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Odesk Contractor Manual 2013 PDF
Odesk Contractor Manual 2013 PDF
Upwork
Get to work,
grow your business,
and do what matters to you.
Ta PART 1
Introduction
ble
TIP 1
1 Welcome Click the page name
3 Why is Upwork right for you? to jump to that page
PART 2
Getting started
8 Joining Upwork in three easy steps
of
9 Membership plan options
11 Building a great profile
PART 3
con
24 Complete the interview
PART 4
tents
PART 5
Our technology We have tools to help you get set up, find more clients,
makes it easy manage your own work, and get paid quickly and reliably.
Were a
community that As you win and succeed on jobs, well do our best to help
wants you you find more opportunities for continued growth. Who can work on Upwork?
to succeed
FREELANCER AGENCY
Service fees
For each payment it processes, Upwork charges a 10% service fee, which
Membership plans
HOURLY FIXED-PRICE
All freelancers and agencies must subscribe to an Upwork membership
Getting
If you havent signed up already, nows the time. Pick the
Membership Plan that best matches your needs. Remember,
you can change your membership plan in the future.
started 2
Create your profile
Fill out as many fields as possible to create a profile that
highlights your skills, elaborates on your experience and
indicates your desired hourly payment rate.
3
Set up your payment option
Get ready to get paid and tell us how you want to receive
your earnings. We recommend setting up two fund transfer
methods so that you can be paid easily.
60 Connects per Month* 70 Connects per Month* Owner Only Multi-Person Teams
Shared across the agency The agency owner applies for jobs and works as a Add and support unlimited teams and team members
one-person business, with no team members
*NOTE Connects are used to apply for jobs, Fixed-Price Protection Hourly Protection
with each application requiring 1 to 5 Connects For fixed-price jobs, payments are secured through For eligible hourly jobs, youre ensured payment for
(0 if youre invited or rehired) pre-funded milestones every hour worked
more...
Brand consulting Graphic Design
Work History
Brand guide
FOOTNOTE
5.00
36 hours
Tests
Profiles will not be visible on Upwork until they are completed and verified.
Fast work, knows what shes doing. Professional.
$77.70 /hr
11 Doing the work and getting paid 12
2,797.20 earned Name Score (out of 5) Time to Complete
Aug 2014 Jan 2015
Tests
Employment History
Creative
:
Director Huge, Inc.
December 2013 - March 2014
junior
:
java programmer Privatbank
December 2013 - March 2014
3 tier business application: swing client, server (they own via xml),
sybase db
junior
:
java programmer Privatbank
December 2013 - March 2014
3 tier business application: swing client, server (they own via xml),
sybase db
Education
Master
:
of Arts (M.A.), Graphic Design Carnegie Mellon
December 2009 - March 2011
Visual Portfolio
Add past work samples
Secure permission from past clients
Linking External Accounts: Link external accounts to your Upwork profile to show your online presence.
13 Getting started 14
Finding the right work
CHAPTER 3
Finding 1
Pick a core skill
Enter a core skill or two into the search bar to find
projects that match your talents.
work & 2
Set Filters
submitting
Use filters on the left-hand side of the
Search Results Page to find a more targeted list.
proposals 3
Add to Job Feed
After setting your search preferences, add it to your
Job Feed so you can have an ongoing, updated list
of new projects that match your preferences.
HOURLY Hourly contract payments are eligible for FIXED-PRICE Fixed-price contract payments are protected
Upwork Hourly Protection with Upwork Fixed-Price Protection
On hourly contracts, youre paid by the hour, On fixed-price contracts, youre paid a final
making this a preferred option for many Heres how: cost for a project deliverable, or set of Heres how:
freelancers when a project requires flexibility. deliverables. This option can be ideal when
1. Agree to the number of authorized hours with 1. Agree to project milestones with your client,
Examples of projects that can work well in an the deliverable or deliverables are more
your client via the Offer Details page. clearly outlining what youll deliver, when
hourly format include Technical Support and clearly defined. Examples of projects well-
youll deliver it, and for how much of the total
Accounting Advisors. 2. Install and track your project time using the suited for fixed-price format include Web
project cost.
Upwork Team App. Design and Mobile App Development.
2. Wait until milestones are funded before starting
3. Add descriptions and notes of your work to your
any work on the project.
Time Log.
3. Submit your work deliverables through the
4. Quickly address with your client, and request
Upwork platform.
approval for, any changes needed to your
authorized hours. 4. Make sure youve been paid for a milestone,
and that the next one is funded, before
continuing work.
FOOTNOTE
1. Find a job you like and press the Apply 5. The client will review applications and
button. contact candidates for interviews.
2. Review the number of *Connects required 6. The client may propose a paid test job to
to submit an application and your Connects get a better idea of your skills. This is a
balance. great way to find out how well youll work
Photo 3. Read below for tips on how to write a
togetherjust be sure to agree upon a rate
winning Application. and number of weekly hours before you
begin. There are no free test jobs. This is a
4. Enter your offered rate, write a cover letter,
violation of Upwork policy.
add attachments (if any), and send the
7. After everything is discussed, the client will
application.
send you an offer. Review it, accept it and
start working.
FOOTNOTE
Your cover letter is how you introduce yourself, On Upwork, freelancers always set and negotiate
highlight your skills and experience, and tell the their own rates. You can even set a different fixed or
client why they should hire you. Its your opportunity hourly rate for each proposal you submit. Just change
to show that you understand the project and are the default rate in the application before you hit the
qualified for the job. Send button.
Heres how to write a cover letter that works well To decide your price for fixed-price jobs, some
with clients and leads to interviews: freelancers find it makes sense to start with an
estimate of how long it will take to finish.
Be specific Follow directions Break the job into phases Add it all up
Keep it short and to-the-point. Briefly tell the Some clients might ask you to answer a specific For instance, building a website may include Add up the estimated cost of all phases, plus
client about your relevant skills and experience. question or include a keyword in your cover let- five of them: planning, design, development, a little extra to account for unexpected issues.
Showcasing specific examples of your experience ter. This helps them filter out generic, copy and review, and testing.
related to the clients field can make a difference. paste applications. Look for these directions and Evaluate profit vs risk
follow them. Calculate your charge Consider any additional profit desired, or
Dont hesitate to ask For each phase, calculate your charge by risks that you might take on, in deciding on
Appropriate clarifying questions about the job Proof read, edit, and deliver estimating the time it will take to complete, a final amount.
show your understanding and demonstrate the Did you address all the criteria and answer the including revisions.
value you can bring to the project. clients questions? Have you added relevant links
to samples of your work? Do a final grammar and
spelling check before you hit send.
FOOTNOTE
Dont Spam
Dont send generic cut and paste cover letters to every job post. It hurts your
chances of getting hired and can reflect poorly on your Upwork reputation. Its okay to
adapt an old cover letter, but make it relevant to the project youre trying to win.
Once youve applied, you may receive a notification If the client requests an interview, reply quickly with
that the client would like to set up an interview, or your availability and find a time that works for you
maybe even hire you immediately. In some cases, you both. If your potential client is in a different time zone,
may not hear anything back at all. Clients are not be prepared to interview at a time that is outside the
mandated to respond to all applications, so keep your traditional 9-to-5 window.
options open by applying to other jobs. Interviews can be text-based through the Upwork
Message Center, Skype, or over the phone, so agree
on a method that works best for both of you. Make
sure you understand how the interview will be
conducted (for example, voice vs. text on Skype) so
you can prepare in advance.
CHAPTER 4 You control how you get the job done, and your clients
Doing the
will rely on your expertise to get started. Before you
start working, consider setting up a kickoff meeting or
writing a message to your client.
work &
how often youll need to report on progress. You can
communicate with your client through the Message
Center, email, or chat, but choose one method and stick
with it to avoid confusion.
getting
paid
25 Doing the work and getting paid A Freelancers Guide to Upwork 26
Managing and delivering work
UpWork App
Applications
If youre starting an hourly contract, youll want to Your client may set a maximum number of hours For fixed-price contracts, you and your clients If, however, theres no way to come to a consen-
download the Team App to log hours and get paid you can log in one week. Know your limit and tell will create a list of milestones. The client will sus, either you or your client can reach out to
for your time. your client when youre getting close to it. This prefund each milestone with Escrow, and the Upwork for free dispute assistance. In this case,
allows them to decide whether to increase the money will be visibly held on the Upwork plat- we will schedule and moderate a discussion, so
The Work Diary feature of the Team App helps limit or wait until next week to continue. form. When youve completed the work for a that you can come to a mutually agreeable resolu-
you track your time and takes work-in-progress milestone, its a good idea to let your client know tion regarding the release of funds held in Escrow.
snapshots at random times in 10-minute inter- When the week is over, you and your client have and submit your work to them on Upwork. If
vals. These snapshots reassure your online clients a chance to review your timelogs before they are theyre satisfied with the work, the funds will be
that you have worked all the hours billed to them finalized and payment is processed. The bill- released to your account, and youll follow the
through Upwork and helps ensure youll be paid, ing cycle ends every Sunday, and your earnings same sequence for the next milestone.
even if a dispute arises. (You can always delete become available 10 days later.
any snapshots you dont want shared and billed If your client is not satisfied with the services, you
to your client.) will have to communicate directly and discuss
adjusting the terms of the deliverable in order to
find a mutual understanding and get paid.
Finishing
the final product or the number of hours needed
by your client has finished. Send an email to
notify your client and let them know youre
available if they have questions or concerns.
things off
If your contract remains open, your client
may still be reviewing your work. But because
you receive Final Feedback only after the job
is closed, feel free to ask them to close the
contract once the work is reviewed and paid for.
Once you complete a job, your client will rate your work
from 1 to 5 stars with Final Feedback, provide you with a
private Recommendation Rating, and leave a note about
their experience. These are optional for the client to leave,
but most do as it is an important method for evaluating 2
their experience. Delivering quality work, communicating
early and often with your clients and being an overall
pleasure to work with are the most important things you
can do to receive good final ratings.