This post is a follow-up to the last one about signing up for oDesk. Best way to go about finding work online is to have a presence on both Elance and oDesk and, if possible, on Freelancer as well. Your profile makes a big difference in getting work. Hopefully I can get the wonderful Salma Jafri of WordPL to give us a few tips on how to create an awesome profile and tips and tricks to working online … erm … pushing my luck??
Elance is an online employment platform where clients can employ independent freelance workers and contractors can search for jobs, creating profiles and submitting proposals. Here are some quick steps you can follow to get started on creating your own profile at Elance.
1. Go to www.elance.com where you will see two options, “Sign In” or “Register.” Select the language of your choice and click on “Register.”
2. You will find yourself at the “Create An Account” page where you will have to choose between “I want to hire” and “I want to work.” Select your preferred option, in this case I have chosen “I want to work”, and click Continue.
You have also been given the option of signing in using your Facebook account if you prefer.
3. Fill in the required information to the best of your abilities. You have to select a username that will be visible to the rest of the users on Elance. Select a strong password and select a account type; either individual or business. After accepting the terms and agreements at the bottom of the page, click on Register.
4. That will take you to the next step of the process, where you select which type of job you are interested in doing. You can select a category, to which you can add or change at a later stage. The categories included are IT & Programming, Design & Multimedia, Writing & Translation, Sales & Marketing, Admin Support, Engineering & Manufacturing, Finance & Management and Legal.
5. You are then offered to choose a membership plan to your needs; this is something you can change at a later time. You can either go for Basic, which is free, or the Individual package, which charges you $10 per month.
With the Basic package you can contact 15 clients per month, unlimited invitations to work and standard placement in search. The individual package on the other hand allows you direct contact with 30+ clients per month. You are given unlimited invitations to work; there is higher placement in search and a higher visibility to clients.
6. After you have selected a package you will be asked to verify your email address.
Go to your inbox and click on the button in the email sent by Elance which will confirm your registration.
7. The link redirects you back to Elance where you can begin on your profile. There are useful tips offered on the page, which will help you make a great profile. Click on “Start Your Profile” to get started on filling out your information.
8. Fill in the required contact information and click “Continue.”
9. Select your hourly rate, fill in the overview and list your skills, selecting them from the list given on the right side.
You can either take the pledge now or later.
10. Congratulations! You are finished making your basic profile on Elance.
Again, you can find a cheat sheet for the test here but I advise you to use it. The test is there for a reason – trust me – it helps.
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P.S. This blogpost was written by my lovely assistant, Hanifa Tareen. I tweaked here and there but all credit goes to her.