oDesk (Upwork). My experience in a year and a half

    For the past year and a half, I have been earning freelancing on the oDesk exchange. During this time, I have accumulated a lot of materials on this topic. In this topic, I collected everything in one article and adapted the habr for the audience.
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    Why oDesk?
    Because wages are on average higher than on Russian exchanges, and as for me, customers are more adequate.
    I also tried Elance, which, by the way, has now merged with oDesk, but there I was not able to take my first order for a long time, so I switched to oDesk.

    There are also exchanges for registration on which it is worth passing an exam, the level of orders there is much higher, but at the moment oDesk completely satisfies me.

    My way in a year and a half
    From the very beginning I tried to take an order for a small project to get my first review. But it didn’t work out for me for a very long time. Probably, all the projects for $ 5 take the Indians.

    I began to try myself in simple projects for about a week of work. As a result, for 4 months I did a dozen quizzes, actually clones of each other, with a different design. I spent a lot of time and did not get a lot of money. Often the customer manipulated me, saying that he would not pay the money.

    Then there was a complex project related to low-level data caching on Android. It was the first hourly project and the first financial success.

    The next project is the creation of a prototype of a large Java SE application with subsequent hourly development, and after that with its long support.

    But hourly work takes a lot of time and takes freedom. So I completely switched to fixed price. From this point on, I deal with projects with a fixed payment of two months and then support them for a certain amount per month.

    Profile The
    profile on oDesk, in my opinion, is not a very important point, but for greater efficiency in communicating with customers at the initial stage, I worked well on it. It is important that it is not empty.


    Photo:

    You need a photo that clearly shows your face. It is important that there was no one in the photo except you, and your look was serious enough. Seriousness is especially important for young freelancers, as I often come across age stereotypes among customers.

    Personal information:
    When I just started freelancing, I just made a list of my technical abilities and wrote them down in groups. For example:

    - SQL, SQLite, MySQL
    - JSON, XML
    ...

    So I worked for about six months and after another successful project, my customer surprised me. His message was like:
    “You are a good performer, it's nice to work with you, but you have a terribly bad profile, do you want me to help you?”

    Given that the client was an American and a marketing specialist, I immediately agreed.

    After that, together with a dry list of my abilities, a rather large amount of text flaunts in my profile. The essence of the information about me has not changed, but it has acquired a different form, the form of a story.

    Hi, My name is XXX YYY.
    In my portfolio, are a few of the programs that I've developed. I believe my strong points are my Creativeness and Punctuality. My # 1 goal will always be to meet your needs and deadline. When working on a new project, I like to speak with the client, so that I can have a clear understanding of his / her needs and vision of the project. I'm honest and fair.
    Since 2010, I'm programmer in CRDF project for the visualization of meteorological data. Developing UI (Eclipse RCP) and server (big data, cluster programming, high load).
    Also from 2011, I develop Android applications and games.
    Please take a look at my work history for comments from other clients. Thank you in advance for your time and consideration. I look forward to working with you soon.
    I have a Bachelors in Software Engineering from Donets'k National Technical University, in the Ukraine. Listed below are my experience and skills.
    - Android (2.x & 4.x): Fragments API, Location and Sensors API, SQLite, UI, Services, Maps, ActionBarSherlock, Parse.com, admob, etc;
    - Java Core: Java Core, Multithreading, Collections API, etc;
    - Frameworks: Eclipse RCP, JUnit;
    - Core web: XML, JSON, HTML / CSS, JavaScript;
    - IDE: Eclipse;
    - OS: Linux, Windows, Mac OS X;
    - VCS: Git, Mercurial, SVN;
    - Bug / Issue trackers: Jira, Assembla, Redmine;
    - SQL
    - UML.


    List of technologies / abilities:
    I added everything with which I am at least a little familiar. Often, when searching for a candidate, customers install filters on certain technologies. Popular technologies can be found in the job description, recently oDesk has introduced the ability for customers to specify the capabilities necessary for the task.

    Tests:
    In my subjective opinion, tests on oDesk absolutely do not reflect the real picture of knowledge. Customers also rarely look at them, although sometimes they filter in the search by test ball. Since the tests take too much time, I passed several tests to get into the Top 30%.
    A good result on the profile technology will give the customer the confidence that I am at least a little versed in the topic. However, when I had more than 3-4 completed projects, tests became not so important.

    Employment History / Education / Other Experience:
    This item seems completely useless to me, but in order to keep the profile not empty, I filled them out as well.

    Portfolio:
    I do not fan it much, 10 works are quite enough.



    The description of the work is quite small, the main attention of customers is to the quantity and screenshots. It’s also good to include a link.
    Particular attention to screenshots: add a background and a phone layout matter 5 minutes, but what an effect!

    Level of English:
    Definitely need to put at least level 4 (Conversational). You will always have time to apologize and refuse to work, and at a low level you will lose a large number of potential customers.

    Groups:
    In my opinion, the groups look quite prestigious and distinguish you from the rest. It's easy to get them - you can simply join various groups and participate in contests from oDesk.



    How I choose a customer
    Everything written below is pretty obvious, but I decided to add for the full picture.
    On oDesk, as elsewhere, there are unscrupulous people. They can very much pat their nerves, blackmail and not even pay for the work at all.

    I will tell you based on screenshots.


    The best option is that the client has long been on the site, he has already paid quite a lot of money and his rating is solid. It is worth trusting him, because it is not profitable for him to throw you, since reputation is more important.



    New client. This does not mean that he is bad, most likely he will be good, but it is worth taking precautions.



    In my opinion - the worst option. Firstly, the average rating is VERY small - $ 3 per hour, which means that the client is greedy and picky. A rating of about 4 stars is very bad. As a rule, if the rating is less than 4 stars, then customers simply create a new account, since no one wants to work with them. I've been looking for a long time and could not find one for the screenshot.

    The worst rating I've seen is 4.13.



    It is also worth paying attention to comments on past client works. There you can always find out how much you can count on and what problems will arise with this customer.



    Another interesting point: there are customers whose profile looks good, but they have many “In progress” projects that started not so long ago or at about the same time. This is a sign of cheating. Most likely, such a customer will throw a pack of all performers and abandon their account.

    What brings me the most money
    In my opinion, the most profitable projects are fixed-price for a long time (for me it is more than 5 months). But the most effective (the ratio of the effort spent to the resulting benefit) is the support of their past projects. You don’t need much time to support your projects, and the payment is good.

    Fixed and hourly wage
    Fixed wage



    With a fixed salary, the customer pre-sets the budget for the project or for the current phase. When I offer my services, I must also indicate my assessment of the cost of the work. Usually it matches the budget of the customer, or is less if I really think that the work costs less. It’s not worth asking for less than the customer’s budget: the client has already decided how much he’s willing to give up, why ask for less?

    If you put a lower price, you get the so-called dumping (and you will get more chances to get a job). Yes, this will work with a certain category of customers, but it’s better not to mess with them. A client who selects an artist mainly at the proposed price (unless, of course, it does not greatly exceed the initial budget) is likely to be terribly meticulous and mean. And thus, a lot of time and nerves will be spent on it.

    I use a slightly different tactic: I always put the price a little more than the initial budget, about 10%. For me, these 10% are not so important as the adequacy of the client. In the cover letter, I always explain why I set the budget a little more, and if the client is ready to discuss the budget, then this is a big plus, so in the future he will be ready to pay for minor improvements, for the jambs for his part, etc.
    With a fixed salary, it is also possible to get paid before the start of work - this is the so-called upfront payment (advance payment). I personally think that getting money without doing anything is not good, so I never ask for upfront payment. However, in this case, you can protect yourself from deception.

    Initially, I divide the entire budget by 70% / 30%. Then I make an estimate for the entire duration of the work. It turns out some terms of reference + approximate deadlines for the implementation of each module + their cost. The entire length of the work is divided into intervals (1-2 weeks), and I set the price for each interval separately, equally dividing 70% between the intervals. Thus, they can only deceive me for a week or two of my work. The remaining 30% I get after the finish of the whole project, this is a guarantee that I will finish the project.

    Hourly pay



    When you pay hourly pay money every week.

    You need to pinpoint the time spent using software from oDesk or by adding the time spent on the site manually (manual time).
    ODesk software tracks the time for 10 minutes. Moreover, it captures gaps that are multiples of 10, that is, xx: 00-xx-10, xx: 10-xx: 20, ... During these ten minutes, a screenshot of your screen is taken at random time, but only one screenshot in 10 minutes. Thus, if a screenshot has already been taken in the current 10 minutes, then you should not be afraid that he will take a picture of something else, and you can safely sit in the VKontakte for the rest of the time. It’s also not worth worrying if the screenshot was taken when you were doing something wrong: you can delete it right away on the site and the customer will not even know it, you just lose money in 10 minutes.

    Also, information about activity (mouse movement, mouse clicks, keystrokes) is collected within 10 minutes. In fact, only facts of activity are considered, not your specific actions, so it’s enough to press the arrows on the keyboard once a couple of minutes and move the mouse.

    It is worth noting that such deception (tracking time when you actually do not work) can be dealt with only when you really quickly completed a part of the work and now you just want to get an adequate payment for it. Otherwise, your actions will be easily detected and you will lose the client.

    Some clients prohibit adding manual time, which is terribly inconvenient for me, because I am often distracted and it is difficult for me to devote all 10 minutes to work. Moreover, this suggests that the client does not trust me, and I try not to work with such people.

    Payment comes once a week. Every Monday, oDesk sends a report on your work to the customer, he checks it for a couple of days and, if everything is fine, then after another three or four days the money will be credited to your account.

    Recently, oDesk introduced the expected level of cost of hourly work for the client (icons "$", "$$", "$$$"). They determine how much money the client is willing to pay for each hour.

    Approximately:
    $ - up to $ 7 per hour
    $$ - from $ 7 to $ 15
    $$$ - more than $ 15 per hour

    But the assessment largely depends on the client. For example, the $$$ level for a customer from the USA (more than $ 30) and for a customer from India ($ 15) or Russia ($ 20) are completely different prices.

    English level English
    is the main language on the oDesk website. For most IT professionals, this is not a problem, but even if it is not, you should not postpone the start of work in order to learn English.

    Approximately 99% of all work on oDesk is in English. Of course, there are customers who want to communicate in Russian or Chinese, but this is rather the exception. Therefore, it is worth preparing that all work will be conducted in English.

    The main way of communication for me is email correspondence. Skype chat is used a little less often, but without it, nowhere. Be prepared that you will have to conduct live communication with the customer, even if not in verbal form. Over the six months of work, there has not been a single case where clients demanded a Skype call, but the ability to freely communicate in English provides a much greater chance of taking an expensive project and conducting more productive work.

    If it’s hard for you to write in English, then you should not try to learn first, and then start working. This skill comes in the process, although at the very beginning it is necessary to drive each message into the translator.

    Correct spelling, grammar are not very important, the main thing is that the customer and you understand each other. Clients understand that English is not the main language for you, the main thing is that the work work.

    Cover letter (letter to the customer)
    In my opinion, the most important part of finding work on oDesk is to write the cover letter correctly. All in several sentences it is necessary to convince the customer that:
    - I will cope with the task;
    - I fully understand TK;
    - it is easy to communicate and interact with me;
    - there will be no unforeseen situations;
    “... can go on for a very long time.”

    I will consider an example of one of my cover letter (I apologize for English), which gave me one of the most profitable projects:

    Job description:



    Cover letter: The



    following is a discussion of the technical points.

    I will highlight the main points that I consider important:
    - based on the description of the work, the client is technically well-versed, which means that it is necessary to show that your level is not worse;
    - Moreover, the client has certain theses on work, you should immediately ask questions on them or express your opinion, thereby you show that you understand the topic;
    - if the description contains a link to some large technical document, then you should definitely read it and show in the cover letter that you have studied the client’s problem from and to;
    - I showed that I have a personal interest in the project. In fact, this is 100% true: I undertake only those projects that I really would be interested in doing, otherwise the work turns into hell;
    - at that moment I had a few works in my portfolio, so I referred to the NDA (non-disclosure agreement) which prevents me from showing a large number of my own works. This was partly true, since at that moment I had several successful projects that were still under the NDA;
    - It is also worth pointing out that you have already done a similar project in the past, it is not necessary to show it, but it is worth saying;
    - further, I lowered my rating, which was actually wrong, but in the process of working with them I raised the rating to $ 30 / hour;
    - willingness to do a test task - a guarantee to the client that you are an adequate person and will be able to complete the work. As a rule, no one gives a test task;
    - In my message, I showed that I understood the client’s problem very well.

    Tsiferki, tsiferki, tsiferki
    Reading such articles, I am always interested to find out what is the use of what the author says. Unfortunately, the NDA prohibits talking in more detail.




    In the first 4 months, I earned $ 650 in small quiz games. It took about 20-30 hours a week.

    Starting from 3 months, along the way, I took the hourly project - the Android library. I earned $ 2,000 on it for 3 months. Spending 10-15 hours a week.
    Then there was a draft demo version of an application related to science, a prototype. I earned $ 500 a week. A total of 20 hours.
    After a successful prototype, I continued to work with this application and received $ 5000 for two months, about 15 hours a week.

    The next project lasted 7 months and brought me $ 15,000. It was video streaming for android. Approximately 15 hours of work per week.

    The next project is a small photo app for android. 2 months of work for 30-40 hours and $ 5000 profit. After that, 3 months of support and an additional $ 4000, about 3-4 hours a week.

    The most successful month was September: $ 4000 per month and 25 hours of work per week.



    $ 4000 per month and 25 hours of work per week.

    Thus, in a year and a half I earned approximately $ 33,000.

    Withdrawing Money
    To withdraw money, oDesk offers a wide variety of different ways.

    But, in fact, the only acceptable option for residents of the CIS is Payoneer. Direct payments are not missed by banks because of the need for a legally correct contract from the customer, which is rather difficult to make and such difficulties are not justified for small projects - PayPal does not work for withdrawing funds in the CIS.

    So what is Payoneer?

    This is an American company that creates a dollar card for you in a foreign bank. However, it is worth noting that you are not the owner of the account, you are only the owner of the card tied to the general Payoneer account (this is important, for example, citizens of Ukraine cannot have an account with a foreign bank without the permission of the NBU).

    You just need to enter your data in the form (name and residence data) and after one or two months you will receive an envelope with a card inside. It’s better to enter true data. To prove that this card is yours, it is possible only if you confirm that you registered on this site, and your passport data matches the data on the site.

    Regarding transcription, it is better to write as it is written in the passport, or, if it is not, as right. You can also see the rules for official transcription of letters. Each country has a special document that contains transcriptions of first and last names in Latin letters.

    The cost of servicing the card is $ 30 per year. This amount is automatically charged once a year and only if there is money in the account.

    My card arrived about a month and a half after the order, in a regular envelope from the state of Illinois.

    You can withdraw money at any ATM. Before using the card, you must activate it on the site and set a PIN code. You cannot use the card before activation. Now it remains only to tie the card to oDesk account. This is done in oDesk settings and takes 5 minutes.

    C Payoneer is also convenient to spend money. You can transfer money to another Payoneer account (up to $ 1000 per day), for example, to pay other people, or attach a card to PayPal and pay for purchases on the Internet.

    Payoneer has very good support in Russian, so any question can be asked on the forum. On a habr, by the way, are also present.
    Payoneer also has a very loyal referral program: if you register using a referral link, the company pays $ 25 not only to the person who invited it, but also to the new user as soon as he earns his first $ 100. Thus, you can easily cover almost all the card maintenance costs for the first year. Since Habr forbids advertising in posts, there will be no links, but you can easily find it through my profile.

    Legality
    As for Ukraine, I did not find a simple way to legalize income. For large projects, you can conclude contracts with the customer, receive an act of completion and that's all. But for small projects, this option is not suitable, since it is very expensive.
    There is a semi-legal option: to make a state of emergency, for example, as an anikeyschik, to withdraw money through payoneer and make it into the declaration as payment for services provided to the population.

    I will be glad to answer any questions.

    Added:
    In the comments there were a lot of comments about the level of my English. Yes, he is not very good. However, never did my clients comment on the language or ask me again. It’s not so easy for me to communicate via Skype, but you can always ask again and customers who understand understand this. Moreover, most of my customers are not from English-speaking countries and I often see errors in their messages.

    Added (05/22/2015):
    Due to the fact that a year later, the article is still popular and they ask me a large number of questions of the same type and personally ask about the Payoneer referral program, as well as some of the information is out of date, I decided to add a link to my freelance blog - jff.name , which contains answers to most of the questions and was the source of information for this article.

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