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Donanza – A Freelance and Telecommuting Job Search Engine

Yasuo — Wed, 09 Jun 2010 05:40:31 +0000

Who would’ve though that the day would come when someone would develop a search engine that was capable of pulling freelance and telecommuting job listings from across the web.

Well, apparently they have and it’s called Donanza.

How Do You Use It?

Like I said, it is a search engine.

Basically what you do is enter a search term let’s say “Graphic Design” and search.

The search engine will then search through established sites and lesser known sites for projects that meet your search query.

How Do I Know The Projects Are Trustworthy?

Whether every single job they list is rock solid, I can’t say for certain.

What I can tell so far is that there are some pretty big names that are on board with this search engine, and that’s enough to get me to use it.

Also, the search engine has a filter function that allows you to filter projects according to the sites they were found on.

This is good if you’ve determined that there are sites that you simply do not want to get jobs from.

My advice would be to use Donanza to do a mass search across the web for opportunities, and when in doubt of a site, do your research.

To help you through the process, here is a list of a few websites that Donanza will search that I’ve green lighted as sites that are established and won’t screw you around when it comes to freelance projects they post:

So What Should I Do Now?

If you’re a freelancer or employee who wants an easier way to find freelance projects or a telecommuting job, you’re going to want to start using Donanza.

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Why oDesk is a great place for employees to start freelancing online

Yasuo — Thu, 08 Apr 2010 08:01:21 +0000

My first real experience freelancing online started with Elance. It was great at first, though this was before I discovered oDesk.

One of the real problems I faced with sites like Elance was the fact that many of the projects being offered were highly demanding but low paying.

Finding a project that really called out to my preferences but also paid a decent enough amount of money was challenging especially for someone who was just starting out.

Don’t get me wrong, Elance is still a great place to find freelance work online. What I’m saying is that oDesk is a better place to start if you’re brand new, and here is why I think so.

You get paid for the hours you work

The trouble with going straight into a site like Elance as a fresh off the boat employee who has zero freelancing experience is that you tend to get overwhelmed.

You don’t know how much you should charge as an hourly rate, you’re not quite sure how much to ask for for freelancing projects, you don’t know whether you are capable of completing the project in the time required and so on.

Like when starting anything that is brand new and sorta scary, you have a million and one questions to make sure you don’t make any mistakes.

With oDesk, the system is far more straightforward and more intuitive for people new to freelancing.

Instead of wondering about whether you are being paid fairly on a project, oDesk has a system to ensure that you get paid for the exact number of hours you work.

They are able to do this using a tracking system that logs when you are in front of your computer working on your clients project.

While this does mean you can’t charge clients for a week of work when you’ve only actually done 3 days of work (this system is designed to protect the people who hire as well), it does ensure you don’t get jilted by hirers who would underpay you for a project.

At oDesk, you get paid for the exact number of hours you work, whether it be 4 hours or 12 hours.

They have an integrated testing system where you can prove your skills

At oDesk, they have have an integrated testing system that you can use along with your resume and work samples to validate your skills and abilities to potential hirers.

They have (on my last count) 319 tests that cover a wide range of skills for engineers, accountants, web designers, programmers and more.

These tests are free and once you have completed them, your scores show up on your profile for potential buyers to see.

If you score poorly, this is a cue to you to improve your skills. If you score well, this gives you a way of justifying higher hourly rates and also helps you stand out of the crowd.

You’re kept accountable for your work

Alot of people tell me that they could never work from home. The reason being that they don’t trust themselves enough to sit down at the computer and work while nobody is watching them.

With oDesk, you are always accountable for the work that you do.

Using the oDesk Team application which you need to have installed and active when working on projects, hirers are able to track when you are at your computer working on their project.

This means that if you don’t sit down and put the hours in, they will know. It also means that you are more motivated to complete the work since you are only being paid for the time you actually spend on their project.

The oDesk Team application allows hirers to see what you are working on and whether it is related to the project they have given you.

While having your every action on a project being tracked can seem alittle disturbing, this method of tracking is actually effective at keeping you from procrastinating when you should be working.

It also allows you to be more productive by motivating you to get the project completed instead of slacking off until the last minute and then convincing yourself later that the project took forever to complete.

Honest work and fair project proposals are encouraged

At oDesk you really have no other choice than to be honest if you want to either get work or post projects.

You can’t be lazy when it comes to working on projects and hirers can’t underpay you if you really did your best to complete a project.

It’s a win-win scenario, unless you’re a person who prefers fixed cost projects and knows how to finish work in record time.

Fixed cost projects are also available on oDesk and these are great for providers who prefer not to have big brother watching them every second and are confident they will be able to complete the project on time or quicker.

At oDesk, hirers are given the opportunity to work with providers who are more transparent and providers are given the opportunity to get paid fairly on the projects they work on.

Summary

oDesk in my opinion is a site that allows you to get started as an online freelancer quicker and with less hassle than any other site out there.

As an employee, attempting to figure out how to properly calculate project rates, set hourly rates and then stay productive while outside the office environment can be a challenge.

At oDesk they help you take care of these concerns by helping you stay focused on the one thing you should be worrying about. Getting the job done.

If you’ve been thinking about getting started as a freelancer online or are interested in earning some extra hourly income on the side, it’s time to check out oDesk.

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Elance.com

Yasuo — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 11:39:29 +0000

Elance.com is a site where companies find, hire, manage and pay contractors online.

It one of the most prominent virtual work sites around and it is transforming the way businesses get their work done. With more than $200m in current earnings, independent professionals use Elance to network with clients and get paid for delivering their services.

On Elance, companies are able to gain immediate access to 100,000 rated and tested professionals who offer technical, marketing and business expertise and services.

(excerpt taken and modified from Elance.com’s About page)

Job Categories Available

Web & Programming
Design & Multimedia
Writing & Translation
Admin Support
Sales & Marketing
Finance & Management
Legal
Engineering & Manufacturing

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Guru.com

Yasuo — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 11:38:37 +0000

Guru.com’s mission is to provide businesses with the most efficient platform to connect and perform transactions with freelance professionals locally, nationally, and globally.

Driven by CEO Inder Guglani’s passion for online innovation and global job creation, Guru.com provides the world’s largest online marketplace for freelance talent. Today Guru.com is a leader in its industry with more than 1 million registered members and 100,000 active freelancer profiles.

Guru.com offers to Freelance professionals the opportunity to market their services to a global audience with minimal costs. Dedicated to advancements that improve the user experience, Guru.com serves to grow and enhance the ever increasing trend toward the world of the virtual office.

(excerpt taken and modified from Guru.com’s About page)

Job Categories Available

Technology

Websites & Ecommerce
Programming & Databases
Engineering & CAD
Networking & Telephone Systems
ERP & CRM

Creative Arts

Graphic Design & Multimedia
Writing, Editing & Translation
Illustration & Art
Photography & Videography
Fashion & Interior Designs
Broadcasting

Business

Admin Support
Marketing & Communications
Sales & Telemarketing
Business Consulting
Legal
Finance & Accounting

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Elance.com

Rentacoder.com

Yasuo — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 11:37:51 +0000

Rent A Coder is a web-based marketplace that connects businesses in need of computer programming expertise with a global, freelance market of programmers.

It also connects businesses and freelancers in the areas of graphic design, writing, translation and numerous other services.

Coders are given access to a daily pool of new work from 128,665 buyers, and can work independently from home rather than for a company. Any coder in the world with an internet connection and the desire and ability to work, can now do so.

(excerpt taken and modified from RentACoder.com’s About page)

Job Categories Available

Software Related & Programming (majority of jobs)
Graphic Design
Writing
Marketing
Virtual Administration & Assistants

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Flexjobs.com

Yasuo — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 11:37:07 +0000

Featured on CNN, their mission is to be the most trusted, overall best job site for telecommuting, freelance, and online jobs. FlexJobs serves up only the “best of the best”, hand screened, legitimate job opportunities for their users. The research that goes into finding and hand-screening the jobs for our site is top-notch, and the staff-written job summaries and company descriptions shown are valuable and unique features.

(excerpt taken and modified from Flexjobs.com’s About page)

Job Categories Available

Account Management
Accounting & Finance
Administrative
Advertising & PR
Art & Creative
Bilingual
Business Development
Business Opp – Investment
Call Center
Commission-Only
Communications
Computer & IT
Consulting & Coaching
Consumer Products
Customer Service
Data Entry
Editing
Education & Training
Engineering
Entertain & Media
Entrepreneurial
Entry-Level
Environmental & Green
Event Planning
Executive Management
Fashion & Beauty
Food & Beverage
Government & Politics
Graphic Design
House & Family
HR & Recruiting
Insurance
Internet & E-Commerce
International
Internships
Legal
Manager
Marketing
Medical & Health
Mortgage & Real Estate
News & Journalism
Nonprofit & Philanthropy
Project Management
Research
Sales
Science
Sports & Fitness
Telemarketing
Transcription
Translation
Travel & Hospitality
Web & Software Development
Web Design
Writing

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