So what was this Pinoy Odesk newbie doing wrong and what was he doing write err I meant right (sigh still can’t afford a proof reader, and MS word sucks at it). My mistake was not filtering out the non-serious buyers. Who can blame me, I'm a newbie besides at this point it really didn’t matter if I get paid or not as long as I get the odesk hours so I can qualify for the phone/tech/customer support niche which is my primary target. Another possibility was that I was cancelling bids for unresponsive buyers. I would contend however that if the buyer posts that he needs the job done on Friday but failed to respond by Friday it was a proper course of action. (don’t you just hate it when that happens.) BTW eLance has an awesome comic segment which I would recommend to any freelancer.
What was this Pinoy Odesk Newbie doing right? Well, 15% of the buyers just chose someone else. Which means that for them, I was qualified for the job, my price and my price was reasonable. Most likely they just preferred a sexy blonde teenager to get things done. Oooops sorry, I am a guy, that was meant as a joke. What I meant was buyers most likely had a favored provider with whom they had worked with.
The first call center I worked for in 2006, Convergys - America's largest outsourcing firm shouts out that in order to succeed one needs not only to learn from failures, but to out think and out do your competitors. ( yes once I was chained to my Avaya phone too and I will again if I don’t get a buyer soon).
Odesk is a harsh global marketplace, so much so for neophytes who have yet to earn a reputation. If there is something I have to look forward to is the fact that on my candidacies 3 buyers marked me as a favorite.
This isn’t a thesis or an article for a buyer this just me the Odesk Pinoy Newbie trying to learn from my mistakes. Admittedly the sample size (n) is small. The table above represents all the data I currently have. So please don’t demand a certain a margin of error. Odesk management would definitely have all the figures in their mainframes but I doubt Gary Swart would gladly reveal the real numbers.
These are all firsthand experiences. All were painful opportunities for the writer to learn from. There is supposedly a guy who posted a youtube video from Timbuktu who’s working on an MBA with oDesk as his subject. I wonder if got a job on odesk.
This Pinoy Odesk newbie has earned the bragging rights to have worked as one of the best paid call center reps in his country, rejection like this was a humbling experience.
In times like these I have find consolation in odesk community members like you, whomever and wherever you maybe. Pulling my hair and silently screaming then fixing myself a nice tall glass of sweet tea or milkshake helps a lot too. Above all I find wisdom and comfort in the words of great men and authors.
I’d like to share some to fellow Odesk newbies and veterans:
Making your mark on the world is hard. If it were easy, everybody would do it. But it's not. It takes patience, it takes commitment, and it comes with plenty of failure along the way. The real test is not whether you avoid this failure, because you won't. it's whether you let it harden or shame you into inaction, or whether you learn from it; whether you choose to persevere.
Only those who dare to fail greatly can ever achieve greatly.
I've missed more than 9,000 shots in my career. I've lost almost 300 games. 26 times I've been trusted to take the game winning shot and missed. I've failed over and over and over again in my life and that is why I succeed.
Freedom is not worth having if it does not connote freedom to err.
There is no failure except in no longer trying.
The torment of human frustration, whatever its immediate cause, is the knowledge that the self is in prison, its vital force and "mangled mind" leaking away in lonely, wasteful self-conflict.
Again this was the Pinoy Odesk Newbie thanking you for visiting my blog and hoping that you visit soon, or better yet..... HIRE ME on Odesk.
P.S. here's something for all you conspiracy addicts.
This video clip was an eye opener. It actually gave me a nightmare. Just wanted to share it to conspiracy addicts.
ReplyDelete"I almost spend 24 hours online, i file at least a 100 candidacies every week. I failed the 99 of them. but i did get a 27$/hour work" Not bad for trying hard!
ReplyDeleteGood luck man!
Regards,
emz
Just hang in there man!
ReplyDeleteIt does take a while to get a job. Just a tip when browsing for jobs - sometimes, quality is better than quantity. What do I mean? Here are some tips (I'm both a buyer AND provider, BTW):
1) How many people have applied and how many interviews has the buyer conducted? If a buyer has 20 applications for a job and has interviewed at least two, then you know he or she has already made a shortlist. When I post jobs, once I've selected two or three applicants, I don't look at anyone else unless: the people I've selected did not repond or they flaked out. I was one of those buyers who used to keep a job open for a long time - not because I'm cruel, but I didn't know how to close a job! It's sometimes as simple as that. Or some buyers are too busy to hit "close this job". That's why we're buyers, because we don't have time to take care of details like that!
2) Verified buyer?
I have had 2 buyers who hired me without a verified payment and who have turned out ok. It just took a few extra days to process their payments. BUT, more often than not, these types of buyrs are "testing the waters". Again, I'd like to believe that these buyers aren't being mean, rather, they don't know that we providers only have a set number of applications per week and that by posting a "test job" they may be hurting us.
3) Would I like working on this job?
I guess this is a more "advanced" tip - once you have some regular paying gigs, check out the boards every once in a while - I pick up a lot of extra side gigs which are a lot of fun and then I have a variety of jobs and I don't get bored.
4) Cover letter is important! Yes, you've written a well-made cover letter, but does the first sentence grab the reader's attention? This is your "pitch" (something I've learned working in PR for a very long time). Think of the most absent-minded person you can think of - how would you get that person to pay attention to you. For example, if I saw an ad for "Photoshop retoucher", I would start off with the strongest item in my background or portfolio..."I previously worked at so-and-so magazine as layout artist and my works have been featured 12x a year."
5) Give a little extra.
I always write a little extra in my cover letters - enough to get them intrigued, but not enough that they can use my ideas. For example, if I wanted to apply for a job as a photoshop retoucher, I would say something like "I think by using such-and-such technique, I can cut down the estimated number of hours by 20%. If you'd like to know more, please feel free to send my an interview invite." or something like that.
Your blog has been...interesting to read. Honest and insightful, thought it's a bit whiney. I'm not sure about using it as a portfolio piece - but then you're not applying for any writing jobs, so that's ok, but I wouldn't try to advertise it too much to potential clients. Personally, I would feel apprehensive about hiring someone so candid - at least not without a strong non-disclosure agreement. If I was a buyer and we had a disagreement, I would be afraid that I would somehow wind up on your blog. SOme of the best providers are the most discreet ones, ya know what I mean :)
Just my 2 cents.