Get noticed, upload a portrait
Ok, so another tip for providers. I'm a new buyer and posted my job a couple days back. I've received well over 25 candidates already. I'm sure as a provider you'd like to stand out from the crowd. I just recently posted and suggesterd you update your profile titles to be interesting and compelling to get me to look at your profile some more.
Now another thing stands out at me. It seems like less than half of you have uploaded portraits. It might not seem like much, but put yourself in my shoes. I cam e into a network of 5,000 people and am looking to pick one to work with me. You shoudl do as much as you can to stand out.
I'm really sick of seeing this, and would much rather see somethign like this!
cheers and good luck!
I recently (like a week
I recently (like a week ago?) uploaded a portrait of myself in order to help buyers identify me in case we happened to cross pathes on the street or we were the last survivors of the human race after a catastrophic nuclear meltdown.
Unfortunately the profile picture gets resized into something mighty small, so I doubt many people would recognize exactly how professional I am a glance.
Anyway, I think this is great advice!
Awesome work!
Awesome portrait!!!
I had to right-click and hit View Image to actually read the sign, but when I finally did I lmao. 
Bravo!
I admit to being on the side
I admit to being on the side of wanting to be able to "picture" who I work with. However, I do have to put in my two cents for the other side of the fence.
I was a provider for oDesk for a time. Having my picture up was a bit of a double edged sword. While most of my buyers appreciated the fact that they could put a face with the provider, I had a few that felt the urge to engage in conversation that was not work related. As such, I can see how some female providers may not be ok with having their picture up with their profile.
It's something to keep in mind.
Susanne Bullo
oDesk Support
sbullo@odesk.com
Support: https://secure.odesk.com/console/ticket.php
I tend to agree with a twist
I also want to add that I agree that adding something is good to make youself stand out. I am at work and will be changing my image to my LOGO that I designed for myself istead of the photograph that I took in England.
I would much rather see some ones logo then there face. We are a world full of judgment and we may find that the way that people look my make our views on there ability to do there job. We have seen it happen at a office job, its a fear that it might happen on here as well.
Just a thought!
Avatar
on Fri, 2006-10-27 15:03.Would an Avatar be an option for those who do not have a logo, yet would like to stand out? It is great, because it is still a "person", yet it allows one to show how one sees him/herself. So from a certain point of view it is more descriptive than a photo.
Rather see the person, but understand
It's good to know that you're working with a real person by seeing an actual picture, but understand that there may be some concerns about it.
Also, fair's fair - where can a buyer upload a portrait for their profile or job?
Buyer Pix
A buyer would log into http://my.odesk.com and click on My Account. This will bring up the buyer profile page that can be edited.
Susanne Bullo
oDesk Support
sbullo@odesk.com
Support: https://secure.odesk.com/console/ticket.php
respect
I believe that the pictures do help build trust and a good mutual respectful relationship. This is haard to do if people only know each other by email addresses.
Some of my friends here in Ukraine tell me they have trouble working with customers in Untied States. People need to treat all others with respect in order to have sucessful work.
I deliberately have not
I deliberately have not posted a picture. I don't want a buyer to hire me -- or to not hire me -- based on how I look; that's completely irrelevant to my work performance. (In this country, photos are not normally included with résumés, largely for similar reasons.) I understand that it's often helpful to personalize an Internet contact, but I'm not sure how I can do so in such a way as to not unfairly bias a buyer.
Maybe using a webcam after
on Mon, 2007-01-15 12:11.Maybe using a webcam after you have already been hired will do the trick? This way , the buyer will not be biased during the selection process, yet get to know you once you are working together.
Regards,
Olga
There's a webcam?
How do we use that functionality? Do most of the providers have a webcam?
Can I turn it on? I really don't see any documentation on it or where to view it in my.odesk.
-Bob
Bob, sorry for the delay
on Thu, 2007-02-01 10:17.Bob, sorry for the delay with responce. While we do recommend that oDesk providers use a webcam, it is not a strict requirement, so, apparently, not all of them use/have it.
From odesk_team#A6:
If your PC has a compatible video camera connected, the oDesk Team Client menu will let you configure the snapshots it can send to your TeamRoom.
- Right-click on the oDesk Team icon in the system tray to bring up the oDesk Team client.
- Click on Camera Settings to use your camera’s controls to fine-tune the snapshot settings; exact options and controls depend on the software your camera came with. Experiment with the settings to capture the best quality image.
Note: Snapshots are sent only when the Send Camera Snapshot box is checked in the Preferences dialog box.
If the provider is using a webcam, the webcam shot will appear as part of the screenshot in the WorkDiary: https://url.odesk.com/t0lw. Also, see http://blog.odesk.com/2006/10/webcams-making-a-team-feel-connected/ for some revelations on using the webcam.
Regards,
Olga
A Cartoon Character
I feel we can put up a cartoon character as our picture. I personally feel that it works better than our own picture.
Thanks,
Pothi.
I agree that a picture is
I agree that a picture is seeming to be a lot more personal. Especially hiring over the internet must be a mighty scary thing since you never know who is on the other end. Nevertheless, I believe this goes both ways. To be a provider without knowing who the other person is or what he looks like. You can tell a lot from a picture. It shows a lot of personality just by looking at someones face.
So, whenever they come up with the buyer profile update on odesk(which supposable they are working on this) I would love to see some pictures of our buyers on odesk.
Am I missing something?
Am I the only one who is troubled by the difference between what the original poster is sick of seeing and what he would much rather see?
Dan
Back when this was posted,
on Mon, 2008-06-02 12:14.Back when this was posted, the sick of seeing... one just went to a grey no portrait uploaded placeholder. I'll fix it so that it does again.
Jacqui Pittenger :: Forum Moderator
Are you oDesk Ready? Take the ORT today!
Need help? Visit the Help Center - http://www.odesk.com/help
i posted a picture of me
i posted a picture of me before....but when i replaced my picture with my cartoon drawing, projects started to pour in.....i don't know if it is any indication....but i still believe in giving value to what i am being paid regardless whether i use a picture, an avatar or a drawing.
what i honestly believe though is you put something out there that reflects your personality not a blank box. i also agree to not posting pictures which may affect your chances based on how you look like. because we just don't know your visual biases.
experience, feedback and attitude i believe are the key factors to becoming a successful provider here in odesk. not all of these factors has any relationship to how we look like on the picture.
Great point on portraits
Thanks for submitting this advice for providers. I'm sure that it's appreciated.
Best,
Josh Breinlinger
oDesk