Blog Action Day 2009

I’m JakeCastle, the PinoyOdeskNewbie supporting Blog Action Day 2009.

If you feel left out, Blog Action Day is held every October 15^th. It’s an opportunity where ordinary people who blog like me and you unite to write about a single issue on a single day. This year’s topic is climate change, and it is an honor to be part of the 4,000 bloggers from 123 countries who are participating.

I’m sure anyone from Manila would agree that this now is the best time to discuss such an issue. The recent flood caused by the typhoon Ondoy affected Manila based Odesk providers. I wasn’t one of those who was unable to meet the deadlines since I still haven’t found a single buyer.

I was however disgusted by this guy who was begging for money because he was affected by the floods. Did any one get to see his pathetic plea on Friendster and the Odesk community forum? Hey man your not the only one whose trying to get back on your feet after the flood. I mean I woke up at around 1PM wondering why it so darn cold only to realize that MY room was already knee deep in floodwater. It was a good thing that most of my electronics was elevated. Leave some dignity for the rest of us Filipino Newbie Freelancers who are at our wit's end trying to get our first Odesk job.

http://johndave23.blog.friendster.com/donate/

I offered to help you try to retrieve files on your HDD but you have yet to reply. I vehemently disapprove that you are now BEGGING for money when THIS has happened to so MANY.

I apologize for digressing. The topic is on climate change and freelancing on odesk. Here are a few tips that we can all do.

1. Turn off all unnecessary lights when not in use.

2. Use the stairs instead of the elevator.

3. Walk or ride a bike when on quick errands.

4. Print on both sides of the paper when printing those draft documents.

You can register your blog here.

In addition to joining thousands of other bloggers, you’ll also be supporting the work of the dozens of leading nonprofits who are also participating – including Oxfam, 350.org, The Nature Conservancy, Greenpeace, The United Nations Foundation, and more than forty organizations affiliated with the TckTckTck campaign.

You can learn more about the issue of climate change and see sample topics you might write about at www.blogactionday.org. There you can also find additional ways to get involved by taking action with leading nonprofits and posting a snazzy widget to your blog. (like the one I got on my side panel :) )

Cartoons

I attached this design for one of my job applications to demonstrate my skill. Its an overkill for the task he posted. I have yet to receive a message from the buyer.

It's been 9 days and 6 hours since I started looking for a job on Odesk. I have 9 inactive and 12 active candidacies which amounts to 21 freshly written, concise and targeted cover letters.

My profile is at 100% with several Odesk exams and a Brainbench certification. I'm tired, hungry and sad. The only response I got was from a Nigerian scam artist and a Bangladeshi spammer.

No one ever wants to become a failure. I don't want to give up. I just don't. I'm close to tears now realizing that all my efforts have come to nothing but dismal rejection. I want SOMETHING out of this but what?

The ODesk member community has been great providing me with encouragement and support but I got to eat. I need to pay for the bills and without a day job and no social security benefits for unemployment in my country I will be left with no other choice but to smooch on my parents.

My last meal was breakfast 16 hours ago before I went to bed. Oyster mushroom in butter and lemon juice I had prepared for myself. It was the only thing I really enjoyed today

God damn it! At least when I get to one those speed hiring events for talented agents they serve free coffee. In fact the last monthly speed hiring event at my previous day job would had a buffet and a mini concert.

I have reason to believe people are cheating their reviews and creating buying companies themselves with the aim of providing fraudulent buyer feedback. This is sooooo aggravating.

On the bright side I got to chat with EMZ. Emz replied to my post and apparently he lives just nearby (small world indeed) me agreed to meet eye to eye soon. That guitar playin', you tube poster is one lucky bastard. He's got so many prospects that he admits he can't do them all anymore.

I guess even a top notch diploma from an Ivy league university isn't worth anything around here.

Himas Batok Himas (Pat, Slap, Pat)

Philippine management style calls this : Himas, Batok, Himas. (Pat him on the back, a slap in the back of the head and another pat on the back). Earlier today I posted on the forum if I was violating Odesk policies by playing around with the Odesk logo. I've yet to check that post but I was surprised to hear from Ms. Doreen M. of Odesk administration about my cover letter . I think I read about disintermediation, but I was just approaching sheer desperation. It has been a week and I have yet to make a single dollar or peso (thats like a quarter) from my efforts. Shame on me though. I violated something before I even started a job, but hey I'm only human.

On the bright side of things I got this new banner :). It took a while for me to figure out how to post it on the right side of the blog. I never studied HTML/XTML or whatever code used to write these webpages. Turned out that I could just go ahead and delete the script and cut and paste the darn thing. I'm kinda excited though cause it looks like that she actually read excerpts of this blog. Sigh how I wish I could afford someone to proof read this blog on Odesk but I just cant afford it till I get a job myself. Yup, I'm running a one man show like most folks.

It's 6:22 AM Manila time, the sun is coming up and I'm about to call it a day.

Again Odesk Management my sincerest apologies. I'll email you a copy of the letter where I got the lousy idea of putting my contact information on my cover letter.

Pinoy Odesk Newbie joins the forum.

It's raining outside and I couldn't help but remember the flood caused by Ondoy. I woke up at 3pm Manila time fixed myself a typical Filipino breakfast comprising of an egg fried sunny side up medium raw, rice and tuyo (dried fish or sardinas secas). I'm still trying to rebound from my disappointment last night. I was hoping at least an interview from one of my candidacies but alas I found none.

On the bright side I did manage to browse though the community forum . To everyone I apologize having posted such a question when it's already on the FAQ. MY exact post was:

"How long does it take for a total newbie like me to get a job? I initially signed up with Odesk several months back but didn't actively look for jobs. Recently however I've been out of a job. I'm getting frustrated trying to get a buyer. I know that I am a total newbie at this so to earn trust I even offered this particular buyer to transcribe a 5-10 page handwritten PDF document for FREE, but my offer was declined. I'm really doing everything I can to build my credibility. I Even posted a Brainbench cert for Adobe InDesign (I do Photoshop but its wasn't free) and even started posting on Blogger to try and generate interest.

WHAT DOES A GUY LIKE ME need to do TO GET A JOB here?

http://odeskpinoynewbie.blogspot.com"

I was offered a warm reply which gave me a gleam of hope who happened to be a fellow Alumnus. Her reply:



Hi Jake,

Really sorry to hear that you've been having difficulty. If it is any consolation I think I get an offer once every 7 applications and I've already filtered those! What are you really good at and passionate about? Merge those with jobs that are abundant in that area and relatively low priced. Those are usually simple projects that are usually given to newbies. Take what I did at the start. I was an English teacher for 8 years then a training supervisor for an American company for 2 and a half years. I knew I could write articles but had no odesk experience in that area. So I started with copy writing. It was a downgrade of sorts but I was a newbie with no feedback so it was worth a shot. I was able to secure one project and things got better although not as fast as one would expect. Also and this is very important, start with fixed projects. Since you don't have hourly project experience buyers will usually by-pass you for others who've already worked hourly projects. Hope the tips help. - triciapascual




What does one say to someone who's been so kind? I have no idea if my thank you note was appropriate:



I thank you for your sympathy Tricia. It really is kinda hard to plaster your profile for the world to see hoping that it's worth something only to realize that no one was willing to pay a dime. I guess it's just that I'm not used to getting rejected this this. It had high hopes when I started looking for a project. I guess I'm gonna have to take an 8-5 job while trying to build my rep, but I'm not gonna give up the dream. I just hope I live long enough to see it cause this is really so damn depressing.



Once more Trish thank you for your words.

Brainbench Certifications

I really haven't used this app not once. What I do use is PhotoShop so I guess you can imagine questions inside my head. Do these certifications really help me get a job? How accurate are these certifications? It's 8:05 and I guess I'm disappointed cause I still haven't got a buyer. This is not good at all. The good thing though is I got all my laundry done and I've printed a hard copy of my resume.

my o desk portrait

Played around with the Odesk logo and my portrait. Hope this helps cause everyone is saying that I got to spruce up my Profile. Sigh its almost two in the morning and still no invites for a single interview Another candidacy just closed a couple of moments. Is it me, is it the recession or am I just being impatient. Geeeze I got bills to pay. I can't wait forever. There's got to be an easier way to make a buck.