Ask Questions. I get really upset when I put an advert out for a Freelancer and I get bids which begin with "I understand everything and can do this job". It's insincere and the people who write this usually haven't read what I want at all. I prefer people who bid with phrases such as "I have read your requirements and before bidding would like to ask you a few questions so that I can be certain to deliver what you need ...". Even if you don't have any questions you can ask them to assure the employer that you have understood what's required.

NEVER start your bid with "I have read and fully understood your requirements". This is the most cliched line you will see on freelance sites. 99% of people who've written it have made far too many assumptions about the work to understand what's needed. I put a joke project online a while ago. I asked for a freelancer to relocate Australia for me a few kilometers to the west. A handful of people recognized that I was joking but I still received at least 5 bids from freelancers who had supposedly "read and understood my requirements".

If you plan on telling a potential customer something then there is no reason at all why they should believe you. You need to 'show' proof. To show that you have read and understood a project, re-phrase it in your own words and ask questions about it. Your bid will be much more credible if you are realistic and admit to not understanding something (and asking to clarify it) rather than being overly confident that you know what you need to do.

Don't just bid on every project in a category. You'll soon get overwhelmed with work and you'll probably end up doing projects that you cannot do efficiently. Pick projects that you believe you'll do a good job of and take the time to communicate with the employer rather than look for more projects.

Show enthusiasm for the project. I once received a bid which began "wow, your website idea is excellent and I'm certain you'll do well with it". It made me feel good and I hired him.

Offer a free sample before being asked. If you are bidding on a writing or a design project then you can give the person a sample design or the first paragraph of an article to help them decide. By getting the sample to the employer before other bidders get a chance you have a huge advantage over them.

Don't send people many different examples of your previous work unless it's truly relevant. Employers are not going to look at every work you've ever done so just provide them with a small sample that's the most relevant to what you are bidding for.

Use formal and professional language. Don't use slang or casual language until you've been accepted for a project. Understand that phrases such as "Cheers dude", "catch ya later" do not impress employers.

Suggest that you telephone them to discuss a few details. Some employers really prefer telephone contact but because freelance websites are online, Freelancers never consider the value of a telephone chat.

Offer some free research. I put a project up for an application that integrated with Amazon.com. One bidder replied to me that he'd telephoned Amazon that day and was being emailed some technical information that we'd both need. I was very impressed.

And Finally ' create a portfolio as your work develops. This doesn't have to be on a website, you could create a portfolio using PowerPoint, word or Photoshop and provide it to employers. I would try to avoid doing something with PowerPoint though as its possible that not everybody will have it. You need to make your portfolio as accessible as possible.