Working online with oDesk

My experience working online with oDesk for Digital Jam 2.0 conference 2012 - http://goo.gl/fNC3F

Transcript

1. Working online with oDesk by Marcel Morgan
2. Introduction • About me • Opportunity & Challenges • Advantages & Disadvantages • What is oDesk? • Why oDesk? • Getting started & Standing out
3. About me • Web Developer • Working online full- time since February 2012 • Developer behind dominoj.com - Jamaican Dominoes • Love to learn and experiment with technology
4. The Opportunity • Access a world-wide job market • A greater pool of clients • Wider variety of jobs are potentially available • Close proximity to the US • Native English speaking • Build international experience
5. Challenges • Effective communication • Time management • Taking care of the business aspects • No face to face connection • Can be lonely depending on your personality • Accepting rejection
6. Advantages • Being your own boss • Choosing your work • More flexible work schedules • Start on a part time basis • Working for multiple clients gives a greater wealth of experience
7. Disadvantages • No guarantee of a steady income • Lack of benefits • High competition exists online • Requires a lot of self motivation • No job security • No paid vacation or sick leave
8. What is oDesk? • “oDesk is a company with a global job marketplace and a series of tools targeted at businesses that intend to hire and manage remote workers” - Wikipedia • “... the world’s largest and fastest-growing online workplace, ranked #1 by annual contractor earnings” - oDesk • “My wonderful online office” - me
9. Why oDesk? • More than 350,000 businesses use oDesk • Guaranteed payment for hourly paid jobs • Weekly payment frequency • Easy time tracking available via app • Variety of payment options available
10. Survey Results
11. Getting started • Free to join • Visit odesk.com and click “Sign up” • Create your online profile: • Take tests, add education & work history • Lower rates than worth to “break in” • Fixed price jobs are easier to get
12. How it works • Two (2) types of jobs: • Fixed price jobs • Hourly paid jobs • 10% oDesk fee • For every $10 you earn, oDesk’s fee is $1 • Apply for as much as 20 jobs at once
13. Job Categories • Web Development • Software Development • Networking and Information Systems • Writing & Translation • Administrative Support • Design & Multimedia • Customer Service • Sales & Marketing • Business Services
14. Stand out • What different do I bring to the table? • Why should I choose you among other of similar or lower rate? • Have a good objective • Be professional • Build an online working reputation
15. Aim for the top 10% in tests oDesk Tests
16. Questions? marcel.morgan@codedry.com