Freelance Writing on oDesk – Finding Assignments

Now that you have finished filling out your oDesk profile, you are ready to start the process of applying for a freelance writing assignment. Whilst the mechanics of looking for that perfect job are simple, involving scouring the boards and applying for juicy writing jobs, the process requires a little thought and planning.

If you have not yet signed up for oDesk or filled out a profile, please visit the first Hub in the series,

Freelance Writing With oDesk - Filling Out Your Profile

Like most of the freelance writing boards, oDesk attracts its fair share of cheapskates, the buyers who are so tight-fisted that they only breathe in. Those freelance writing assignments are fairly easy to spot, offering $1 for a well-written, well-researched 500-word article. Sadly, until oDesk finally decides to implement a minimum wage, the boards will remain cluttered up with these fools.

However, there are some good assignments buried amongst the dross and I will show you a few tips for trying to get ahead. As I showed in the last Hub, when suggesting an hourly rate, you may have to bid low for the first couple of assignments until you receive the coveted five star rating, the benchmark on oDesk.

Getting the hang of navigating the boards is self-explanatory and there are some good tips in the extensive help section on the oDesk site. As a result, I will avoid delving too deeply into the mechanics and concentrate upon helping you maximize your time, by avoiding the poor quality buyers and charlatans. The boards are laid out chronologically and you can use the subcategories of job, looking at technical writing, blogging or general freelance writing assignments.

There are a number of things that will help you to avoid some of the poor quality postings and concentrate upon finding a decent freelance assignment. Remember, you are a neophyte at oDesk and you will not be able to march in and demand a huge amount of money.

At the moment, you are looking for a low paid, easy writing assignment that you can turn around quickly and receive your feedback. To put things in perspective, my first assignment was for $2.50 per 500 word article. I made practically no money, but the client was a very nice guy and gave me glowing feedback: That was a good result.

Browsing the boards can be overwhelming, so here are a few tips to help you to avoid wasting your valuable time. They will also help you to ensure that you are not underselling yourself.

• Don’t bother applying for freelance jobs more than a week old. They are usually cold and the buyer has gone on to other things. In addition, I always apply for jobs as soon as they appear; if you are first on the list, the buyer will notice you before the application is swamped by the bottom-feeders and spammers.
• It is easy to see a long list of providers and think that you have no chance of being noticed. Don’t worry too much as you can guarantee that 80% of the providers are useless, borderline spammers. You are a better freelancer than that.
• The jobs show the average bid and this can be a useful guide as to where you should pitch your quote. However, bear in mind that many of the applicants will be spammers proposing ridiculously low bids that skew the average. Don’t be afraid to go a little higher – if the client wants quality, she will pay the extra.

• Setting a realistic price can be the trickiest part of the oDesk experience and you continually have to reassess and modify your strategy. If you keep receiving replies from buyers stating that you are too expensive, you have to go after better quality freelance writing jobs or temporarily bid a little lower.
• You have a rolling quota of 20 job applications per week and, to be honest, I have never used them all. I would rather apply for 5 – 10 jobs and ensure that the freelance applications are targeted at good openings and that I have spent time looking professional. Quality definitely wins! If a posting is more than a week old, with no response, you can always cancel it rather than live in hope. Strike whilst the iron is hot and all that.
• If a job posting consists of – ‘write me ten articles - $1 per time,’ move on. If they cannot be bothered to spend five minutes filling out a half-decent job description, assume that they will not be bothered to spend the ten minutes making sure that you are paid

• You should have a clear idea of what you are looking for and try to stick to that. For example, if you don’t know anything about technical or academic writing, don’t bother applying because you are wasting the buyers time and your own effort.
• Always be honest about your capabilities; if the job specifically asks for a native English speaker and you are not, move on. In most cases, this is not racism but due to the buyer wanting a writer with a good grasp of the nuances in conversational English. On that score, I have been turned down a couple of times because the buyer assumed that I was Greek – hence the ‘Native English speaker’ bolted on to my statement!
• Conversely, you cannot afford to be too selective and reject jobs just because you have no interest in the topic. You may not like writing about plumbing supplies and sanitary products, but you have to swallow your pride and do it. Unless you are an established freelance writer, and you are using oDesk for supplementary income, you cannot afford to be choosy. Once you develop a reputation and begin to specialize, you will be able to look for your favoured topics.

These tips will enable you to make the most of your time and ensure that you are focusing your efforts. Although I am now at the stage where I do not need to hunt for oDesk buyers, when I used to apply for jobs, I expected to be successful with at least 1 in 4 of my applications. As a freelancer, you are not paid for the time you spend writing cover letters, so you are better off adopting as minimalist approach and concentrating upon a narrower field.

On oDesk, as with any freelance writing site, there are scammers and thieves that will try to steal your hard-work and effort. Whilst there are no guarantees, you can filter out the most obvious charlatans and cheats. To a certain extent, finding good buyers is a matter of experience; I read certain postings and the Sufi spider senses tingle as something does not seem right. However, there are a few things that you can do.

• Look at the buyer’s feedback – if they have a lot of bad reports, search elsewhere – a leopard does not change its spots. Occasionally, you may find a new buyer so you have to use other methods to check them out.
• Stalk them. This is probably not worth it for a small job but, for large assignments, try to find them online. Look at their website, put their name and e-mail address into Google and, if they are serial scammers, something often comes up.
• Check that their oDesk payment method is verified – oDesk checks their credit card details to ensure that the card is live. No verification, no work! If the buyer is new and has not yet had chance to verify their payment method, you can still take the assignment but make it clear that you will not write a word until they are verified.

• Trust your instincts. Once you have been around for a while, you get a feel for the bad buyers and instinctively know who to avoid.
• If you can live with the team application, hourly jobs are safer because they are protected by the oDesk guarantee. That is entirely down to personal choice – I prefer fixed rate jobs but accept the risk that I may get stiffed occasionally, as with private freelance writing.

One common scam is the use of examples. Occasionally, a buyer will ask you to write a sample article so that they can check your writing quality. As a rule, never send them anything: if they ask 40 providers to write a sample article, they receive 40 free articles and will disappear into the sunset, laughing. Point them in the direction of your portfolio or, if they insist upon something specific, write it as a Hub and send them the link. That way, if they are a scammer, you can keep the work and hopefully make a little Adsense.

One other important warning: If they ask you for money or want you to pay a registration fee, report them and walk away.  No buyer should ask you for money.

Occasionally, buyers will ask you to sign an assignment of copyright, even though the oDesk contract does automatically give them the right. This is fairly standard but I would insist upon not sending it to them until they payment is pending in your account so that, if they have no intention of paying, they have no rights over your hard work.

Hopefully, these tips will have helped you make some sense of the oDesk job boards. In the next Hub in the series, Freelance Writing with oDesk - Hourly Jobs vs Fixed Rate Jobs, I explain a little more about the differences between hourly and fixed rate assignments. The next hub, Freelance Writing with oDesk - Cover Letters and Interviews, shows you how to write a killer cover letter and handle the all important interviews.

If you are interested in signing up for oDesk, please use this referral link. It costs you nothing but I will be paid $50 when you earn your first $1000. Happy Days.

Freelance Writer Editor – My Personal Site

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Freelance Writing With oDesk - Filling Out Your Profile – This article guides you through the process of joining oDesk, one of the leading freelancer sites. It shows you how to fill out your profile and apply for jobs, chasing the better paying jobs rather than becoming bogged down in the article mills. Freelance writing with oDesk is a great start to developing a writing career, and this advice will help you to take the first step.

Freelance Writing on oDesk – Finding Assignments – You have finished your profile, and now seek to find a paying gig on oDesk. This article shows you how to find the best assignments on oDesk and build up your reputation. Like most freelance boards, there are cheapskates and bad clients on there, and this article will help you to avoid the cheats and wasters.

Freelance Writing on oDesk - Hourly Jobs vs Fixed Rate Jobs – This article explains the oDesk trade off and the difference between fixed price and hourly rate jobs, highlighting the pros and cons of each. Some freelance writers prefer the flexibility of fixed rate, others the guaranteed payment of the hourly model. This guide will help you to decide.

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