Wage Reform?

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Submitted Tue, Jun 30, 2009 at 10:09pm GMT
ashleyellis 5 posts - United States - Joined Jun 24 2009

Hello, I am new to oDesk, but I feel like there needs to be a change in the manner in which our wages are settled. I feel like every job I have applied for I get turned down because I "bid too high", not because I do not have the skills required. The reason I "bid too high" is because I seem to be the only person that needs more than $2/hour. Maybe if you are living in a different country that works, but not if you are living in the USA. I think oDesk is awesome and if I could find a full-time job on here I would love that, but you cannot survive on a full-time job in the US if it pays less than $10/hour. It especially upsets me that American companies are hiring people for only $1/hour (well, that doesn't surprise me actually) but it still is upsetting. If anyone has advice for me on how to get jobs without bidding less than $7/hour then I would greatly appreciate it. It is just that every job that I am elegible for has an average of $1-$3/hour from the other bidders. Are there jobs that pay atleast $7/hour? Thanks and I would love your opinions on this subject!

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Most jobs are paying more Submitted Wed, Jul 01, 2009 at 12:08am GMT
jpittenger

3708 posts - United States - Joined Jan 07 2008

Most jobs are paying more than $7/hour.

However, there's two reasons you're not seeing these jobs in your searches:

They're mostly not in Admin Support. Admin support is the lowest-paying category. It generally requires the least training, the least specialized equipment, and therefore has the highest level of competition. Please see the rates breakdown by category.
The higher-paying jobs in any categories are often posted privately - the buyers hand pick candidates instead of opening the flood gates to applicants. That's why perfecting your profile is so important - you need to appeal to someone who hasn't even read a cover letter from you.

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But what do I do if the jobs Submitted Wed, Jul 01, 2009 at 7:40pm GMT
ashleyellis 5 posts - United States - Joined Jun 24 2009

But what do I do if the jobs I can do are in Admin Support or customer service? I do NOT have extremely technical computer programming skills. The other skill I have is Spanish.

Try to acquire more skills Submitted Wed, Jul 01, 2009 at 8:11pm GMT
jpittenger

3708 posts - United States - Joined Jan 07 2008

Try to acquire more skills - branch out into social media marketing or writing. Try doing some volunteer work for an organization you like (charity, church, etc.) to get experience and build a portfolio. What I can see in your profile seems very well-done. I suspect you could handle many of the less-technical writing jobs.
Focus on translation whenever possible.
Add an objective to your profile - it's the first thing a buyer sees - don't waste the opportunity to impress them. In your case, I'd write it in English and Spanish.
Fix the formatting in your employment history (it's gone a bit wonky - probably from Word's formatting). In a competitive field, something small like that can knock you off the list - admins must have excellent attention to detail.
Keep trying! There are jobs in your field available for your rate. But you've really got to prove yourself to the buyers to get them. This will be a lot easier once you've gotten your first feedback.

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Jacqui Pittenger :: Forum Moderator :: Visit the Help Center :: Contact Customer Support :: Read our blog

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Jacqui - Forum Moderator | Help Center | oDesk blog | Contact Support | Vote on Ideas

Hello, thank you for your Submitted Wed, Jul 01, 2009 at 10:29pm GMT
ashleyellis 5 posts - United States - Joined Jun 24 2009

Hello, thank you for your advice. I appreciate it.

I actually have tried to add my objective multiple times, but the link does not work, it always says "Page Not Found". I just assumed that there were problems with the website at the time, but it still is not working. I can send it to help.

You go to Profile > My Submitted Wed, Jul 01, 2009 at 11:15pm GMT
jpittenger

3708 posts - United States - Joined Jan 07 2008

You go to Profile > My Profile Profile and click Edit in the My Public Profile section? It's supposed to open up a floating box (the kind that grays out the rest of the window).

It's working for me - I just tested to be sure. What browser are you in? Can you try clearing you cache and trying again? Sometimes if you experience a javascript error the site can start misbehaving.

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Jacqui Pittenger :: Forum Moderator :: Visit the Help Center :: Contact Customer Support :: Read our blog

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Jacqui - Forum Moderator | Help Center | oDesk blog | Contact Support | Vote on Ideas