Hi everyone!

I am fairly new to the forums so wasn't sure where I should ask this question.

Anyway, before I found this forum I spent alot of time getting my profile, etc. established on oDesk. Is anyone a member? I have done a search on the forums for 'oDesk' but nothing was found. It seems as though everyone in the forums actually has their own business where I am more interested in working for someone who already has one.

I don't have my own VA business so I have been looking for work through other avenues. oDesk, at first, seemed to be a really good site.

Anyway, the biggest problem I have come accross is that the rates are SO LOW and I'm sure this has alot to do with the amount of members who are from overseas locations where they can do the work for so CHEAP!

There have been a few jobs come up for long-term VA's with a decent pay, but they are few and far between.

I was just wondering if anyone was a member and what the key is (if any) to finding a decent assignment with a decent hourly wage.

Or, does anyone know of any other sites like this that have better choices for work?

Thanks!

I've never worked through oDesk - there are a few threads here where I think oDesk is mentioned in the course of conversation... but when I was first starting out I did use GetAFreelancer.com. I had the same issue you have, and everyone else has with these types of freelance sites - you're competing with service providers who bid pennies on the dollar... makes it hard to practice your craft and make a living at the same time to be sure.

I would bid on select projects, but only those that I knew would enhance my portfolio [design, writing, editing, etc.] and I would bid competetively - although never nearly as low as other providers. Those few projects were a launch pad for gaining new work, referrals, etc. but I knew the freelance sites wouldn't be a way to make a reasonable amount of income and I quickly grew out of them.

The way I won those projects, even though my rate was more than the other bids, was by exhibiting mastery of skills in every action I took - from the bid message itself [careful spelling, grammar, presentation, etc.] to the samples I provided. Quality won out more often than not

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I tried this route too years ago. It seemed too competitive and there were a lot of downloads that I was not comfortable with.

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Kristina ~Success Office Solutions
Our Solutions Equal Your Success!

I looked around a oDesk when I was first starting out but quickly decided I didn't like their interface or their policies which I don't recall what they were but it seems like there was some time tracking download you had to have and you had to have a webcam or some other thing installed on your computer so they could track how much time you were spending on their projects. Ugh. I just couldn't conform to all that nonsense.

I did land a few gigs through elance early on and did pretty much the same thing Tess did. Bid competitively but still at a decent wage and wrote strong bid messages. One of those clients is still with me several months later and another has contacted me three other times outside of Elance for additional projects. It's a way to get contact or referrals but you'd really have to work it or have very specialized skills to make a living at it.

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Kimberly
Facebook Marketing Magic!

I just enrolled on odesk through a referral. I must admit the qualification criteria is a project on its own. I have not started bidding yet. I hope its as good as it looks.

Thanks for your input every one

Deanna

Yes I am and have done the qualifications, but I found it hard to compete against the $2.00 an hour bids. I get my work from guru.com instead.

Thanks Busy Fingers -- I will check it out!

Deanna

I have a profile on Odesk and it's pretty much impossible to get work at my rates. There are people who bid, literally, to work for a $1 an hour. And some buyers, too, refuse to pay much more than $3-$5 an hour, and that includes the 10% fee odesk charges the buyer. At my rates, I'm pretty much locked out of applying for jobs, which is kind of funny.

But, what I do like about them, as opposed to the other sites, is that they have a series of certification exams that are really fairly decent at measuring your skill level in certain areas. If anything, it can be a simple way for you to show potential clients that you've passed certain exams with them -- and that's all free. If someone decides to hire me through there, great... I'm still making the same amount of money.

All of these freelance sites, for us, should be looked at as slightly paid internships to get experience, referrals and portfolio pieces.

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Marian Harmon, Certified Virtual Assistant
www.crossmydesk.com

Thanks for all the info. I have had the same problem with some of the freelance sites. I just can't see working for $1 or $2 /hour max., especially when the project scopes are quite large. I would also caution anyone about some of these sites - research them very well!

Krista