Finding Contract Work Online Follow these five tips to make freelance bidding sites work for you.

Q: What are the pros and cons ofbidding for contract work on the web? I signed up on Guru.com and bid on 10jobs with no acceptances. Is there any hope?

A: Yes, there is hope of gettingwork on freelance bidding sites like Guru.com or Elance Online.Here are five ways to improve your chances of becoming a successfulbidder:

1. Make sure thebiographical profile you submit to a site like Elance Onlineor Guru.com reads well and has no typos or grammatical errors. Itshould show your background in the field; your education, trainingand credentials; the services you offer; and the range of yourrates. If you need help writing your profile, consider posting itas a job on one of the freelance boards for a writer to help you.You'll experience firsthand what it feels like to receive bids,and you'll see what impresses you about the bidders.