Elance

https://www.elance.com
I used Elance when I first started freelancing, but I stopped because I liked oDesk better. Nevertheless, this is a great alternative, with a huge assortment of job postings for all sorts of freelancers. If you find that oDesk doesn’t tickle your fancy, definitely give this site a try.

How it works: Sign up for an account and complete your profile. When you have the basics in place, you can browse through jobs and bid how much money you could realistically do the project for. If you beat the other applicants, either in skills or in pricing, the client will choose to work with you. Payment and project completion are all done through Elance.

Do:

• Look at the average proposal bid, located above the applicant list on each job. This will help you gauge what you might want to bid.
• Complete your profile entirely. The more people can see about your work, the more likely they are to hire you.
• Communicate with your clients. You’ll see your messages on your homepage, so this should be easy to keep track of.
• Set up your payment account. Whether it’s PayPal, a bank, or something else, you’ll have to wait a few days to use it.

Don’t:

• Get intimidated by the average bids. If they seem low, you still might get the job because of your experience.
• Take on more than you can handle. Clients need to know they can trust you with deadlines, and one piece of feedback could be all she wrote for you.
• Forget to withdraw your money. It takes several days to process, so when it comes through, withdraw it.

Final takeaway: Even though I prefer oDesk over Elance, there are plenty of freelancers that think the opposite. It’s worth giving it a shot.