaborators. If you prefer not to show your real name for privacy reasons, you can keep your real name private but still have your identity verified by site staff. Languages Enter the language pairs in which you work, and the services you can provide in those languages. Sort them in order of your specialty. If you speak more than 5 language pairs, enter them all, but only show the top 5 in your profile. Remember: specialize! Native language Many clients prefer translators to translate into their native language. Over a third of directory searches exclude those who haven't entered a native language. Fields of expertise Enter your "general" and "specific" fields of expertise, and sort them in order of your specialty. This information is required in order to appear in the directory, receive job notifications, etc. Address Enter your address to help potential clients find you when searching by location, as well as to pre-populate invoices and payment forms. You can keep your address private if you wish. Map location When you enter your address, the system tries to automatically find your general location on a map, which allows potential clients to find you when searching by location. If the system is unable to guess your map location correctly, you should manually enter it yourself. Time zone Enter your time zone to help potential clients and collaborators communicate more effectively with you by knowing the difference in your local times. This setting is also used to show times and dates to you in your local time. Years of experience Indicate how many years of professional experience you have in the translation industry. Phone Enter your phone number to help potential clients get in touch with you and to pre-populate invoice and payment forms. You can keep your phone number private if you wish. Tagline Customize your personal tagline that appears beneath your name or username in your profile and the directories. Rates Specify rates to attract the right type of client, filter out jobs offered at rates below your minimum, and improve aggregate statistics that help educate the translation community. Your general rates are intended as a rough indication of the rates you typically charge, with the understanding that further negotiation is often needed to set an appropriate rate for a particular job or client. You can also specify language-specific rates in your language pair settings. Translator feedback Showing feedback from satisfied clients can lend credibility to a profile. One way to get feedback is to send a personalized request to a few clients with whom you have a good relationship. Click below to do so. CV / resume Upload your CV or resume to share with potential clients and to increase your chances of being found when potential clients search for service providers with your skills or qualifications. You can control the privacy of your CV, or just show a simple message that your CV is available upon request. Sample translations Add a portfolio of sample translations to show potential clients an example of your work. Keywords Enter keywords that describe your specialized skills and capabilities to increase the chance that your profile will be found by those searching the ProZ.com directory or Internet search engines like Google. Standard security procedures Outsourcers are often required to consider the data security practices of the freelancers they work with. Use this section to communicate to potential clients and collaborators your philosophy and practices related to confidentiality and data security. Citizenship(s) Sometimes clients are required to work with people who are citizens of specific countries. In this section, you can indicate the country (or countries) of which you are currently a citizen. (This is in contrast to the country of residence that you may have entered elsewhere in your profile.) Professional objectives Indicate your professional objectives and how well they are being met at ProZ.com. |
