oDesk Readiness Test

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? 

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

oDesk Skills Tests

oDesk offers hundreds of free skill tests to help you prove your skills to perspective employers. 

Passing tests is also a way for new contractors to raise their job application quotas. 

Try to take the test for every skill you listed in your profile and any others that sound relevant. 

If you don't like your score, you can hide it and retake the test again in 30 days. 

Generally, you should only make your most impressive test scores public.

Building Your Profile

A lot of people come to online sources because it's easy and convenient - but that doesn't mean that they want to completely give up the personal experience as well. 

Your profile is what will introduce you as a person as well as an applicant to the people reviewing your cover letter. Make it count.

Overview - One of the most important parts of your profile is your overview. It should introduce you to the client and establish your objective. 

Use this to set you apart from other contractors. "I write fast and can get the job done quickly." So what! Chances are, 90%-95% of the other applicants can, too. 

So how are you any different? "I want to be the best provider to my clients." Again, so what!? This doesn't help you at all because everyone else says the same thing. 

Not to mention - it should be a given that you want to provide the best service. Your overview should answer the question "why you should hire me over the other guy" 

... If it doesn't answer that question, it's not a good overview.

Picture - After all, they speak a thousand words, right? It's not a requirement to have a picture, but it does help. Make sure you follow oDesk's identity policy when 

choosing a picture to post - but in general, any picture of you with a smile on your face will do wonders for you. People like to put a face to a font... So give them one.

Hourly Rate - I hate to say it, but there are a lot of clients that will look at your hourly rate. I am not talking about whatever rate you bid on a project, but the rate 

that is displayed on your profile. This rate should reflect the level and quality of work that you provide and should be a fair reflection of a going rate for the field / category

you are interested in working for. Is there a difference? Of course! Can you expect to get paid the same amount of money for site scraping as you can for writing articles? 

Probably not unless you are the best darn web scraper in the world (and can back it up!). If you're not sure what to set your rate at, look through at other providers, 

or go through the oConomy pages, figure out how much you would be paid for the exact same job at an office, or do a search to see if you can find out what the average 

going rate is for that field and adjust that average to reflect your experience level.

Resume - Also important because your resume houses all of your skills. Are you a web designer? Great! Then post your CSS, PHP, Javascript, Drupal, Joomla!, 

and Wordpress skills! A lot of clients search for providers based on these skills - how will they find you if you don't have them listed anywhere on your profile? 

And your resume is the perfect place to showcase these skills because it allows you to also place a brief description of how you have used this skill in the past and 

display how long you have been using it.

Build a Portfolio - This may be easier for some than others... But a portfolio is a great way to display your work. If you build web sites - place some links in there

to web sites that you've built. If you're an artist, then throw together some logos and interface designs and place them up there. Writer? Post a link to your blog... 

Anything that will show examples of your work without violating any terms of service is good. Also important, once it's up - keep it updated. Check the links to those web

sites to make sure they're still working and place up new examples of your work as you complete them.

Be Honest - If your English isn't a 5.0 - then don't rate it at 5.0... Clients will be able to figure it out and you will look like a liar. If you can't be honest about

something like how fluent you are in English, why should anyone believe that you're being honest about anything else?

Signing up a new account

New in oDesk and you don’t know what to do? I will give you  a step by step procedure on how to register in oDesk. Just follow the instructions and everything will be fine. Remember to fill up the forms with correct details. Don’t worry about your privacy as oDesk will always keep it  private.

Now, are you ready to start your career in oDesk? Then what are you waiting for, start following these simple steps and you will not regret it. Just click the link below.

STEP 1:

You will be redirected to  the website of oDesk. Upon reaching the homepage you will see this:

Just click the register button in order to create a new account.

STEP 2:

You will by directed in the next page and you will see three options as seen in the picture.

Tick the second option that shows Freelance Provider and a form will appear.

STEP 3:

Complete the forms with all the necessary details needed. It must be correct and accurate. After filling up the form click the continue button. See the picture below:

STEP 4:

Afterwards, you will be directed again into another page like this:

You will see four options and each one has its own link. The first option is to verify your account. Go to your email address and open your inbox. Open the message from oDesk and click the link to activate your account. Then a green check will appear and move on to the next link.

STEP 5:

The next link will be filling out your contact information. Just complete all the fields in the form with your information details. And then click the save and continue button. The page will look like this:

STEP 6:

The third link is to complete your oDesk profile. Just tick the box of the category that you thinks suits your abilities. The picture below shows a variety of jobs in oDesk.

STEP 7:

The forth and last link will be accepting the oDesk Marketplace User Agreement to protect the rights of both parties as seen below:

STEP 8:

Congratulations! You have now created your provider’s account. But don’t think you can start now, it is only the beginning. You have to finish editing and making your profile presentable to your buyers. Remember that your profile will reflect you so take time to create it and think of a nice and catchy title for yourself to attract buyers.

You also have to take the oDesk Readiness Test. Don’t panic, just relax, it is just an easy exam for you to know some of the rules and regulations of oDesk and be able to apply for more jobs. Cause let’s face it, nobody really took the time to read all the long rule and regulations of every company. 

Anyways, I hope you find this post helpful in starting and creating your new account in oDesk. Just always remember to be honest and cater only what you can do. Thank you for your time  in reading this post.

oDesk Help Guide

oDesk is a global service marketplace for small and medium sized businessto hire, manage, and pay remote freelancers or teams. If you're interested in starting a career as a freelancer in oDesk, then this thread is the perfect place to seek help for all your oDesk related inquiries

oDesk allows employers (buyers) to create online workteams coordinated and paid through the company's proprietary software and website. The name is a short version of "no desk" in reference to the company's intent to enable anyone to work anywhere, anytime. Prospective employers can post jobs for free, and freelance workers (providers) may create profiles and bid on jobs, also for free. 

The company puts potential providers through “a rigorous screening.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 employers to see a provider's progress while he or she is billing time. This aspect of the company's business model has drawn criticism.

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.

"Success is not reserved for the extraordinarily gifted;it is available to the new generation Filipino who will seek it with commitment and imagination."

A Million thanks to my Mentor

Flint28 of Symbianize.com