Xing launches marketplace for freelancers

Xing Projects is free of charge for freelancers, according to a statement. They benefit from new tenders every day, to which they can easily apply. Companies can also use the product free of charge until the middle of the year, after which a fee of 195 euros for 30 days will be charged for a tender. Xing Projects is available via the Xing main navigation and can be accessed directly by all members - without separate registration. Likewise, users who are not registered on Xing can also submit projects via Xing.com/projects and search them (at least that should be possible, according to the announcement). In addition, the entries can be found via online search engines such as Google.

Freelancers more in demand than ever in times of skills shortage

Thomas Vollmoeller, CEO of Xing: "We have companies on Xing that are groaning under the shortage of skilled workers. At the same time, Xing is the platform with the most freelance professionals in German-speaking countries, with more than 600,000 freelancers - such as software engineers, mechanical engineers and graphic designers. Since our core competence lies in connecting people, it was a logical step to build this marketplace and thus offer companies another way to find the right talent for upcoming projects."

During the beta phase, which lasted several months, around 100,000 freelancers and clients already used the new product. In the same period, a five-digit number of tenders were posted from a wide range of industries, such as IT, telecommunications, sales and engineering. The projects had an average duration of six months. An external survey conducted in September 2012 - i.e., during the beta phase - had the result that Xing was by far the most-used project exchange for freelancers, with 91 percent. The runner-up achieved a value of 31 percent.

Vollmoeller: "The response during the beta phase far exceeded our expectations. We are also very pleased that Xing already plays a central role in freelancer circles when it comes to acquiring jobs. We want to expand this further and become even more useful for our customers."

Xing Projects ensures transparency for freelancer and client

Xing Projects works very simply: The client describes his project and the skills he is looking for in the desired level of detail and then publishes the tender with one click. Xing immediately suggests suitable service providers. In addition, all members see the project and can apply. In return, potentially interesting projects are also displayed to the member on the basis of his or her profile details. The highlight: Since the project exchange is integrated into the Xing platform, both the client and the freelancer benefit from XING's social structure. As usual, both parties can use the Xing profiles to find out more about the potential new partner before the initial contact. Likewise, references can be obtained via the contacts available on XING, for example.

Xing Projects will gradually become available to all members during the course of today, Monday. In the coming months, the portal's functions will be expanded even further, integrated into other areas of Xing and displayed more prominently.