Job Application

Bid often and Bid Reasonably Earlier I spoke about the hourly rate that is posted on your profile - now I'm talking about the hourly rate or fixed price rate 

that you enter onto the little application form that will accompany your cover letter. This bid can be different from what's posted on your profile - but it 

should still be reasonable. What do I mean by reasonable?

* Make sure it is worth your time

* Make sure it will cover your expenses (such as cost to withdraw)

* If it is fixed price, make sure it reflects the amount of time you will be working on that project

Remember, it looks bad if your hourly rate on your profile says that you charge $10 per hour if you then bid on a project at $1 per hour... And you shouldn't 

let a client's budget dictate the level and quality of professionalism that you can provide.

And bid often! I still continue to fill out my quota of 20 applications per week. If a client is not responding to my application after a couple of weeks, 

I withdraw that application so I can apply to another job. The only time I slow down on my bidding is if I am beginning to get overloaded with projects. 

Don't send out just 2-3 applications and then get disheartened that neither one has accepted you yet.

This doesn't mean sit down and apply to 20 jobs all in one day - spread them out. I read through just about every hourly job posted (I always filter out the fixed price jobs),

but I probably apply to only 4-5 jobs every day, if that many. Be discerning - if the job isn't worth your time, wait a couple more hours and see what new jobs

have been posted. It won't do you any good to apply to a job that you're only semi-interested in only to find a great job that you would love to work on 

but can't apply because you've reached your limit already.

You can browse job posts in 2 ways:

1. Browse Jobs by Category
2. Browse Jobs by Skills

Job Application Quota

oDesk sets a limit, known as a quota, on the number of job applications you can submit. Remember that the quota is the maximum number of jobs you can apply to, 

not a requirement that you must fulfill.

How can I increase my quota? 
Once you become oDesk Ready, your quota is earned based on the number of tests you've taken (for new contractors) or your feedback score (once you have one). 
- If you do not yet have a feedback score, take more tests to increase your quota. 
- If you have a feedback score, the only way to increase your quota is to increase your score. 

Which job applications count against my quota? 
- Active, contractor-initiated application that are 7 days old (or less) count against your quota. 
- Applications that are inactive, employer-initiated or more than 7 days old do not count against your quota. 

When does my quota refresh? 
- Your job applications, tests and feedback are evaluated twice per day to calculate your available quota. This means it can take up to 12 hours for your quota to refresh 
after a job application is withdrawn, rejected or aged out of your quota. 
- For new users who take tests to increase their quota, the same refresh cycle applies. It can take up to 12 hours after passing tests for your quota to increase to the next level. 
The only exception is the oDesk Readiness Test. Passing this test will immediately raise your quota to the applicable oDesk Ready level.

TIP: Bookmark all the categories you usually apply to and compile them in one bookmark folder. Clicking on the bookmark folder using 

the mouse wheel will open all pages at once. By doing this you can make sure that you won't miss any new jobs posted. I usually check for new jobs 

at least once every 10 minutes just so that I can be one of the first applicants. Sometimes being one of the first few applicants can land you the job especially 

when an employer is in a rush to have their project completed.