Comments on: oDesk Staffing to Offer Benefits to Freelance Workers http://gigaom.com/collaboration/odesk-staffing-to-offer-benefits-to-freelance-workers/ Fri, 10 Feb 2012 22:52:55 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.com/ By: Gordon Smith http://gigaom.com/collaboration/odesk-staffing-to-offer-benefits-to-freelance-workers/#comment-90142 Tue, 10 Aug 2010 03:06:13 +0000 http://webworkerdaily.com/?p=24645#comment-90142 I am small business owner from Australia Melbourne. We run small Formal Wear Hire Business and internet marketing is our core of the business. Contracted many SEO companies in Australia spend a lot of money on them and they didn’t achieve the promised rankings for our webpage http://www.lamenzformalwear.com.au .Then by accident in Google search come a cross to Odesk web and first we registered take us about week to figure out how hall thing works, was small amount to invest for big gain .Found SEO exert from India which cost less then 1/3 of cost of SEO in Australia we are in constant contact whit him and he Is like part of out team now. In four week hi achieved what Australian SEO didn’t achieve in 2 years. When we ware searching for job listing we found a lot of AUS web marketing firms contracting SEO experts from Odesk so with this we cut the middle man out and we get excellent service.

]]> By: oDesk Extends Group Health Benefits Offer to All Freelancers http://gigaom.com/collaboration/odesk-staffing-to-offer-benefits-to-freelance-workers/#comment-90140 Tue, 15 Jun 2010 16:01:57 +0000 http://webworkerdaily.com/?p=24645#comment-90140 [...] company had previously offered benefits such as group health insurance and 401(k) retirement plans to freelancers through oDesk Staffing, [...]

]]> By: oDesk Extends Group Health Benefits Offer to All Freelancers http://gigaom.com/collaboration/odesk-staffing-to-offer-benefits-to-freelance-workers/#comment-90141 Tue, 15 Jun 2010 16:01:57 +0000 http://webworkerdaily.com/?p=24645#comment-90141 [...] company had previously offered benefits such as group health insurance and 401(k) retirement plans to freelancers through oDesk Staffing, [...]

]]> By: prophetlady http://gigaom.com/collaboration/odesk-staffing-to-offer-benefits-to-freelance-workers/#comment-90139 Fri, 15 Jan 2010 14:46:01 +0000 http://webworkerdaily.com/?p=24645#comment-90139 offering someone or posting someone one or two dollars for a written article should be illegal, they allow postings of 1-2 daily work, I am unsure of how many people are aware that the people in Haiti were trying to live on two dollars a day, but were eating dirt sandwiches,

I rebuke odesk until they climb aboard and get rid of posts that are not fair trade and pushing poverty over the brink.

]]> By: Jennifer Perez http://gigaom.com/collaboration/odesk-staffing-to-offer-benefits-to-freelance-workers/#comment-90138 Thu, 14 Jan 2010 04:16:06 +0000 http://webworkerdaily.com/?p=24645#comment-90138 Also, one more thing.

oDesk > Guru.com. I had a terrible time finding even halfway decent work on Guru.com. It has been completely overtaken by bottom-feeders. Don’t even go there unless you want to work for $2 an hour.

]]> By: Jennifer Perez http://gigaom.com/collaboration/odesk-staffing-to-offer-benefits-to-freelance-workers/#comment-90137 Thu, 14 Jan 2010 04:14:07 +0000 http://webworkerdaily.com/?p=24645#comment-90137 I’ve just started using oDesk and I’ve already scored a few interviews – and I charge higher than the average person in my field (marketing and Website content).

Yes, it is a little disconcerting to see so many people from other countries undercutting experienced workers. However, I make it a strong point in my cover letter that employers are paying for experience and professionalism, and if they go with someone that wants a small amount of money, they get what they pay for. This seems to work. The people who want really good work are willing to pay for it. It’s not impossible to get the good gigs, you just have to weed out the ones that like the cheaper labor.

I think it helps to view the employers and see who they’re interviewing. I came across one ad that had 10 bids at an average of around $14 per hour. The only person the employer even interviewed was someone bidding at $7 an hour. It gave me a very strong signal to steer clear.

Also, what does your portfolio look like? Mine is STACKED. You might want to beef yours up if it’s a little thin. That’s just my two cents.

Best of luck!

]]> By: Nancy Nally http://gigaom.com/collaboration/odesk-staffing-to-offer-benefits-to-freelance-workers/#comment-90136 Sat, 02 Jan 2010 16:40:20 +0000 http://webworkerdaily.com/?p=24645#comment-90136 For people like me who can’t buy insurance without a group plan due to pre-existing medical conditions, there is no cost comparison. This is a way to get benefits that we couldn’t get at all otherwise.

Definitely I agree though that oDesk and Elance are hard to find work for fair pay on. It might be better to run your own projects through oDesk to get these benefits than rely on stuff you find on there to get your eligibility.

]]> By: Alison http://gigaom.com/collaboration/odesk-staffing-to-offer-benefits-to-freelance-workers/#comment-90135 Thu, 17 Dec 2009 16:03:43 +0000 http://webworkerdaily.com/?p=24645#comment-90135 That’s awesome, but I second Jay’s feelings-whenever I’ve browsed ODesk for work, it seems like it’s hard to find a decent paying job there. I used to Elance but now only bid on jobs there occasionally, for the same reasons.

If you’re not already using ODesk and you are considering moving your relationships over, I would look carefully at the amount ODesk takes in fees and compare it to the amount it would cost to buy comparable benefits on your own, assuming you can find them on the individual market. Just make sure you’re actually going to come out ahead!

]]> By: Just One More Reason to Hate Odesk | All Freelance Writing http://gigaom.com/collaboration/odesk-staffing-to-offer-benefits-to-freelance-workers/#comment-90134 Wed, 16 Dec 2009 17:31:13 +0000 http://webworkerdaily.com/?p=24645#comment-90134 [...] there’s a new problem. oDesk is apparently pushing the idea that they’re offering health insurance to freelancers (oh, how original). But before you get excited, read carefully. It has absolutely [...]

]]> By: Christmas Bonuses from Clients | Real Words http://gigaom.com/collaboration/odesk-staffing-to-offer-benefits-to-freelance-workers/#comment-90133 Wed, 16 Dec 2009 16:19:30 +0000 http://webworkerdaily.com/?p=24645#comment-90133 [...] is one sign that this is beginning to be recognized. Another sign was a recent announcement by oDesk that their freelancers can start getting group health benefits through them. This recognition of [...]

]]> By: Kathryn http://gigaom.com/collaboration/odesk-staffing-to-offer-benefits-to-freelance-workers/#comment-90132 Wed, 16 Dec 2009 15:21:11 +0000 http://webworkerdaily.com/?p=24645#comment-90132 This is really interesting. It will probably take some time to work the kinks out with a program like this but I would love to see this be the way of the future for freelancers / independent contractors. Kudos to oDesk for being the first to really try to make it work.

]]> By: HelpfulAdvisor http://gigaom.com/collaboration/odesk-staffing-to-offer-benefits-to-freelance-workers/#comment-90131 Wed, 16 Dec 2009 14:09:20 +0000 http://webworkerdaily.com/?p=24645#comment-90131 Does anybody here use oDesk to find freelance work? Oftentimes I find that the work providers are from countries that can cut fees considerably to make it near impossible for an American to land a contract via this method and still be profitable.

Although I understand that you get what you pay for, a vast majority of people or companies seeking workers often go for the lowest bidder, and think about the quality later.

However, I think oDesk is doing a great service to it’s freelance corps by offering these benefits. MBO Partners out of Virginia has been doing this for some time, and they cater to freelancers and contract workers as well. Great article, thanks for sharing this info with the rest of us!

-Jay

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