At the end of 2005, ProZ.com released a feature called "Project history". The tool was created to allow freelancers to track past projects completed and list them in profiles with information such as language pairs, fields, volume, keewords, clients and collaborators. Since then, more than 17,300 site members have listed projects, 11,733 of which show as corroborated.
Why is it important to show past projects?
Project history is an excellent tool to show potential clients who visit freelancers' profiles their past experience and generate trust among them.
What happens with confidentiality?
Projects can be listed without disclosing clients' names or project details (no client name needs to be shown, no source text, no sensitive information). Each project listed will only include information that is relevant to a client who is considering hiring that service provider: language pair, field, volume and feedback. A summary may be added to the project, but that's optional.
What if I haven't completed any project through ProZ.com yet?
Any past project from any client (listed or not at ProZ.com) can be listed in project history. All clients can be sent an invite to corroborate a project and leave feedback (publicly or privately, that's freelancers' choice!)
How-to
- Open the Project history management page.
- Use the "Add a new project" to open the project form.
- Complete the project form with as much information as possible. Add outsourcer details so that the system can send invites to them to corroborate the project and leave feedback. IMPORTANT! Don't forget to check the "Submit to the outsourcer for corroboration and feedback" option. Your client's name will not be displayed unless you check the "Make outsourcer identity public" box.
- "Submit" your project to be added to your record.
- Check how your project history looks like for clients in your profile page.
Want more?
Use the WIWO feature to share What I'm Working On information and get it automatically listed in your Project history. Why? Because clients who search the ProZ.com directory regularly use the keywords in WIWO postings that have been made public. Directory users may also limit their search results to those translators who have used WIWO to report working on projects in the past 30 / 90 / etc. days.
You can edit past WIWOs to be listed in your Project history. Just click on the "Edit" icon next to each post, check the "Show in project history" box and click on "Post" to save the changes.