There are a lot of ways to get paid online, but I believe that oDesk is the best way to go. I have been using oDesk for more than three years now and overall, my experience with the platform is exponentially great. While I have some frustrating moments with oDesk, I still find it the best job marketplace in the world – better than Elance and Guru.
Today, my main stream of income comes through oDesk and I consider oDesk as a godsend blessing as I am reaping the many wonderful benefits of working online. If you are just starting on your freelancing career, then I would highly recommend oDesk.
In this post, I would like to give you general ideas, guides, and tips that you will need to use oDesk effectively as possible – including how to avoid being scammed. So before you use oDesk, this blog post is a must read!
What is oDesk?
ODesk is the largest global job marketplace to date with millions of users and this can be the right platform for you are among those class of people who really sing, “I need money now”. There are two main categories of people who are using oDesk. One is the contractor and the other is the employer. ODesk helps to connect contractors and employers.
The most difficult thing to establish in working in an online environment is trust. Since you are working from different parts of the world and you are going to apply to an employer who is a complete stranger, you might have doubts on working with that person. This is where oDesk comes in. It serves as an arbitrary between the contractor and employer to ensure good business transactions.
The biggest concern for most freelancers is whether they will get paid or not for the job they have done. Thankfully, oDesk has the perfect solution.
In oDesk, you can choose the hourly among other methods to ensure payment. An employer will have to connect a mode of payment to oDesk, usually PayPal. Before ever acquiring a contractor, the employer will “deposit” money to oDesk. Thus, when payment is already due, oDesk can ensure a contractor that he or she will be paid at the end of the week according to the number of hours registered to the oDesk Time Tracker.
Of course, if there will be some disputes, oDesk is more inclined to protect the rights of the employers.
Here is where I want us to concentrate on. Getting scammed may happen on both contractors and employers. However, for this purpose, let us concentrate on contractors first.
I can’t give you fool-proof ways to avoid getting scammed but I will give you some tips on how to significantly decrease your chances of being fooled.
Choose payment method verified – if an employer’s payment method is verified, you will have some degree of insurance that that employer will pay. You can check the verification of an employer by looking for the small rectangular shape with a dollar sign inside. If you can’t find this, then that means that the employer is not yet verified.Check employer’s status – the status of an employer speaks volumes about him or her. Sometimes, even an employer is already verified, there is still a chance that he or she will not pay. So first, look at how much he had already spent. The higher the employer has spent, the better it is. Next, look at his reviews and ratings if you want to get money now. Common sense tells us that the higher the ratings and the more positive the reviews are, the better your chance of not getting scammed. Finally, determine when the employer started to use oDesk. If his account is already old and he has a lot of job posting, but no significant amount of money spent, then this can be a red flag. Usually, if an employer has been in oDesk for many months or years with plenty of job posting, that employer should have already spent a considerable amount of money.Choose hourly-rate – there is no better way to be ensured of getting paid than to use the hourly rate scheme. The employer will pay oDesk first and oDesk will pay you the money once the week is done.Demand for an up-front payment – this option is available for fixed-price jobs. If you are unsure whether a client will pay or not, you need to ask for an upfront. This will enable you to get certain percentage of the agreed contract price at the start of the job and earn money at home. When you finish the job, you will get the remaining percentage. But still, there are some risks here.Don’t work outside oDesk – some employers would like to work outside oDesk. This is primarily to avoid the oDesk fee which is 10% of every payment transaction. This is also appealing for some contractors since they can ask for higher rate when working outside oDesk. As inviting as it may sound, it has a lot of risks. You will have to work smarter when doing this.Ask the right questions – when dealing with new employers in oDesk, you need to give them a chance. Who knows, they might be the best employer you are looking for. Learning how to earn money means you need to ask the right question especially if you are in doubt. For example, ask the employer about his company. Look for any inconsistency with his answers. Also, if that employer is making excuses just not to answer your question, then it is time to look for other employers.Profile photo – I always have a bad feeling with employers who does not even bother to add a photo in their profile. Be wary with these employers.Don’t be naïve – there will be employers who will lure you with high rates or employers who will promise you incentives and bonuses. If the promises are too good to be true, stay away from them, unless they can prove to you these promises early enough.These are some of the important things you need to know about oDesk to make money online today. I am sure you will find great opportunities here in the same way as I did. Until now, I am still thankful and blessed to find oDesk. With the information I shared, you will get better on using oDesk as your part-time or full-time job. There are a lot of many money making schemes out there, just be careful which one you choose. As I said earlier, do your ground work carefully and patiently. This applies both to contractor and employers. If you find this post helpful share it with your colleagues. Good luck!
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