Thanks for the advice on Guru. I have been using the basic for several months. I just wasn't sure if it would be to my advantage to pay for a subscription. I think I will subscribe now.

Personally I would never touch Elance, Guru or any other such crittur. So many of the bidders on jobs are from India who will work for $5 an hour. But then, I'm a VA and a kinda VA - I work locally and meet with clients from time to time to brainstorm. Regardless of the "VA" designation I've found over the years that most clients want to see and speak with a body from time to time to build the trust and relationship. Perhaps that's human nature, what do I know? but in my humble opinion there has to be human contact along the way as that's the way humans are made ... odd lot us humans huh?

I disagree. I have worked for numerous clients over the years and never met them. Guru is so much more than people on here think. I've gotten jobs making over $20 an hour. I would never discourage people from using it because it is a way to get your foot in the door and that's what a lot of people need, encouragement. I have used Guru for years when I needed and feel that it has help me make a lot of money.

If you want to be a virtual worker, then these sites could be useful. If you want to be a virtual assistant, I don't see how you can do so by bidding for virtual work at $12-$20 an hour. A VA is a right-hand assistant; someone who works with a client on the day-to-day operations of a business. You can't build a relationship entirely by doing one-task work. I think that money best spent on guru and similar sites could be better spent on marketing virtual assistant services toward potential clients who are in it not to field out task work but to find someone who can help run their business.

Janine

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Keep in mind that any fees you pay to these sites are considered business expenses and should be considered when you do your taxes.

Freelance sites can serve a purpose for those who need work before their business takes off. I agree that you should put as much as you can into marketing yourself as a VA for a livable wage but sometimes you need to find a place to get some income coming before you land those long term relationship clients. For those of us who are more established I think it is easy for use to say "market and they will come" because we know it to be true. For new VAs, that can be hard to believe until it happens.

For some who are just starting out (and in this economy, no less) I think that for those who have their reasons for using a freelance site should not be termed only a "virtual worker" instead of a virtual assistant. Being a virtual assistant is defined rather broadly by the people who are in this industry and I believe there is already a group out there who tried to narrowly define what VA is and that's only really served to divide VAs rather than unite them.

Personally, I have longer term retainer clients who I work on their tasks almost daily but I also have some clients who are also long term but they might only need one or two projects done per month. Having both works for me. It may not be every VA's business model, but isn't that beauty of why we all went into business for ourselves?

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Kimberly
Facebook Marketing Magic!

Do you treat Guru clients the same? For example, do you send contracts, W9, etc? Or is everything handled through Guru? They seem to have their own policies/practices.

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Kathy
www.theofficevirtuoso.com

Any client I work with...I would send them a contract. On Guru, you have to, I think, upload a contract of some sort. But I would not work for a client that I didnt have a signed contract on, with my policies and procedures.

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Rebecca Thompson
CLR Virtual Connection * fanTABulous fan pages

I have used both Guru and Elance and have enjoyed the experience of working for both. I've been out of the game work-wise for quite some years whilst my children were small and these two sites have definitely helped me to regain the confidence I had lost. In fact, I have a telephone interview tomorrow for a job I've applied for via Guru, and I'm panicking as the employer wants me to come up with some questions, and it's been so long since I had a job interview of any kind that my mind has gone blank! I can only think in terms of the obvious ones - when do you want me to start and when do I get paid! Poor me, and I really want this one! Ho hum! Perhaps a night's sleep will get the old grey cells working again!

Belliveau,

Don't want to start a new thread within a thread as this one is about guru but I wanted to say that the best questions to ask are those that are about the company for which you are interviewing. Don't go with the obvious questions...ask about the products or services they provide. Ask about what sets this company apart from their competition. Ask about future plans that the company might have and where they see themselves in a year or two. Ask about the job itself and what they expect from you. Many people talk endlessly about themselves and really companies what to hear is that you are interested in their business. All the stuff about being paid and getting started can come out in the end when they will ask you, 'When can you start?' Good luck!
Thanks for sharing your guru experiences.
Janine

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Janine

That is so helpful! I'm sorry for altering the thread somewhat - I got into rambling mode. Thank you so much for giving me something to go on. Overnight, I'd come up with a few things, but just at that time, I felt so nervous my mind was a complete blank!

Thanks for helping me, I really appreciate it!

Janet in France