01 September 2010 | Management Tips, Small Businesses | BrianM

Tamara wrote a great post for contractors to avoid embarrassing or career-damaging crises that could leave their employers in the lurch.  But an employer would be crazy to leave that kind of disaster preparedness solely in the hands of a contractor.

You are prepared for anything with your in-house team:  employees call in sick or take vacations, and you know who can take over their key responsibilities. You know computers might melt down, and you likely have IT staff backing up the network every night, and a plan to get a burned-out desktop repaired quickly.  Your have outlines for dealing with office-wide power outages.  So why wouldn’t you prepare for similar disruptions with your remote team?

With remote contractors, the same basic issues apply:  A tech problem could disrupt their ability to work. A major family crisis could make the contractor herself unavailable at a critical juncture. Anything can happen to take your worker offline and off-track. So how can you make the unexpected less painful to your business?

1.  Plan Ahead. Ask your contractors how they would handle technical disruptions like a hard drive failure or loss of Internet connection.  Go over the tips in Tamara’s post with them.  Have backup contact methods for your contractors — cell and home phones, a second email or chat account in case one provider’s servers crash on deadline day.

2.  Back It Up. Not only should you make sure your contractors are regularly backing up their work, you should be receiving it incrementally.  Set milestones for delivery of partially completed work, so you have it on hand in case you have to call in a pinch hitter to complete a project.  This is most important as deadline approaches, when you have less time to start from scratch after a meltdown.

3.  Share It All. In addition to backups, use a shared online repository such as Google Docs or Codesion, so that if a hard drive fails, your contractors and employees have immediate access to the work in progress.  Make sure that you “own” the documents or code, so you’ll always have complete access and control.

4.  Know Your Pinch Hitters. Is there someone on your in-house staff who could step in if your contractor is called away?  Do you know another contractor you could turn to in a crisis?  This is most important when a deadline looms on the calendar.  Some projects can easily be pushed back, but if you’ve coordinated a full-scale product launch, you don’t want it held up because one small, key element went awry.  In some cases, you can arrange to have projects in development simultaneously, so that the second one can launch early if the first gets held up.

5.  Disaster-Proof Your Deadlines. Get your projects started early, and have the contractor finish early.  If you must roll out a new iPhone app by September 1, don’t give the designer an August 28 deadline.  Give them a deadline that would allow you to launch by August 15.  If anything goes wrong, you’ve got extra time.  If nothing goes wrong … then you’ve netted yourself some time for extra beta testing!

6.  Motivate Delivery. If you’ve given a contractor an assignment that requires about ten hours of work, he might put it on his calendar for the two days before it’s due—which would make a last-minute crisis hard to manage.  Particularly with can’t-fail, can’t-delay projects, build incentives into your budget that will encourage the contractor to prioritize your work and strive to finish it early.  You can’t control how contractors manage your assignments … but you can encourage them to put your work at the top of their list.

Different projects require different disaster-preparedness strategies, but no initiative should leave you purely at the mercy of fate!

Any other tips for making disaster-proofing your remote work?  Ever been caught unprepared and learned the hard way?

Brian McDonough has been a writer and editor for more than 15 years, and has managed teams of in-house and freelance writers for newspapers, magazines and web sites.

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31 August 2010 | Freelance Focus, Freelancing Tips | Erica

So, you lost your job and are wondering if now is the time to make the switch from traditional employment to contract work. Don’t worry — it can be done! Here at oDesk, our experienced managers and savvy remote team have brainstormed 15 tried-and-true ways for you to go from fired to hired in the world of remote work.

Here are the 15 ways to get started in online contract work:

1. Set up an online portfolio. Many freelance and contract work sites have user-friendly ways to do this (including oDesk), so start there. You may also want to get a free blog and make it a showcase for your work or an online resumé. Stop thinking in terms of the old-fashioned paper resumé, and start thinking interactive, online portfolio with these nine steps from Freelance Switch.

2. Link to letters of recommendation. If you don’t have them from previous employers, ask for them (Miss Audrey at eHow can walk you through it). Scan those letters and get them online. Post them not only in your online portfolio, but also link to them or attach them to your cover letters as well. These recommendations will speak for you, so don’t neglect them.

3. Link to previous work. If you have done any work that shows up online — designed a logo, wrote the web content for a previous employer, assisted in building a certain kind of software, etc. — link to it! If your work isn’t necessarily online but your previous employer is, link to their site in your work history, along with a brief description of the work you did for them.

4. Begin with established relationships. Now is not the time to be shy or modest. Tug on strings, network like crazy, contact acquaintances, former business associates and previous employers personally if you think they can get you a lead — Stacy Erlihy has posted some great thoughts on this process, which you can apply to remote work.

5. Become a specialist. Online remote work is a global competition. If you are too general is applying your skills, you risk being lumped in with thousands, if not millions, of others who can do what you can do. To get a leg up, you may need to specialize. You’ll find tips on finding your specialty here, but don’t think of it as limiting yourself, think of it as becoming a sought-after expert in your field.

6. Work for a temporarily reduced cost. Remember, if you are new to contract work, you need to build your client base. Offer your first one or two employers a little incentive to hire someone like you, with little or no contract work experience. These early employers will help you build a reputation that will pave the way to new work opportunities, so give them a deal for your stellar services.

7. Guarantee satisfaction for your first employer. As a newbie to contract work, employers may see you as a risky hire. If that’s the case, you need to be willing to go the extra mile on your first few jobs and take a little risk yourself. Guarantee their satisfaction by offering to refund the payment if your first contract employer is not happy with your work.

8. Take online tests that establish and prove skill. You need to supplement your online portfolio with proof of your abilities.  oDesk offers free testing in a variety of fields, but you can also find sites whose sole purpose is to test your skills in a particular field. Allow potential employers to view your scores to help them see your abilities in action.

9. Be professional at all times. Becoming an online remote worker is not like setting up a personal Twitter account with which to bug your friends and share your insight throughout the day. Use your real name, use a professional-looking headshot (nothing glamorous, just you smiling), and don’t use texting lingo or abbreviations in any correspondence. When in doubt, make sure you aren’t doing any of these things.

10. Be honest. Lying about your experience isn’t a good idea. While it’s standard practice to sell yourself in the best possible light — i.e., you probably shouldn’t mention you were once fired for wasting time on Facebook —  it’s not acceptable to give false information about your expertise with lies or half-truths. This ABC News post explains how much you can expect to get away with when lying during a job hunt. (Answer: Not much.)

11. Update your portfolio often. For a while, you’ll want to list every new job on your online portfolio, until you have built a solid history of remote work success. While in time it may not be as necessary to net you your next job, you will still want to revisit your website or online resume every few months and update your work history, rates, etc. Find out how to keep your portfolio alive here.

12. Write a cover letter that gets you noticed. This is so key to getting hired and it’s all about making yourself stand out from the rest. Don’t assume you know how to do it, even if you are an experienced communicator. Research the right way to write a cover letter in today’s competitive online market and seek a lot of input from friends, family and trusted acquaintances.

13. Be patient, but persistent. This isn’t an endeavour that involves setting things up and then sitting back to wait for contract job offers to come rolling in. You have to apply for jobs daily and re-think your strategies each time you are turned down or overlooked. You will need to stay strong, stay positive and continually tune your presentation. This insightful piece from Bob Younce is for contract writers, but applies to all of us.

14. Be teachable. Remote contract work is unique from traditional work environments, so learn all you can from those who’ve been doing it successfully. Think of it like fishing in a new stream: If your cover letter, online resume/portfolio, etc., aren’t getting any bites, it’s time to go back and ask the locals about the quality of your bait (no matter how great you think it is!)

15. Don’t hide from your newness — address it! This goes hand in hand with #10: honesty. It’s the elephant in the room, so don’t be afraid to talk about it. Things will probably go better for you if you do. Here’s where adding incentive, like a lower first-time rate or a satisfaction guarantee can help you land that first job, so don’t shy away from using #6 and #7 to get yourself in the door.  Say something like, “I know I may not have the remote work or contract work experience you were hoping to find, but I do have the talent and skills you want for the job.”

How did you go from fired to hired, making the switch from traditional to remote work? Tell us about it in the comments!

Erica Benton brings nearly a decade of experience as a small business owner, freelancer and independent contractor to her position as the editor-in-chief of the oDesk Blog.

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30 August 2010 | Freelance Focus, Freelancing Tips | Alex

Unless you’re one of the lucky few with a steel-trap mind, then you’d probably benefit from a little help when it comes to organizing your online work life. A good calendar and task list are essential, and you may benefit from some of the Web 2.0 offerings in the realm of note taking and idea management.

Task Lists

Remember The Milk – A great solution for keeping track of to-do lists. It integrates with Google Calendar, is easily accessible from lots of mobile devices, and even offers mapping of task locations. Also, it’s free.

Toodledo – Another popular option, Toodledo offers many of the same features as Remember The Milk. However, it expands on these ideas, offering a premium service that gives you statistics on your tasks, and a folder structure to store sub-tasks within tasks.

Nirvana - While you may not achieve nirvana just by signing up for this service, it offers many of the organizational tools that a good task management service should, and it has a sleek interface that will keep you coming back for more.

43 Things - If you respond better to peer pressure, then 43 Things might be right up your alley–the site that allows you to publish and share your tasks for an added sense of communal accountability.

Calendars

Google Calendar - It’s basic, has an integrated task list, and plays nice with lots of other apps. You can also share calendars with coworkers to make coordinating meetings less challenging.

Yahoo Calendar - Like Google’s offering, this is a no-frills calendar that integrates in to your Yahoo! email.

Outlook, Entourage, and iCal – Desktop solutions like these are often included with your operating system. If you work from the same computer everyday, then their stability and integration may be a good choice for you.

Scrybe – Unfortunately Scrybe is currently in closed beta testing, but it looks very promising as a online calendar that goes beyond the sometimes limiting interface of traditional web-based apps.

Note Taking and Idea Management

Evernote – “Remeber Everything”–that’s Evernote’s motto. Well the basic idea is that Evernote is one place to keep all of your ideas, notes, bookmarks, pictures and sketches of ideas. Evernote tags them automatically (you can also tag them yourself), and then search your items easily from any computer or mobile device.

Diigo – If you’re collecting information online, especially text excerpts and notes on specific content, then Diigo can help you easily organize your findings with the ability to highlight text, make comments on sticky notes, take snapshots, save bookmarks and search all of these from your Diigo Library.

Google Notebook - If you’re a Google Docs user, then this is an easy one to use. It integrates essentially a Google Doc formatted specifically for note taking, commenting, labeling, and easily keeping several notebooks.

Regardless of the tools you’re using, being consistent is the only way to get value out of them. Find the system that works best for you, that you enjoy using, and that you can stick with for the best results. What tools do you use? Any favorites we missed? Let us know in the comments!

Alex Hornbake is one of several freelance writers on the oDesk Blog team. He joined the oDesk marketplace in 2009, and brings more than a decade of technical expertise to his clients. Alex shares his point of view to help you make informed decisions for your personal and business technology choices.

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26 August 2010 | Freelance Focus, Freelancing Tips, Inside oDesk | Guest Blogger

Just as how the feedback system of eBay allows you to decide who to buy from, the feedback system of oDesk is designed to give employers the chance to review, evaluate, and decide who they would like to interview, hire, and work with based on the contractor’s profile and feedback ratings. For contractors, good feedback provides an edge over others when looking for work. Here are our tips for earning that important 5-star rating on every contract:

1. Follow instructions. You read the job description, applied to the job, got hired, and are expected to do what you were hired to do.  Follow instructions and don’t hesitate to ask questions if there is confusion or misunderstanding with regards to the work.

2. Send work progress reports. Employers appreciate being informed of the status of their projects.  It only takes a couple of minutes to compose a short email about the work you’ve done over the last week, so make it a habit to inform your employers of anything and everything to do with the work assigned to you.

3. Ask for feedback. I would suggest asking for feedback after the first few days so that you can get a good idea of what the employer thinks about the work you’ve done so far.  After receiving feedback, you can then adjust your work and proceed from there.

4. Give suggestions.  One of the greatest things about being a freelancer is that you have more freedom to use your creativity.  If you have an idea or a concept that you believe could make the final product even better than what the employer is expecting, don’t hesitate to give suggestions.  He may or may not accept your ideas, but it’s worth a try and it shows that you value the outcome of your employer’s assignment.

5. Be honest and reliable. If you don’t want to be scammed out of payment or have your time disputed, maintain complete honesty and reliability throughout your term as a contractor.  Always be honest with yourself and with whatever you do, even if the employer turns out to be less reliable than you had hoped.

6. Meet the deadlines you’ve set. Never take your deadlines for granted, especially if you were the one who set them in the first place.  If you feel that you might not make the deadline, inform the employer as soon as possible and do your best make up for the delays.

7. Always maintain excellence in your work. Keep your work at its highest quality and you’re sure to win that 5-star feedback rating from your happy employer.  This also means applying to jobs that you know you can be excellent in and being consistent until you’ve completed all of your tasks.

If you’re new or if you haven’t received a lot of five-star ratings lately, it’s okay.  There are always plenty of opportunities to earn glowing feedback and lots of ways to impress your present and future employers. Just follow these tips and motivate yourself to become an awesome contractor and you’ll soon enjoy the incoming job offers and invites to interview.

Got other tips to winning 5-star feedback ratings?  Share them in the comments below!

Stephanie Chua is an oDesk freelance writer producing quality copywriting catalog work, as well as articles, blog posts, and website content for clients all over the globe.  She is the author of buzzworthy blog posts How to be a Quality Provider, How to Spot a Quality Buyer, and The oDesk Profile: Six Commonly Overlooked Items and How to Improve Them.

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25 August 2010 | Freelance Focus, Freelancing Tips | Tamara

If you’re thinking about becoming a remote contract worker — or maybe you are a newbie in the biz — you may be subjected to some well-intentioned (but inaccurate) advice and information about the ins and outs of contract work and freelancing.

We’re here to set the record straight by debunking the 10 Biggest Myths About Remote Work:

Myth #1: It’s lonely working from home. Working remotely doesn’t have to be lonely. Some contract remote workers are in contact with coworkers by Skype or IM chat during the majority of their working hours — it just depends on your particular field. There are even friendships to be made along the way. (Hey, if people can fall in love over the Internet, you can make a friend or two!) And let’s not forget you have the freedom to work wherever you want, not just home. Rent a cubicle, work from a coffee shop, hit up your local coworking venue, get a remote work partner — options are endless.

Myth #2: You’re on your own. You don’t have to be. There are third-party sites and tools out there that assist remote contract workers and/or connect them to other remote contract workers. Check out the oDesk community for an example of remote contractors staying connected, sharing tips and best practices, and even sharing coffee breaks. Who says you need an office?

Myth #3: It’s feast or famine. These days being a remote contract worker doesn’t necessarily mean you flutter from employer to employer, never knowing where the next paycheck will come from. A lot of remote workers tend to keep the same list of clients over the long term – and have a fairly predictable income as a result.

Myth #4: There’s no guarantee you’ll get paid for your work. Once again, you don’t have to go it alone in terms of billing and collections. Get a signed contract for every job, hire yourself an accountant/collections agent or simply use a third party like oDesk, which guarantees you’ll be paid for the hours you work — it’s a whole lot easier than sending invoice after invoice to get what you are owed.

Myth #5: Remote work is just for tech-savvy people. True, you probably need to know your way around email and maybe even the Internet to work remotely, but online freelancers are not just software developers and graphic designers. Customer service representatives, administrative assistants, writers, sales people, business consultants can all work remotely. Consider your own field — you might just be surprised by who’s working remotely these days.

Myth #6: You have to accept low wages to be competitive in remote contract work. This actually couldn’t be further from the truth. A lot of people make as much – if not more – as contract workers than they did working as traditional employees. It may take time and patience to build your clientele and prove your worth, but there’s no need to sell yourself short. Know your worth, earn a stellar reputation with your clients, and set your rates accordingly.

Myth #7: You have to have the latest in technology to be competitive. Again, sometimes remote workers don’t deal much with technology. Simply having a reliable working computer and/or telephone can be enough for certain fields. No one is going to ask you how old that laptop really is — from across the Internet, they can’t see that it’s five inches thick and weighs as much as a full tool box!

Myth #8: Remote workers don’t have access to benefits like health and disability insurance. Plenty of self-employed individuals buy their own health or disability insurance — it’s not typically as daunting as it sounds. Even so, there are unions and other resources for remote workers which can allow them to participate in group plans. The bottom line: Most traditionally employed people are paying for their benefits too, only human resources does the paperwork and payroll takes the premium out of their earnings. It may take some extra effort, but you don’t have to forego health and disability insurance to make your remote work dreams come true.

Myth #9: You’ll spend more time drumming up business than actually working. This is the beauty of the Internet, friends. You don’t need to knock on doors or stuff your resume into envelopes to be a contract worker anymore. Initially it may take some time to create your online resume. You might even need to learn what social networking is, but the flat world of the Internet allows you to be seen as far as the other side of the world, by thousands of potential clients. What’s more, a lot of remote contract work is long term. You may go months, even years for some, between times of needing to actively seek work.

Myth #10: Only the business savvy should venture into contract work. Any business acumen you need to work remotely can be easily learned along the way through experience and and a hunger for good advice from those who’ve gone before you. While freelancing can be like owning your own small business, the reality is that it does not require an MBA or any great accounting skills or entrepreneurial strategy to be successful. The most basic requirement for success in remote work is that you are fantastic within your area of expertise. Be confident in that!

What remote work myths have you heard lately? Tell us about it in the comments below.

Tamara Rice is one of several freelance writers on the oDesk Blog team. She joined the oDesk marketplace in 2009, after more than six years on staff at an award-winning national magazine.

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