oDesk Tutorial

How to Discover a Job on oDesk: The Complete Guide

What is oDesk? 

oDesk is an on the internet independent industry that joins distant, experienced employees (known as "providers") with companies who are choosing (known as "buyers"). Customers publish tasks or tasks that they need to delegate, and suppliers bid on the tasks, either per hour or as a fixed-price bid. oDesk is a reduced edition of the term "no desk", which represents oDesk's beginning principle; to allow individuals to perform anywhere or at any time. oDesk's head office are in Menlo Recreation area, Florida. As of early 2009, oDesk revealed having 170,000 suppliers spread all over the planet. oDesk was selected by PC Journal as a finalist for the 2006 Small Company Prizes.

What Sets oDesk Apart from Identical Sites? 

You may be acquainted with the exact same websites like eLance, Expert, and RentACoder that provide "middle-man" solutions between independent experts and venture supervisors. oDesk is easily becoming a recommended website for many freelance employees because it offers:

• Guaranteed transaction. As opposed to many other websites where transaction on tasks or time perform is not assured, oDesk assures transaction on all on per hour foundation perform that is finished using their 100 % free, down-loadable sftware, oDesk Group (see more about oDesk Group later on).

• Automatic invoicing and payments for suppliers and buyers. As opposed to some websites where getting compensated can be challenging, oDesk keeps the consumer's bank cards on computer file and expenses the cards when the pay period finishes. For set cost projects, however, the client elects how much to pay (or if to pay at all).

• oDesk doesn't charge a monthly/quarterly/yearly fee to independent suppliers. Instead, oDesk gets compensated when the company gets paid; oDesk expenses an 11.11% markup on each provider's income (charged to the buyer). So, for example, if a company expenses $100 for their solutions, the client is billed $111.11.

• oDesk allows suppliers to display their abilities by taking 100 % free abilities assessments (and giving a position to the provider's details based on the analyze ratings achieved).

What Skills Are In Demand on the oDesk Interface? 

oDesk allows authorized suppliers to surf, bid, and implement for tasks in Web Growth, Application Growth, Social media and Information Systems, Composing and Interpretation, Management Assistance, Design and Multimedia, Client Service, Sales and Marketing, and Company Services.

How Do I Become an oDesk Provider? 

Becoming an oDesk company is easy and costs nothing. The first step to becoming an oDesk company is to sign-up for an consideration and make a company details. Let's look at the different segments of the company details and get some tips on stuffing in each area.

Creating an Eye-Catching Profile on oDesk

Title

The headline area of your details is very essential because it is your one chance to stand out from the other suppliers in your market. Your headline should let audience see at a look what you have to provide. For example, if you are a independent author, your headline might read:

Experienced Web Material Provider, 3 Top 10% Skills – eBooks, Material, Getting Webpages, More

What does this let the client know about you? Variety one, that you have encounter (which is important), and that you have encounter writing content (which is also a sought-after skill). Your headline also allows the client know that you have taken three oDesk abilities assessments and placed into the top percentile. The rest of the headline reveals that you are experienced enough to make eBooks, articles, landing pages, and more. This is an exceptional and eye-catching headline.

Portrait 

The symbol area of your company details allows you to publish a symbol of yourself. An experienced picture allows the client to put a face with the abilities that you have. Some suppliers also select to use a visual as their company details image. Whatever you select, don't leave this place empty because it creates you appear less than genuine. Also, be cautious that the image you select is in good flavor and that you look as if you're prepared for a job meeting in the picture.

Personal E-mail 

This is the e-mail that oDesk will keep on computer file in order to send you information, consideration signals, consideration announcements, and more. Also, this is the e-mail that buyers will use to contact you for discussions. Make sure that the e-mail you record is one that you check regularly.

Hourly Pay Amount 

The on per hour foundation level of salary that you set up when you make your consideration is the amount that any tasks you are employed for will be billed at. You will always have the choice to reduced or increase your on per hour foundation level of salary as you see fit; keep in mind that the on per hour foundation rate you set is the speed that the client will pay less oDesk charges. For example, if your on per hour foundation pay minute rates are $18, the client will be billed $20 per hour. When implementing for on per hour foundation projects, you will also have the choice to reduced or increase your rate for each particular job during the program.

oDesk Readiness

Your details will indicate to buyers whether or not you are oDesk-ready. Being oDesk "ready" essentially implies that you have finished the "open-book" oDesk Preparedness Examination. You cannot perform on oDesk until you have finished this exam. The oDesk Preparedness Examination guarantees oDesk that you understand their techniques and recommendations.

Profile Accessibility 

When developing your oDesk company details, you must decide if you want everyone to see your details, or if you want your details to be considered by authenticated customers of the oDesk system only. If you select to allow only authenticated customers to view your details, then only those customers who have been authenticated by oDesk will connect your details.

Weekly Accessibility 

Your every week availability basically declares the quantity of time you are available for perform each week. Be sure to set this at a comfortable figure; you don't want to overbook yourself.

Objective 

The purpose that you state when submitting your company details gives the client a better look at what you provide and why he should seek the services of you. If you are looking for tasks in the executive support area, your purpose might read:

• I am a local English-speaking administrative support expert living in the U. s. States who has placed in the top ten percent on three oDesk examinations: Windows XP (92nd percentile), computer abilities (95th percentile) and workplace abilities analyze (97th percentile. I am a highly efficient typist who important factors a typical of 85 wpm without mistake. I am acquainted with most workplace software, such as MS 2007 and previously edition, Succeed, Accessibility, and Accelerate. During my continuous academic profession, I developed great research and ability as a copywriter that allow me to easily write reviews, characters, and more. I am very reliable and pleasure myself on punctuality and making work deadlines.

Portfolio Projects 

The profile tasks area of your company details allows you to show audience what type of perform you have done in the past. You can publish records, images, and video clips to the profile area that are unique works that have been finished by you.

Employment History/Educational Record 

Both of these segments of the company details are finished much like an on the internet job program. Complete schedules that you proved helpful or joined university, where you proved helpful at, the name of the university, the job headline you organized, the degree(s) you obtained, etc.

Certifications/Skills/Other Experience 

This area of your company details should record any certification you have obtained, any other abilities that you have, and other encounter that creates you certified for the projects/positions that you wish to implement for.

Navigating the oDesk Interface

oDesk has a very structured and simple interface for customers. Once you have created an consideration, you can surf all of the functions that oDesk has to provide. Below you see the webpage of odesk.com. As you can see, there are various an eye along the top of the website. These are used to get around the website as a company (or buyer). This is also the website that you will use to make your oDesk company consideration or to sign in as a company (right-hand corner). Let's look at each tab more carefully.

oDesk Tab 

Under the oDesk tab, you will discover an oDesk trip which reveals you around the site; a "who uses oDesk" weblink that information some of the companies that seek the services of oDesk providers; a commonly requested questions link; a media weblink that functions oDesk media releases; and an "about us" weblink that gives suppliers and buyers more details about oDesk.

Find Providers and Jobs Tab 

Under this tab, suppliers can look for the tasks that they are enthusiastic about. Looking for tasks is easy; just simply simply select the classification or subcategory of the job that passions you. You can also look for for tasks in the look for box to the left of the display.

oDesk suppliers can also search for tasks and tasks depending on the abilities that they have to provide (as indicated below), by simply simply clicking the abilities tab. This makes it much simpler to find tasks from customers who are looking for out a particular expertise for a venture.

Important Note About Job Alerts 

When establishing up your company information, be certain to subscribe for everyday job signals. Simply choose the job groups you are looking for, and oDesk will deliver out an automated email once everyday that contains hyperlinks to the tasks in your specified area.

Manage and Work Tab 

Under the "manage and work" tab, you will find the Group Space and Perform Journal. For each venture that you are allocated to or employed for, you will have having access to the designs' team room where you can work together with other associates, deliver information to other associates or the customer, and more. Your task diary reveals the hours that you have proved helpful, and display photos of the task that you have finished.

Payments Tab 

Under the "payments" tab, you will discover a history of economical action for your company consideration and a drawback tab to take out your income.

Landing a Job on oDesk

oDesk Tests

Every company who signs up on oDesk must successfully pass the oDesk Preparedness Analyze for Suppliers before they can be granted a job or venture through oDesk. This is an open-book test that shows to oDesk that the company is experienced regarding oDesk techniques and recommendations. However, you will find loads of other assessments on oDesk that can be taken to allow the company to demonstrate audience that they are efficient in various places. Most oDesk assessments function 40 several option concerns and have a 40 moment period of your time and energy and effort for achievement. Once you have finished an oDesk test, you can select to have it created a aspect of your oDesk company information, or you can opt to have your ranking created personal (in the occasion that you don't ranking well). You can retake any test that you have finished on oDesk once every 1 month to enhance your ranking.


Other than the oDesk Preparedness Analyze, the most essential test that you can take is the U.S. British primary abilities test. This test allows shows that you can connect in British, which creates you more attractive to numerous audience. You should also take as many assessments as possible that are relevant to the tasks that you wish to perform on. For example, if you are a independent author, you might take the Innovative Composing test, British Terminology test, Company Ability as a copywriter qualifications, U.S. Term Utilization test, and the U.S. British Phrase Framework test. With every test you take, you enhance your possibilities of reviewing tasks on oDesk – so take all of the appropriate assessments for your area of perform.

Finding Work 

Once you have finished your information and taken the oDesk Preparedness test, you are ready to implement for tasks. To implement for tasks, you will just click on:

Find Providers and Jobs --> Find Jobs --> Choose a Job Category or Skill

The first job that you see under your preferred job classification or expertise will be the most lately published job. By scrolling down, you can visit other job opportunities. Each job starting will contain most of the information about the job, such as job headline, on per hour basis cost range or set cost cost range, and abilities that the customer is looking for. If a job passions you, you will simply simply click "apply" to begin the program. Keep in mind that the work from home job search at WhyDoWork.com contains all results from oDesk and several different other independent sites. When implementing, you will be persuaded to a display that requests you to get into your on per hour basis rate or bid for a set cost venture (more on that later), the approximated period of time for achievement, and to agree to the oDesk Industry Customer Contract. The next part of the program is to art a attractive "cover letter".

Writing a Winning Cover Letter

Since there are two ways of thinking when it comes to protect characters, we'll protect them both, starting with the first. Many professional oDesk suppliers believe that the resume protect correspondence should be very thorough and comprehensive, and that the "beefier" the better and this performs for some suppliers and with some customers. In this type of resume protect correspondence, be particular about what abilities you carry to the venture that they have posted; consist of any appropriate encounter that you have had with identical tasks, and give the customer a near calculate regarding how long that you can offer them with quality deliverable. Cover characters like this are more attractive than a common resume protect correspondence that doesn't display the customer that you have study the job information. Brief protect characters that aren't venture particular can be believed of as "spam". Here is a example of a successful protect letter:

Dear Sir or Madam,

I am very enthusiastic about developing squeeze webpages for your web page. I have designed identical webpages for such sites as Amazon.Com and TextBooksRUs.Com in the past. I am assured that I can provide you with squeeze webpages that are not only SEO-optimized but also interesting to your guests. Moreover, I have placed in the top ten percentile on the innovative composing examination on oDesk; please see my information for information. I have connected a example from my information for you to evaluation (additional examples offered upon request). I can finish the webpages that you have asked for within seven days of being granted the venture. If you would like to talk about your venture in depth, please add me to your Google Courier or demand an meeting with me at your comfort. 

Best Regards, 

Abdullah Al Mamun

Other top-earning suppliers on oDesk understand that many customers are very active, managing several tasks at once. They don't have the time to read through each candidate's resume protect correspondence, so these suppliers keep the resume protect correspondence short and lovely, very to-the-point, as below:

Hello there, I am enthusiastic about operating on this venture. I have quite a bit of encounter when it comes to developing squeeze webpages (see connected sample). Please get in touch with me at your very first comfort to talk about your needs further.

Regards,

Abdullah Al Mamun

Interview Tips 

Once you have snagged your first meeting on oDesk, be sure to:

• react appropriate to the consumer's demand for an meeting.

• Ask all concerns regarding the venture advance.

• Never accept to work on a venture if you are not certified to do so.

• Be obvious with the customer about your objectives for the venture.

• Make certain that both events (you and the buyer) comprehend the period of time required for achievement and the transaction predicted.

  SuccessfullyCompleting Work on oDesk

Getting the job is only the first procedure of developing your oDesk popularity and becoming a preferred (and profitable) company on oDesk. Dealing with customers can sometimes be challenging – and anticipate to get as many "bad bosses" as you would when operating an in-person job. To create getting the job done simpler, adhere to these guidelines:

• Keep the customer up-to-date regarding your improvement on the project.

• Ask questions as needed, never make presumptions about the consumer's needs.

• Meet the work deadlines that the customer has established or let the customer know well in advance that you will need a longer period.

• For on per hour basis projects, log all of your efforts and energy and effort through the oDesk Team client; seek authorization from the customer before including off-line time.

oDesk Feedback 

After each oDesk venture, you and your customer will have an probability to keep reviews regarding the task. Feedback is made a lasting aspect of your oDesk information, so it is essential that you do your best to sustain a good working connection with the customer and finish the perform allocated as guaranteed. Many audience examine the reviews of past customers to get an idea of the type of perform that you do making reviews on oDesk a big aspect of your upcoming capability to get larger and better tasks.

Fixed Price Vs. Hourly Assignments; Which is Best?

As described before, tasks on the oDesk industry can be either on per hour basis or set cost. Some suppliers prefer one over the other, while many suppliers like to do a mix of both. Let's look at the benefits and drawbacks of set cost and on per hour basis projects.

Fixed Price Assignments: pay is depending on deliverable, which can be a powerful motivation to execute the execute needed in order to get compensated, and there is no need to log time in the oDesk group – so you will continue to execute at your own speed. Inversely, with set cost projects, you will generate the same sum of money regardless of whether or not you need to put more time into the venture than you initially expected, and there is always the chance of non-payment from the customer because set cost projects have no transaction assured supported by oDesk. Fixed cost projects look good on your information, but do not depend toward accumulated oDesk time. 

Hourly Assignments: all perform done under the on per hour basis task structure in oDesk is assured for transaction by oDesk and working on on per hour basis projects allows you to build great connections with customers who have an continuous need for your services. Hourly projects are instantly invoiced and charged to the customer, and you will be compensated every week for perform finished in the past pay period. On the gloomy, on per hour basis projects give the customer a greater opportunity to examine the perform that you have done for them through display photos instantly taken by the oDesk Group Customer program, and any off-line hours that you have to log for the customer do not fall under the transaction assurance. 

Setting Your Hourly Rate 

One of the greatest concerns that many new suppliers have when it comes to getting perform on oDesk is how to best determine their on hourly basis amount. While it would be all-too-easy to simply recommend these suppliers to allocate their on hourly basis prices at what they should be making at a frequent job, the online industry for independent suppliers is very aggressive. If you could anticipate to make $40 an time operating a 9-5 job outside of the online world, you can anticipate finding many customers who will pay you the same or even more on the oDesk system. However, for starting suppliers who have not designed up their popularity on oDesk, it might be necessary to set the on hourly basis amount a bit lower; even 50 percent as low, in order to catch that first chance. Once company reviews has been recognized and a record of great perform efficiency has been recorded on the company information, you can gradually increase your amount to a determine that you are more relaxed with. Asking for less in the starting can be regarded an financial commitment in your upcoming as a distant independent expert.

Getting Paid

When oDesk gets transaction from the customer for the work that you have finished, it will be placed into your company consideration. For set price projects, the cash is available for drawback after six days. For on per hour basis projects, the cash is available for drawback every week. oDesk provides a wide range of choices for getting your company income, and you will need to set up a drawback method(s) before you can have accessibility your cash. Let's look at each of them up near.

• ACH: also known as immediate down payment. This choice allows you to exchange your income straight into your U.S. banking consideration. ACH distributions are 100 % free.

• PayPal: allows you to down payment your income into your PayPal consideration. The fee for receiving your income via PayPal is $1.

• Payoneer: also known as the oDesk Charge MasterCard. All suppliers can implement for an oDesk Charge MasterCard from Payoneer. There is a fee of $9.95 to stimulate the cards, and a drawback fee of $3 everytime you fill resources from your oDesk consideration to your oDesk Charge MasterCard. 

oDesk also allows suppliers the choice of using Moneybookers or cable exchange. These two choices are used most often by suppliers in non-U.S. nations.

Building Your oDesk Reputation and Working Full Time

As more and more organizations start to look for less expensive or more readily-available organizations in the new international economic system, oDesk is positioned to only get bigger! It is entirely possible for you to generate money from house via oDesk. Many suppliers review that oDesk is their only earnings. If you have been looking for a work-at-home job that really will pay or if you wish to complement your earnings by doing part-time tasks, oDesk symbolizes one of the best possibilities out there for you to be successful.