Tips for new buyers

Welcome, and thank you for choosing oDesk!

We know that managing remote work can sometimes be intimidating. Here at oDesk, we're trying to change all that. Our unique management platform gives buyers unprecedented visibility into the work being completed on a job. With the WorkDiary tool buyers can see snapshots of their provider's work and manage remote workers as if they were in the same office.

We also know it takes more than just snapshots to ensure your job is a success. Here are a few tips for making your oDesk experience a good one:

Hire. Manage. Pay.

• Posting a Job
• Finding Providers
• Interviewing Candidates
• Hiring a Provider

Hire. Manage. Pay.

• Starting Work
• Assigning Tasks
• Communicating
• Reviewing Progress
• Avoiding Problems

Hire. Manage. Pay.

• Paying for Hourly Work
• Paying for Fixed Price Work
• Awarding Bonuses
• Leaving Feedback

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Hire. Manage. Pay.

Once you set up your account with oDesk, you can post as many job openings as you like - for free! Follow these tips and you'll be on the road to finding the right provider for your job in no time.

Posting a Job

• Provide as much information regarding your needs as possible.
• Write a detailed job description - this will attract more suitable candidates.
• List all required skills - programming languages, operating systems, vertical industries, software proficiency, etc.
• Tell candidates the estimated hours per week, duration, and years of experience desired.
• Carefully select either a Fixed Price or Hourly job.
  

Finding Providers

• Once you post a job, gain candidates by searching in the network or waiting for applicants.
• Search for providers using advanced search filters and invite them to bid.
• Wait for providers to find your posting and apply on their own.
• Review each candidate's cover letter and profile.
• Pay special attention to assignment feedback in a provider's profile - it's an indicator of performance on past oDesk assignments.
• Look at oDesk test scores and certifications for new providers.
  

Interviewing Candidates

• Invite candidates that seem appear to be a good fit to interview.
• Re-negotiate applications that are too high during the interview process - don't let high bids or rates discourage you from talking to a qualified candidate.
• Select a medium for the interview - text chat, VOIP, phone, video-conference, etc.
• Treat candidates just as you would in a normal technical job interview.
• Create a list of questions to ask every candidate.
• Ask some technical questions to confirm skills.
• Make candidates prove they can do the job.
• Ask to see past work that shows they have the experience.
• Negotiate milestone payments on Fixed Price jobs to foster a closer work relationship.
• Take advantage of the interview process to gather the information you need to hire the best provider for the job.
• Consider asking your top few candidates for a small evaluation project before hiring.
  

Hiring a Provider

• Confirm availability, bid rate, and job expectations - The buyer may raise the bid or rate, but only the provider can lower it.
• Make sure that you and the Provider will have sufficient overlap in your work schedules to communicate through voice or chat.
• Reject unsuitable candidates - let them know why so they can improve for future applications.
  

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Hire. Manage. Pay.

We encourage you to actively manage your Team during all jobs. Most of the oDesk tools are web-based, but there are some additional collaboration tools that we provide completely free for you to get the best possible results. If you haven't yet, visit our downloads section to find tools that you may find helpful. But, it takes more than the right software to make a job a success. Follow these guidelines as you become an active participant in the oConomy.

Starting Work

• Treat the beginning of the assignment like an extension of the interview.
• Begin the assignment with a small deliverable and/or ask to see the work in progress.
• Continue with the relationship if you are happy with the work - Remember that you have no commitment.
• End the assignment and re-post the job opening if the provider does not meet your expectations
• Set a Weekly Limit on the hours that can be logged - raise the limit as you gain confidence in your provider's ability (Hourly Assignments only).
  

Assigning Tasks

• Put all your requirements into writing - make sure everyone has a copy and understands your expectations.
• Create detailed specifications for all deliverables.
• Create a project time line with frequent milestones so you can track the assignment's progress.
• Break work down into small chunks - functions, pages, or other base units of the job.
  

Communicating

• Communicate with the provider daily - use email and chat frequently.
• Ask the provider to submit daily progress reports to you via email. You may ask them to include these questions in a daily email:
• What did I work on today?
• What will I work on tomorrow?
• What problems did I run into?
• What questions do I need you to answer?
• Be responsive. If you expect your Provider to be responsive and act quickly, you should do the same and be available as much as possible.
• Work with the provider to build a strong relationship - you maximize the chances of success if you work together closely throughout the assignment.
• Remember, providers cannot read your mind.
• Clearly outline all your requirements.
• Consider giving the Provider insight into the high-level goals of your business or job. This will help the Provider go above and beyond and offer additional suggestions.
• Communicate daily and provide them with feedback on their work - how else will they if it meets your standards?
• Use oDesk Screensnap to capture your desktop and annotate it with comments. This is a great tool for providing feedback on deliverables.
• Use oDesk Share to share your desktop in real-time or ask your provider to share their screen to demo the deliverables.
• Investigate any provider who fails to communicate and/or log hours as expected.
• Major changes in behavior, especially lack of communication, could be a sign of trouble.
• Contact oDesk for help if you're having trouble resolving any problems.
  

Reviewing Progress

• Have the provider submit drafts or functional intermediate deliverables frequently for review. Let’s look at an example of a job to “Write a Book”.
• Create detailed list of document requirements.
• Write outline of content to include.
• Choose chapter structure.
• Write one chapter at a time.
• Submit chapter drafts and get feedback for revisions.
• Continue the draft and review process until all chapters are finished and the completed book meets buyer's requirements.
• Utilize optional tools including oDesk Screensnaps, oDesk Share, Bugzilla and Subversion (SVN).
• Check the provider's WorkDiary frequently to view screenshots and spot-check the work.
• Send the provider feedback based on what you see in the deliverables, and what you notice in the WorkDiary.
  

Avoiding Problems

Many of the problems or disputes that occur on oDesk are a result of a “throw it over the wall” mentality. It’s critical that you as the Buyer stay involved in the job on a daily basis and frequently communicate with your provider. Ultimately, you are responsible for the success of your assignment and should always have a clear understanding of the progress being made by your Provider. If you are having issues with your Provider, make them aware of the problems and try to help them understand what needs to be done to correct the situation. If the Provider's performance does not improve, end the assignment and interview more candidates.

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Hire. Manage. Pay.

On Hourly jobs, your Providers are earning money based on the time logged in the WorkDiary. On Fixed Price jobs, you may make an upfront payment, send milestone payments, or wait until the job is complete before releasing any payment at all. Whatever payment terms you decide on, oDesk helps make billing and payment safe and easy. The following tips will help you during the payment process:

Paying for Hourly Work

• Be aware of the payment schedule.
• The work week is always Monday at midnight GMT to Sunday at 11:59 pm GMT.
• The Provider has until the following Monday at noon GMT to modify the WorkDiary and remove time or add offline time.
• The Buyer has until the following Thursday at noon GMT to raise any disputes over time logged.
• The weekly invoice will be automatically charged to the Buyer on the Friday following each work week.
• Review the weekly time sheet emailed to you each week.
• Visit the WorkDiary to see more details about a provider's work
• View screenshots to see exactly what your provider has been doing.
• See webcam snapshots of your Provider at work - if this feature is used by the Provider.
• Review time logs that include the Provider's level of activity and work memos.
• Use the TimeAnalyze tool for charts and other analysis of provider activity levels.
  

Paying for Fixed Price Work

• Agree on any upfront payments during the interview process.
• Make milestone payments at any time based on deliverables. On longer jobs, you might want to build in a milestone payment every couple weeks.
• End the assignment and make final payment and when the job is complete.
  

Awarding Bonuses

• Offer additional incentive to a Provider by offering a bonus payment if an aggressive target or deadline is achieved.
• View the job in the Buyer Console, and enter the desired bonus amount.
  

Leaving Feedback

• Rate the Provider as soon as the Job Assignment has ended.
• Give a fair and honest assessment of the Provider's performance during the job assignment.
• Write comments to give more descriptive feedback.
• Remember that both Buyer and Provider leave feedback when an assignment ends - so it's always worth the effort to build a good relationship!