Hiring a freelance developer for a project can be a difficult process. There are many different aspects to consider: work style, personal idiosyncrasies, level of professionalism and skill set just to name a few. This being the case, I have decided to explain my own work style so prospective clients will know what to expect when hiring me as a freelance developer.
My Style
When undertaking a project, my initial priority is to fully understand the specific requirements; functionality, timeline, budget, client expectations, etc. Once all the requirements have been set, I will then begin the process of completing the project.
Communication: One aspect of my work style that I pride myself on is consistent communication throughout a project. Working as a telecommuting freelancer I feel it is my responsibility keep the client up-to-date on the status of the project and be able to answer any questions or concerns in a timely manner. It always surprises me when I am complemented on my communication because, as I said, I feel it is my responsibility.
Professionalism: Another vital asset of my work style is a high level of professionalism. Projects need to be completed on-time, communications need to be answered and the client must be able to contact me if a requirement has changed or a deadline needs to be adjusted.
Project Type
As my website states, I am a freelance web programmer – specializing in PHP & MySQL. I very much enjoy writing, testing and fixing code. The code I produce is a representation of myself therefore it needs to be professional; meaning it must be secure, efficient, and well documented.
Being a well rounded web developer means one must also know (among other things) (X)HTML and CSS. Although I am comfortable working with these languages, I am not a designer or a graphic artist. My abilities are more focused on the site functionality and back-end code. Looking at lines of code which have no display representation and having the ability to visualize the functionality happening as the interpreter parses it, I feel is one of my best assets.
Security Audits: When I began my IT career as a quality assurance specialist, it was my job to try to break applications in every way possible, sometimes this resulted in discovering ways of exploiting application security. As a natural progression, I became very interested in the security aspect of the web and was amazed at how many people were producing very insecure code. Seeing this as a deficiency in the web programming culture, I set out to learn as much as possible about web security and have continued this process throughout my career.
Maintenance Contracts: One thing that even other developers find odd is that I like fixing code. At times, determining what is causing a bug then fixing it can be more challenging than actually writing the functionality. There is a certain satisfaction in being able to fix an issue that others have struggled with.
Project Size
Like most freelancers, many of the projects I am hired to develop take one month or less to complete. Some of my most interesting projects have occurred when my main focus is to create or troubleshoot specific site functionality.
I believe small projects allow the developer and client to work together for a period of time in order to determine if their work styles are complimentary before heading into a lengthier working relationship.
Working on smaller projects also allows me to maintain flexibility in my schedule, which ensures that I do not have to turn away returning clients and I am always available to new clients.
What I expect from the client
I only expect a few things from the client, but they are very important.
Communication: As they say, communication is a two way street. I do not needlessly contact clients. I provide status reports and may have questions which need to be answered during the course of a project. If I am unable to have reliable communication, the entire project can be put in jeopardy.
Professionalism: I expect the client to be professional. This includes, but is not limited to: having clear goals, providing me with the information needed to complete the project, and prompt payment 
If after reading this you feel that your style and mine would be complimentary, please feel free to contact me.
