How to read a freelance posting in five minutes

A busy freelance week means reading dozens of postings. Most are wrong for you, and the cost is not the bad ones you reject, it is the good ones you skip because you were tired. A routine helps. This is the one we built into the Careers match, and you can use it with or without the app.

Minute one: the shape#

Before the stack, read the shape of the engagement.

• Duration and start. Six months from next month, or open-ended from yesterday?
• Hours. Full time, or thirty-two hours?
• Location and office days. Remote, hybrid, "three office days a week"? Careers reads phrases like "3 office days a week", "2 dagen per week op kantoor", "Büro 3 Tage" and "fully remote" from the text, so you do not have to hunt.
• Language. What language is the posting written in, and does it ask for one you do not work in?

If the shape does not fit, stop. The stack is irrelevant.

Minute two: the money#

Is there a rate? Many postings do not say. If it does, compare it with your floor, not with your average. If it does not, note that and decide whether you are willing to ask. Careers lets you set a rate floor for the morning digest, so postings that state a lower rate do not reach you.

Minutes three and four: requirements, in two piles#

Read the requirements and sort them into two piles: I can show this and I cannot show this yet. The word to notice is show. Not "I could learn it in a week" and not "I did something similar once". Show means you can name a role or a project where you used it.

• If the second pile is empty, you are a strong match. Apply.
• If it holds one or two items that are not the heart of the role, you are a reasonable match. Apply, and be ready to say how you would close the gap.
• If it holds the heart of the role, skip. This is not a failure, it is information.

This is exactly what the match in Careers shows: a covered list with the evidence, and a missing list that is never added to your CV.

Minute five: the client#

Who is posting? A direct client, an agency or a platform? An agency posting often hides the end client. Check the company, the contact and whether the posting is a real project or a talent-pool collection. A posting with a vague title, no duration and no named stack is often the latter.

What to do with the result#

Three outcomes:

1. Apply today. Tailor a CV to it and put the e-mail in your outbox.
2. Save for later. The posting goes into your pipeline with a stage, so you remember why.
3. Skip. Close the tab. Do not let a poor fit cost you more than five minutes.

A note on scoring#

A fit score is a shortcut for the two piles. Treat it as a way to order your reading, not as a verdict. The reasons next to the score are the useful part, because they tell you which pile each requirement went into.