Sunday, February 26, 2012

How to Bid a Fixed Price Project on Odesk

Today i show how to bid a fixed price project on odesk. First sign in to your odesk account and click find job tab. Then you will see a list of job of your Categories of Interest. As i am a graphic designer so i want to show bid a logo design project. So i click Logo Design option.



So next page you will show a list of Logo Design . Now you select a logo design job. Here is very important thing is most of person direct click the Apply tab. But i think its very important to see the project details, how many person bid for this job etc before place bid.


Now here i open a logo "Logo Design for STEM4kids.org" design job. Here you will see the details of logo design job.


1. Job Description- Here you will see the details instruction and recommended option of buyer for this logo.

2. Job overviews- Here you see the job overview like types, buyer budge, when buyer posted this job, when buyer want to start the job, delivery date etc.

3. About the Employer- This part is very important to see for a contractor before bid for a job. Here you see Buyer details, when he joined odesk, buyer payments method is verify or not, how much money he spend on odesk, how much hour he billed and buyer feedback from contractor etc.

now if you clear all buyer instruction for this job and you think that you able to do this job then click "Apply to this Job"

now you see this page for bid this job.


In this page you see many option for bid this job,like-

1. Job Posting- Buyer instruction.

2. Apply as- In this option you may bid "as an independent contractor " or  "as an agency contractor under"
under your team or  for one of your agency contractors…

3. Propose Terms- Thats mean how much money you want to complete the job.

4. Upfront payment (optional)- This is an prepaid option thats mean how much money you want from buyer before start the work or when buyer hire you. If you are a new contractor please don't want upfront to buyer. just ignore this option.

5. Estimated Duration- How much time you want to complete the job.

6. Cover Letter- Cover letter mean proposal letter to buyer from contractor for this job. Its very very important thing to get the job. Its the main thing to get a job. If you write a Eye-Catching and unique cover letter its come out much surety to get the job.

7. Attachment - Here you may attach any sample or document for buyer to review.

8. Agree to Terms-  select this option to agree with odesk terms.

Now click "Apply to this Job" . Then you see a pop up window will open.


Now check "Yes, I Understand"  and click "Continue to Apply" so that your bid will placed for this job.










Friday, February 24, 2012

How to add portfolio on odesk

Most of odesk new user don't know how to add portfolio on odesk. So today i show how to add portfolio on odesk.

First you need to login to your odesk account.then click your "My Contractor Profile"


Now scroll down the page and click Add under the Portfolio Projects.

Then open a pop up window..
1.Project Title- here write you work title.
2.Image- add a image your work so that it will show to your portfolio.
3.Attachment- attach your work file.
4.Date- enter your project completion date.
5.Category- select your project category.
6.Sub-Category- define your project sub-category.
7.Project Description- write you project details in this field.
8.project URL- enter your project url where you work placed.

At last click the save button to add your portfolio in your profile.

Thursday, February 23, 2012

Tips for new freelancer on odesk

There are many person join odesk for freelance work every day. But after few days they didn't get any jobs on doesk. Because they don't know properly how to create a great profile,portfolio,killer cover letter etc. so follow the tips :
  • First you decide what type of work you want to do on odesk.
  • Then you open an contractor account on odesk.
  • Create a great Profile.
  •  Add portfolio related your work.
  • Take some test on odesk related your work.(very important)
  • Now biding according to your known work.
                                                                 ((( At last learn and learn ))) 

How to apply for odesk Mastercard?

Go to the payment methods in odesk and click to sign up for: oDesk Debit MasterCard powered by payoneer. Submit your user details, fill up the form correctly and then you have to submit a security document. 2nd address is the address where payoneer will send you the mastercard. You can use the same as your billing address or can use your prefered shipping address. On the 3rd part of the form, you will be asked to enter your passport number/ drivers license/ number of the national ID card (voter ID card)

After submitting the application, payoneer will verify your details and will determine if you are eligible to receive the oDesk Debit MasterCard powered by payoneer.

Once your applicant gets approved, they will send you the card through regular postal mail.

What is the odesk Payoneer debit mastercard?

It’s just like any other credit cards, it’s physical card (not virtual), it operates like any other plastic card, its prepaid (debit card) and you don't need any bank account to have it. Its linked to your odesk profile and can withdraw your odesk earnings to the debit card.

Applying For a Job on Odesk

oDesk offers two types of jobs – fixed rate and hourly. There are pros and cons to both. A fixed rate job is one in which you and the buyer agree on a set rate for a predetermined task or amount of work. The advantage of a fixed rate job is that you know how much you will make in total. The disadvantage is that oDesk will not assist you should your buyer decide not to pay. I only work fixed rate jobs, and I have learned that they can be a bit risky. My general rule is that communication must remain open between me and the buyer until the job is complete. If the buyer stops responding to my emails, I stop working until he does. This doesn't happen very often, but it has saved me from an unscrupulous buyer a time or two. Never accept work outside of oDesk from an oDesk buyer. There is no legitimate reason to do this, so you will get scammed if you agree to it, period. If you decide on an hourly job, you will have to allow oDesk software to run while you are working. It will take screenshots that will be used as your “timesheet” and for your buyer to check job progress. You can edit the screenshots, thus remove anything you didn't want captured, but I find this to be a hassle. Most don't mind it though; it’s just my personal preference. When you are looking for a job, only bid on jobs offered by buyers whose payment method is oDesk verified. This means they have a payment method on file with oDesk. These buyers are much more likely to be reputable. Read the feedback provided by previous workers. This can reveal a lot about the buyer, both good and bad. Pick a few small jobs and go ahead with the application process. Once you have oDesk experience, you can work your way up to bigger and better jobs, but starting small will allow you to build your provider reputation.

5 Easy tips for freelancers (part-5)

Get in touch with your clients:


I think to get a good client over internet is fully depends on your luck. There are lot of frauds around us and we don't know who is solid and who is fake! So, we the freelancer always try to search a good client and make him/her always happy. So that you can get regular work from them. Be honest with your work. From the starting of the project to last session of work you have keep you patience and honestly finish your task.Try to add your clients in your skype , Gtalk or Yahoo messenger. So that you can also be their contact lists. Wish them in occasions, start conversation with greetings called a good manner to make happy clients. If you can manage 3/4 fixed clients who give you regular work, then I'm sure you never unsuccessful in your freelancing career.

5 Easy tips for freelancers (part-4)

Don't loose your focus from your Goal:


Before starting any project, you should set your goal. It means you have to fix how much time you spend for this tasks. If you target you can work 10 hours per week or complete at least 2 works per week then you must try to complete them within targeted time. when you get more experience then you will increase time and working rates.

5 Easy tips for freelancers (part-3)

Focus on your work not for the money:


It's a great moral in your freelancing career. Your main target is earning money but your should not loose your concentration from your work. If you provide quality and clean work to your client then they will pay you happily and give a good rating. It's the best policy to get a fixed client and save your time from "time wasting in bidding". You need to set your focus in following terms:

1. I need to complete my job perfectly and get a good rating/feedback comments from client.

2. I need to increase my productivity proportion to time.

3. I need to be a good manager in terms of time and requirements.

4. I need to upgrade my profile frequently.

5. I need to learn new technologies/topics/stuffs for getting more attractive jobs.

5 Easy tips for freelancers (part-2)

Try to learn more and increase your knowledge:


As a freelancer, You keep it in your mind - "You are an one man army". That means, you are the owner of a project, you need to finish then, you need to deliver completed tasks and finally you are the winner of full project rewards/payments. So, If you have enough knowledge then you can manage a lot of things a time.Working experience is another asset in your freelancing career. If you have good and sound experience in any field then you can earn from that field. Like If you have good in web programming then you can start working in PSD to HTML conversion projects, PHP project, JSP projects and many more. Secret is that, you have to choose those work where you can apply your best work potentiality. At the same time just make a short search in freelancing sites for which work give you more money and which work have much more demand. Always think like a economical person. It means, If you have 10 products in your hand and $10 in price each of them and people pick them within in 1 hour then you can earn $100 in a hour. One the other hand if you have $50 products and you can't sell 2 of them in a hour then it'll count a loss for your business. So, try to focus on "demand". More demand in marked, more you can earn!


5 Easy tips for freelancers (part-1)

Those people who want to earn money from online , they can easily earn from the freelancing sites likes odesk.com. vworker.com, freelancer.com. All of them provide you secured and guaranteed payment system. Before starting your freelancing career you must know about their rules, payment methods and payout rules.

Freelancing is flexible & good in that scene, you can easily set your working time as you like and work in your expertise area. Today's post brings 5 awesome tips for beginner to expert , who want to speed up their freelancing earnings.

Invest your time in freelancing:

As a freelancer, It's the most valuable and potential investment in your freelancing career. You have to set a "command" in your mind that, you need to spent your time & energy for your client project and client should pay proper amount for that.

In freelancing carrer, some of clients try to offer exciting future benefits for you. Beaware from them & don't miss-lead on that list of benefits. It might be a trap for you.

1. Never compromise with your qualification.

2. Before starting each & every project, you should fix your price with your clients. If he/she asked new features then told him to pay extra cost for them.

3. Try to clear each and every requirement in your project. Sometimes clients put some hidden requirements in their project. Like, Client asked for payment system integration in his project. Then you should ask him how many payment process you have to install? only paypal or you need to add others. After clearing this requirements you should start your work. Otherwise, clients might be add extra work load in your shoulder without payment.

4. If you have any option like upfront payment or escrow system use it properly. So far i know oDesk provide upfront payment. But If you are "very new" in freelancing sites then sometimes clients may not agree to pay upfront payment. So, be careful on this issue.

 

Wednesday, February 22, 2012

How BID will win?

Here are few tips:


  • Please choose a project that you can easily and on time, you can deliver.
  • Respect the employer  accordance with the name of the project .
  • Only "I can do It" That itself does not write, can not be more straightforward to write.
  • Bid to think deeply before, because some jobs are not related to personal business. Those that do not maintain that all the work and payment of employer to ignore it. So keep in mind the type of work.
  • All types of projects for the same refrain from message.
  • Read the job description, with deep concentration.
  • Description of work you understand, enter it.
  • Try to talk to your letter of each line.
  • BID price is too high or too low, not according to your values.
  • Raise your confidence in your message.
  • Reference to your portfolio.
  • Show samples of your message.
  • Stay ready for examination based work.
  • Make all the steps in your professional experience enhanced.
  • Try to communicate the good timing.
  • Freelancer site and log in daily to see whether employers coming to a new question.
  • Be serious about your communication process.
  • Bid is not high on the day of a bid.
  • Of the bid, such as when you expect to employer.
  • Do not be too long for the message, because you may be disturbed employer.
  • Each bid will be full description.
  • Keep your message on modesty.
  • Correct and update your profile regularly for new work to the place.
  • Do not want no sympathy for the client to get to work.
  • Any message received from the buyer will not be disturbed.
Remember all the "slow but steady still wins the race"

Sunday, February 19, 2012

Building Your oDesk Reputation and Working Full Time

As more and more companies begin to look for cheaper or more readily-available service providers in the new global economy, oDesk is poised to only get bigger! It is entirely possible for you to earn a living from home via oDesk. Many providers report that oDesk is their sole source of income. If you have been looking for a work-at-home job that really pays or if you wish to supplement your income by doing part-time projects, oDesk represents one of the best opportunities out there for you to succeed.

Getting Paid

When oDesk receives payment from the buyer for the work that you have completed, it will be deposited into your provider account. For fixed price assignments, the money is available for withdrawal after six days. For hourly assignments, the money is available for withdrawal weekly. oDesk offers a variety of options for receiving your provider earnings, and you will need to set up a withdrawal method(s) before you can have access to your money. Let's look at each of them up close.
  •  Payoneer: also known as the oDesk Debit MasterCard. All providers can apply for an oDesk Debit MasterCard issued by Payoneer. There is a fee of $9.95 to activate the card, and a withdrawal fee of $2 each time you load funds from your oDesk account to your oDesk Debit MasterCard.
  • Moneybooker: allows you to deposit your earnings into your Moneybooker account. The fee for withdrawing your earnings via  Moneybooker is $1.
  • PayPal: allows you to deposit your earnings into your PayPal account. The fee for withdrawing your earnings via PayPal is $1.
  • ACH: also known as direct deposit. This option allows you to transfer your earnings directly into your U.S. bank account. ACH withdrawals are free.   
oDesk also allows providers the option of using Moneybookers or wire transfer. These two options are utilized most often by providers in non-U.S. countries.

Setting Your Hourly Rate

One of the biggest questions that many new providers have when it comes to getting work on oDesk is how to best determine their hourly rate. While it would be all-too-easy to simply advise these providers to assign their hourly rates at what they should be making at a regular job, the online marketplace for freelance providers is very competitive. If you could expect to make $40 an hour working a 9-5 job outside of cyberspace, you can expect to find many buyers who will pay you the same or even more on the oDesk system. However, for beginning providers who have not built up their reputation on oDesk, it might be necessary to set the hourly rate a bit lower; even half as low, in order to snag that first opportunity. Once provider feedback has been established and a history of good work performance has been documented on the provider profile, you can slowly inflate your rate to a figure that you are more comfortable with. Asking for less in the beginning can be considered an investment in your future as a remote freelance professional.

Fixed Price Vs. Hourly Assignments; Which is Best?

As mentioned before, jobs on the oDesk marketplace can be either hourly or fixed price. Some providers prefer one over the other, while many providers like to do a mix of both. Let's look at the pros and cons of fixed price and hourly assignments.

Fixed Price Assignments: pay is based on deliverables, which can be a strong incentive to perform the work required in order to get paid, and there is no need to log hours in the oDesk team – so you will work at your own pace. Inversely, with fixed price assignments, you will earn the same amount of money regardless of whether or not you need to put more hours into the project than you originally anticipated, and there is always the risk of non-payment from the buyer because fixed price assignments have no payment guaranteed backed by oDesk. Fixed price assignments look good on your profile, but do not count toward accrued oDesk hours.

Hourly Assignments: all work done under the hourly assignment format in oDesk is guaranteed for payment by oDesk and working on hourly assignments allows you to build great relationships with buyers who have an ongoing need for your services. Hourly assignments are automatically invoiced and billed to the buyer, and you will be paid weekly for work completed in the previous pay period. On the negative side, hourly assignments give the buyer a greater opportunity to scrutinize the work that you have done for them through screen shots automatically taken by the oDesk Team Client application, and any offline hours that you have to log for the buyer do not fall under the payment guarantee.

oDesk Feedback

After each oDesk project, you and your buyer will have an opportunity to leave feedback regarding the assignment. Feedback is made a permanent part of your oDesk profile, so it is of the utmost importance that you do your best to maintain a good working relationship with the buyer and complete the work assigned as promised. Many potential buyers scrutinize the feedback of previous buyers to get an idea of the type of work that you do making feedback on oDesk a big part of your future ability to get bigger and better projects.

Sucessfully Completing Work on oDesk

Getting the job is only the first process of building your oDesk reputation and becoming a favorite (and profitable) provider on oDesk. Working with buyers can sometimes be tricky – and expect to get as many "bad bosses" as you would when working an in-person job. To make getting the job done easier, follow these guidelines:
  • Keep the buyer up-to-date regarding your progress on the project.
  • Ask questions as needed, never make assumptions about the buyer's needs.
  • Meet the deadlines that the buyer has established or let the buyer know well in advance that you will need more time.
  • For hourly assignments, log all of your time through the oDesk Team client; seek permission from the buyer before adding offline time.

Saturday, February 18, 2012

Interview Tips on odesk

Once you have snagged your first interview on oDesk, be sure to:
  • respond timely to the buyer's request for an interview.
  • Ask all questions regarding the project upfront.
  • Never agree to work on a project if you are not qualified to do so.
  • Be clear with the buyer about your expectations for the project.
  • Make certain that both parties (you and the buyer) understand the timeframe needed for completion and the payment expected.

Writing a Winning Cover Letter

Since there are two schools of thought when it comes to cover letters, we'll cover them both, beginning with the first. Many seasoned oDesk providers believe that the cover letter should be very thorough and extensive, and that the "beefier" the better and this works for some providers and with some buyers. In this type of cover letter, be specific about what skills you bring to the project that they have posted; include any relevant experience that you have had with similar projects, and give the buyer a close estimate regarding the amount of time that you can provide them with quality deliverables. Cover letters like this are more appealing than a generic cover letter that doesn't show the buyer that you have read the job description. Short cover letters that aren't project specific can be thought of as "spam". Here is a sample of a winning cover letter:

Dear Sir or Madam,
I am very interested in creating landing pages for your website. I have created similar pages for such websites as Amazon.Com and TextBooksRUs.Com in the past. I am confident that I can provide you with landing pages that are not only SEO-optimized but also engaging to your website visitors. In addition, I have placed in the top ten percentile on the creative writing exam on oDesk; please see my profile for details. I have attached a sample from my portfolio for you to review (additional samples provided upon request).I can complete the pages that you have requested within seven days of being awarded the project. If you would like to discuss your project in greater detail, please add me to your Yahoo Messenger or request an interview with me at your convenience.

Best Regards,
MKMUNNA

Other top-earning providers on oDesk realize that many buyers are very busy, handling multiple projects at once. They don't have the time to read through each applicant's cover letter, so these providers keep the cover letter short and sweet, very to-the-point, as below:
Hello there, I am interested in working on this project. I have quite a bit of experience when it comes to creating landing pages (see attached sample). Please contact me at your earliest convenience to discuss your needs further.

Regards,
MKMUNNA

Finding Work on odesk

Once you have completed your profile and taken the oDesk Readiness test, you are ready to apply for jobs. To apply for jobs, you will click on:

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

The first job that you see under your chosen job category or skill will be the most recently posted job. By scrolling down, you can visit other job openings. Each job opening will contain most of the information about the job, including job title, hourly budget or fixed price budget, and skills that the buyer is looking for. If a job interests you, you will click on "apply" to begin the application process. Keep in mind that the work at home job search at WhyDoWork.com includes all listings from oDesk and a multitude of other freelance sites. When applying, you will be prompted to a screen that asks you to enter your hourly rate or bid for a fixed price project (more on that later), the estimated timeframe for completion, and to accept the oDesk Marketplace User Agreement. The next part of the application process is to craft a pleasing "cover letter".

Creating an Eye-Catching Profile on oDesk

Title
The title section of your profile is very important because it is your one chance to stand out from the other providers in your niche. Your title should let potential buyers see at a glance what you have to offer. For example, if you are a freelance writer, your title might read:

Experienced Web Content Provider, 3 Top 10% Skills – eBooks, Articles, Landing Pages, More

What does this let the buyer know about you? Number one, that you have experience (which is important), and that you have experience writing web content (which is also a sought-after skill). Your title also lets the buyer know that you have taken three oDesk skills tests and placed into the top percentile. The remainder of the title shows that you are skilled enough to create eBooks, articles, landing pages, and more. This is an exemplary and eye-catching title.


Portrait
The portrait section of your provider profile allows you to upload a portrait of yourself. A professional photograph allows the buyer to put a face with the skills that you have. Some providers also choose to use a graphic as their provider profile picture. Whatever you choose, don't leave this place blank because it makes you appear less than authentic. Also, be careful that the picture you choose is in good taste and that you look as if you're ready for a job interview in the photo.

Personal Email
This is the email that oDesk will keep on file in order to send you messages, account alerts, account notifications, and more. Also, this is the email that buyers will use to contact you for interviews. Make sure that the email you list is one that you check frequently.

Hourly Pay Rate
The hourly pay rate that you establish when you create your account is the amount that any jobs you are hired for will be billed at. You will always have the option to raise or lower your hourly pay rate as you see fit; keep in mind that the hourly rate you set is the rate that the buyer will pay minus oDesk fees. For example, if your hourly pay rate is $18, the buyer will be billed $20 per hour. When applying for hourly assignments, you will also have the option to raise or lower your rate for each particular job during the application process.

oDesk Readiness
Your profile will indicate to buyers whether or not you are oDesk-ready. Being oDesk "ready" simply means that you have completed the "open-book" oDesk Readiness Exam. You cannot work on oDesk until you have completed this exam. The oDesk Readiness Exam ensures oDesk that you understand their procedures and guidelines.

Profile Access
When creating your oDesk provider profile, you must decide if you want everyone to see your profile, or if you want your profile to be viewed by authenticated users of the oDesk system only. If you choose to allow only authenticated users to view your profile, then only those users who have been authenticated by oDesk will have access to your profile.

Weekly Availability
Your weekly availability simply states the number of hours you are available for work each week. Be sure to set this at a comfortable figure; you don't want to overbook yourself.

Objective
The objective that you state when filling out your provider profile gives the buyer a better look at what you bring to the table and why he should hire you. If you are looking for jobs in the administrative support area, your objective might read:
  • I am a native English-speaking administrative support professional residing in the United States who has placed in the top ten percent on three oDesk examinations: Windows XP (92nd percentile), computer skills (95th percentile) and office skills test (97th percentile. I am a highly proficient typist who keys an average of 85 wpm without error. I am familiar with most office software, including MS 2007 and earlier version, Excel, Access, and Quicken. During my ongoing academic career, I developed great research and writing skills that allow me to quickly write reports, letters, and more. I am very dependable and pride myself on punctuality and meeting deadlines.

Portfolio Projects
The portfolio projects section of your provider profile allows you to show potential buyers what type of work you have done in the past. You can upload documents, pictures, and videos to the portfolio section that are original works that have been completed by you.

Employment History/Educational History
Both of these sections of the provider profile are completed much like an online job application. Fill in dates that you worked or attended school, where you worked at, the name of the school, the job title you held, the degree(s) you received, etc.

Certifications/Skills/Other Experience
This section of your provider profile should list any certifications you have received, any other skills that you have, and other experience that makes you qualified for the projects/positions that you wish to apply for.

What Skills Are In Demand on the oDesk Interface?

oDesk allows registered providers to browse, bid, and apply for jobs in Web Development, Software Development, Networking and Information Systems, Writing and Translation, Administrative Support, Design and Multimedia, Customer Service, Sales and Marketing, and Business Services.

What Sets oDesk Apart from Similar Sites?

You may be familiar with similar sites like eLance, Guru, and RentACoder that offer "middle-man" services between freelance professionals and project managers. oDesk is quickly becoming a preferred site for many freelancers because it offers:
  • Guaranteed payment. Unlike many other sites where payment on projects or hours work is not guaranteed, oDesk guarantees payment on all hourly work that is completed using their free, downloadable sftware, oDesk Team (see more about oDesk Team later on).
  • Automatic invoicing and billing for providers and buyers. Unlike some sites where getting paid can be tricky, oDesk keeps the buyer's credit card on file and charges the card when the pay period ends. For fixed price assignments, however, the buyer elects how much to pay (or if to pay at all).
  • oDesk doesn't charge a monthly/quarterly/yearly fee to freelance providers. Instead, oDesk gets paid when the provider gets paid; oDesk charges an 11.11% markup on each provider's wages (charged to the buyer). So, for example, if a provider charges $100 for their services, the buyer is charged $111.11.
  • oDesk allows providers to showcase their talents by taking free skills tests (and assigning a ranking to the provider's profile based on the test scores achieved).

About odesk Test

A reputation is the most important factor in success on freelance sites like oDesk.

But what if you're new?

Specifically for oDesk, taking tests can help build your 'street cred'.

Once you have a few successful projects under your belt you'll find your online resume a lot stronger.


+++
List of recommended tests per role:

Job Role

Required Tests

Elective Tests


.NET and Microsoft Programmer

English Test (Sentence Structure)
Dot Net Fundamentals
Visual Studio
ASP.NET 2003 Test
VB.NET 2003 Test
ADO.NET 2003
ASP.NET with SQL Server
JSharp 2003 Test
C Programming Test
C++ Programming Test
C# Programming Test
MS SQL Server 2000
Javascript 1.3 Test
Frontpage 2000 Test
Ecommerce Test


C/C++ Programmer

English Test (Sentence Structure)
C Programming Test
C++ Programming Test
C# Programming Test
Visual Studio
Visual Basic 6
ASP.NET 2003 Test
VB.NET 2003 Test
ADO.NET 2003
MS Access 2003
MS SQL Server 2000


PHP Programmer

English Test (Sentence Structure)
PHP5 Test
MySQL Test
Ecommerce Test


Java Programmer

English Test (Sentence Structure)
Java Test
Advanced Java Test
Ajax Test
JDBC 2.1 Test
JSP 2.0 Test
J2ME Test
Enterprise Java Beans (EJB) 2.0 Test


Perl Programmer

English Test (Sentence Structure)
Perl 5 Test
Ecommerce Test


XML Programmer

English Test (Sentence Structure)
XML 1.0 Test
HTML 4.01 Test
CSS 2.0 Test


Other Programming Skills

English Test (Sentence Structure)
Power Builder
ColdFusion MX 7 Test
Delphi 6
Python 2.x test
SOAP 1.2 Test
DHTML Test
HTML 4.01 Test
CSS 2.0 Test
Ecommerce Test


Graphic Designer

English Test (Sentence Structure)
Macromedia Flash 8
Adobe Photoshop 6.0
Adobe Illustrator
Adobe After Effects 7.0 Test
Dreamweaver 8
Frontpage 2000 Test
Ecommerce Test
HTML 4.01 Test
DHTML Test
XHTML 1.0 Test
CSS 2.0 Test


Enterprise Software Engineer

English Test (Sentence Structure)
Enterprise Java Beans (EJB) 2.0 Test
JDBC 2.1 Test

Microsoft DBA

English Test (Sentence Structure)
MS Access 2003
MS SQL Server 2000
System Analysis
SQL Test
Data Structures
Data Warehousing

Oracle DBA

English Test (Sentence Structure)
Oracle 10g Test
Oracle Database 10g
Oracle PL/SQL 10g Test
System Analysis
SQL Test
Data Structures
Developer 2000

MySQL DBA

English Test (Sentence Structure)
MySQL
System Analysis
SQL Test
Data Structures
Data Warehousing

IBM DBA

English Test (Sentence Structure)
DB2 Admin Test
System Analysis
SQL Test
Data Structures
Data Warehousing

Network and System Administrator

English Test (Sentence Structure)
Networking Concepts Test
CISCO
Networking Server 2003 Test
Networking with Windows NT 4
Networking XP Test
Windows Networking Design Infrastructure Test
Windows Networking Infrastructure Test
TCP/IP

Windows OS

English Test (Sentence Structure)
Windows NT
Windows XP Test

Unix OS

English Test (Sentence Structure)
Unix
Unix Shell

QA/Tester

English Test (Sentence Structure)
Software Testing Test

Data Entry

English Test (Sentence Structure)
MS Word 2003 Test
Office Skills Test
MS Powerpoint 2003 Test
Email Etiquette Certification
Telephone Etiquette Certification
Call Center Skills Test

SEO

English Test (Sentence Structure)
Search Engine Optimization Test
Ecommerce Test

Techwriter

English Test (Sentence Structure)
Technical Writing Skills Certification
MS Word 2003 Test
Editing Skills Certification

oDesk - The Marketplace for Online Workteams

oDesk is the marketplace for online workteams, with the best business model for both buyers and providers. Our unique approach guarantees that an hour paid is an hour worked while also guaranteeing that an hour worked is an hour paid.

With an average job size of $5,000 and a rapidly growing global community of buyers and providers that numbers in the hundreds of thousands, oDesk is changing how the world works.

Learn more about the oConomy »
The Challenge

oDesk is designed to solve the core challenges faced by online workteams.

For buyers:
* How to choose the right service providers
* How to manage and pay a remote team, around barriers such as timezone and culture
* How to maintain flexibility that will allow you to adjust to your business' changing needs

For providers:
* How to find qualified clients, with meaningful work opportunities
* How to work effectively with a remote client
* How to ensure payment is received on time and in full

Friday, February 17, 2012

How to Write an Effective Cover Letter for an Online Job

I write cover letters in two slightly different ways. When I am the one applying for the job, my cover letter is less detailed and it’s main objective is to get the employer to read my profile. When the application is client-initiated (meaning: the employer already saw my profile and has invited me for an interview), my cover letter provides more details about my skills and the objective this time is to get the client to hire me.

But in both cases, I make it a point that my cover letter answers ALL the questions raised by the client in the job description or in the private message the he/she sent to me. From my profile, I take the skills that I feel will suit the position that I’m applying for, and edit them depending on the situation (as I mentioned above). I will also arrange my skills based on the job requirement.

For example, when I’m applying for a virtual assistant job whose main task is to setup and maintain blogs, I will place the paragraph mentioning WordPress, blogging, Web 2.0 platforms, HTML, CSS and other related skills above the other skills. Then maybe SEO and writing skills will come in the succeeding paragraphs.

When creating a cover letter, it is important that it doesn’t appear “canned”. It must read in a way that it speaks directly to the client/employer. I will discourage using a generalized cover letter because some client don’t find using such impressive.

If it’s too taxing to create a cover letter each time you apply for a job, you can create a guide or a template. A guide or a template will tell you what should be included in your cover letter, and in what order they come. But you have to vary the text and make sure that no two cover letters will look exactly the same.


My cover letters almost always contain:

1. Introduction (includes salutation/greetings, name “I am Juana dela Cruz”, title “a freelance web designer”, country “from the Philippines” and brief work history “I’ve been working as a web designer for so and so years, creating and designing websites for various so and so companies…”). If the client was the one who invited me to apply for the position, I always begin my cover letter by thanking him/her for considering me for an interview.

2. A brief summary of the job description. This is important because it shows that you have actually read and understood the job description.

3. Skills.

4. Availability, schedule and other work-related details.

Most of the questions/items raised in the job posting or in the message sent by clients are about skills and competencies, availability and rate, so make sure you cover them in 3 and 4.

5. End note (“Thank you”, “Looking forward to hearing from you again”, etc) and signature.

You don’t have to follow this guide exactly, but at least you’ll have an idea of the structure and you can be creative with your own cover letter.

How to Make a Killer oDesk Profile



Step 1: List down all your skills. Doesn’t matter if they are related to one another or not. Go from broad to specific.

Example:

A. Writing Skills

1a. knows how to write SEO articles
 2a. can write 6 articles in a day

B. SEO Skills

1b. Off page SEO

1b1. can make 20 blog comments in an hour
 1b2. can make 20 forum posts in an hour

2b. On page SEO

2b1. optimize the “tags”
 2b3. keyword optimization

Step 2: List down all the tools and applications that you’re familiar with. If you’re a graphic designer, being an expert in Photoshop is a must. But if you’re a virtual assistant, knowing how to use Photoshop is a plus. The more applications you’re familiar with, the more plus points you acquire.
Step 3: Group your general skills (i.e. writing, SEO, organizing, etc) and write a short paragraph, 3 to 4 sentences for each general skill, and briefly discuss all related specific skills.

Example:

“I am a writer and I know the power of words, especially when it comes to writing SEO articles. I can produce 6 quality articles in a day and I can assure you that they will be original, unique and will pass copyscape. I have written articles for so and so….”

“I am familiar with both on-page and off-page SEO techniques. With off-page, I can generate 100 links in a day, 10 from blog comments, 10 from forum posting…”

Or

“I am familiar with both on-page and off-page SEO techniques. With off-page, I can generate links from blog comments, forum posts…With on-page, I know how to optimize the tags to make your site SEO-friendly…”

Step 4: Arrange the paragraphs in order of your proficiency, the top being the skill that you excel in most. For example, if you’re more of an SEO assistant, then put the SEO paragraph before the others.

Step 5: Read the resulting article and make sure that everything is clear, concise and well-written. Every paragraph must flow through to the next in a coherent manner. When you’re satisfied, use this in your oDesk profile. You may opt to add another paragraph at the bottom, describing your other qualities that will be useful at work or, a goal or objective, or anything that you think clients will find interesting about you.

Write an Effective oDesk Profile and Cover Letter and Get a Job

A few weeks ago, I did something I haven’t done for a long time: I started applying for a new online job. My current client who I work full-time for, has decreased my working hours. He said he is a little cash-strapped and needs to trim down on some expenses. But she doesn’t want to abandon all our projects, so just asked me to work for a few hours everyday until her sources of income become more stable.

I normally don’t want to have more than one full-time job, but I don’t know how long this part-time work setup will last, so I decided to find another job. And the first thing that I did was update my oDesk profile and my cover letter.



Your oDesk profile and cover letter are the two most important things you need to consider when looking for a job in oDesk. Together, they must always highlight your skills to attract the attention of potential employers.

And based on the recent changes that I made, I came up with simple and, I hope, effective ways on how you can beef up your profile and write a compelling cover letter.

Open An Account on Odesk


 Odesk is number one Freelancing site in the world. There are a lot of programmer working on this site. Buyers are expending their money to find out experienced programmer for their work.

You have to choose first what you are going to do with odesk account. There are two option two choose. You can post and you can work. Choose your one while you are opening your account.


1. Go to oDesk.com
2. Click Create an Account
3. Choose Freelance Contractor
4. You will brought to Account details page
5. Fill in your Full Name
6. Your Last Name
7. Then your E-mail
8. Continue filling up all fields with asterisks (*)
9. Enter the code
10. Then click Continue
11. Now sign in and start studying how the site works!
12. For starters, visit the About Us page of oDesk and read on

About Odesk

There is no doubt that online freelancing has boomed in the last 3 years or so. There are more freelancing site over the net. like-

1.Odesk
2.Scriptlace
3.Freelancer
4.Elance
5.Guru
6.Rent a coder
7.vworker

Personally I like odesk most. because odesk interface very nice and it is easy to use. Now a days odesk is very popular for freelance work.



What is Odesk?
Odesk is a platform for online earning and freelancing marketplace. Here you can get work by applying freelance job.

Job type:
you can work on odesk in two ways
1.Fixed price job(payments will be made after finishing the work)
2.Hourly job(get money every hour you work on odesk using odesk team application)


Job section: 

there are many jobs in odesk. Like data entry, SEO, Graphic Design, Web Design & Develop, Programing, Animation etc.

Payments option :

you can get money from odesk by payoneer master debit card, paypal, moneybooker etc