How to get your very first job as a freelancer?

I got my first job in May 2011. Getting a new job in freelance marketplace was not easy for me. After sign up on February 2011 I've to wait four months to get the first job. During my first four months I was so disappointed of not getting any interviews for the numerous jobs that I applied for. It was very discouraging and thought of quitting at oDesk. I decided not to quit but did a lot of things that brought me to where I am now and these are the thing that I want to share with my fellow newbies to wit:

1.  Change the title of your profile:

 I started my profile with the title Personal Assistant/Market Researcher/Technical Writer obviously it didn’t work for me since as mentioned I didn’t get a single interview for almost a month that I have been applying. I changed the title to Topnotch Researcher/Fast and Detail-oriented/Trustworthy. Why did I choose this title – if you may have noticed adjectives such as fast, detail-oriented, trustworthy/dependable are the most frequently mentioned qualities that any employers are looking for. If you were the employer would you not prefer a contractor with such qualities?

2.  Continue taking oDesk tests:

Being a newbie your job experience outside of oDesk is not attractive enough, prospective employers would want something more recent in your profile.
Likewise, being a newbie you got no feedback rating to speak of. Taking oDesk tests can spice up your profile. Even if you have already passed a particular test, retake it till you belong to at least top 20.

3.  Make an impressive cover letter:

Your cover letter is your forefront and very invaluable tool that will catch the attention of any prospective client. Address the posted specific job requirements of the employer in the first three lines of your cover letter – this will make him/her read through your entire cover letter. Never use a generic cover letter – smart employers are turned off when they see one and able to detect if it’s a generic cover letter.

4.  Narrow down your job applications to 2-3 job categories:

After signing up as oDesk contractor on February 2011 in my desire to get a job outright I applied to almost 8-10 job categories. I learned that it was not a good approach since I got declined most of the time. I guess you will agree with me that it’s not a good feeling that every time you sign in at oDesk what you see or get is a notification that your application was declined. Evaluate your skills, try to determine where you’re really good at and apply only to jobs where you honestly believe you are a good fit.

5. Give your best shot on your very first contract:

When I got my first contract I carefully read the job assignment and instructions, I read it several times and made sure that I understand it very well. I did not jump in and log in my hours right away at oDesk. I did some initial off-hours web research first to get an idea how to best approach the assignment. Only when I was confident enough that I can deliver the desired output of my employer only then that I started logging in my hours. I submitted a final report that included additional info which I believe is very relevant to the assignment which was probably missed out by my employer. The additional info made an impact to my employer. He gave me an outstanding rating of 5 and great commendations. Just two weeks after my first contract I got another one and also got a perfect feedback score of 5 and even received a bonus.

Finally I want to say try these tips and hope you will get your first job soon.
Best of luck.