Getting started with Odesk

A litte bit about Odesk: It's quite simple, employers post their job offers, and freelancers apply with a bidding system. The employer sets an approximate budget and you get to make your best offer, competing with the rest of the freelancers. The employer takes a look at all of the profiles and decides which freelancer to hire based on portfolio, experience, and, last but not least, pay rate. You have two types of jobs, fixed priced jobs and hourly jobs. Fixed priced are the most tricky ones, because you get no guarantee that you'll get paid at the end of the job, and you have to specify a fixed amount (even though you can adjust this later if the job gets more complicated). I never had bad experiences with this kind of jobs, but, just in case, be careful when bidding. Hourly jobs are based on a time tracking application provided by Odesk. This little software tracks the time you spend with a certain job, and takes screenshots at random intervals while you're working (just to make sure you're not slacking off on facebook!). With this last system, they guarantee that you'll get paid, since (after the employer has approved all hours by checking the screenshots) the time you have worked gets billed automatically from the employer's account. Enough said.

So, go to Odesk.com and open up an account. Now it's time to fill your profile. Let's do this quick and simple:

- Upload your profile picture. It's always a better idea to show your face instead of a logo or an avatar, so make sure you get a good picture of yourself (don't crop your face out of a picture from your trip to Machu Pichu!).

- State your minimum hourly pay rate. Now, you have two options here: You can start with a low rate to encourage employers to hire you despite being a new contractor (this is actually sad, but true, many employers emphasize the importance of a low rate when posting jobs); Or you can simply browse through the site's statistics to see what's the average hourly pay rate for the skills that you offer. I personally chose the first option. I started with a U$10 rate, and after I got the first couple of jobs and some good feedback my clients, I started to raise my rate.

- Write a brief description of your skills. Don't go overboard writing too much, since most employers will have to read dozens of profiles when posting a job and they can't afford to spend much time reading descriptions.

- Upload your work to your portfolio. Post only your best work. Don't try to make your portfolio look more important by overcrowding it. Odesk has a very basic portfolio setting and it won't allow you to split it into categories, so if you upload a whole bunch of pictures, it will look messy and unprofessional. It's also a good idea to open up an account on an online portfolio site like Behance.net.

- List your employment history and describe your education. Be as specific as you can.

- Take tests. Odesk has a wide variety of competency tests. They're not really good proof of your talent, but they will sure look good on your profile, and it will show that you are seriously commited. Even though it's not usual, some employers do restrict their searches to those freelancers who completed certain tests (For instance, a 3D Studio Max test, or a Google Sketchup test).

You've completed your profile. Next time we'll go with the next step: Applying for your first job.

Feel free to ask me any questions!