Let’s turn our attention to the process – central to ProZ.com – of matching clients to translators and interpreters.
When it comes to client contact, many freelancers focus on posted jobs, because they are the most visible form of client contact on the site.
However, most work is passed through the directory and direct profile contact. Clients search the directory, find candidates, evaluate profiles, and contact people. So appearing in the directory (via ProZ Find), and ranking high in the directory, are the best way to put yourself in front of new clients. Of course, if your profile does not stand out, the whole process will be less effective.
Of course, membership of ProZ.com gives you higher visibility in the directory. Things like your pic, tagline, availability, and feedback are your ways to catch a client's interest from the directory. And then your profile should help finish the sale, so to speak.
Check the directory results for your pair and main area of expertise, and try to find yourself. If you have to click back 4, 5, 6 pages to find yourself in the directory, you might be missing out. I don't go 6 pages back in a Google search, I change my search if I haven't found what I'm looking for by page 2 or 3 at the most. Clients do the same thing with a directory.
Check your ranking by using ProZ Find for a search, on the results page where you appear in the ranking will appear in the left column.
This blog post was borrowed from one of the "50 Steps to get to know ProZ.com" from Andrew Morris - available as part of the Translators and Interpreters (ProZ.com) group on Facebook that boasts over 35,000 members as of this posting.
