The job network Elance is a great place to begin your freelance career. 

Every month there are usually more than 50,000 work assignments that eager buyers want to get done.

For the most part these jobs don't require complex skills beyond what you may have learned or done in your career... skills like proofreading, making a PowerPoint presentation, writing a report or doing simple online research using Google... (if you have a technical background there are many opportunities for you as well.)

Yet every month many would-be freelancers launch into Elance with high hopes and dollar signs in their eyes...only to quickly come away disillusioned, frustrated (or worse) raging that "Elance doesn't work."

There are 3 fundamental mistakes the failed freelancer makes

1.       Being overwhelmed by all the jobs and thinking that there is nothing for them

Good news/bad news---Yes there are usually 50,000 jobs up for grabs every day on Elance and that number is up from half that about a year ago.

It can be overwhelming to try to pick your way through that list. Even narrowing it down to something as simple as proofreading jobs can mean you might have to slog through hundreds of jobs to find a handful that are well suited for you.

As in life, many of the jobs are not for you.  The buyers aren't serious.  They are looking for something for nothing. Many jobs that you could do are really not a great fit.  Tackle them and you'll be frustrated pretty fast.

How to avoid this trap: Learn how to find those jobs that are perfectly teed up for you, matching your skill set, temperament, past career or life experiences. Make sure it offers pay in a range that works for you and you could quickly join the ranks of those who work successfully and happily on Elance and the other 200+ job and project networks on the planet.

2.       Thinking they don't have the skills to compete.

I often hear from a new member in our program, something like, "I'm bidding on a proof reading job and there is somebody who has a PhD bidding against me... how will I ever win a job like that?"

3 things to consider-

a)      The person may or may not have a PhD.  It is not uncommon for savvy buyers to verify the bidder's credentials before they award the job. So the claim of a PhD doesn't always mean they have one and Elance makes it pretty easy to check that out. That bidder could quickly be eliminated in that analysis.

b)      The vast majority of jobs don't require a PhD to do the work.  The jobs are posted by mostly small businesses and individuals that want their website or brochure to be easy to understand and free of gross errors. Generally PhDs are not know for their conversational (simple/readable) writing skills. 

c)       A PhD might "lowball" a bid to get some business but they will quickly lose interest in working at the low end of their perceived pay scale. Since the most important Elance strategy is to focus on cultivating repeat business, the PhD lowball strategy is not a sustainable one over the long term.

How to avoid this trap: Bid jobs that fit your skill set and experience.  Don't be intimidated because somebody else has more education.  Most buyers want practical, readable and simple... not complex grammatical analysis.

3.       Seeing a bunch of "low compensation" jobs and being stung with fury at the prospect of working for such a low wage.

"The Ladder to Success is Most Crowded at the Bottom"

When you are getting started on Elance (or most other networks for that matter) you have a challenge because you are new.

Unfortunately, many new Elancer's use the weapon of price to compete.  It is a blunt instrument you don't want to use.

You want to properly showcase your skills, experience and reputation.

Even though you may have a stellar career history, great skills and attention to detail... nobody knows that unless and until you tell them with your profile (like your resume but very different than a resume) and then (very important) prove you have the skills and experience.

How to avoid this trap: Make sure your profile accurately and effectively communicates who you are and what you can do.  Use "tested skills" and "credential verification" to quickly build your credibility and trust factors. Do a comprehensive analysis of your career and life skills so you are able to showcase your most relevant abilities.

So there you have it, 3 ways to guarantee you fail on Elance!

Of course if you prefer to succeed, and tap into to this rich and expanding resource of jobs and projects on this premier network, pay close attention to the "avoid" strategies.

You'll soon be tapping into the millions of dollars paid out every month to other freelancers just like you, who had many of the same reactions you might have had BUT had the good sense to scratch their head and say, "I don't understand how this works but, many other people have so I am willing to invest in learning how it works!"