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7 Useful Tips to Win Your First oDesk Job

2012-06-24T22:26:00.003+06:00

Being new on oDesk can be tough for a professional. Without any feedback or past projects on your profile, clients don’t seem to want to hire you just yet.
They want talented, experienced, and knowledgeable freelancers – with at least 100 oDesk hours. Yikes! How will a newbie empty of these things be able to land their first job then?

Being a newbie freelancer myself, this is exactly what was on my mind when I only had a simple profile and a few of my past works. I knew I was facing a very tough competition, most of which are being driven by price. But I was determined to make my first break, and luckily I was successful.

So I know how you feel, faced with all these challenges and with no opportunity to prove yourself. To help you score your first job on oDesk, here are 7 tips that have worked for me, for many, and hopefully will work for you:

Review, edit, proofread, and finalize your oDesk profile. If you’re meticulous enough, it’ll probably take you an hour to do.
Make sure you have portfolio samples for every service you offer. Upload screenshots or PDFs of your work, link, and label them according to the service you specialize in. Make sure to write a short but detailed description for each.
Give yourself a title that best describes what you do. Simply calling yourself, “A Hardworking and Affordable Professional” with checks, diamonds, or heart symbols (seriously, who does that?) doesn’t say much about what you do. Clients may easily brush off your profile and look at more descriptive ones.
Choose job posts that are best suited for you. Your chances of winning a web design project is very slim if your only specialty is transcription or virtual assistance.
Customize, personalize, and proofread your cover letter before sending it off. Make sure you answer the client’s questions, address his concerns, and pitch yourself very well.
Choose a rate that’s reasonable, not the cheapest. Good clients usually avoid the lowest bidders, keeping in mind that “you get what you pay for”. Offer the most reasonable price for your services, but make sure it isn’t because you’re the cheapest in the roster.
Do your best and never give up. By putting your best foot forward in every interview, you’ll surely stand out from all the other applicants. If you get rejected, it’s okay. Give yourself a reassuring hug and continue applying for jobs, until such time that a good client decides to hire you for your first project.

Again, you’re not alone in this struggle for the big oDesk break. Thousands of contractors (including the big-time veterans) have been in your shoes before. If they can win their first and succeeding projects, then so can you.
What other useful and unique tips can you share to oDesk newbies reading this post? What particular tips worked for you when you were still looking for your first job?

7 Tips for oDesk Contractors Working on Fixed Price Jobs

2012-06-24T21:39:00.002+06:00

I may not be a staff member nor a veteran contractor on the site, but I do know about the issues regarding fixed price jobs on oDesk.
Some of these issues include no guarantee of payment, non-paying cheapskate employers, and that oDesk can’t really do much about these disputes.
It’s scary, it’s risky, but believe it or not there are positive points to working per project and it is possible to work on fixed price jobs and get paid successfully despite these unfortunate events.

A Never-Ending Battle for Fixed Price Fairness

I visit the oDesk community forums everyday and I see one thread, one comment posted after another, all of which consist of talking, ranting, wailing, and complaining about these same fixed price job issues.
Well, if voicing out these concerns won’t change the policies over this particular job nature, maybe a couple of good tips on how to successfully work and end a fixed price job WITH payment from the employer can remedy the problem for many oDesk contractors.

What is a Fixed Price Job?

The complete opposite to working hourly, a fixed price job is basically working on a per project or milestone basis.
For example, your client has 100 articles for you to do and he’s paying you $10 per article or he asks you to build a website and is willing to pay $400 per 20% completion. And as a contractor, you are expected to complete each phase of the project, may it be 20 articles per week or 20% in a week’s time.
On the other hand, your employer has the choice to either pay you by milestone, pay you after half of the work is completed, pay you till the entire project is done, or not pay you at all. The last choice is always the riskiest and contractors will have to decide whether to take them on or not.

The Reasons Behind This Big Fixed Price Issue

First things first, I wanted to know why oDesk offered these fixed price jobs, considering that a lot of contractors are complaining about them and the fact that there are no guarantees.
Here’s what I found:

Based on input from our Community, we believe there are several situations where fixed price makes sense. Employers may prefer fixed price when requirements are: 1) fixed and the project is small, and 2) short-term. Contractors may prefer fixed price when they want to offer employers a low-risk way to try their services. Many contractors new to oDesk and without feedback histories have expressed this view. They believe they are more productive than other contractors and able to earn a higher effective hourly rate by competing for fixed price jobs. We believe in offering choice, and so our Fixed Price option will allow employers and contractors to choose the approach that works best for their particular need.

The oDesk Blog also has a post that talks about working on fixed price jobs entitled Fixed Price Finesse: The Test Run, which includes essential tips for both employers and contractors when dealing with this type of job.

Why Won’t oDesk Guarantee Payment for Fixed Price Jobs?

I’m sure that after knowing that oDesk doesn’t guarantee payment for fixed priced, the first thing you’d ask is WHY. I myself wondered why they didn’t until I continued reading the thread that introduced this new job option for employers.
Because the work isn’t being monitored by the Work Diary, which is where the screenshots of the work will be displayed, the company can’t pay for the work. Because they do not see proof of the work, they’re not willing to guarantee payment for it.
Scrolling down and reading the comments, you’ll notice that the announcement received almost more than 20 very long negative responses about it. ”It contradicts oDesk’s core model”, “Employers are only going to benefit from this”, “We came to oDesk because of the guaranteed payment”, “Don’t allow fixed price jobs” are just a few of the comments and outcries coming from the contractors.
Thankfully, after a couple of months oDesk offered two new features to the fixed price job which are the upfront payment and the milestone payment.
The upfront payment basically requires employers to pay a certain amount before the work begins, while milestone payment refers to payments made after a particular phase of the project has been completed. These features were given for the contractor to take advantage of in order to protect themselves from scamming employers despite not being guaranteed of payment.

There’s No Point in Arguing About It

It’s 2010 already and the fixed price option is still there. And when you think about it, since it is still an option for employers then it must be working for a percentage of employers and contractors after all.
But there are stories, many stories, about contractors being scammed after being hired for fixed price work that are still flooding the community forums. Some of these contractors have complained about the employer running away with the work, not responding to their emails, blackmailing them to hand over the work or receive bad feedback, and many more.
In the end, it’s up to the contractor to decide what he should do to lower his chances of being scammed and to protect himself from getting stiffed again.

Tips for Contractors Working with Fixed Price Jobs

After providing two good sources of tips when taking on oDesk fixed price jobs, here are tips for contractors who plan on taking on fixed price but would like to protect themselves beforehand:

Read the job post. Whether you applied for it or the job was offered to you, analyze the job description, the budget, and the requirements of the job. If you believe your services to be too valuable to be spent on a $5 job that requires $100 worth of work, you can either negotiate with the employer or simply IGNORE the job post and move on to the better ones.
Take advantage of the interview process. If you think you can set the employer straight with his job requirements, do so during the interview phase of the process. Analyze through the employer’s messages if he or she is really a trustworthy person to work with. I’m sure any good quality contractor would be able to identify a bad apple when they see one.
Ask and clarify the terms of the job. Don’t hesitate to ask for more information about the employer, his company (if he runs one), his niche, and the like. Also, don’t hesitate to clarify and dictate terms that you would like to implement beforehand such as a 25% upfront payment, 25% payments in milestones, or anything of the sort. To put it simply, don’t be afraid to tell your client what you expect from him and what you would like him to expect from you.
Don’t use your newbie status as a reason. Being a newbie on oDesk doesn’t count as a good excuse to step down and be blind to the red flags waving at you. You may be a newbie on oDesk, but you are still a professional selling your services to clients.
Never give up. If your terms and expectations are scaring employers away, don’t give up. Always remember that there are many employers out there who can be trusted and understanding, especially if you are patient, polite, and professional enough to explain to him why you would like a 25% to 50% upfront payment for the work.
Update your employer regularly. Let him know how the work is doing, if payment for phase 2 of the project is due for payment, if he is available, or even just say hello. Keeping your employer informed and letting him know that he has a project being done will more or less determine if a employer is reliable, communicative, trustworthy or not. Interviews are just part 1. This is part 2.
If the work is completed, ask the employer when he is available to go online and view the work. Though it is no guarantee that the employer will pay, doing this will assure you that he will be online to take a look at the work, provide feedback and suggestions, which will allow you to work on those changes immediately. This practice also shows that you are available, are open to changes and suggestions, and are willing to work with him in making the final product excellent.

Do you take on fixed price jobs? What are your strategies to avoid getting scammed by your employer?

Odesk Everyday…Practical Tips

2012-06-24T21:09:00.000+06:00

Working from home as an oDesk freelancer is an absolute dream. You set your own schedule – work as much or as little as you want – choose only the jobs you enjoy and basically have total control over your freedom and finances.
However, sometimes we get so caught up in all the projects we’re juggling, that when everyday distractions start breeding, we can get very irritated and completely thrown off track. And for good reason.
The general population that works outside the home can have their distractions, but for the most part…they’re left alone to focus and do their job.
Sometimes when working at home…it’s not that easy.
For example: Unless you take your phone off the hook, it will ring. Whether it be a family member or friend or those irritating telemarketing calls. But it’s just enough to put a damper on your creativity and focus even for a few seconds.
We all want to succeed in our freelancing careers. We all need to make the best out of our environment and working conditions.

Odesk Tips

Below are 3 important practical Odesk tips to apply while working in your home office that should make your day go a little bit smoother and a whole lot more productive.

1) Set your hours and keep them. This can be somewhat challenging and easier said than done. Our flexibility is what seems to draw our friends and family members to call or stop by unannounced. Just this week, I had a friend phone me twice wanting to go walking in the park – my Mother doesn’t drive so she called wanting me to drop off a book of stamps – my Husband needed help packing for a hunting trip and my niece needs help with a book report that has to be done in 2 days.
So…hello people! I’m working…
Let them know, this is when you’re working and to call you after hours.
I’m an early bird, so my best time to work is your usual 8am-5pm day job. As hard as it is to say NO…I really have got to stick with my schedule if I want to be productive.
Let all friends and family know you can’t be disturbed unless of course it’s an emergency between (in my case) 8-12…1-5…period. If I was working outside the home, I’d rarely get interrupted.
If you start to deviate from your schedule, others will think this is acceptable all the time.
My recommendation? Don’t start it if at all possible.

2) Eliminate distractions. One thing I didn’t have for a long time was a door to close off my home office. The dog would trample around, chewing on her bone and anyone that came to my door could see in and know that I was home.
Close off your office. Hang a sign on the door if you have to; Do Not Disturb.
Another distraction is the TV – radio or music playing. Now some people enjoy a little background sound which is fine. A little soft music(or loud) whichever helps you concentrate. Everyone is different. But if you do find these devices distracting, shut them all off.

3) Get yourself comfortable. If you’re not sitting in a comfortable position or a great chair, chances are you’ll be distracted. Constantly squirming – moving your chair up or down – back and forth just trying to be content, typing away on your keyboard or doing whatever your skill is.
Invest in a good, comfortable chair.
Same goes for your desk. Make sure you have it set up that you’ll know where everything is. From pens and pencils to all the notes you’ll need to be productive. Whether your work space is large or small, set it up for you. Set it…then forget it.
You might think these Odesk tips are “common sense” and yes they are. However, you wouldn’t believe the amount of chatter I’ve heard about being comfortable while working at home.

4) Dress for comfort or professionalism. Here’s one you might think is a little off, but I still want to throw it out there…
Many people who freelance from home love to work in either their pajamas or sweats and t-shirts. If you’re comfortable…go for it. But sometimes, dressing up – putting on that nice pair of pants and shirt or your favorite dress may boost your professionalism and confidence. Do this if you have an interview on the telephone – webcam – or chatting on Skype. When you’re dressed professionally, it will definitely come across either through your voice or posture. You feel good, you feel confident and professional and it will give you an edge. I know…you’re thinking that sounds silly, but try it before you knock it. It just may surprise you.
These 3 practical Odesk tips are really just the tip of the iceberg when working from home, facing elements you may not encounter in a regular office. However, these should get you thinking on ways to give you an edge and become even more productive than you already are!
Let me know what you do to beat distractions. I’d love to hear them!

oDesk… Scam Or Not?

2012-06-24T21:07:00.000+06:00

All you have to do is type in Google the words “oDesk Scam” and you’ll have a parade of articles – blog posts and forum discussions on this very issue.

I’ve read many of the so called “oDesk Scam” posts and what seems to jump out at me is that all these oDesk scams have one thing in common… It’s not the oDesk website itself that is a scam, but the employers and contractors taking advantage of each other is where the scam lies and has seemed to originate from.
Like any other Internet service today, for every honest, professional person trying to make a decent living, there are many thugs just waiting in the wings to take people’s money unethically. Unfortunately, that’s our society we live in.

Is oDesk a Scam?

From my experience, oDesk itself is NOT a scam. Here’s why I think that…
oDesk has grown exponentially in the past couple of years, with thousands of employers – contractors and job postings. Every company growing at such a speed will encounter growing pains, while problems will arise that need tended too.
oDesk is bound to bring in idiots on both sides, as well as sites like Elance, Freelancers and other online marketplaces. (Type them in Google to see for yourself) Believe me, they all have this same problem from time to time.
However, when I was sifting through the oDesk scam forum posts, I did see some that some generated a direct response from oDesk, taking into consideration the specific issue that a contractor or employer was complaining about. The response either explained it or the person was reassured that steps would be taken to look into it. That’s a great step in the right direction; listening to both party’s concerns and making adjustments to try and resolve them.
Another thing to keep in mind is that just like in other companies…anywhere, you’ll have disgruntled employees – bosses – managers etc.. oDesk is no different. What’s happening is that the employers and contractors both feel like they’ve been duped for whatever reason. Now I’m not saying all the time, however some of the posts were just people complaining about the actual work from one side or the other.
So it’s not the oDesk website that’s a scam…it’s the people using it.
With our world evolving at a lightning speed, I think both employers and contractors do not take the time, serious time, to read and learn all the rules and procedures that oDesk puts out there. This is a must if you really want to safeguard yourself. I know for myself- it’s hard to go through all the information and completely understand it all. But that’s why it’s there.
But guess who does take serious time to read through it all?
oDesk scammers. You betcha they read through every rule – regulation – procedure and find all the teeny-tiny holes they can blow wide open to make themselves a pile of money…your money. They bank on you not knowing what you’re doing. And it works…
In closing;
I hope to continue to see that oDesk is taking an active approach to secure their employers and contractor’s positive online experience. I for one have had great success on oDesk But I have to say, I’ve encountered a couple of “shady” employers myself. And I’m as equally sure that oDesk scammers will continue to scour the oDesk website – finding new ways to beat it…beat you.
My motto? Screw me once, shame on you. Screw me twice…shame on me!
So if you still think oDesk is a scam, you have the option to report that abuse. But make sure you are not convicting the actual website if you’ve had a specific – unethical incident either as an employer or a contractor. I think it’s time to get the word out about the real oDesk scammers and expose them for who they really are and give the oDesk website a break to work it all out.
What say you? Leave a comment…

3 oDesk Challenges and Tips to Resolve Them

2012-06-24T21:05:00.004+06:00

Now, although freelancing is a great way of earning great income, as with all things there are pitfalls you need to be mindful of.
These issues I’m about to bring up may sound like things you’ve encountered in your work-place before, but be warned that they can cause you untold problems and unnecessary stress.

Challenge #1 – The vague request. The customer tells you to write a couple of articles for him in a general topic, say stress. Now, there are tons of things you can write about, but thanks to the fact that he wasn’t very specific, you end up writing loads of stress-related articles for him, and he ends up throwing half of them away, saying it’s not what he wanted…
Wouldn’t it have been better if you made sure he was more specific about his requests first?
Tip: Always, always make sure you know exactly what the requirements are on any job posting you’ve accepted. If you are not totally clear, ask. Make sure you understand in totality what the employer is looking for. Ask if they have a certain angle they want you to follow or if they’re not sure, you can throw suggestions into the mix.

Challenge #2 – Payment. We all know that there are nice customers and there are customers from the pit of hell. Imagine not getting paid after loads of time and effort put into a project.
Tip: Try using an external e-commerce service. The gentleman’s agreement is nice but I wouldn’t recommend it. There are many so called “spammers” out there just lining up to take advantage of you. Just make sure if you are working on a “fixed” project that you ask for some kind of payment up-front. If the employer is legitimate, that shouldn’t be a problem.

Challenge #3 – Project workload. You may attempt to take on almost every project you can get your hands on, but that’s not the way to work. In fact, you’ll be hard pressed for time, delay other clients and everyone is extremely unhappy.
Tip: Create a sort of schedule system and be prepared to reject 1 or 2 projects. After all, your reputation is at stake and if you can’t finish your work or make a mess out of it, news will travel fast. I know the money you make is your livelihood. However, you can’t be so bogged down that deadlines are missed or your work starts to reflect less than what you know you can deliver.
At the end of the day, be streetwise in your dealings, because not every situation is gonna be a nice one. Handle them one at a time. Ask lots of questions and get feedback from your employer before you start any project.
After all, this is YOUR freelancing business. Treat it as such.

oDesk Jobs: Tips For Contractors From the “Employer’s” View

2012-06-24T21:04:00.001+06:00

If you’re at all totally serious of creating a lucrative career in freelancing, oDesk is the right place to market your services. There are numerous oDesk jobs to choose from in many industries and the demand only continues to rise.

As companies lay off more and more people, outsourcing their work projects has become the new “get-the-job-done”
trend for the future. And while there are many other outsourcing marketplaces like Elance, Freelancers, Guru etc., oDesk seems to be sweeping over the market. Real people – real jobs – real money to be made. Simply put…oDesk jobs are booming. While applying for any one of the oDesk jobs currently available, there are many things to take into consideration; from searching the jobs listed that fit your skill set – too choosing the oDesk jobs that fit your wage requirements – too accepting the jobs that you approve.
I started my career on oDesk back in July, 2010 and have been quite successful; not that I didn’t make my share of mistakes while learning the entire process. Reading through all the rules, guidelines and procedures isn’t the easiest undertaking. It’s all very time consuming, time being taken away from actually making money.
But through trial and error, I have learned quite a bit and turned my mistakes into a positive experience. I think what so many Freelancers are up against is to work enough to make a good living. It’s our bread and butter. However, I feel there is enough work for those of us who want to excel and work on a continuous basis.
I’d like to start by having you keep in mind something that many contractors do not take into consideration…the “employer.”
Now this probably stems from my years of Internet marketing, however, it applies here on oDesk as well. What I’d like to share with you, as an oDesk contractor, are tips on applying the mindset of the employer. Try looking at the process of searching and hiring that perfect contractor for the job from their point of view.
Many employers have had nightmares working with different outsourcing marketplaces. It’s reality and it does happen. Many employers have hired freelancing contractors only to be mislead, deadlines missed, lack of communication and well, just flat out left high and dry.
Employers consider their time very valuable as do us contractors. So too lose a great deal amount of time plus, hundreds of dollars working with an unprofessional, incompetent or unreliable freelance contractors, no wonder they become skeptical, frustrated and rather demanding at times.
So when you’re invited for an interview – hired – working on an oDesk job and finally completing it, just remember to treat your employer with respect, be honest and deliver only the best.
Don’t you want to be treated in the same fashion? Of course you do!

Odesk Jobs Tips from Employer’s Point of View

1) Your oDesk Overview:

The “overview” is one of the first elements that the employer looks at that creates their first impression of you. Make sure it’s clear and concise, only relaying your expertise. You don’t need to go on and on about unrelated stuff. Never use slang or talk like you’re chatting with your best buds.
Also, have a professional picture on your site. Employers love to put a face to the person they’re looking to hire. The employer should be able to see who you are, read about your unique skills and know in a matter of minutes if you’re a candidate for a specific job. This makes the employer’s life so much easier when choosing contractors.

2) Your oDesk Cover Letter:

One of the biggest irritations employers have is that the contractors who bid on their projects don’t read the job requirements carefully. Many times, they get a numerous amount of contractors to apply however, not all them have the skills required. So in turn, they spend an unnecessary amount of time shuffling through all the applications instead of focusing on the ones that meet the job criteria that they took the time to specify. Don’t be all things to all employers. It’s best to stick to what you do best and apply for those jobs only.
Note: If there is a project you would really like to apply for but you don’t meet all the requirements, go ahead and send a letter but be honest and let the employer know that. I’ve actually applied for a couple of jobs that read “beginners welcomed.”
For ex: This employer wanted to hire a copy writer to tell her family story and would look at beginner’s apps also. Now that was something I’d never done, but it looked very interesting to me. So I applied, letting her know up front I had no experience with that kind of writing.
She was very professional – asked me some questions, but in the end, I didn’t get the job but it never hurts to try. You just never know.
Another thing never to do is “copy and paste” the content of your letter. Employers can usually tell you didn’t take the time to give even the slightest thought to their project. Make it unique as the job. Sending a generic cover letter to all employers will get you nowhere fast.

3) Your oDesk Interview:

You should always follow the code of conduct which is “The 4 P’s;
Prompt
Employers hate to wait. They’re busy. Always be prompt whether you’re emailing – talking over the Internet or being interviewed on the telephone. You have set a specific time…make sure you show up. If for some reason you can’t make it at that designated time, let the employer know as soon as you can.
Polite
Always, always be polite. This is just a common sense standard. No slang, no swearing and remember…don’t go overboard either. Being overly polite will only make you look like a rear-end kisser to be quite frank.
Professional
Being professional goes a very long way. It shows you have class – you’re respectful and you care about your work ethic and others. And I’m not saying that you have to act like a stick in the mud. You can show the employer your personality while still being professional. Nobody wants to work with someone who walks around with a chip on their shoulder…mistaking this as professionalism. Just be yourself. You’re different from any other contractor, so why not show it?
Prepared
Employers love an applicant who is prepared. One thing you can do is stop whatever you’re doing an hour before the interview to clear your mind. Let your friends and family members know you can’t be disturbed at the time of the interview.
Provide additional information if asked and you too can ask questions about certain things. Don’t be afraid to do that. This shows the employer that you have a stake in this project by wanting to know more about it or to clear up something you don’t understand. Believe me, employers really appreciate that.
You can bring notes to remember anything you want to ask and also double check your portfolio just in case the employer refers to it. Also, if you are discussing the estimated cost, don’t undercut yourself. Believe in yourself and your skill-set.
By dropping your hourly rate or wage down too far, it may reveal to the employer that you’re not as good as you first came across. But having a little wiggle room will show the employer your flexibility which can be a good thing.

oDesk Jobs Conclusion:

By always keeping the employer’s point of view in the back of your mind, it will surely be noticed. Whether your just emailing or completing the job, the employer will recognize you’re going the extra mile to make their experience a whole lot easier and pleasant. And by being that kind of contractor, your feedback will be great and chances are, that employer will think of you first the next time they’re looking to hire.

How to Write A Great Cover Letter on Odesk

2012-06-23T22:48:00.001+06:00

The cover letter is a brief introduction that accompanies your job application. It’s your chance to express your interest in the job and explain why you are the right person to hire. Employers tell us that the cover letter plays a big role in their hiring decisions.
Here is how an employer sees your job application. Notice how job candidates (you!) are listed.
When the employer hovers over your name and job application, he can see the first paragraph of your cover letter for his particular job, without leaving the list of candidates. Make sure that those first few lines capture his attention and demonstrate your enthusiasm and excellent fit for his job.

What your cover letter should do:

Introduce yourself and express interest in the job.
Briefly state why you are a good candidate. Focus on your most relevant experience, specific skills and portfolio items.
Indicate when you’d be available to discuss the job and to start. Don’t include contact info – wait for the employer to request an interview.
Include any specific information the employer requested in their job posting. This will show a potential employer that you read the job posting fully and considered it carefully before applying.

Cover letter basics:

Keep the letter to 300 words or less.
Use spell-check and ask a friend with good spelling and grammar skills to review it before submitting.
Do not use a generic template: If the letter isn’t written specifically for the job, the employer will likely ignore you in favor of contractors who took the time to write a customized cover letter for the position.

Instructions

- 1
  
  First impressions are huge! Before concentrating on your cover letter, be sure your profile title is eye-catching and relevant. It's not a good idea to put something like "Stay at Home mom seeking freelance work!" but a great idea to put "Transcription/Data Entry/90WPM/Reliable!" This is a great way to showcase your skills before anyone opens up your profile and cover letter.
- 2
  
  Keep the "meat" relevant! Discuss your interest in the job, why you are a perfect fit for it, and include any additional questions you may have about the position. Also, be sure you have a portfolio or some samples of your work, either on or off the oDesk site, so that buyers can look into your abilities before they even have a chance to talk to you.
- 3
  
  When you say you're available, be sure you really are. It's not a good idea to apply for numerous jobs saying your available, only to be hired for five jobs wanting a one day turnaround--you'll get yourself in a bind really fast!
- 4
  
  Attach files. Include any portfolio or samples you may have from previous jobs or experiences, if they are not already included in your oDesk samples on your profile.
- 5
  
  Read and REREAD the requirements. It's a waste of your time, and the buyer's, if you are applying for a job that does not meet their requirements. For example, if they are looking to hire someone for a transcription job at $8 an hour, don't apply if you have a strict $20 hourly fee. Or if they say they want someone with over 100 hours of oDesk hours, don't apply if you're new. It's a simple, silly thing to remind people of this, but you'd be surprised how many people will apply anyway.

Tips & Warnings

Check your spelling, grammar, and double-check any URL links that are included to make sure they are functioning and presentable.
Give other contact information if you're willing to be contacted outside of the oDesk program, such as website, email address, or instant messenger screennames.
Before you start your cover letter, look at the other providers that have applied and see what their strengths and weaknesses are. In your cover letter, show that you've done your research and give reasons why you would be better than the other providers posting applications.
Do not copy/paste from a previous job cover letter. This is not only tacky and unprofessional, but also mistakes can be made--for example, if the last job was logo design and this one is transcription, the buyer is not going to be interested in your Photoshop skills but rather your typing speed. Mistakes happen, and in addition, everyone loves a custom-written cover letter!

oDesk vs Elance: Comprehensive Guide

2012-06-23T22:38:00.000+06:00

oDesk vs Elance is an important question to ask because they are two of the biggest freelance marketplaces online today. If you want to start your freelancing career, both oDesk and Elance are good places to start because they have a good supply of employers looking to hire you. In the long term, however, you would probably be better off searching for projects by yourself. However, when you are starting out, an established platform definitely helps.
Elance is older, but oDesk is faster growing. They both have their own strengths and weaknesses. As a freelancer, you should be able to choose the site that better suits your needs. Ultimately, you want to earn more money, in a consistent manner and get paid as high as possible for your skills. With this in mind, lets look at oDesk and Elance and evaluate them based on different aspects of a freelancing site.

I wouldn’t suggest joining all the freelancing sites at once simply because it can overwhelm you. I would suggest being active on one of them. Another important reason to concentrate on one of them is the feedback system – if you have excellent feedback on one of them, you will still need to start over at the other, which would be equivalent to underselling yourself.
oDesk vs Elance: Quality of Job Postings
Quality of job postings is a very important aspect of any freelancing marketplace. No one wants to work on crappy assignments with low pay. In terms of overall quality, Elance beats oDesk in almost all cases. oDesk has seen a drop in quality job openings and this decline has been consistent. Of course this is a very general trend I am talking about – there could be certain types of jobs where the quality is getting better. Unfortunately a criteria such as this one is hard to quantify.
If you look at major players and small businesses, they seem to prefer Elance. These bigger companies are more likely to look for better quality providers and also willing to pay more. If you own a small business generating a million dollars and looking to post freelance projects, chances are, you will go for Elance. I think the main reason is because it is old and has some good freelancers working on the site for a long time.
Of course on the flip side, if you are just getting started, I think it might be easier to break into oDesk. More on that later.
oDesk vs Elance: Fees
Freelancing sites like Elance or oDesk charge you money for using their services. These are usually not a one time charge but you need to give up a percentage of your income. This is unlike a jobs board, for example, where you pay a flat rate to get access to all the jobs. Fees can actually be a very significant part of what you earn, especially if you are looking to get into freelancing more seriously.
oDesk has a flat fee structure: you pay 10% of your gross income as fees. Thus if the employer pays you $100, you end up with $90. However, the good thing with oDesk is that there is no fees to join. There is no concept of premium memberships at the site. Therefore if all you are looking to do is play around and take a look at how things are, you might find this attractive.
Elance has a more complex fee structure. From their website,the per assignment fees are 8.75% for standard Service Fee for relationships less than $10,000 and 6.75% discounted Service Fee for relationships that exceed $10,000 and new relationships referred to Elance. Then there is membership fees. Individual membership is $10/month for premium membership. There are other levels for small and large businesses. There is also a free membership level but is very restrictive in terms of what you can do.
oDesk vs Elance: Payments and Protection
Of course at the end of the day you want to get paid. Both Elance and oDesk have systems in place which ensure that buyers pay freelancers. However, they go about it in very different ways.
At Elance, there is the concept of Escrow payments – the buyer puts aside money for the project with Elance and Elance releases it when the job is completed. If there is a dispute, Elance will not release the funds, so freelancers cannot ‘take the money and run’. This is quite a reasonable system and helps protect both buyers and sellers.
oDesk on the other hand has a payment guarantee for hourly assignments. oDesk monitors workers through screenshots, keystrokes and mouse clicks (more on this later) and above a minimum threshold of activity, oDesk will guarantee that the freelancer will be paid. However, on fixed price assignments, there is no system of escrow payments. Most buyers will not pay a percentage of assignment in advance. This means freelancers are at risk and if the buyer is dishonest, they lose out. Fixed price assignments inherently make more sense for many types of projects and it is a pity that they are not protected better.
oDesk vs Elance: Privacy
Elance wins hands-down. This is a no brainer. oDesk has the policy with hourly assignments where you have to install a software that takes screenshots of your screen at random intervals and sends it to the employer, making sure that you are working on the project at hand. In addition, the software collects keyboard strokes and mouse click information. This is an extremely intrusive method of monitoring workers and frankly doesn’t even make a lot of sense. Did anyone hear about “thinking” while doing a job? Needless to say, this is still a controversial thing.
I know a lot of freelancers don’t like to be monitored like lab rats every waking hour of their life when they are working. After all, as long as they get the job done, they are entitled to some time off while working too. No company in the world monitors workers in this fashion anyway.
oDesk vs Elance: Feedback System
Feedback is an integral part of any freelancing marketplace because it distinguishes the good workers from the bad. It is also a good way to establish trust with future potential employers.
oDesk feedback seems a little more transparent and truer. Most good workers at Elance seem to have a 5 or near 5 rating. Even though many at oDesk do that too, there is a better differential. This differential is important, after all, if you want to distinguish yourself, which is the very purpose of feedback to begin with. If everyone is a 5 star, there is nothing you gain by being one yourself.
oDesk vs Elance: Customer Service
Both Elance and oDesk have good customer service. This is an important aspect because the sites handle all the administrative tasks for freelancers, like getting paid, invoicing, money transfers, etc. I tend to like oDesk customer service more than Elance. I think they are more prompt with their replies and provide good solutions to your problems. both sites have a good amount of information in their help pages, so you can find most answers there. Again, I tend to like oDesk help pages more.
In addition, oDesk has a whole Community – forums, which can be immensely useful for freelancers and employers looking for solutions or voicing their complaints or ideas. This is a great feature to have and can be very helpful especially to the people new to the site.
Know more about these by visiting Elance and oDesk and comparing them yourself. I hope this review was useful. Feel free to drop a line in the comments and share your experience with others, so we can all benefit.

Top Tips to Get More YouTube Views and Subscribers.

2012-05-29T18:24:00.000+06:00

In this article you will be learning loads of tips and tricks to help maximize your YouTube Views and Subscribers. All the tips and tricks have worked for me and for many people. They are easy to follow and i hope it helps!

Titles

Video titles are a major part of your video mainly for the reason that the user on YouTube will be browsing around and....they see a eye catching Title! So they click on it, and give the video an extra view. And that could be your video.
When you are choosing a Title for your video, add words like, EXCLUSIVE or Leaked Video! To the start of your Title to atract someone to read the rest of the title. Then include a 1 or 3 word description of your video, remember not to make it to long, otherwise viewers don't bother reading it all and don't click. e.g if i had a video of Me showing you a Magic Trick, id put in the Title: EXCLUSIVE! Rare Magic Trick! A Must See! Your video would get many more views than just: my trick. So it is important that you add 1-3 keywords in your title. Make the title look professional, by using caps at the start of a word.

Descriptions

Descriptions are very important to because they give the user information about your video. You have to place an accurate description about your video to maximize views. You can place your link in the description which can get you more traffic to your site! Users can read the description of your video before hand so don't fill it with spam and make it short but descriptive! Just make sure you are describing your video, thats what its there for. Keywords Keywords are the bigest part of your video! They are what keywords your videos relate to, so that when someone searches something, if any of the words they searched are in your video keywords then your video will show up in the search! So put down as many descriptive keywords as you can driving as much viewers as you can. You need to make sure you are using the correct keywords..it doenst help by putting wrong or explicit keyword ! Dont cheat your viewers! There are many tools that can help you decide your keywords, "Google Suggest" gives you keywords when you start typing. Another tool is in Adwords, you fill in the search e.g "football" and it will come up with loads of related keywords for you to use. Use phrases and words.

Thumbnails

Thumbnails are another part of your video that attracts viewers because it shows a snapshot of your video at exactly half way through the video. So you need to edit the image at exactly half way through your video and use a better quality image, or can choose between 3 thumbnails through youtube by going onto your video and clicking edit video. The thumbnail image of your video is what alot of people look at when searching for videos, so make sure when you are editing a picture to put halfway that you make it relate to your video as much as possible. E.g if i made a video about me crashing into a wall, then i would take a snapshot of me hitting the wall and edit half way.

Quality of Video

The quality is very important, because the simple fact, if your video is terrible quality knowone likes your video! But if its brilliant quality people keep watching and most likely send it to a friend attracting MORE viewers...note: you can add &fmt=18 to the end of ANY video url to make it better quality, you may want to put this in your video description if your quality is bad. Make sure that the quality of whats in the video is good as well, make the video short and attractive, don't make a long 5.00 minute video because people cant be bothered to watch it. It needs to be quick and have action.

YouTube Friends

YouTube Friends can get your more viewers and subscribers on your videos, AND getting them to come back! All you need to do is go around adding as many Friends as you can. And eventually you will get loads of friends! You may ask whats the point in this? Well most people when they get sent a Friend Request they go to the user and check out there videos and usually subscribe as well! The more people you add the more views and subscribers you get! When you get alot of friends you can "Share" your video or videos to them and get lots more views! So far i have made 26,000 friends from adding about 20-50 friends a day. And it certainly worked for me! As soon as i started adding more friends i got subscribers more video views. And when you have alot of friends, people that visit your "channel" see that you have alot of friends and add you as a friend. Im not sure why they do this but trust me they do! I get up to 100 requests every day.

Subscribers

Now if you are looking for more subscribers, all you need to do it basically the above! The main reason why popular people have alot of subscribers is because there videos are funny and great quality. It takes time to get views and subscribers. When i first started YouTube for a whole year my videos where on 15-200 views each and i had about 10-26 subscribers. But eventually i made more subscribers and more views. And now i have in total 734,029 video views, and 14,381 subscribers. So the key to subscribers is regular videos and good quality video's with entertaining content. Finding it hard to get subscribers? You can buy youtube views and subscribers on various websites, I recommend MoreTubeViews.com

Conclusion

Finally i want to thank you for taking the time to read my article. I hope some of the tips will help you out in becoming more successful on YouTube. I want to end the article by telling you about MoreTubeViews.com. This website is a fantastic example of the various websites out there on the internet offering youtube views, ratings, subscribers, comments and all sorts for a small price. Many people are unsure about paying for views and other services, but let me tell you now, it is definitely worth it. Trust me, I used to try and get my videos popular without using these websites, however it takes so much time and effort which could be used for something else more useful! They just help you out so much and they are really worth it, ever since i have been using them my channel has grown and grown and now has over 10,000 subscribers, so i would say i am a success, but only from using these sites where you can buy youtube views. Lastly, I want to ask you to share this article with your friends, bookmark it or do whatever you can to help me out in helping others with this article.

Be an individual to really earn some money online

2012-05-28T20:42:00.000+06:00

Ok so you want to learn how to make some money online but the start everything can seem pretty confusing right? Youve got a million and 1 bloggers all telling you that they have a new method that know-one has ever thought of and it can be yours for just £99, sound familiar? So i suppose the first thing you have to ask when you read these people is:

“If your making millions from this system then why do you need to sell it on the internet”

Its a good question and one that most people hawking these products wont have a serious answer for. I suppose at the same time there are enough people willing to ignore common sense and buy these ebooks or whatever it is in the hope that it could be the solution to all of their financial problems. Now i know its always good to be optimistic in life but you have to be a realist too! The most important thing to remember is that with any “system” the more people using it inevitably the less money is available for everyone. It just stands to reason as the minute a market gets saturated prices go down.

With this in mind i really don’t think there is any such thing as a “get rich quick” scheme because as far as i can see the only people who could possibly get rich are the ones running it. On the whole the people who really make it in the “make money online” niche are those who strike out on their own to earn a living. Now this doesn’t mean they have to come up with some revolutionary idea every day. Quite often the most successful money making ideas are just variations on other people’s ideas with a different spin etc. Also quite often it can just be that this individual puts alot more effort (and sometimes money) into making the process work, motivation can be huge and not just on the internet business world but everywhere.

One of biggest problems people have with Google and other search engines is that they don’t actually say how they work. For some people this is a problem as they want a nice safe system that they can follow but this is never going to be the case with SEO or even PPC, there is just too much money at stake and too much competition. Indeed even within the internet money making world people don’t share “real” information that often, after all would you give a competitor information that could ultimately lead to you making less money? I didn’t think so! So there you have it a little “reality check” for some who think they can just buy the latest ebook and get rich online in a fortnight!

What is the “Key” to earning money with the net? Do you have it?

2012-05-28T20:28:00.003+06:00

So how to you work out if you’re on the right path to making money online or another road to ruin? One of the easiest ways to tell is by asking yourself if this method even makes sense to you and/or other people? It’s not an easy question to ask, especially if you have already invested a lot of time and money into this system. Some people don’t know when to quit and others can’t get started.

One thing I do feel has been key to my success and made it possible for me to consistently earn good money online is perseverance. I once heard the phrase

“Brute force beats perfect understanding every time”

And it more or less describes my entire internet philosophy when it comes to building websites and making a living as its been as much the failures as the successes that have helped me to learn this whole industry. What it means is that you get to a point where you just have to dive in and see what happens when you test things. Google is one big puzzle and the only way to find out how it really works is to build something. So many people want the perfect formula before they start so they have no possibility of failure but starting with that attitude more or less guarantees one result (and it’s not a good one).

One thing you also bear in mind that despite what you may think internet businesses do not have overnight success any more than any other business. While yes you can get massive amounts of traffic and hype to your website overnight, this will never or very rarely convert into instant money. Remember traffic and visitors do not always = money, just look at YouTube and Twitter, millions of visitors every day and they still can’t make a profit. Remember quality beats quantity every time, don’t chase a market/visitors that you can never turn into hard ££££.

One mistake that I see people making all the time when trying to earn money is to start a website about something they love without researching the market properly to see if the money is actually there. Yes you may have a passion for purple slippers with glitter but how many other people do? How many of them are searching for this every day on Google? How many of these people can you convert into sales and £££?

Ok so far you may be thinking this post is all negativity about the pitfalls about a career on the internet and there are so many mistakes you can make when you start but the truth is that many of them can be overcome with hard work and perseverance. This also brings me to another very important point about online marketing and that is that you really have to have an interest in it at some level to really achieve success. I was actually explaining to a friend of mine who also wants to get into this business that you really have to have an interest in it if you’re going to have any kind of success. He said:

“Im interested in making money, does that count?”

The thing is I told him, you won’t always be making money so how will you stay motivated at these times (especially the start). You see I don’t think you have to be a genius to earn money but like most things I think hard work (and a little bit of luck) are what really makes the difference. So until next time….

The skills required to be a great webmaster

2012-05-28T19:29:00.003+06:00

So building a website is no longer the great mystery that it used to be, but there’s a difference between building a website and building a website that’s successful and makes money. To me it’s a complete package of skills and you’re only going to be successful if you master (at least in part) all of them. Here’s a rundown of what I think it takes:

Some technical knowledge. Note I’m only saying some because you don’t really need to be able to program to build a website, most out of the box platforms look great from the start e.g wordpress, but it is handy to know a little html.
Design know-how. Again I’m not really talking about this from a technical point of view, just from the viewpoint that you know what looks good and what doesn’t. Having an eye for creating something that people find easy to use is also very important.
Marketing. Probably the most important factor and worthy of more than just a paragraph here. However you really have to know what you’re doing here if you’re investing money into the business, the only real way to learn is to practice so it’s best to start with a small project/site before going crazy.
Perseverance. Also very important and actually the one that causes the most failures. It can take much longer that you expect to create a successful site so how are you going to keep going? Also what if it fails completely, do you have the willpower to start again, most people don’t.
Analysation. Fancy word but all it means is the ability to figure out what’s working/not working for your site and why. This could be anything from what your seo efforts are not successful to why visitors aren’t converting into sales. It’s that ability to interpret stats into action and to adapt what you’re doing that separates great webmasters from the rest.

Five points seems a bit sparse for what can be a huge process, still you always need a base to start from so I hope it helps. Part of the problem I’m finding with trying to document a lot of this website building process is there’s just too much to cover, plus the fact that everyone has their own process for doing things and overloading people with too much info could do more harm than good! Still I hope the tips above help if you’re thinking about starting a site.

Earning money in 2012

2012-05-28T18:58:00.001+06:00

I bet there’s lots of you who are looking for ways to earn money in the new year, there’s so many online opportunities available but which ones really deliver? To help I’m going to list a few of the main things people are doing on the net and the pros and cons of each. It’s important to point out that some jobs require you to have a skill (those are the ones that usually pay more) but if you’re willing to learn something new the sky’s the limit!

Filling out online surveys

Pros: Can start straight away, open to most people, no investment of time/money needed
Cons: Limited payouts, shortage of surveys for certain demographics, sometimes you get paid in credit not cash

There are lots of sites offering payment for filling out surveys online but I’m going to recommend just a few, Valued Opinions, MySurvey and Justtheanswer. These three all have a good reputation for paying on time and supplying plenty of surveys to fill out. The payout per survey will vary from 10p to £3.00 and how many you get offered will depend on your profile i.e. your job/gender/age/location so surveys can be hit and miss. I think the most you can realistically make is around £200 a year which doesn’t exactly get my pulse racing but could appeal to some.

Writing content

Pros: Very scalable – write more content and you make more, huge demand
Cons: You won’t earn much in the beginning, time consuming

I’ve spoken about this before on EarningMoneyOnline but most people are unaware of it. One of the main building blocks of any website is content and with 1000s of new sites being created every day there’s a huge demand for articles/blog posts and general text to go on these sites. Some people may think “I’m not good at writing” but even so there is a demand for all levels of content and if you’re a native English speaker you will definitely get work. Content is priced per word and how much you earn will depend on your reputation and the quality you produce. To start with you will probably write for 1p per word and you can get it up to 3 – 4p if you’re good, if you can get the work you could easily be making £20 – £30 a day. To get jobs you have 2 options, go to an agency like TextBroker who will get you writing jobs but take a cut or you can promote yourself on webmaster forums like DigitalPoint orWarrior forum to webmasters who need content. Remember if you build up a reputation as a reliable writer then webmasters will keep coming back for more and you won’t have to bid/look for work.

Freelancing web design/seo/programming

Pros: Make much more money than surveys or article writing, skills that will last for years
Cons: Lots of competition, you need to have a real skill

I bet the title of this has already put some people off! It’s important to realise that there are many different levels of web design/programming/marketing and while all require you to have that skill (to some extent) often the skill isn’t a difficult one to learn. Since many businesses are outsourcing these kinds of tasks freelancing sites like elance, freelancer and fiver (all jobs are $5 lol) have sprung up which allow employers to post projects which freelancers then bid on. Now the main issue is do you have a skill that you can sell, and if not what would it take to learn one? This is very difficult to say as I don’t know your circumstances but the best route would be to try out one of those “for dummies” books as I learnt php in around a week with one (the basics). Also remember the goal with this type of work is the same as the last example, you want to build up a reputation with clients so that eventually they can give you steady work and you don’t have to bid on the freelance sites (they can be a pain).

Niche affiliate marketing

Pros: Unlimited earnings, your own boss, work on projects your interested in, no technical knowledge required
Cons: Some investment of time and money

I’ve saved the best until last (in my opinion) and it’s the one I’ve talked most about on this blog. In short affiliate marketing is the process of building small niche websites which are used to attract traffic (website visitors). Because the website is geared around a specific subject the traffic is valuable to advertisers who will pay commission on the sales we generate for them. Ok so the above statement may be simplifying things a little as the main job is getting people to the site, but the unique aspect of this system is that a successful website can be making you money even when you sleep. If you are interested in this method then I will be bringing out a new and improved ebook very soon which explains exactly how to build a website (with no technical knowledge) and get it earning money fast.

Ok so that’s 4 great ways anyone can make money from the internet in 2012, there’s something here for people of all skill levels, time and financial constraints. As with everything your results will depend on how much you’re prepared to put into any system, there’s a reason people filling out surveys are only getting 50p a time, anyone can do it. Until next time…

PS. If you’re looking for motivation check out the video below by Anthony Robbins, it’s about how Sylvester Stallone got the movie Rocky made, amazing stuff.