CONTRACTOR MANUAL

How to get to work, grow your career,

and be an oDesk superstar!

 Welcome to oDesk!
oDesk is the world’s largest online work-
place, ranked #1 by annual contractor
earnings. We connect businesses with
talented contractors from around the
globe, giving skilled workers access to
jobs that are personally, professionally,
and financially rewarding. And we’re
fast approaching 100,000 jobs posted
each month!
Why should I work on oDesk?
You’ve got the skills, we’ve got the opportunities.
oDesk provides the tools, resources, and connections
necessary to build a long-lasting professional career.
Payments are reliable and secure, and every hourly
contract is covered by the oDesk Guarantee that an
hour worked is an hour paid.
It’s free!
Some websites charge you money upfront, with no
guarantee you'll find work. On oDesk, you can sign up,
apply to jobs, and interview without paying a penny.
Great work is rewarded.
Our feedback system allows contractors with positive
client reviews to build their reputation. A great reputa-
tion leads to more work. And more work leads to more
money. In fact, we have found that oDesk contractors
on average increase their pay rate by 190% over three
years.
Our technology builds trust.
When you work with people around the world, having
tools to build mutual trust is key. So, we created the
oDesk Team App to let you log your time easily and
accurately. Hours logged through the Team App are
covered by the oDesk Guarantee, so you know you’ll
be paid quickly and reliably.
How does oDesk make money?
It’s pretty simple. oDesk charges clients 10 percent
of what they pay the contractor. In other words, if you
set your rate at $20/hour, the client sees your rate as
$22/hour. The client pays $22, oDesk keeps $2, and
you receive the full $20 that you set as your rate. So,
we only make money when you make money!
Contractor Manual 02
Seven Steps to an Excellent Cover Leer!
So, you created an awesome profile and found the perfect job…now how do you convince the client you’re the
best for the job? By writing an excellent cover letter.

A cover letter allows you to introduce yourself, highlight your skills and experience, and tell the client exactly why
they should hire you. It’s your big chance to clearly and concisely demonstrate that you've read the job description
and that you’re qualified for the job.

Here’s how to write a cover letter that impresses clients and leads to interviews:

1. Make a professional impression.

Begin with a greeting that is warm and professional. “Dear Mr. Smith” or “Dear John Smith” are both
polite and appropriate. Stay away from “Hey Bob,” “What’s up, Shira?” or anything too casual. “Dear
Hiring Manager,” sets a professional tone when you don’t have the name of the person doing the hiring.

2. Be specific.
Keep your cover letter short and sweet. Tell the client why you’re writing and why you’re qualified. Remem-
ber, anyone can say, “I’m an expert.” Stand out from the crowd with specific examples of your experience
and how it relates to the job.

3. Relate back to the job post.

If you have the skills mentioned in the job post, call them out! Repeating the client’s needs and how you
fill the criteria makes it clear that you have read the job description are ready for the job

4. Ask clarifying questions.

Asking a thoughtful and appropriate question about the job shows that you understand how to do the work
and demonstrates the value you bring to the job.

5. Follow directions!
A client may ask you to you answer a specific question or include a keyword in your cover letter to help filter
applications and toss “copy & paste” cover letters. Follow their directions! It shows you’re paying attention
and interested in the work.

6. Close the deal.

Let them know your availability and invite them to contact you to discuss further. It’s a polite way to “ask for
the job” and reinforce your enthusiasm for working with this client.

Contractor Manual 03
 7. Reread, edit, and consider.
Take another look at the job description. Did you address all of their criteria? If you were the person hiring
for this position, would your cover letter fit the bill? Do a final check on grammar and spelling before you
hit “send.”

“English isn’t my first language, so I always ask a friend to

Real -life Contractor Tip!
take a look at my cover leer to find mistakes I may have missed.”

Dear Hiring Manager,

Showcase
certifications I'm a certified J2EE architect with experience migrating applications to the
1
cloud, and I'm very interested in your Amazon Web Services job.
Highlight relevant
work history I recently worked in G.ho.st (Globally hosted operating system) as a team
2
leader, where my responsibilities included developing the G.ho.st platform
Reference projects built using Java J2EE technologies. This infrastructure was built entirely on
3
Amazon AWS.

I believe my skills would be ideal for your project as I have significant

experience creating J2EE solutions, including building and deploying scalable
solutions on top of Amazon AWS. I am an AWS, EC2, S3, SDB, and RDS
List relevant skills expert, consistently delivering projects on time and under budget, and earning Demonstrate added value
4 5
the role of team lead on a number of recent projects.

A number of my projects are in my oDesk portfolio. My work for SampleCorp.com, Refer to your portfolio
in which I transferred a complicated Javascript app to the cloud, is very similar to
6

your position.

I am available to chat by IM, email or Skype, and would be happy to set up a Discuss availability
convenient time to discuss your project and share some ideas about the
7

safest way to get it into the cloud.

Regards,

Anand Kamath

No cookie cuer cover leers!

Please don’t send the same cover leer to every job posting. Clients
consider this spam, and it hurts your chances of geing hired. It's okay
to adapt an old cover leer, but be sure to rewrite it to make it specific to
the project you’re applying for.

Contractor Manual 03
 Seven Habits of
Successful Contractors

1.) Communicate early, communicate oen

The single most important habit of successful contractors is their willingness to communicate. From quick IMs to detailed reports or
proposals, be the one to reach out to the client with projectupdates, questions, or concerns don’t make a client come to you.

2.) When in doubt, ask!

If you have any questions at all regarding project deliverables, timelines, or execution, don’t be afraid to ask! This will help clear up
confusion, save time, and keep the job going smoothly.

3.) Set clear expectations

Reiterate the schedule and requirements to ensure you have a clear direction, and avoid making assumptions. We suggest finishing
each meeting or report by stating your next deliverable: “I'll deliver the next round by Tuesday,” or “I'll send a progress report in two
days.”

4.) Be responsive and available

Nothing scares a client more than not hearing back from a contractor. If a client contacts you, get back to them as soon as possible.
If they have a meeting request, make yourself as available as possible. If you’re going to be offline for more than a day, be sure to let
you client know.

5.) Deliver the work on time, every time

If your project is deadline driven, do what it takes to deliver an excellent product on time. And if you think you may miss the
deadline, say something! Your client would rather know sooner rather than later if a deadline won’t be met. This will allow them
to prepare in advance for an altered timeline, and though they may be disappointed, they will appreciate your honesty.

6.) Be a pleasure to work with

We can’t emphasize enough how important it is to simply listen to your client’s concerns, understands their needs, and respond with
a smile. A positive attitude and a pleasant demeanor go a long way in building a professional reputation.Under-promise, over-deliver
This is an important bit of wisdom from the long-time contractor community. And what it means is that you don’t want to promise
more than you can realistically deliver (leading to client disappointment), but you always want to go the extra mile to give a little
something extra with every job (leading to client satisfaction).

7.) Under-promise, over-deliver

This is an important bit of wisdom from the long-time contractor community. And what it means is that you don’t want to promise
more than you can realistically deliver (leading to client disappointment), but you always want to go the extra mile to give a little
something extra with every job (leading to client satisfaction).