oDesk: Review

 

Along the way to becoming a successful internet marketer, there comes a point where you can’t do everything yourself. You just have to many sites to run, or too many ppc campaigns to manage that it becomes too overwhelming for you to handle things alone. That’s where an outsourcing site like oDesk comes in. In this oDesk review, I will show you how the site works and how it will help you start scaling up your business.

To get started with oDesk, you first need to signup for a free account. Both posting jobs as an employer and getting hired as a freelancer is free on oDesk. The way they make money is to take an extra 10% off every payment. So if you have a job in mind already, you can write up a short job description and post your job on the site. Or you can search for specific providers and contact freelancers that way. Either way, it’s quite simple to find candidates for your job.

Since oDesk is such a popular site, you won’t have any problems finding a number of candidates. I recently posted a blog writing job and got over 20 proposals in 10 minutes. You can look over the proposals and “interview” candidates that look like a potential match. It’s important to interview potential candidates to make sure they understand your job. I also like to ask for samples of their work so I can get a better idea if they will work out or not.

 

You can choose to hire workers on oDesk at an hourly or fixed-price. One of the unique benefits of oDesk is that you don’t have to “trust” your freelancers to bill you the correct number of hours. The way they handle this, is that providers have to use a special program which will take screenshots of them working (6 per hour). If they claim to be working during a certain period of time, but they’re not, then you don’t have to pay them. This is a really nice feature that’s good for both parties involved. Your freelance workers are guaranteed their payment if they do the work they say they are doing. And you’re protected as well if they aren’t.

Once the job is completely, both you and your worker leave each other feedback ratings. Like other sites of this type, it’s important to maintain a high feedback rating so freelancers will be willing to apply for your jobs.

oDesk Awards

• SAMCEDA Innovation & Entrepreneurship Awards - 2011 Fastest Growing Innovator Award of Excellence
• 2011 AlwaysOn OnDemand 100
• oDesk ranked #286 on the 2010 Inc. 500, and #110 in 2009
• Silicon Valley Business Journal Fastest Growing Private Company List (2010)
• San Francisco Business Times Fastest Growing Companies List (2010)
• TechCrunch50 DemoPit Winner (2010)
• Silicon Valley Business Journal Emerging Technology Award (2009)
• Silicon Valley Business Journal Fastest Growing Private Company List (2009)
• International Association of Outsourcing Professionals 2009 Global Outsourcing 100 Rising Star
• Deloitte Technology Fast 500
• Finalist in PC Magazine’s 2006 Small Business Awards
• oDesk is named Rising Star in Deloitte's Technology Fast 500 Program.
• Finalist for the "Red Herring 100 Global" Awards 2007 and 2009.
• 2011 TiE50 Internet/Social Networking Winner of TiE50 Awards Program.

oDesk Review

oDesk is a company with a global job marketplace and a series of tools targeted at businesses that intend to hire and manage remote workers. Based in Redwood City, CA, oDesk was founded in 2003 by Greek entrepreneurs Odysseas Tsatalos and Stratis Karamanlakis.

oDesk allows clients to create online workteams coordinated and paid through the company's proprietary software and website. The name is a short version of "online desk" in reference to the company's intent to enable anyone to work anywhere, anytime. Prospective clients can post jobs for free, and freelance workers (“contractors”) may create profiles and bid on jobs, also for free.The company collects 10 percent of the payment. Payments are made through oDesk, which handles many bookkeeping tasks for the transaction. In addition to the marketplace aspect and the payment/bookkeeping services, the company uses collaborative software, “oDesk Team,” that allows clients to see a provider's progress while he or she is billing time.

The company describes itself as an online workplace. As of Jan. 10, 2009, the company reports that nearly 37,000 of its 170,000 providers are in the United States. The company's site is entirely in English, and all transactions are made in U.S. dollars. The site does not post statistics regarding locations of buyer companies. In December 2009, the company's self-reported tally of services paid through its site had passed $113 million.

The specific areas of expertise supported by the site include web development and a wide variety of programming/software development skills, graphic design, writing and administrative support. The company provides voluntary skills tests in various disciplines from English aptitude to specific programming skills, and profiles include a feedback mechanism.

Cover Lettre for being a Official on oDesk

Hi,

If you’re looking for a great ______, I’m definitely the person you want to hire. Not only am I ____,  _______ and _____,but I can get this done for you in (specify amount of time).

I understand you’re looking for (address key point mentioned in job listing). I’ve worked with (repeat key point and explain to what capacity).

The benefits of working with me are­________________________.

I’ve included a sample of my work. Please see my portfolio for more examples.

Thank you! I look forward to hearing from you.

(Name)

oDesk Readiness test answers

Q: Can I start my own company on oDesk?
A: Yes! oDesk allows you to build and manage a team of workers, colleagues and collaborators. You can even subcontract other workers on oDesk to other customers oDesk (and take a cut).

Q: Which of the following actions are NOT allowed when applying to job openings?
A: All of the above

Q: 'How does feedback work on oDesk?'
A: All of the above

Q: Which of the following is true of your oDesk timelog?
A: All of the above

Q: Which of the following break the oDesk user agreement?
A: All of the above

Q: Which of the following statements about the oDesk Team application are true?
A: All of the above

Q: What do you need to do to ensure guaranteed payment on hourly jobs?
A: All of the above

Q: If you have not done so please download and install the oDesk Team application. With the client running right click on the oDesk Team icon in the system tray (or doc for Mac users). Which of the following options is listed first? Note that you do NOT have to log into any actual Team Room to answer this question.
A: TeamRoom..

Q: Which of the following statements are correct about oDesk fees?
A: All of the above

Q: Buyers set weekly limits on hourly assignments, how do these work?
A: All of the above

Q: How does oDesk's dispute resolution policy for work?
A: All of the above