7 Useful Tips to Win Your First oDesk Job

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.

7 Tips for oDesk Contractors Working on Fixed Price Jobs

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.

Odesk Everyday…Practical Tips

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… Scam Or Not?

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.

3 oDesk Challenges and Tips to Resolve Them

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.

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

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”

How to Write A Great Cover Letter on Odesk

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.

oDesk vs Elance: Comprehensive Guide

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.