So I've been signed up on Guru.com for a while now with a basic account. I've been noticing that most of the job posters won't even give you the time of day unless you have a premium account.
It's like $100 for a quarterly account and I'm considering upgrading my account, but is it really worth it? Are any of you guys actively using guru.com for freelance work? Has anybody had any past experiences with guru?
It's just that I don't have a lot of money to spend, but I am willing to spend the money on a premium account if it's worth it.
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http://ben-reynolds.com
Animation and Design
Honestly, if you have a GOOD portfolio built up, a website displaying it all in a neat manner, and the visible will to work hard, it's worth it. But it's a bit of a gamble seeing as you'd be jumping into a spot which has many competitors already, and they've all been seen enough that employers know what their work is like. You might just get brushed aside since you're a bit of a mystery to employers, and mysteries are bad, they need to know exactly what they're getting before they hire. I'm no genius on it, but that's my input. I'd get a strong group of followers to back you up first, a few free or cheap jobs under your belt, and then look everywhere for work (forums, conventions, local businesses, and then sites like guru).
I was on guru.com for a while, chiefly spruiking myself as an illustrator. I had a few nibbles but no bites, and burned some $$ in the mean time. Landing the first job seems to be a pretty difficult thing, regardless of how good looking your portfolio is! I may however have just been unlucky... or a bit slow to bid on jobs as they came up.
Good luck with your pursuits, and let us know how you go! :D
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