Elance Admission Test

Please review the information below before proceeding to take the test.

Test Syllabus
 Getting Started on Elance
 Finding Job Opportunities
 Managing Your Work
 Getting Paid
 Advanced Topics for Elance Success

Questions
 20 multiple choice questions.

Instructions
 Each question has between 2 and 6 options.

 In order to pass, you will need to answer at least 16 questions (80%)

correctly.

 This test is best viewed using Internet Explorer version 5.0 or higher or
Mozilla Firefox 2.0 or higher at a screen resolution of 800x600 pixels.

 Questions will be displayed one at a time. A next button is provided at the

bottom of the test page for navigating to the next question. Do not press the
next button if you have not answered the question.

 Once you have answered a question, you cannot go back and change your
answer.

 Do not use the shortcut menu options (mouse right-click) or the keyboard
for navigating backwards or forwards within the test.

 You can retake the test a maximum of 5 times and there is a no waiting
period between test retakes.

 Once you click on the Start Test button the system will start the clock to
show you how much time you have remaining and start displaying the
questions. Click Start Test only when you are ready to start the test.

Getting Started on Elance

Welcome to the Elance community! Here you will find the information you need to begin
working as a Service Provider on Elance such as the different Elance membership plans, how to
activate your account, and how to build your profile.

Membership Plans, Fees, and Connects

 

Membership Plans

Elance offers both free and paid membership plans. The free Basic plan and the Professional plan
are designed for individual freelance contractors. The Small Business and Large Business
memberships are for service firms and come with additional accounts to assign roles to team
members. All of the membership plans come with a profile listing in the professional directory.
Each type of account offers a set number of monthly Connects, the currency used to submit
proposals (more on this later). The Basic plan is limited to one service category and a limited
number of Connects. Paid memberships include the ability to add more service categories at a
50% discount, the ability to add Connects as needed, enhanced placement in search results, and
the ability to add more members to your account and assign them different roles and privileges.
Paid memberships also come with more keywords and skills on your profile which helps you get
found more easily in search results.

Viewing your membership

To view your current membership details, log in to your provider account and then click on the
Membership link in the upper right corner of any Elance page. From there, you can edit or
upgrade your membership and can also purchase additional Connects.  Note:  The Membership
link is only available after login and under the Work section.

If you select a paid membership plan, choose your payment type, enter the appropriate
information and click the Pay and Join Elance button. Your chosen payment method will be
used to pay your monthly membership fee. Should your default payment method and backup
payment method fail, your membership will be automatically downgraded to a free membership
plan. You may edit your payment method at any time by following the steps from the Get
Paid>Financial Accounts in the top navigation bar.

Fees

Elance delivers an immediate, cost-effective and flexible way to find work, deliver results and
get paid for your efforts. Companies tap into a skilled talent pool and distribute their work to on-
demand experts, such as yourself, while you as the provider develop client relationships, deliver
services and get paid for what you do best.

Elance makes money when the work is delivered and payments are made through the Elance site.
When clients make payments to their service provider(s), Elance deducts between 6.75% and
8.75% from each payment to cover its Service Fee and Payment Processing costs, transferring
the remaining amount directly to the service provider’s Elance account.

Service Fee

The service fee is Elance’s earned commission, and ranges between 4% and 6% of payments
made to providers for work delivered. The service fees vary as follows:
 

 6% if the provider’s earnings in the past 6 months are less than $10,000 USD (or if the
provider has a free membership) 
 5% if the provider’s earnings in the past 6 months exceed $10,000 USD 
 4% if the provider’s earnings in the past 6 months exceed $40,000 USD

Payment Processing Fee

The additional 2.75% payment processing charge is collected by Elance to cover expenses
incurred with third-party payment processors such as credit card companies and banks.

Using Connects

With each membership plan comes a set of Connects that the Provider uses for submitting
proposals. Providers receive a certain number of Connects every month based on their
membership plan. At the start of each billing cycle, your monthly allotment of Connects with
your plan is reset. Paid members can roll over unused Connects to the following month, up to the
amount offered by their base membership plan. The number of Connects required per proposal
varies according to the value of the job, its posting type (e.g. Featured or Business to Business)
and if you want to sponsor your proposal.

Adding Connects

If you have a paid membership, you may purchase additional Connects to add to your monthly
subscription or for the current month only. To add Connects to your current membership plan,
click Membership in the upper right corner of any Elance page, then click the Add Connects
link on the left panel, and follow the directions from there.
Registering and Activating Your Account
There are several steps that are required to get started as a Provider on Elance. First, you must
register and create an account. Then, you must take and pass the Elance admission test and
complete phone verification. Finally, you will complete your profile.

Registering your Account

To register as a Provider on Elance, click here. Click on Become a Provider, and follow the
directions.

The Elance Admission Test

Before you can submit proposals on jobs, you must pass the Elance Admission Test. This short
assessment ensures that all providers understand how the Elance system works prior to engaging
with potential clients. The Admission test is “open book”, so you may refer to the materials on
the Elance site while taking the test.

To take the test, go to the skills section of your profile page, or you may be prompted when
creating your profile. Review the Elance University Provider courses and the Provider
documents on the site. When you are ready to take the test, click on the Take Test button. When
you have completed the test, you will see your results. To pass the test, you must correctly
answer 80% of the questions. If you do not pass, your profile will reflect the status of “Not Yet
Passed”, and you can immediately retake the Admissions test. Providers have five opportunities
to pass the Elance Admission Test.

Verifying your phone number

To ensure that your information is accurate and up-to-date, Elance verifies your telephone
number when you register. To verify your telephone number(s), please log into your account,
and follow these steps:

1. Click on the Settings link in the upper right corner of the Elance homepage.
2. Click the My User Info link on the left panel. 
3. Next to your telephone number, click the Verify link. You will see a Phone Verification
pop-up box. If your phone number is correct, click Continue. If not, click the Edit
Phone Number link. 
4. You will then receive an automated phone call from Elance. You will be prompted to hit
the pound or hash key (#) on your keypad to acknowledge that you were expecting the
phone call. Then, you will be asked to speak the confirmation code displayed on your
computer screen. 
 5. Once you have repeated the code successfully, you should receive a message that your
phone number has been verified.

Your phone number will not be shared with third parties without your explicit consent, and will
be used by Elance strictly for the following purposes:
 

 To contact you for questions or issues related to a job on Elance 

 For any Customer Support matters related to your account 
 For occasional input on the Elance platform and initiatives.

Creating Your Profile

Your Provider Profile is the “face” of your business, and provides potential clients with a wealth
of information about your knowledge and skills. Your profile is your opportunity to promote
your marketing message, as well as include samples of your work tailored to each service
category.

In order for you to submit proposals to projects and for your profile to appear in the main
provider listing, the following information fields must be completed on your profile page:
 

 Contact information 
 Tagline 
 Keywords – at least one keyword must be supplied which will help you be found in the
Elance search results.
 Summary description 
 About Us

It is recommended that you complete all areas of your profile to give potential clients as much
information as possible. You can include information such as your minimum hourly rate,
employment history, number of employees, the year your company was founded, your payment
terms, a detailed service description, your credentials (e.g. certifications, references, licenses and
education), and special skills.

You may also upload photos, videos, or a thumbnail image to further distinguish your profile. To
upload any of these, begin by clicking the Edit link on the upper right sidebar of your profile
page, the Photos/Videos link. Then either add a photo or a YouTube video. You may also
upload a thumbnail image to display next to your company name in search results listings.

If you have a paid membership, you may also include links to your external profiles on LinkedIn
or Facebook. To do this, click the Edit link next to the External Profile section in the right
sidebar of your profile, and follow the directions given.
Be mindful that once you complete your Profile, it will not immediately appear in search results.
Elance updates late in the day, so look for your profile after 11:30 PM Pacific Time on the day
you complete the account activation process.

Updating Your Profile

You may update or add information to your profile at any time by following these steps:

1. Click Find Work > My Profile tab in the top navigation. 

2. Click the Edit link in the section you wish to update.

Skills Tests

Showing off your skills is one of the best ways to stand out as a provider on Elance. You can list
your skills, offer a “self-assessment” telling the world how you rate yourself, or best of all, have
your skills tested by taking one or more Elance skills tests. To take an Elance skills test, log in to
your Elance account, and from your Profile page, go to the Skills section. Click Edit, then Add
Skill(s). Then, you may select and start the test immediately.

Once you have passed a test, you can choose whether to display results on your profile or hide
them. When you choose to show the test score on your profile, the average score of all test takers
will be shown to indicate where you are compared to the average. If you score higher than 30%
of all test takers, you will receive a special indicator next to your score bar (Top 20%, Top 10%,
etc.).

Keep in mind that:

 

 Skills tests are free for all providers. 

 You must wait 14 days in order to re-test the same skill (with the exception of the Elance
Admission test, which has no waiting period between re-takes). 
 Tests are timed and the test syllabus will indicate the duration as well as other important
details surrounding each test (e.g. content, prerequisite knowledge, etc.). 
 In order to pass the test and display the results in your profile, you will need to answer
60% of the questions correctly (with the exception of the Elance Admission test which
requires an 80% pass rate). You can choose to show the self-assessment score or delete
the skill if you are dissatisfied with your tested score. 
 You are in control of which skills you want to test, from the wide range of tests that
Elance offers. After taking and passing a test, you can choose whether to display the
score or not. 
 If you pass the test and decide to try to get a better score, you can retake the test after the
14 day waiting period. If you pass the test on the re-take, then the score you received on
the most recent test will be displayed, even if it is lower than a previous score. 
 Once each month, the percentile scores are updated to include the results of the most
recent test results from other members of the Elance community. 
  Each membership level offers a different level of skills you can display – ranging from 5
for free accounts to 20 for large business accounts. You can prioritize the skills to display
them in the order you choose.

Verified Credentials

Displaying credentials (education, awards, certificates, etc.) on your profile page is a great way
to demonstrate your experience and expertise. We encourage you to list credentials earned,
including certifications, professional licenses, degrees, and references to past employment.

In addition to listing credentials, providers also have the option of having their listed credentials
verified by our partner Justifacts Credential Verification, Inc. (http://www.justifacts.com). When
providers have their credentials verified by an independent third party, they can substantiate the
credential and add credibility to their profile.

For U.S.-based credentials, the cost per verification is $15. For international credentials, the cost
per verification is $25. Credential verifications typically take 1-2 weeks to process, depending on
the type of credential and overall volume of credential requests.

To verify your credentials, go into your Profile and click Edit in the Credentials section, then
follow the directions from there.

You cannot delete a credential, reference, or educational institution from your profile. However,
you may hide it from public view by clicking on the Displayed link next to the credential in your
profile, which will then turn to Hidden.

Now that you have established your Elance account, you are ready to search for jobs. The
Finding Job Opportunities document will lead you through this process.

Finding Job Opportunities

So far, you have learned how to get started as a Provider on Elance. Here, we'll discuss how to
find jobs, create and submit a great proposal, and what to do after you've been hired.
Finding Jobs

After you have created your profile, passed the Elance Admission test, and verified your phone
number, you may start submitting proposals for jobs. You can find jobs by browsing or searching
the Elance site, by receiving invitations from potential clients to submit proposals on their jobs,
and by receiving alerts through e-mails and RSS feeds.

Searching the Jobs Index

Click on the search button next to the search box, without entering any keywords. If the results
page shows providers instead of jobs, toggle to jobs next to the green search button at the top of
the page. You will now see results for all of the open jobs on Elance. You can refine the results
with the options shown on the left side of the page which includes the category, job type, time
left, when the job was posted, budget allotted, and posting type (Featured, Business to Business
(B2B), Escrow), all of which immediately refine the results without having to click the search
button again. You can also refine the results by entering keywords.

Getting Alerts

You can receive new job alerts through both email and an RSS feed. To receive email
notification of jobs in your categories of interests, click on the Settings link in the top right
corner of the Elance homepage, then click Email Notifications and follow the directions given.

You may use the Elance RSS feature to receive daily feeds on jobs based on your specific search
query. You can do this by creating a search using your specific keywords and then refining the
results as desired. Once you see the type of results you would like to receive, sort by the Posted
date and then click on the orange RSS icon at the top of the search results. When prompted, click
on the Subscribe to this feed link at the top of the resulting page.

Screening Jobs

When you find a job that interests you, click the Details+ link to view the particular job
description. If you roll over the client username or the number of proposals received you will see
a useful summary of each. Clicking on either of those will show even more details.

Elance recommends that you review the client's job history found by clicking on the client's
name. You will also be able to see the client's feedback, as well as the number of jobs posted and
the number of times they have hired a provider. You can even review the feedback they have left
for providers they hired by clicking on the Feedback Given link above the feedback results.

For a client to pay you on Elance, they must first activate their Elance account. You will know if
they have completed this step if they have the 'Payment Verified' icon next to their username. If
the client has chosen to pay for a job using Escrow, you will see the green E Escrow icon next to
the job title.

Be wary of clients who consistently leave negative feedback for many service providers, as their
expectations may be unrealistic. You may also want to be somewhat cautious with clients that
award a very low number of the projects they post on Elance. In the jobs search results you will
see a small red star next to their name to indicate their award rate is below 20%.

Developing Proposals and Bidding on Projects

Developing a Winning Proposal

When you start looking for work on Elance, creating effective proposals is crucial to your
success. There are three important steps to creating an effective proposal.

First, interest the client in what makes you uniquely qualified to do the work. The client has a
problem to solve. Give them confidence that you can solve it. Prove that you understand the
client’s specific needs by creating a customized pitch which demonstrates your understanding of
the job requirements. In some cases, the job description or requirements may be unclear. Don’t
be afraid to ask questions before finalizing your proposal. You can do so by using the Public
Message board which everyone can see, or you can send a private message using a Prebid, as
described below. Asking clarifying questions about requirements engages the client and shows
your interest in the job.

Second, prove your expertise by referencing relevant work samples. Including links to previous
jobs and uploading targeted work samples makes it easier for the to evaluate your work. Pick
only a few of your most relevant samples to highlight in order to avoid overloading the client
with examples.

Finally, personalize your proposal by giving the client insight into who you are with a brief
background about you or your company as well as how you are qualified to solve their problem.
This serves as your main marketing message, so make it good.

Preparing to Submit a Proposal

After you have reviewed the job and the client, you are ready to submit a proposal. Remember
that you will only be able to submit proposals for jobs posted in the category to which you
subscribe. To submit a proposal, follow these steps:

1. Click on the job name. 

2. Complete the proposal form on the right side, including the fee or hourly rate you are
looking to earn. The proposal form calculates Elance's fee and adds it to your fee so you
can see the final amount that will be billed to the client. If you have any confidential
information or questions you want to share with the client, be sure to enter that
information into the Workroom Messages, or private message board, after you have
submitted your proposal. You may only use the private message board after you submit a
proposal or a Prebid. 
3. As you consider your proposal costs, keep in mind that Elance has proposal minimums,
and you will not be able to submit a proposal below these minimums, regardless of
category. 
4. In your proposal summary, describe your relevant experience, qualifications, and what
value you will bring to the job.

Prebidding and the Public Message Board

If you need clarification on the job details before completing your proposal, you may ask private
questions by placing a Prebid.  A Prebid uses the same number of Connects as any other proposal
but you won’t be charged again when you submit your proposal for that same job.  Whenever
you submit a bid or a prebid, a workroom is created which enables you to communicate privately
with the client.  This can be be useful to clarify any open issues prior to submitting your final
proposal.

Alternatively, you may use the Public Messages to ask questions about the job requirements
without using Connects prior to submitting your proposal. Messages posted to the Public
Messages are public and must be specific to clarifying job details. Solicitation in the public
messages is a policy violation. Messages posted to the private Workroom Messages area, after a
proposal or Prebid has been submitted can include contact information or marketing messages.

Submitting a Proposal 

1. The client can request proposals based on a single fixed amount or an hourly rate.
2. Indicate the length of time you need to complete the job. 
3. If the client has indicated they want to use Escrow for the job, it cannot be de-selected. If
the client has not chosen Escrow, but you only accept Escrow payments, click the
checkbox to 'Use Elance Escrow'.   Note:  Escrow is only available for fixed price jobs.
4. If you would like a sponsored placement for your proposal, check the box labeled "Yes! I
want a sponsored placement for my proposal". Your proposal will be highlighted and
appear at the top of the client's proposal list. Only 2 sponsored placements are available
 per job (on a first-come, first-served basis). The number of Connects that are required for
a sponsored placement varies.
5. Optionally, you can click Attach Files to upload a more detailed proposal in a separate
document.

Once you submit your proposal, you can view the job on your Workroom List page, by filtering
on the status Hiring Open link on the left panel. This link will show all the jobs for which you
have submitted proposals, where the bidding period is still open.

If the client has requested Elance's 1099 service on the job, you may need to complete your W9
information before you will be able to submit a proposal. Typically, this step will only apply if
both you and the client are located in the United States, and you will only need to do this one
time. In that case, follow these steps:

1. Go to Settings in the upper right corner of the Elance home page. Click W9 Information
on the left panel. 
2. If you are a provider based in the United States, select the option "I am a US Person"
and click Continue. 
3. If you are a provider based outside of the United States, select "I am NOT a US Person"
and click Continue. 
4. Enter your information on the W-9 Request for Taxpayer Information page and click
Submit. 
5. Review your information on the W-9 Information Preview page and click Confirm when
you are done. 

Receiving Invitations to Submit Proposals

Employers may also invite you to submit proposals on their jobs. When this happens:

 You will receive an email notification that you have been invited to submit a proposal. 
 The job will appear in your Proposal Requests list. 

To review and submit a proposal on a job to which you are invited, go to the INBOX tab, where
you will find all of the messages related to your Elance activity. Click the job name to view the
description and any attachments related to the job.

It is important to note that receiving invitations to submit proposals for jobs most often occurs
for providers who have built some reputation on Elance. Work hard initially to build your
reputation, and you will be receiving invitations before you know it.

Tips for Proposal Success

As you develop and submit proposals, keep these guidelines in mind: 

 1. Review your proposal closely before submitting. Make sure that it is customized and
targeted to the actual job description. A good proposal shows you have a clear
understanding of the requirements, conveys your qualifications and communicates your
interest in doing the work. Generic proposals are often overlooked by prospective clients.
Remember, the quality of your proposal is what will make you stand out from the
competition. Making it specific to the job is the best way to get noticed. 
2. Respond quickly to questions. A timely response will give you the opportunity to close
the deal before the competition. If you haven’t heard from the client in a couple of days,
it can be helpful to send a follow-up message using the Workroom messages (Elance’s
messaging platform for secure communications) to see if there is any more information
you can provide. 
3. Be sure to quote a fair price. Don’t be afraid to price higher than others, but if you are
new, this will likely be a factor that you will have to compete on to win those first clients.
However, it is important to note that consistently submitting proposals below the client’s
budget will hurt your provider ranking on Elance in the long run. Focus on describing
what value you will deliver and why you are worth the price.

Building your presence on Elance will take some time, and the competition may seem tough at
first. But if you focus on the work you do best by targeting the most appropriate jobs and take
time to develop proposals that convey your professionalism and attention to detail, you can
expect to find plenty of employers willing to give you a chance. More than 10% of the jobs
awarded in a given week go to new providers. Remember, taking the time to create effective
proposals will have a significant impact on your ability to win jobs on Elance.

After You've Been Hired

It’s very exciting when your proposal is selected and you get ready to take on the project. There
are a few important steps you need to complete to make sure you are in agreement with the client
on what the job entails, such as the business terms guiding your relationship, the schedule
including the milestones and payment schedule and how you will update the client weekly on
your efforts.

Once you have been selected, you will receive a message alert notification that you have been
hired for the job. Clicking on this notification will bring you to the Terms page.

It is a good idea to set up an initial conversation with your client to discuss the milestones and
the schedule. You can do this by posting messages on the Workroom messages or starting a
real-time meeting if your client is in the "online” status.

During this session, your goal is to understand what is important to the client along with how
your work will be evaluated. This is also an opportunity to manage expectations. You rarely have
requirements and specifications that are too detailed. Ensuring that expectations are well
understood in the beginning sets the stage for a satisfied client down the road. It is always best to
set expectations that you can meet or exceed; under-promise so you can over-deliver.
For smaller jobs, summarize your discussion using the Message Board. For larger jobs, it may be
useful to complete a Statement of Work (SOW) document. You can find a template in the Help
section from the Elance homepage. In this document, you can specify system requirements,
additional services or materials not included in the original quote, how changes to scope will be
handled, and any further information you will need from your client. Be sure to indicate any
dependencies or variables up-front that will affect your delivery schedule or price. These may
include receipt of payment, holidays, and speed of feedback from the client.

Once you have agreed on the scope with your client, click on the Workroom List link under the
Manage tab to visit the job’s workroom and finalize the Terms. From this page, you will see a
consolidated list of your jobs. Filter the list by Finalizing Terms to locate the job for which you
have just been hired.

To review, if an employer selects your proposal and hires you for the job, the following will
occur:

 You will receive an e-mail notification informing you that you have been selected. 
 The job can be found on your My Jobs page, by clicking on the Finalizing Terms link.
This view will display all jobs that have been awarded to you, indicating that you and the
employer are negotiating the terms. 
 Your contact information on your profile becomes available to the client. 
 The job’s status will change to Finalizing Terms.

You must then accept the job selection on Elance before the job can begin.

Accepting Jobs

When accepting jobs, there are two critical parts that ensure effective communication between
clients and providers and set the parameters of the job. These are reviewing and setting business
terms and setting milestones for job completion.

To accept the job, follow these steps:

1. Click Manage in the top navigation. 

2. Click the Finalizing Terms link on the left panel. 
3. Click the Review Terms link under the job name. 
4. Review the job and proposal details on the Accept Terms page. If you accept the terms
as outlined, click the Accept button. Upon accepting the terms, they become active
immediately and no further approval is required from the client. 
5. If you would like to upload a contract agreement specifying the requirements and
deliverables or edit the job milestones, click the Attach Files button.
o To upload an Agreement, click Upload to find the file on your computer and
upload it. 
 o Define key milestones, delivery dates and related payment. The total amount field
will automatically update to reflect the sum of all the milestone amounts. Click
Preview when done.
Note: Both you and the client can modify the terms to reflect a job fee different
than the original proposed amount.
6. Review the terms and then click Submit to send them to the client for approval.

When you submit your business terms, the client will be notified by email and will either modify
them, decline with comments or accept them as submitted. You can communicate via the
Workroom Messages to discuss the changes. If the client modifies the Terms, you will be
notified by email and can either accept the changes, make further modifications or decline the
job.

As you can see, this is the time to clearly communicate with the client what you can deliver and
when. Being realistic with your terms, and delivering on them efficiently is the key to client
satisfaction and repeat business.

Creating Milestones

Once you finalize terms for a fixed price job, it is important to create milestones to outline a
delivery schedule and designate corresponding payments at different stages in the job.
Milestones are a great way for you and your client to ensure the job is on track. Be realistic, and
factor in additional time to allow for unexpected changes.

Often, particularly with larger jobs, providers are paid as the milestones are reached. Once you
accept the job, the client is notified to fund the first milestone. When the funds are securely
committed, you will receive a notification and you can now begin the work.

If at any point during the job, a milestone amount is changed or a milestone is removed, the
system automatically refunds the appropriate milestone amount currently held in Escrow back to
the client's original form of payment. If the milestone is removed, the entire amount will be
refunded to the client. If the milestone amount is changed, the difference between the new and
original Terms will be refunded to the client, after the updated terms have been accepted. If the
milestone amount is increased, the client is requested to add additional funds.

If a problem arises during the job, let the client know as soon as possible. Sometimes changes to
scope and the delivery schedule are unavoidable. Be sure to modify the Terms of the job in the
Workroom to manage and track any changes agreed upon with the client. These include
requested changes to scope or schedule from your employer, or changes due to your
dependencies, your employer’s comments, or changes to your own work schedule such as
vacations or office holidays. Always alert your client ahead of time so there will be no missed
expectations.

Status Reports, Timesheets and Tracker

One way to document the work that you do for your clients is through the use of Status Reports
and Timesheets. Status Reports are used for fixed price jobs, and Timesheets are used for hourly
jobs.

As you work on the job, we strongly recommend using either Status Reports or Timesheets
(whichever is appropriate) to update your client each week on hours worked, milestone progress,
and plans for the upcoming week. While working, it is important that you provide response times
of 1 business day or less to any client inquiries. With both parties working remotely, delays in
response times may cause undue tension between you and your client and may negatively impact
the perception and feedback the client leaves at the end of the job.

Directions for developing and submitting status reports will be discussed more in the Managing
Your Work document.

Elance Tracker, found on the Tools page, goes hand-in-hand with the timesheet or status report.
Use this tool to automatically track the time spent on your jobs while you are working.

Tracker integrates with Elance’s timesheet and status report and billing systems, automatically
transferring hours recorded, for quick and easy invoicing.

Now that you have learned how to access, submit proposals, and accept jobs, learn how to
increase your work and organizing your workload in the Managing Your Work document.

Managing Your Work

Once you begin accepting jobs on Elance, you must think about the most efficient way to
manage your work. In this document, you will learn about the importance of communicating
with clients, how to submit your work, and the policies related to feedback and disputes.

Communication with Clients

Communicating with clients and being responsive is the #1 driver of client satisfaction, and their
satisfaction brings positive results for you – good feedback, references and testimonials for your
profile, and repeat business. Therefore, it is in your best interest to communicate often and
effectively, in an effort to meet the needs of your client.

Communication with a potential client may begin shortly after you submit your proposal. The
client may contact you via the Workroom Messages to discuss the job in more detail. When this
happens, you will receive an email notification. If you respond to the e-mail notification by
following the instructions within the e-mail, your response will be posted directly to the
Workroom messages. Otherwise, you may log into your account, click Manage > My Jobs, then
click the message icon under the job name, enter your reply, add attachments if necessary, and
click Post Message.

Once you have accepted a job, you may contact the client directly to discuss the job before
beginning work. There are many ways to communicate: 

 Via Elance, through the Workroom Messages (required in order to keep a written record
of communication), Elance Chat and Elance Call. 
 Directly via email, phone, Instant Messenger, etc. (always transcribe key elements of the
discussion to the Workroom to maintain a record). Each workroom has a unique e-mail
associated with it, and as long as you also send a copy to that e-mail address, the email
will be put directly into the workroom. If you look on the right-hand side of the
workroom, halfway down the page, you will find the e-mail address for that particular
workroom.

Elance recommends that you request full contact information from the client upon acceptance of
the job. As the job develops, it is important to summarize all communication and agreements in
the Workroom messages. This is the only unalterable, official record of your communication and
serves as a central archive to which you can refer back during any renegotiations and future
agreements.

Encourage feedback throughout the job by requesting frequent input from the client. When you
have completed the job, be sure to request final feedback. Based on your proactive
communication, there should be no surprises when the client leaves you feedback that will be
posted to your profile.

Close the job with an eye to future business. Make sure the client is 100% satisfied with your
performance and ask to be considered for future jobs. A long list of happy clients will drive
future repeat business and strengthens your Elance reputation making you even more marketable
and more likely to receive invitations to new jobs .

Status Reports

When working with a client on a fixed price job, it is important to document the job progression
using Status Reports. With Status Reports, you can send weekly updates to your client with the
overall status of the job, including tasks performed, hours worked, journal entries, attachments
and plans for the upcoming week.

When posting a job, clients have the option to state if weekly Status Reports are required for
their job, but you can always still send one as a best practice and to help manage the client's
expectations.

To submit a Status Report, follow these steps:

1. Click on the Manage > Status Reports link on the top navigation. 
2. Click the Create link to the far right for the particular job for which you want to create a
weekly Status Report. 
3. Alternately, you may click on a particular job name and then click the Create link.
4. After you complete your Status Report, you can either click Submit or Save Draft.

Both Status Reports and Timesheets cover the time from Monday through Sunday. Therefore,
when a Status Report is required, you have until Sunday night at 11:59 PM Eastern Time of the
following reporting week before your Status Report is considered overdue.

Timesheets

To get paid for an hourly job, you will need to submit your weekly timesheet with your hours
worked. Your timesheet also serves as the weekly status report for hourly jobs. Keep in mind that
once your Timesheet is submitted, you will not be able to edit it. To send a timesheet to your
client for an hourly job, click the Get Paid tab, and then click Send Invoice. Select your job,
click Create Timesheet, fill in the necessary fields and submit.

By submitting a timesheet, the system automatically generates a draft invoice that is sent directly
to the client along with the timesheet. The draft invoice will automatically convert to a formal
invoice once the client approves the timesheet. There is no need to send another invoice.

Delivering Your Work

When you have completed a job or a milestone, you may upload your files or work product to
the Workroom. To do so, click Manage, then under the current job status, click Select
Action>Files. Choose the folder to upload your file to, and upload it in a similar fashion as you
upload an attachment to an e-mail.

Feedback, Disputes, and Policies

Feedback is an important part of working on Elance. Providers build a reputation based on the
level of client satisfaction, and clients build a history of consistent hiring and payment. These
serve as references for both parties when evaluating whom to work with in the future. Feedback
can only be left by clients and providers that have worked together on Elance, so you can be
confident that the work history is from the legitimate experiences of other Elance members.

How Feedback is Calculated

Elance shows individual job feedback scores, as well as the overall percents of positive, neutral,
and negative feedback that the provider has received in a particular category. A positive score is
considered to be any individual project score between 4.0 and 5.0. A neutral score is considered
to be any individual project score between 3.0 and 3.99. A negative score is considered to be any
individual project score between 0.0 through 2.99.

Clients will rate each job (from 1 through 5) based on the criteria below. Each of these areas will
be weighted differently to arrive at a summary feedback score for a job, ranging from 0 to 5.
Quality of work is considered to be most important, and therefore is weighted more heavily.

 Quality of work – accounts for 30% of overall project score 

 Responsiveness – 20% 
 Professionalism – 15% 
 Subject matter expertise – 15% 
 Adherence to schedule – 10% 
 Adherence to cost – 10%

Clients can leave feedback after a payment has been released on the job, or after the final
milestone date that is specified on the job, whichever comes first. The ability to leave feedback
expires 60 days after the final milestone date, so it is important to adjust the Terms of the job if it
continues past the originally agreed-upon schedule.

Responding to Feedback

You have the opportunity to respond to feedback that a client leaves for you. On the Feedback
link on your profile, scroll down to see the feedback left by clients. Under each, you will find a
Respond to Feedback link.

Responses will be displayed directly beneath the original feedback review. Since your response
will be permanent, and viewed as part of your feedback history, it is important to respond
professionally, especially in cases of responding to a poor review.

One thing to keep in mind is that feedback cannot be changed once it is posted. This is to prevent
manipulation of the feedback system and to ensure that actual customer experiences are reflected
accurately in the system. Only in rare situations, such as feedback that is left for the wrong
provider, will Elance consider removing feedback.

Providers may also leave feedback for clients. To leave feedback for a client, go to your
Workrooms List, and click on the job name. Click the Feedback link on the left. Click Leave
Feedback for Buyer and enter your comments.

What to do if a Dispute Arises

A very small percentage of jobs on Elance require Dispute Assistance. However, in the event
that a dispute does arise, it is important to know the well-defined process in place to assist both
parties in reaching a mutually acceptable outcome.

What Happens When Clients and Providers Can’t Resolve a Dispute?

If a client and a provider using the Elance Work System are unable to resolve a problem
independently, Elance provides a well-defined process to help both parties reach a resolution. All
three steps of the Elance Dispute Assistance are available for jobs managed within the Elance
Work System and with funds held in Escrow. For hourly or non-escrow jobs, Elance still
facilitates the member resolution but does not offer the dispute assistance call or arbitration.

How Does Elance Dispute Assistance Work?

Elance Dispute Assistance is a three step process. The first step is for both parties to attempt to
find a resolution independently by documenting the disagreement and the expected outcome in
the Dispute Notice Form. The second step is a dispute assistance call facilitated by Elance. If a
resolution is still not reached, either party has the right to move to the final step of the process,
which is Arbitration.

What is Arbitration?

Arbitration is an alternative to taking someone to court and a way to receive a final judgment by
an independent third party. It is typically far less expensive than court and the judgment is
enforceable in a court of law. Elance will take the arbitration judgment and require that both
parties abide by the ruling.

How Much Does Arbitration Cost?

Elance has established preferred terms with an accredited arbitration service and a process for the
transfer of all relevant case material, such as the Dispute Notice and Response, Workroom
communications, Status Reports, and Terms as negotiated and accepted on the site. The cost for
arbitration varies depending on the size of the job. Jobs under $600 are reviewed by a single
arbitrator and cost $199. Jobs greater than $600 are reviewed by a panel of 3 arbitrators and cost
$399. In both cases, Elance subsidizes one third of the cost.

How Do Providers Protect Themselves in Case of a Dispute?

There are many ways to ensure that you do your part in the event of a dispute (or that you do
your part to prevent one!).

 Communicate frequently. Many disputes arise from missed expectations and assumptions
made up front. Make sure that the other party is clear on requirements or terms and that
you are agreeing to the same thing. 
 Communicate using Elance. This assures your Workrooms have a record of
communications that will be referenced in the case of a dispute. 
 For fixed price projects, always use Elance Escrow.  Funds should only be released once
the client has inspected and accepted the work.  The release conditions should be clearly
specified and agreed to up front.
 Providers should not begin work until funds are held securely in escrow. Make clear the
conditions under which work will begin. 
 Use the Elance Work System: Define very clear milestones as checkpoints on job quality
and progress. Payments can be tied to these milestones. These milestones are defined in
the Terms step just after the job is awarded to the provider but before the work begins.
 For fixed price jobs, weekly status reports should be submitted through Elance, even if
they aren't required by the client. 
 Always indicate current job status and highlight any issues that may impede your
progress in the weekly status report. 
 Keep your Terms up-to-date. If the schedule, scope, or amount changes, be sure to update
the Terms on Elance. Remember, this is the official agreement between both parties that
will be referenced in the case of a dispute. If you cannot agree on updated Terms, then it
may be an indication that you have a dispute.

Where to Start with a Dispute

First, remain professional in all communications. Unprofessional communication will undermine

your case. Both parties have already agreed to abide by the Dispute Assistance process as part of
the Terms of Service so you can be sure there will be a resolution regarding the funds held in
escrow.
  File a Dispute Notice available within the Workroom under the "I want to..." menu item
in the left navigation panel. Detailed instructions for initiating a dispute are available
here. The other party is notified and is required to respond to the Dispute Notice within 3
business days. 
 The stages of a dispute resolution are as follows:
o Attempt to reach a resolution regarding the dispute without involving Elance.
o If no compromise can be found, Elance will contact both parties to arrange a
dispute assistance call. 
o If no resolution is reached during the Dispute Assistance conference, arbitration is
the final step in the process. Either party may initiate arbitration. If requested, the
other party is required to attend, otherwise, the release condition for escrow funds
is met and the funds are released to the party initiating arbitration. If neither party
requests arbitration, all funds in escrow will be returned to the client 6 months
from the final milestone date.

Does Arbitration Apply to Jobs Where Parties are Located in Different Countries?

Since both the client and provider have agreed to the Elance Terms of Service, both must abide
by the Dispute Assistance process until a final resolution is reached in case of a dispute,
regardless of location. This means that if one party does not fulfill their obligations by
participating, then the release condition for the funds is met and escrow funds are released to
whichever party participated in the Dispute Assistance process.

My Client Stopped Responding to My Requests for Communication or Payment. What

Can I Do?

If one party becomes non-responsive for a period of more than 5 business days, contact Elance to
get help. In cases where there are funds held in escrow, if the party is non-responsive to the
Dispute Assistance process, then the release condition for the funds is met and the funds are
released to the responding party.

I'm Used to Asking for a Down Payment. Is This Customary?

Some providers may require a down payment before they will begin working on a job. When
working remotely online, Elance recommends depositing a down payment into escrow, but not
releasing funds until the first milestone has been delivered and reviewed to the clients
satisfaction. Escrow is an important protection for both parties when working online. If a chosen
provider refuses to begin work until funds are released from escrow, the client may want to
consider finding a provider that will begin working when funds are securely held in the escrow
account before they are released.
What Happens to Funds That Were Previously Released From Escrow? Can the Client Get
Them Back?

It is important that the client inspect the quality of work delivered before releasing the funds in
escrow. Define milestones at specific points in the job where the client can inspect and sign off
on the work performed. Once the client releases funds from escrow, they cannot recover them.

Violations

Elance has put into place policies for posting jobs, submitting proposals, and posting profiles.
These policies exist to protect everyone that uses the Elance system. Please review the policies
below, so that you do not unintentionally commit a violation, and so you can identify one and
notify Elance of it.

Policies for Posting Jobs

If a job is found to be in violation of any of Elance’s polices, it will be removed from the site.
The removed job is counted toward the client’s ratio of posted to awarded jobs, but the client is
free to repost the job if the violation is corrected.

Common reasons why a job posting is removed from Elance:

 Does not meet Elance’s budget minimums. 

 Violates the Terms of Service of another company or entity. 
 Asks providers to submit unpaid, custom sample work to be considered for hire. 
 Contains adult-related content. 
 Payment is offered outside of the Elance Billing & Payment System. 
 Payment is based on commission or equity compensation. 
 Violates the integrity of an academic institution, including doing homework, writing
school papers, taking tests or submitting applications. 
 Violates any applicable law of the U.S. or any other country.

The Terms of Service document contains a full list of job violations.

Policies for Submitting Proposals

When submitting a proposal, a provider cannot:

  Offer their services below the stated Elance minimums. 
 Offer their services for free 
 Use unprofessional language and/or harass another Elance member 
 Offer to receive payment outside of the Elance Billing & Payment System 
 Use a Public Message Board to list any contact information or marketing messages in lieu
of submitting a proposal 
 Submit a placeholder proposal

 Policies for Posting Your Profile

A provider’s profile cannot contain:

 Any contact details (e.g. non-Elance website URL, email address, etc) outside of the
designated areas 
 Offers to receive payments outside of the Elance Billing & Payment System 
 Offers for free services 
 Offers for services that are against the Terms of Service of Elance or of another company
or entity 
 Any text that is copied from another provider’s profile 
 Any work sample to which the profile owner does not have legal rights or ownership

Penalties for Violating a Policy

Elance will suspend or terminate members who violate its policies.

 For job posting violations, the post will be removed from the site. Repeated policy
violations will result in the termination of the account. 
 For provider violations, the minimum penalty is a 5 day suspension. For major violations
such as plagiarism, circumventing fees, feedback manipulation, or repeat policy
violations, the provider account is subject to immediate termination.

Appealing a Policy Violation Penalty

If an account has been suspended or terminated, the account owner may appeal the decision by
sending a letter to Elance.  All letters must be sent to:

Elance, Inc.
Attn: Trust and Safety Dept.
441 Logue Ave. Suite 150
Mountain View, CA 94043

Reporting a Violation

There are links on the webpage that you can use to report a job violation or a profile violation.
To report any other possible violation, e-mail Elance at Policy@Elance.com.

Getting Help

There are many documents on the Elance site designed to provide assistance to you. They
include:

 Elance Help: http://www.elance.com/p/help/index.html.  You may also click the Help

link on the top right of any of our web pages to see our online help topics. You can read
the top questions, browse the top questions, browse the help topics or enter a keyword or
phrase in the Search field. 
 Elance FAQ's: http://www.elance.com/p/help/overview/faq. html. Read the most
Frequently Asked Questions to find a resolution to your issue. 
 Elance University: http://www.elance.com/p/elanceuniversity/index.html. Watch videos
to help you learn more about using our site. 
 Elance Customer Service: Click the Contact us link on the top right of any of our web
pages to send an e-mail to Elance support.

Now that you know how to manage your work on Elance, move on to everyone’s favorite
document – Getting Paid.

Getting Paid
Now that you have been awarded jobs and have begun the work, let's review how to manage and
track your payments. In this document, you will learn how to request payments from both escrow
and non-escrow jobs, and how to manage your Elance payment account.

Navigating the Get Paid Tab

When you click on the Get Paid tab, this will bring you to the Send Invoice page, where you can
bill a client for work performed. On this page, you will see your list of jobs in "Working" status.
Select a job, and click "Next".
This will take you to that specific workroom's billing page.  Those jobs with the "E" indicate
jobs using Elance Escrow.  When selecting these jobs, you can request the funding and release of
the milestones that were agreed upon at the onset of the job.  If it is a non-Escrow job, you can
view invoices that were sent, send reminders for outstanding payments, or create new invoices to
send. 

Clicking on the Get Paid > Billing link will bring you to a page which includes all your payment
documents from the last 90 days. You can filter this list by a variety of options including date
range, Escrow funding status, and unpaid or paid invoices.

In your Billing List, you will see all Escrow fund and release requests and the status of invoices
you sent to your clients.  Each line item will display relevant information such as the type of
payment, job name, buyer name, date, status, and the amount. From this page, you can view
details of each payment and send reminders if you have not yet received payment.  As you
manage your work on Elance, this page can be a useful reference for your payment activity.

Elance Escrow

Elance Escrow is an integral part of the Elance Online Work System for fixed price jobs, and is a
safe and convenient way to pay, or be paid, for the work delivered. Once job arrangements are
made, milestones are set, and funds are placed into Escrow, providers can get started on
performing the work, knowing that the money is there waiting for them once they deliver the
results. Clients benefit from using Escrow by avoiding pre-payments, deposits, or otherwise
paying for work that does not meet the standards they established in the hiring process. 
Providers benefit by knowing that the funds are set aside for the project or milestone and can't be
used for anything else. 

Elance Escrow is arranged so that clients can fund each milestone individually, so that large jobs
can be broken up easily into smaller pieces, with payments being released upon each milestone
completed.

There are many benefits to using Elance Escrow, including:

 

 Better communication between providers and clients by tying payments to work deliverables.
 Quicker start on jobs by providers who can start work knowing that funds are available for the
job.
 Eligibility for Elance Dispute Assistance in the event that a job does not go as planned.
 You can easily identify an Escrow job by the "E" icon next to the job name.

Payment for Escrow Jobs

As a provider, you are not obligated to begin work on any milestone until it is funded by the
client.  Once funds are in Escrow, the money cannot be returned to the client unless one of the
release conditions in the Escrow Terms of Service is satisfied. This gives you the peace of mind
of knowing that if you submit your deliverables on time and to the client's satisfaction, you will
receive your payments.

Never request to receive payments outside of Elance, and never agree if a client asks you to do
so.  This is against Elance policy and is a source of payment fraud and scams. There are
significant consequences to receiving payments outside of Elance. First, there is no dispute
assistance from Elance, in the event that you and the client have a disagreement and no recourse
from Elance for any payment issues that may happen.. Second, your Elance membership, and
that of the client, may be terminated.  Finally, you will not receive the benefits for your excellent
job performance on that job and it will not contribute to building your reputation, as the client
will be unable to leave feedback for you and the job won't count towards your earnings or
number of projects completed. If a client asks you to receive payment outside of the Elance site,
please report the violation to Elance.

Requesting Payment for Escrow Jobs

To request payment on an Escrow job:

 Request funding for each of the job milestone(s)

 Request the release of funds for each of the job milestone(s)

For Escrow jobs, once the client and provider have accepted the terms, the Elance system
automatically requests funding for the first milestone from the client. To request funding for
subsequent Escrow milestones, follow these steps:

1. Click Get Paid > Send Invoices in the top navigation.

2. Click the radio button next to the job you want to request funding and then click "Next".  
3. On the Billing page, you will see a list of milestones, contract amounts and the funding
and release status of each milestone under the Fund and Release tab. For each milestone, click
the Request Fund button under the Fund Escrow column.
4. Review the information on the Create Escrow Funding Request page. Click "Continue" to
preview your funding request. When you are satisfied, click "Submit", or click the "Back" button
to make changes. The client will receive an email notification requesting the funding of the
specified milestone. When the client funds the milestone, the Fund Escrow column will change
from "Request Sent:" to a checkmark.  You can hover over the checkmark to see the date the
milestone was funded.
5. After the client has funded a milestone, you can request release of that milestone amount, once
you have satisfied the milestone requirements.  On the Billing page, go to the Fund and Release
tab and click the Request Release button under the Release Escrow column.
6. By requesting the release of a funded milestone, you will need to submit a Status Report to your
client indicating you have completed the milestone in question.
7. When submitting your Status Report, mark the milestone as 100% completed and check the
"Add to Billing" checkbox. Select the Submit button at the bottom of the page. The client will
 then receive an email notification requesting that they release the funds from Escrow.  When
the client releases the funds, the Release Escrow column will change to reflect the date it was
released.
8. For fixed price projects that use Elance Escrow, once the provider completes the work and
requests payment for a milestone, the client has 15 days to review the work and either approve
the release of funds from escrow or dispute the request.  If no action is taken by day 15, the
payment is marked as "Overdue" and a reminder is sent to both parties.  If the client has still not
made payment 30 days after the release request, funds held in escrow are released to the
provider.  Elance will send multiple notifications alerting the client that the 30 day deadline is
nearing.
9. For hourly jobs, the client has the option to turn on Auto-Pay for weekly timesheets.
With this option enabled, Elance will process payments to the provider automatically
using the client's default payment method.  If the service provider submits a timesheet by
Sunday at 11:59 PM ET, payment will be processed on the following Friday at 12 AM
ET.  The auto-payment amount is limited to the number of hours previously authorized
by the client. Clients will always have the option to manually pay their provider before
Friday.  Turning auto-pay off will stop payments scheduled for the following Friday.
Auto-Pay is completely optional for clients. This is a handy feature for longer term
engagements, where both parties want the regular payment cadence of predictable cash
flow for the provider, and predictable expense flow for the client.  Auto-Pay is an "opt-
in" feature only.
10. If your client does not respond to your release request, contact them through the
Workroom messages.  If they do not respond, you may request dispute assistance.  To
initiate a dispute, select the I want to... > File Dispute link at the top right side of the
Terms page.  Be aware that filing a dispute will stop the auto-release of payments for
fixed price escrow jobs and can delay payments to the provider.

Invoicing Clients for non-Escrow Fixed Price Jobs

At key milestones or when you have completed the job, you need to invoice the client through
Elance's Billing and Payment system to receive payment for non-Escrow jobs. Once the client
receives your invoice, they will send payment via Elance's Billing and Payment system.  Clients
can also pay providers via invoice on Escrow jobs.

To invoice the client, follow these steps:

1. Click Get Paid > Send Invoices in the top navigation.

2. Select the job for which you want to send an invoice and click "Next" to proceed.
3. Click the Create New Invoice button under the list of milestones for your job.
If you require your invoices to include the client's address, please advise your client to
specify an address before creating the invoice. You can do this by sending your client a
Private Message.
4. To add your own address details for all invoices:
-  Click Settings link at the top of any Elance page.
 - Click Billing & Payments on the left panel and enter in your details.
- Or click the Edit Invoice Address and Tax ID on your billing page.
5. Enter the invoice details including payment terms, the item(s), description(s) and
amount(s) you are invoicing for, invoice notes and an optional provider reference. Click
"Continue" when you are finished to preview your invoice.
6. Review the invoice details on the Preview Invoice page and click "Send Invoice".  If
you need to make changes, click the "Back to Edit Invoice".
7. Enter your Elance password on the Send Invoice page and click the Send Invoice button.
Your client will be notified that they have received a new invoice.
8. To print a copy of your invoice for your records, click the Print Invoice link on the
confirmation screen that appears when your invoice has been sent, or click the Print
button from the view invoice screen.

Invoicing Clients for Hourly Jobs

To get paid for an hourly job, you will need to submit your weekly timesheet with your hours
worked.  Your timesheet also serves as the weekly status report for hourly jobs.

To send a timesheet to your client for an hourly job, log in to your account and follow the steps
below:

1. Click the Get Paid > Send Invoices in the navigation bar at the top of the page.
2. Select the job you want to send an invoice for and click the 'Next' button.
3. Click the Create Timesheet link on the top of the Job Billing page.
4. On the timesheet page, fill in the necessary fields and then click submit.

By submitting a Timesheet, the system automatically generates a draft invoice that is sent
directly to the client along with the Timesheet. The draft invoice will automatically convert to a
formal invoice once the client approves the Timesheet. There is no need to send another invoice.

Adding hours to a submitted timesheet:

If you client has not paid your timesheet yet, you will have the ability to adjust your submitted
hours.

1. Click the Get Paid > Send Invoices in the navigation bar at the top of the page.
2. Select the job you want to send an invoice for and click the Next button.
3. Click the View Timesheet link on the top of the Job Billing page.
4. On the timesheet page, click the adjust hours button.
5. Add your additional hours and a comment for your client and click submit.   Note: The
additional hours will be added to the total billed hours on the timesheet.
Sending Miscellaneous Invoices

If you have any additional expenses for an hourly or fixed price job, or if your client has already
paid your timesheet invoice and you need to submit additional hours, we recommend that you
use the Elance invoicing system to create and send a miscellaneous invoice to your client for the
amount due.

To send a miscellaneous invoice to your client, log in to your account and follow the steps
below:

1. Click the Get Paid tab on the navigation bar at the top of the page.
2. Next, click on the Send Invoice link on the second row of the navigation bar.
3. Select the job you want to send an invoice for and click the Next button.
4. Click the Create Misc Invoice link on the top of the Job Billing page.
5. On the Enter Invoice Details page, fill in necessary fields, including 'Item' and
'Amount'.
6. On the Preview Invoice page, review the details for accuracy, and then select the Send
Invoice button.
7. Enter your password and select the Send Invoice button.

 The client will receive the invoice and can make the payment directly to your Elance account
using the Elance payment system.

Managing Your Elance Payments Account

As you begin to be paid for jobs you have completed, you will be interested in managing your
Elance Payments Account. You can easily monitor your transactions and withdraw funds
whenever you wish. You may also want to confirm payments and review your account balance
periodically.

Monitoring Your Transactions

From the Get Paid menu, you can see a history of all Elance account transactions by clicking on
the Account Activity option.  This will take you to a page listing your current Elance account
balance along with your transaction history, which includes all debits and credits to your
account.

The line-by-line items have active links giving you the ability to get more information on the
transactions displayed. The Scheduled Transactions link shows the status of any pending or in-
process transactions that are not displayed in the Transaction history. 

Withdrawing Funds

The Withdraw Funds link shows your available Elance account balance from which you can
withdraw funds.  You can indicate how much you would like to withdraw and what withdrawal
method you would like to use, based on what types of payment methods you set up in your
account.

You can withdraw funds from your Elance account at any time.

 If you are in the U.S., you can withdraw by Automated ClearingHouse (ACH) bank
transfer, check, the Elance PrePaid Mastercard, or PayPal.
 If you are in Canada, you can withdraw via wire transfer, check, the Elance Prepaid
Mastercard or Paypal.
 If you are outside the U.S. and Canada, you can withdraw by wire transfer, the Elance
Prepaid Mastercard, or PayPal.

For providers outside of the US, PayPal charges a 2.5% currency conversion spread.  Elance
does not charge a fee withdrawing funds using the Elance PrePaid MasterCard but Payoneer will
charge a small fee to load the payment on your card.  For wire transfers, paid members get one
free monthly wire transfer while free members pay $10 for their first monthly wire transfer. 
Both free and paid members pay $25 for subsequent monthly wire transfers.  In both cases other
fees may apply from correspondent or intermediary banks.

To withdraw funds from your Elance account, click Get Paid > Account Activity from the top
navigation. Click the Withdraw Funds link in the left panel, enter the amount you want to
withdraw, select a withdrawal method, then click Continue.

To review the payment methods you set up with your account, click on the Financial Account
link.  This will show you any PayPal account, credit cards and bank accounts listed on your
account. On this page, you can also add and delete payment methods. 

Keep in mind that at any time, you can download your account activity by clicking Get Paid >
Account Activity > Download Data. 
Remember to check your Inbox to track and manage day-to-day tasks related to payments by
clicking on the Inbox tab and filtering by Payments.  

Confirming Payment and Reviewing Your Account Balance

Once your client submits payment, you will receive an email notification.

1. You may confirm the payment by going to the individual job's Billing page to review the
payment details.
2. To confirm your overall account balance, click the Get Paid > Account Activity link
from the top navigation to view your past transactions and overall account balance.

By this time, you should be well on your way to Elance success! Consider expanding your
knowledge and your business through the next documents - Advanced Topics for Elance
Success.
Advanced Topics for Elance Success
As you move forward in your work on Elance, you may wish to take advantage of some
advanced techniques that can increase your success. These include creating a portfolio, setting up
a team account, and taking advantage of special Elance features.

Consider this:

Over 10% of jobs each week are awarded to new providers, so, although the jobs you submit
proposals to may be competitive, it is possible to be hired for them as a new provider. Clients
often feel they are taking some risk in hiring providers that have no experience on Elance and
you may need to do something extra to make them confident in taking on that risk. When you are
just starting, you may have to submit proposals using a lower rate than you prefer, but you can
increase your fee once you have established a reputation on Elance through positive feedback.
The best advice for new providers is to submit proposals quickly, offer high value, and be
attentive. As your positive feedback and job completions grow, you may begin to be invited to
submit proposals for jobs. As your experience increases, you will have an easier time getting
hired for more jobs. Work hard in the beginning – be very attentive and very quick. Building a
good reputation will result in your being invited to submit proposals for more jobs and in your
winning more jobs.

Another important piece of advice: Focus on jobs that best fit your interests and skill set. Spend
most of your time on those, and do not waste time and Connects on something outside of your
area of expertise. Keep in mind that clients are looking at your skills and experience, so focus on
your core strengths, particularly in the beginning. Most clients are looking for specialists, not
generalists, so build your experience in one area before branching out into other areas. 

Below are some strategies for increasing your potential on Elance. Once you get started as a
Provider, you should consider implementing some (or all!) of them.

Create a Portfolio

One way to increase your business is to upload samples of your work to the Portfolio section of
your Provider Profile. A comprehensive portfolio is especially important for service categories
such as Design & Multimedia or Writing & Translation.

To create your portfolio, follow these steps:

1. From Find Work > My Profile in the top navigation.

 2. Click the Edit Profile link.
3. Click the Portfolio link.
4. Click Edit Current Folder.
5. To add items to the current folder, click Add Items. Click the Browse button to navigate
to the location on your computer for the file you want to upload. Double-click on the file
icon to select it. Enter a title and description. When you are finished uploading files, click
the Add Items button. Thumbnails will automatically be created for image files and
common applications.
6. To organize your files into folders, click Add Subfolders. Enter a subfolder title and
description.
7. To arrange items within a folder, click Arrange Items. Click on an item you want to
move, then click on its new location.
8. You may also arrange items within folders and delete, edit or move folders and items. 

Setting up a Team Account

If you have multiple users at your company that need to access Elance as one group, you can
sign up for a provider Team account. A Team account is available to those providers with a
Small or Large Business membership. The original person who signed up with Elance is the
account Owner. Any additional Team members are assigned the role of an Administrator,
Account Manager or Staff.

 The Owner has complete control of the account and cannot be deleted.
 An Administrator also has the same access as the Owner, except their accounts can be
deleted and they are unable to update the company profile. They can manage the
membership status, users, financial account setup and withdrawals and the company
profile
 The Account Manager role is designed for Team members who need access to jobs, can
send messages, file status reports, timesheets and invoices.
 A Staff member works with the project leaders to submit the job deliverables to the
client. This role can only access the job Workroom to which they are assigned, along
with the shared Files, Messages, Tracker and submit time via the Status Reports to that
project.

To create a Team account, you must first update your membership to a Small or Large Business
membership. Then, to administer your Team account, follow these steps:

1.   Click Manage > Team from the top navigation.

2. To add users, click the Add Team Member link.
3. To edit or delete users, click the Select link and then Edit or Delete as needed.

Each Team member you add can also be assigned to be a Project Leader, except Staff. For each
job you are hired, a Project Leader is assigned to that job. By default, the Project Leader will be
the person who had submitted the proposal. The Project Leader is the point person for the client
on the job and will receive all the notifications about the job, including notifications for the
Business Terms, Status Reports, payments made and Private Messages.
Be aware that clients may also have teams. This feature allows a single company account to have
multiple users who each run their own projects. Because one company may have multiple people
running projects, do not be surprised if different people respond to you at different times. Also be
mindful that when you review a company’s feedback, the information there might be
representative of a specific person, and the person with whom you are primarily working might
be very different. All feedback from all projects roll into the company’s feedback.

Helpful Resources
There are a number of ways to get help, training, or information from Elance as well as from
others who use Elance. These include Elance University, Elance Help, Water Cooler, Elance
Blog, and some social media.

Elance University

This part of the Elance site is designed to provide resources for both new and experienced
providers, including how to market and deliver your services. To access Elance University,
follow these steps:

1. Click Explore on the top navigation, then click Elance University.

2. Scroll to the bottom of the page to access all Elance information.

Elance Help

You can click on the Help link in the top right of any of our pages to see our online help topics.
You can read or browse the top questions, browse the help topics or enter a keyword or phrase in
the search field.

The Water Cooler

The Water Cooler is an interactive part of the Elance site, which allows elancers to communicate
with each other. Different message boards promote discussions about jobs, skills tests, Elance-
related announcements, and Q&A from providers. There is even a “break room” that promotes
socializing among providers. This feature provides a nice place for elancers to meet, greet, and
network.

Elance Blog

Another exciting feature on the Elance site is the Elance blog. The blog is a great place to check
regularly, as it is where all information about new features and improvements is rolled out, along
with other articles of interest to Elance providers. Elance posts information there frequently, so
check the blog often.
Elance Social Media

Elance has a Facebook fan page which you can join at www.facebook.com/Elance. This is a fun
place to communicate with other providers and with Elance staff on the latest Elance news.

Elance also has a LinkedIn group that helps you build your professional network and engage in
interesting discussions. You can join the Elance LinkedIn group at
http://www.linkedin.com/groups?gid=127040  

We even use Twitter to keep everyone up to date. In fact we have five different feeds. One is for
general Elance information and the others share the jobs getting posted on Elance, with one
covering all jobs and others that are category specific jobs. You can follow them here:

http://www.twitter.com/elance
http://www.twitter.com/elance_jobs
http://www.twitter.com/elance_web
http://www.twitter.com/elance_design
http://www.twitter.com/elance_writing