odesk advice

Hi,

Look at the feedback very carefully, in this case, go with someone that is more experienced with a proven track record. It's not foolproof, but it gives a good general indication. Two other considerations, pay in installments, don't pay before work is done. Also, create a list containing all the account information that you are going to give out. Once the job is completed, you know exactly which passwords to change and can do it all at once.

Most people are looking for work and their long term success depends on making you happy, so I would not be too worried about it.

Julia, I've been an oDesker for a while now. Those star ratings are genuine because an employer has to set-up a contract and end it before he/she can leave a star rating/feedback to the contractor.

It always takes due diligence. Interview the contractor you feel like working with. Ask for their portfolio. If the contractor is willing, you may ask him or her if he/she can give you a reference to his or her previous projects.

Julia, let me know if you need some assistance with this. I have a great reputation on oDesk and can help you with this task.

They are generally a good indication of the quality of the worker. Just make sure that they are ready for the exact task. Asking them a couple of questions about the subject will help you determine this (not sure if you're already done it).

I use odesk, and have been very satisfied. Odesk records the screen of the person you hire, to show you what they are doing...

Thanks everyone, really appreciate the advice.

Alex - That's interesting, I didn't know about that feature. Is it included as standard? How does it work? Would I be able to have a look at their screen at any time during the project? Seems a bit like an invasion of privacy, but could be useful!

Hi
What do you need to be done with the site?
I am a freelancer too... I know WP, SEO and graphics

Thank you.
I am an odesker too...

I have used odesk for a few projects and the results are a mixed bag. I would suggest taking the star ratings with a grain of salt. I had a project done and the contractor did not like my rating so he sent me a request to change the rating. I told him that if he submitted better quality work I would increase his rating. In the end he did not submit better quality work, but he did berate me daily about changing his rating so just to keep the peace I changed his ratings to a bit better.

I would suggest that you have them submit a previous portfolio of work that you can look at and examine it closely you will probably end up with similar work.

Hi...

The first thing that you want to do with any odesk worker, is make them fill out your own Independent Contractor Agreement, even though you have them locally fill something out with odesk (it's automatic), some people just don't care, and it would be a lot harder to base your law suit on that.

The second thing is to WATCH the screenshots that their sending you, if this is someone new your working with, pay them by the hour, so you get frequent screenshots and can see that their actually working on your project.

The one thing I do caution people about is watching your workers. A friend of mine who I was teaching internet marketing to, used odesk to get his sisters site up and running, and because he wasn't paying attention to them (And didn't hire someone with experience) they ended up trying to charge him to get his passwords back.

Luckily, he ended up getting back into his sites, and the guy lost all of his odesk earnings on the deal... plus lost his account... But, the point is, you've gotta be careful when hiring on odesk.

I've had some great experiences with odesk, had staff for years on there, just gotta be careful while hiring.

Caleb

Thanks again everyone, that's really good to know.

Cautionary tale there, Caleb, I'll definitely look for someone with a good feedback record!

Really appreciate the help. :-)

All VA's I have ever worked with are always honest so dont worry about that. My #1 tip is to get them on skype and have a quick chat/call. You will be able to get a feel for them

I've had no issues with odesk outsourcing, I usually like to skype them to make sure they understand what I need. I've come across those that do not speak english so well, so that would be the only reasons why I chose to work with someone else. Other than that, I've found pretty genuine helpers via odesk.

you have nothing to worry about.
Just select a contractor with good reviews, Most of the time I believe they are genuine.

oDesk reviews are pretty reliable, you can't actually hire somebody to leave testimonials for you, since a contract has to be opened and closed before feedback can be left. Also, what the others have said about the hourly feature is true as well. It's a great way to monitor your contractor. For me personally though, I prefer working fixed-price, because I'm more productive when I don't have to be extra careful about other tabs I may have open (Facebook, Twitter, etc). You should interview your contractor first and also consider their preferences, and if trust can be built on both sides, then that would be the road to a very satisfactory working relationship. Good luck with your WordPress site, by the way

Thanks everyone, that's very reassuring. :-)